HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – “Downtown Hopkinsville is where this community started and it’s where are roots are,” said Holly Boggess, director of the Downtown Renaissance District. This Hopkinsville program works with several organizations to revitalize, manage, improve, and market the downtown area.
“Two of the big projects that we are working on right now are the Odd Fellows Building and the Woody Winfree Fire-Transportation Museum’s clock tower,” said Holly Boggess, director of the Downtown Renaissance District.
After a severe thunderstorm in April 2023, bricks from the museum and windows of the historic structure were blown. Windows were also damaged on the third story of the Odd Fellows Building which holds apartments and local businesses.
Homeless population and positive changes
Boggess explained that the district is also in the process of an assessment on the homeless population in the downtown area, “We are looking into the needs of the transient population as well as the assurance that there are not negative impacts on commerce.”
In addition, the program is hoping to fill several vacant lots in the next year through the use of their incentive program which has had great success in the past.
“We want to enhance the downtown area and even its corridors,” Boggess said. “We also want to put an emphasis on retail and restaurants in the area.”
Along with increasing business, the downtown area also wants to increase its residential population, Boggess told Christian County Now. A lot of the existing buildings have upper story housing, and they are working to encourage property owners to build out those upper floors. In the coming years Boggess plans to revitalize the downtown farmers market as well. She believes its growth is vital to the overall economic vitality for the community.