HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole discussed applying for a grant that would help fund the next phase of developing the Hopkinsville Greenway Rail Trail, which would complete the original vision for the project by expanding to Tie Breaker Park.
The entire project would cost just over $6.9 million dollars, and the city would be required to pay 20% of that total in match funds totaling approximately $1.3 million. This would fund the construction of a bridge over the bypass that would connect the existing trail to its final destination at Tie Breaker Park.
“I understand it’s a big match,” said City CFO Melissa Clayton during the meeting. “Obviously we don’t have this much money sitting around to pay the match right now. If we were to receive this grant we would have to make some plans at that time.”
Grant detail, adjusting past plans
During the April 17 meeting, Clayton said that the Transportational Alternatives Program, which will be supplying the grant money, is the same program they utilized for the first two phases of the rail trail development.
Plans proposed in the past suggested that the trail could connect under the bypass instead of over. Concerns for safety and the potential for flooding led them to the idea for building a bridge instead. Mayor Knight weighed in during the meeting, saying that expanding under the bypass would have been a lot cheaper, but the bridge is the safest option for the community.
“This is really expensive if you ask me, for what we are getting,” council member Chuck Crabtree said. “But this is a lot better plan for a bridge than what was originally planned, which would have gotten a lot of people killed.”
Public Works Director Mike Perry told the committee that bridge maintenance would be fairly inexpensive in the long run. The main costs would come from bridge inspections.
The motion was passed by the committee to forward the grant application to the Hopkinsville City Council.