FILE: Micheal Hale, Barren Co. judge/executive, listens as representatives of local, state and national government discuss growing drug problems in the community during a roundtable discussion on Aug. 4, 2022.
BY BRENNAN D. CRAIN, WCLU News
GLASGOW — Magistrates in Barren County approved Tuesday the potential purchase of a property along West Main Street that could be the home of a new judicial center.
State government allotted over two years ago $32 million to the county for the construction of a new judicial center. Though the funding is state based, the fiscal court will administer the funding and facilitate the construction of the new courthouse.
The current courthouse will remain in place as the center of Glasgow’s downtown and will likely house county offices. The local judiciary will no longer be there but instead inside the new judicial center.
Tuesday’s motion to purchase up to 5.098 acres of land along West Main Street was passed with magistrate’s unanimous support. Micheal Hale, county judge/executive did not support the measure, however.
“We don’t need all the property,” he said. “The state of Kentucky has said we’re only going to purchase what property we truly need.”
Members of the PDB confirmed at a previous meeting that project guidelines describe the need for about 2.5 acres of land. Whether the information was ever shared with magistrates is unclear.
“We’re only looking at purchasing what they would need for the judicial center,” Coomer said. “But we don’t know, so we want that option to purchase it all.”
The property included in Tuesday’s motion was not described beyond its location along West Main Street. Sources familiar with the situation have said the property is located near a Dollar General store and the U.S. Post Office. Members of a project development board overseeing the project continue to refer to their desired property for the project as “Site E.”
Hale is a member of that board but would not confirm if “Site E” was in the general area of the Dollar General store and post office. However, a vote last week by the Glasgow Water Company’s board could approve the sale of a glass company building they own, which is behind the Dollar General store. Some stipulations were made in the GWC board’s motion that depend on land appraisal and other property acquisition.
“I do believe that in the near future we’ll be able to say here’s the site,” Hale said.
Because the $32 million earmarked was taken from the state budget, no local funding will be used for the project. However, magistrates vote Tuesday to potentially buy more than the needed land could result in an expenditure for the county. The state will not reimburse the fiscal court if they decide to buy more than the desired land, which is about 2.5 acres.
The city of Glasgow owns 5.098 acres of the particular property along West Main Street desired for the judicial center. It is located near the post office and Dollar General. The city council will consider the matter and potential sale of the said property as soon as next Monday, according to a member of the PDB.
“Obviously, this is the matter of discussion that will continue between fiscal court and city council,” said Kathryn Thomas, Barren County attorney.
The decision to buy, if the council agrees to sell, must be made within six months, according to the motion made by the fiscal court this week.
