(Glasgow, KY) About every two weeks, the Project Development board meets to discuss plans for the construction of the new Barren County Justice Center. In those recent meetings, WCLU News has learned that a new fence will be put up around the construction site, next week, blocking off portions of Front Street in Glasgow, and moving entirely to the west, Ford Street. Once this is completed, demolition on the former Glasgow Glass property, and the former Dollar General Store on West Main and Ford, will begin.
With many challenges ahead, one of those echoed amongst citizens is information. WCLU News spoke to Alliance Corporation CEO, Tommy Gumm, and Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd, about some of the common questions we hear, and have ourselves. Gumm’s Alliance Corpration is taking on it’s fourth such justice center project. The company has built similar facilities is Warren and Hart Counties. Byrd is chair of the PDB, with Circuit Judge John Alexander serving as vice-chair. Other members include Krissie Coe Fields; Circuit Court Clerk, District Judge Gabe Pendleton, and Joan Norris serving as the Citizen-At-Large.
WCLU asked the pair of Gumm and Byrd four questions about how the justice center is being paid for and why the process is so complicated.
Number 1: What level of government is allocating the money for the construction of the new justice center in Barren County?
Number 2: Does the PDB have enough funds allocated to complete the project?
Number 3: Had we not accepted those funds, what would have happened to the allocated funds?
Number 4: There are people that say this has taken a really long time, and that think we should be done with this, right now…been dragging our feet. What do you have to say to that?
Watch that interview, here below:
Byrd said the Project Development Board will continue to meet every two weeks to ensure the project continues to move forward.