By AMBER DILLEY
GLASGOW — Members of the Liberty District community met Monday night to update the community’s fight against possible construction of the new Barren County Correc-tion Center on South Lewis Street or Columbia Avenue.
“This has been a fast-moving train,” Joe Trigg, a community member, said. “About 18 days ago, I found out there was a potential for a jail to go up in our area. Since then, we’ve had a meeting with the (Barren County) Fiscal Court and expressed our concerns.”
Community members have been passing around a petition and have gathered nearly 500 signatures.
“We have to get them registered so it’s a matter of public record,” Trigg said. “We passed the petitions out and we’re thankful for everybody’s participation. The next step is to get them registered. Then, we will be in attendance at the next fiscal court meeting and we’ll also try to get on the agenda for that meeting.”
Trigg said that through several conversations, he understands the court has “potentially entered into an agreement for the property (on South Lewis Street),” and he has been in contact with local attorneys who “believe in our cause and are giving us recommendations on what to do next.”
Fiscal court has not approved any land purchases and public records do not show the land on South Lewis Street has changed hands.
Trigg said he assumes the county has done its research regarding the properties and so has he and Alma Glover, director of the Liberty District-Ralph Bunche Community Center.
Glover contacted the national historical society and was informed there was no law against building a jail near an historical center. There is also no law against building a jail near a place where children attend (The Boys and Girls Club) because the inmates are “locked up,” she said.
The community needs to stick together and fight at every step of the process, Trigg said.
“We need to do this as legal as we can and we’re doing all the things we’re told we’re supposed to do,” he said. “We didn’t pay attention at first and now we’re having to play catch up, but we’re going to try to do the right thing the right way.”
“Sometimes in a war, you may win some battles, you may loose some, but you have to keep pressing on,” Trigg said. “The advice we have received is that we’ll have to keep pressing on because this has the potential to be a drawn out process.”
The next Barren County Fiscal Court meeting is scheduled for Feb. 17, 5 p.m. at the Barren County Government Building. The one scheduled for today has been canceled.
