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Council moves forward on Ring Road-Pear Orchard Road zoning change

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The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The council voted to hold the first reading on an ordinance that would amend the zoning for property located at 2111 Ring Road and 1151 Pear Orchard Road from R-3 to C-3, which would facilitate the construction of a 60,000 square foot VA medical clinic. The Elizabethtown Planning Commission voted 3-2 at their July 8 meeting to recommend that change be denied, but Council Member Mika Tyler made a motion to hold the first reading, citing fact finding presented at the Planning Commission meeting that she said found the zoning change to be in line with the city’s comprehensive plan.

Several people discussed the zoning proposal during the meeting’s public comments period. Elizabethtown resident Brown Gwynn said he and everybody he has spoken with about the proposal is supportive of the establishment of a VA health clinic in Elizabethtown. He said the problem here is rezoning an area that shouldn’t be rezoned.

“There is commercial property all over the city that is already zoned C-3, so we’re taking a 29-acre piece of property and converting it from R-3 which is residential, which if the county decides to fight expansion of our city limits, where are we going to get any more building lots?” Gwynn said. “We’ve got commercial building lots all over the town.”

Bob Casher is a member of the Joint Executive Council of Veterans Organizations of Kentucky. He says the city needs to do what it can to help the project move forward quickly in order to help support an aging area veteran population.

“We need that piece of land and we need to get that clinic off the ground as soon as possible,” Casher said. “Veterans Administration from Washington D.C. has been to the Jeff. Co. meetings. They have been to the VA and Robley Rex. This has been in the works for over two years, and here we are sitting here this evening wanting to debate where it’s going to go.”

The council will vote on the zoning change on its second reading at the next regular council meeting.

In other meeting news, the council approved a resolution amending the comprehensive plan to include the Towne Mall master plan, and a municipal order amending the city’s contract with Kinley-Horn and Associates for water design services concerning the area around the outdoor music venue to include changes in infrastructure plans.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a work session on July 28.

Roundabout installation begins Wednesday at U.S. 62/U.S. 31W Bypass interchange

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Construction begins Wednesday on the dual roundabout interchange that is being installed along U.S. 62 at the U.S. 31W Bypass in Elizabethtown.

According to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four, the ramp from the U.S. 31W Bypass southbound to U.S. 62 along with the southbound U.S. 62 ramp onto the bypass will be closed, with traffic on U.S. 62 moving to one lane in each direction in the vicinity of the interchange.

The interchange work was announced in 2024 as one piece of improvements aimed at making U.S. 62 safer and more efficient.

“Reworking those entrances and exits on U.S. 62 at the bypass is really a bigger piece of this entire corridor project that expands from the bypass area over to French Street on the other side of 31W near downtown,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “This whole corridor gets resurfaced ultimately. There’s striping changes that we made a few months back, and we’ve monitored those. There’ll be some tweaking to those, and that’s why we did those early before we put pavement down, so we don’t put down pavement and then have to redo everything, so it was done in stages for reasons.”

Two detours are in place during construction. For U.S. 31W Bypass southbound to U.S. 62, traffic will continue south on the bypass to New Glendale Road and reverse direction onto the bypass northbound to U.S. 62. For U.S. 62 to U.S. 31W Bypass southbound, traffic will continue west to Ring Road, then turn right onto Ring Road to Patriot Parkway, then turn right onto Patriot Parkway and continue onto the southbound bypass ramp.

Work is scheduled to be completed on the interchange roundabouts by November 1. Several traffic pattern changes will occur during construction. Follow KYTC District Four on social media for updates.

KSP reminds motorists to move over for emergency vehicles

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Kentucky State Police Post Four is joining a multi-state effort to remind residents to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles. 

KSP Post Four is participating in the 6-State Trooper Project, a coordinated effort involving state police agencies in Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia running now through July 26 to promote compliance with move over laws and help reduce roadside crashes involving law enforcement officers, emergency responders, and service workers.

According to a release from the KSP, Kentucky’s Move Over Law passed in 2003 requires motorists to move to the adjacent lane when approaching an emergency or public safety vehicle with flashing lights. Motorists must slow down and use caution if they are unable to change lanes.

The KSP is urging all drivers and passengers to help keep everyone on Kentucky roadways safe and to stay alert, slow down, move over, and obey the law. Failure to follow the Move Over Law may result in fines, jail time, or both.

Drivers may report dangerous driving behavior to their local KSP post. Visit the KSP’s website for more information on the 6-State Trooper Project.

Cruisin’ the Heartland Festival hits the E-Town streets beginning Thursday

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An Elizabethtown summertime staple is coming up this week as the annual Cruisin’ the Heartland Festival takes to the streets.

“We kick it off on Thursday, July 24, with a movie at the State Theater,” said City of Elizabethtown Events Manager Beth Pyles. “This year we will be showing Smokey and the Bandit, which is a fantastic, classic car movie. I mean, everyone remembers the Trans Ams with the t-tops.”

The box office opens at 6 p.m. on Thursday and tickets, which include popcorn and a drink, are $5.

The Cruisin’ the Heartland Car Show will be held at Freeman Lake Park on Friday.

“That event starts at 2 p.m.,” Pyles said. “We will have registration. You can bring your car out and get it judged and be part of the car show, but you don’t have to have a car to come to that.”

The free Cruisin’ Car Show Concert, featuring The Checkmates, will begin at the Freeman Lake Park bandstand at 4 p.m. Friday.

Downtown streets will close for Saturday festivities beginning at 6 a.m. The swap meet area and breakfast at the Historic State Theater open at 8. Events on the State Theater parking lot stage begin at 11 a.m. with the Quicksie Watermelon Eating Contest.

“We’ll also have Aaron Hart’s magic show later in the day,” Pyles said. “We’ll have a Not-So Newlywed Game show, classic trivia, and then our concert this year features Carabou, which is a Louisville-based band and they play all the hits from the years gone by, so we’re excited about that.”

Visit www.etownevents.com for a full schedule of events and activities.

Col. Holstead takes over as Fort Knox Garrison commander

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The Fort Knox Garrison is under new leadership.

Colonel David Holstead replaced Colonel Christopher Ricci as the Fort Knox Garrison commander during a change of command ceremony at the Waybur Theater Friday.

According to a release from Fort Knox, Holstead was commissioned as an armor officer and most recently served as the chief of current operations for V Corps Forward in Poznań, Poland. Holstead “will be charged with providing quality on-post services for soldiers and their families, as well as overseeing infrastructure projects, maintaining environmental stewardship, and ensuring the safety and security of those who live and work on Fort Knox.”

Holstead told the Quicksie Morning Show he is no stranger to the area.

“I’ve been here four times to Fort Knox,” Holstead said. “As recently as two years ago, I was at HRC. We love bourbon. We love horses. We love Louisville. We love this area, so I’m excited to be back here and be the Garrison commander of the place where I started my journey 25 years ago as an armor officer.”

Colonel Ricci will be moving from Fort Knox to Fort Benning, where he will serve as the director of the U.S. Army Futures Command’s Maneuver Requisitions Division.