WQXE News

The Elizabethtown Police Department is investigating a fatal accident that occurred Wednesday evening.

“Shortly before 7:30 Wednesday evening, we responded to a serious motor vehicle collision at the intersection of Ring Road and Dixie Highway,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “A preliminary investigation indicates that a Hyundai passenger car, traveling eastbound on Ring Road, collided with the rear of a Chevrolet pickup truck, which was also eastbound on Ring Road but stopped at the intersection of Dixie Highway.” 

Denham said the driver of the Hyundai, an adult female, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup, an adult male, along with his juvenile passenger, were transported from the scene to Baptist Health Hardin with non-life-threatening injuries.

The EPD’s collision reconstruction team’s investigation is ongoing.

The Hardin County Board of Education met for a roundtable discussion with the district’s high school principals as part of a special meeting Tuesday.

HCS Superintendent Terry Morgan said during their summer retreat the board proposed meeting with the principals for periodic updates. The principals filled out question forms with topics such as biggest challenges, biggest successes, and what support they need from the board.

The principals said finding and training adequate staff is an ongoing challenge. The principals also expressed concerns for having adequate mental health resources available for students, with John Hardin High School Principal Mark Wells noting the impact on the school day.

“You look at it from a logistical standpoint, we need those students to get the help that they need,” Wells said. “They need that, but when? We’ve got the counselors coming from the outside and they’re pulling kids out of class, and we’re trying to create a schedule so we’re not missing math, but it’s becoming more and more difficult.”

The principals said additional financial support for extracurriculars, sports and otherwise, would be beneficial as it would allow coaches and coordinators to focus on the team or club rather than on fundraising. College View Principal Dr. Robert King and EC3 Principal Dan Robbins said expansion for their buildings is needed. Robbins said more space for EC3 means expansion for the district as a whole.

“I think if we look over the last 10 years and we think about things that have really helped our district, I think that EC3 has to be something that everyone turns to,” Robbins said. “I know it is from the outside community, because we are visited by more school districts than I had ever imagined when I took the position.”

The principals said district initiatives such as the creation of the transition coach position to help graduating students, a faculty mentor program, and technology education have proven beneficial. Each of the principals also said they felt supported by the board, the superintendent’s office, and their fellow principals, something Central Hardin Principal Tim Isaacs said hasn’t always been the case.

“I can pick up the phone and I can call anybody sitting at this table, including you all (the board). and I have a boss that I think if she found out that I picked up the phone and called one of you all wouldn’t eat my lunch over it either, and I appreciate that,” Isaacs said. “For me, that’s what it comes down to. I feel like I’ve earned my spot at the table and I want to be heard.”

The Hardin County Board of Education will next meet October 17.

The Elizabethtown City Council and the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau met for a joint meeting Monday to hear an update on the 10,000-seat amphitheater to be constructed at Buffalo Lake.

Brad Boaz with CMW Architects and Engineers walked through the design process for the venue to this point including decisions on location to lessen interstate and train noise, rigging to allow for flexibility in acts performing, and the arrangements for seating and facilities. Boaz says his catchphrase for the project is “It’s a walk in the woods.”

“We hope that as we go through this design that you’ll see that that’s really what we pushed, and we’re taking this piece of land out there in this undeveloped portion of E-Town and that even though we’re going to do a lot of construction, we’re going to change it so that at the end of the the day it really feels like you’re walking in the woods and you’re in this park even though it’s a venue that hosts a 10,000 seat concert experience,” Boaz said.

E-Town Tourism Executive Director Janna Clark said Elizabethtown is what the music industry would consider a “suburb venue,” so rather than directly competing with smaller venues in the area the goal is attract big-name talent in between shows at the larger venues in metro areas.

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said he hates to lose the current mountain biking trails at Buffalo Lake, but pursuing the music venue allows the city to allow for likely development while having a say in what is to come, including new trails.

“Eventually, because that land is owned privately, and if we cut that road through there like what needed to be done probably 15, 20 years ago, then we were going to lose those trails regardless, so what this does is it gives us the opportunity to control that somewhat by purchasing the property and putting this facility on that site so we can have some say so of what it turns out to be,” Gregory said.

Hardin-ETown Stampede mountain bike team coach David Haines said he would like for the design team to meet with a national mountain biking expert, and with 4 to 5 miles of new trails incorporated into the design the buffalo lake site could have the potential for national-level competition.

The current design of the venue includes 4,000 seats and space for 6,000 people in the lawn, with restroom and concession facilities that would be available year-round.