Second readings of ordinances to annex the old King’s Truck Stop property into the Corbin city limits, reduce the speed limit for South Kentucky Avenue to 15 mph between 19th Street and 23rd Street, and to allow some businesses to sell alcohol outside for patrons to consume were the main items on the agenda for the Corbin City Commission’s special called meeting late Monday afternoon.
The commission approved second readings of all three ordinances during the meeting, which took about five minutes.
City Clerk Tori Brock said that all three ordinances would go into effect on May 7 after publication in the newspaper of record for the city, which is the News Journal.
The old King’s Truck Stop property, which is located in southern Laurel County, has been cleared off in recent years with a paved access road built leading to the top of it. The property has a C-1 commercial zoning designation.
With the property now located inside the city limits, businesses that locate on this property, such as restaurants and convenient stores will be allowed to sell alcohol, which could prompt development there.
Local resident Andrea Mayne previously asked the city commission to lower the speed limit on that portion of South Kentucky Avenue due to people driving too fast there.
City Collector Skye Hedrick said previously that Folktale Coffee owner D.J. Allen approached her about the possibility of having a sidewalk café at his business, which is something that other cities have done around the state.
“It is basically an outside area to their existing area. D.J. has kind of a unique thing. He has a large sidewalk on Third Street that attaches to his coffee shop. He currently has bistro tables out there now. He just got his alcohol license. He is open for dinner and for brunch. Basically, he wants to be able to set tables up out there and for them to be able to have alcohol,” Hedrick said.
The ordinance will require additional liability insurance, and a fence of some type around the area. No alcohol will be permitted outside the fenced in area.
The commission also approved a School Resource Officer (SRO) contract for the remainder of the current school year with Corbin Independent Schools and approved a memorandum of understanding between the Corbin Police Department and the Corbin Board of Education, which will allow collaboration in technology and communications.
The Corbin Board of Education has worked to create its own police force for the purpose of employing school resource officers. Currently, some of the School Resource Officers covering Corbin schools are employed by the school district, and part of the School Resource Officers are employed by the Corbin Police Department through a grant that has been in place for several years.
Brock said that the memorandum allows school resource officers employed by the school district to use Corbin Police Department radio frequencies and to communicate with the Corbin Police Department dispatch system.
In addition, the Corbin City Commission approved an open records request policy for the City of Corbin.
Brock said the city has already adopted the guidelines for open records that the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office has laid out. She learned at a recent city clerk’s conference that cities also need a written policy in place that can be displayed at city hall and on the city’s website among other places.
The new policy reflects the guidelines that were already in place.
