HOPKINSVILLE, KY – The Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole discussed a new way to honor former council member Fred Atkins by moving his dedication from the unused pocket park downtown to Second Street Park.
“We’re not doing Fred Atkins or his family any justice over here on Main Street with this pocket park that we’ve locked up, because all we do is clean whiskey bottles and drug needles out of it every day,” Mayor Knight said during the meeting, referring to the downtown park space next to Coffee Connection that has been closed to the public for years.
In October 2014, the pocket park was created after a building was demolished and the vacant space was converted into a courtyard with tables, benches, and chess.
It was dedicated and named after Fred Atkins, a popular former city council member who served seven terms. For the past few years, a chain has kept the park closed due to excessive loitering and trash accumulation.
Future of the Pocket Park
Hopkinsville Public Works Director Mike Perry suggested that moving the dedication to the park on Second Street would be appropriate, given that Atkins lived only a block away.
A family member he spoke with is already on board with the plan. “I believe it’s appropriate to name it after Fred…”I believe it will do that park justice,” Perry said.
The fate of the pocket park, which will lose its dedication, is currently uncertain. Mayor Knight stated that they are considering declaring it a surplus, which would remove the city’s responsibility for it.
“There is no sense in us owning something that we cannot use,” Knight told the audience. Committee members expressed concern about what would happen to the vacant space if it was sold, stating that they would lose control.
A motion was passed to move Fred Atkins’ dedication to Second Street Park, and the matter will be sent to city council for a vote.
