A Community Project

Mt. Vernon Kentucky has just been turned down for a grant from the Stateof Kentucky, and I have to wonder if they have even figured out why. I could tell them, though, not that they are asking. But somebody should, because I have the idea sometimes that they either don’t know, or don’t really care.

A few years back, Governor Paul Patton initiated a Kentucky Communities revitalization project, aimed at restoring and revitalizing small towns. Small communities have taken a hit in recent years wtih the expansion of large shopping centers and superstores such as Wal-Mart and Target. It’s easy to see why, everybody wants to get out of town for a while, so even as much as a twenty mile drive to Wal-Mart can seem like an excursion, and in the long run you can even save money shopping there despite the gas expenses, at least until recently.

The money granted to small towns that qualified was meant to spruce up the downtown areas, make them attactive to business investment, and to the communities populations, many of whom on the one hand longed for a return to the “good old days” of small town prosperity, while on the other hand taking their business elsewhere. This was meant to change all that, at least up to a point.

Mt. Vernon received their grant in 2002, and one of the first things they did with it – officially – was use it to repair and renovate the old Brown building, one of the oldest buildings in Mt. Vernon, which had stood proudly on the edge of town for over a hundred years. As the oldest landmark in the town, I guess for well over a hundred years, as everything else that had been older had either been tore down or burned down.

The Brown building had quite a history. At one time, back in the 1920’s,going back perhaps to the last century, it had been a private school for girls. Follwing this, beginning in about the 1940’s, it had been a grocery store owned by the Mr. Brown by whose name it became known. Following this, beginning in about the 1960’s, it became a boading house.

At some point in time, it was bought by a family who shall remain nameless. Suffice it to say they eventualy let it fall into a state of disuse, disrepair, and ultimatley to the point where it was no longer habitable, and should have been condemned, really-as was the case with all the properties owned by this particular family.

When the town finally acquired the property, they set to work restoring it, and used jail work release prisoners at least in part to paint it, repair the doors and windows, and haul out all the garbage. It had in recent years become a hangout for the indigent, a place to drink, shoot up,and hang out. But it was soon fixed up to where it looked almost as good as new-at least on the outside. Still, two or thee years had passed, and it was utilized for nothing. It’s main function seemed to be that it was no longer an eyesore or a health hazard. No businsses moved in, no offices opened in it, and no one dwelled theirein, at least not officially and legally.

Then, over the last few months, a new round of grants became availiable, and of course Mt. Vernon applied for their share. Sometime during the waiting and evaluation process, the old Brown Building, by all rights an historical landmark, suddenly burned to the ground, leaving in the totality of the destruction nothing save the old chimney. It was totally destroyed by the fire, right on the spot where it had existed for over one hundred years-

Not so much as half a block from the Mt. Vernon Fire Department and City Hall!!!

They were tuned down for the latest grants. They were also refused grants for the purpose of improving the city water system. Should anybody wonder why?

Incidentally, just across the street from the City Hall and Fire Department is a road that goes to the Rockcastle County Hospital and Respiratory Care Center. Not too long after you turn onto that road, the first thing you will notice is the road to the right could use something it has never had-a guardrail. Of course, to construct a guardrail, you would have to finally get around to cutting the waist high weeds which, from the road, hides the drop off that leads straight down onto the railroad tracks, more than six feet below.