Henderson commissioners discuss issue of River Walk crowding

(File Photo) Jo and Walt Busby, of Henderson, walk the Riverwalk in Atkinson Park Tuesday afternoon under the last of the fall leaves still clinging to a maple tree. (Gleaner photo by Mike Lawrence • 831-8346 or mlawrence@thegleaner.com)

HENDERSON, Ky. - Henderson's popular River Walk is becoming a victim of its own success, the Henderson City Commission concluded Monday, but members disagreed on the cure.

"There is not enough room on that River Walk," said Commissioner Robert Pruitt, who said that bicyclists, inline skaters and skateboarders mingling with walkers could be a recipe for injuries. "Sooner or later they're going to hit somebody, and it's going to be a problem."

He recommended putting up a concrete barrier to divide it into two lanes, or to build another walk entirely.

Commissioner Jan Hite said she thinks the problem is being overblown.

"I don't think it should be as big a deal as it is," she said. "I think the riverfront should be used by anyone who wants to use it. I don't think it would be good to make it for the walker only."

Creating a facility for skateboarders and in-line skaters is definitely a need, Pruitt said, noting a roomful of people attended a meeting last year to gauge support for building another facility in Community Park. Pruitt recommended building a "state of the art facility" because the existing one in Atkinson Park "is not good enough.

"Nobody wants to give them any recognition, nobody wants to give them any respect," complaining that all other sports have gotten city facilities.

Commissioner Robby Mills said he vehemently disagrees with the idea of using riverfront money for Pruitt's proposed facility, or to build it on the riverfront. Instead of meddling with the River Walk, he recommended placing bicycle signs on Merritt Drive to encourage cyclists to use the roadway instead of the walk.

Mills pointed out the existing skate facility in Atkinson Park has had an up-and-down career.

"We need to decide how we can serve them. What is the real utilization of that facility? Why has it been torn up?"

"There's a group of kids out there who are craving a facility," Pruitt said.

"That doesn't mean throwing money at them," Mills replied.

A major topic of Monday's workshop was discussion of the community's priority list, and a new skate park facility fell about midway down the list, after city staff compiled the rankings of individual commission members. Pruitt asked that the skate facility be moved closer to the top.

That prompted Hite to also make a bid to move up two of her favorite projects, both of which ranked in last place: creating an arts district and creating a taxing authorities organizational group. She argued that creating those entities would take very little or no money.

Mayor Steve Austin, however, pointed out that the rankings had a clear breaking point, where the top four projects rated much higher than the rest.

"There are four very evident projects there," he said.

The top-ranked project of developing incentives and industrial sites to lure new industry to the community enjoyed near unanimous approval. Austin noted that the city's low utility rates are one of the local area's most attractive incentives to new industries.

"Obviously we need more industrial jobs and more industrial opportunities," Mills said. It's almost a bidding war now," and communities need land, cash and other incentives "to even start to play the game."

"That has to be our No. 1 focus," said Pruitt. "We need to be able to have jobs."

City Manager Russell Sights advocated erecting a manufacturing building on speculation, noting it's been 25 years since one was used to lure Taubensee Steel "and they're still here. When that right industry comes along that wants that building, you'll get your money back."

Mills, however, said spec buildings are sort of "old thinking" and said it might be more attractive to industry if Henderson focused on high-tech infrastructure such as "how good is our Internet service, our Wi-Fi."

"We've been paying out a lot of money to Northwest Kentucky Forward," said Pruitt. "We may be better off using that money for a spec building." Mills and Austin disagreed with him, though, with Austin saying the economic development agency needs to be made stronger and Mills advocating using it to build more jobs through encouraging and retaining small business, which he said is where most new jobs are created.

The other projects in the commission's top four are development of the site where the old Station One power plant current sits, upgrading the current recycling program, and increasing funding for street and sidewalk repairs and construction.