At Monday night’s Leitchfield City Council meeting, council members voted to approve the purchase of the recently vacated Rite Aid building on the corner of South Main Street and William Thomason Byway.
The 14,500 square foot property will house the Leitchfield Police Department as well as city government offices and cost $2.850 million. Council members also approved a tax-exempt General Obligation Bond “not to exceed” $5 million to aid in purchasing and renovating the property to fit the city’s needs. According to Mayor Thomason, though, its unlikely $5 million will be needed to complete the purchase and renovation of the property.
According to Mayor William Thomason, approximately 9,000 square-feet will hold the Leitchfield PD with the remaining 5,500 square-feet containing Leitchfield City Hall.
Council members voted 4-1 to approve the purchase — Councilman Harold Miller was not present, but made it known at Friday’s special called City Council meeting where the acquisition was discussed in executive session, that he looked upon the purchase in a favorable light; council member Rick Embry voted nay, saying that he didn’t think it was appropriate to make such an enormous financial decision so near the end of the current city council and mayor’s terms (which end Dec. 31).
Councilmembers Kelly Stevenson, Margaret Fey, Tooty Cottrell, and Margie Decker voted yea to the purchase.
When asked about a timeline regarding the renovation of the building’s interior, Mayor Thomason said the overhaul will be a “winter project.” The mayor added that no construction or renovation will take place on the building’s exterior, other than signage.
The council’s decision comes after a December 2017 determination by the city council to not move forward with a new City Hall and Leitchfield Police Department building planned for the William Thomason Byway, near South Radford Way. The total cost of that project, including construction and excavation, was anticipated to be nearly $8 million.
With the Leitchfield PD facing certification issues due to its lack of evidence storage and evidence control, though, the city continued to plan to relocate the police station, with the Rite Aid building unexpectedly becoming an option in the last two weeks.
In January, Walgreens purchased 1,932 Rite Aid stores for $4.4 billion, shuttering over 600 of those locations.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
