Simpson County allows City of Franklin to use county land for walking-trail parking

Simpson County Fiscal Court unanimously authorized the City of Franklin on Oct. 18 to prepare and maintain a small parking area on county-owned property at the corner of U.S. 31W and Kentucky Highway 1008 behind Five Star to serve a planned walking trail. Tammie Carey, community services director for the City of Franklin, told the court the city was awarded a $97,000 Recreational Trails Grant to build the trail and intends two parking areas with entrances off Highway 1008 and Molly Avenue.

The authorization, made by motion of Magistrate Scott Poston and seconded by Magistrate Marty Chandler, allows the city to use the parcel described in the meeting record. The minutes note the parcel is associated with the Goodnight and Hoy families of Simpson County. The motion carried by a unanimous vote of the court.

Why it matters: the city’s walking-trail project is funded in part by a competitive Recreational Trails Grant, and access to parking on the county parcel will affect trail usability, maintenance responsibilities and liability. Carey said the City of Franklin will prepare and maintain the small parking area, which the court’s authorization explicitly permits.

The court also discussed related planning and zoning governance: members asked that proposed updates to the county’s P&Z by-laws be coordinated with the city and reviewed by legal counsel before final action. That authorization came elsewhere on the agenda and does not change the parking authorization. The city’s next steps include finalizing site arrangements and moving forward with grant-supported trail construction.

The authorization was recorded in the fiscal court minutes; the motion was made by Poston, seconded by Chandler and approved unanimously.