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Bardstown council approves historic-property sign changes, downtown event road closures and celebration budget
Summary
The Bardstown City Council unanimously approved five Historical Review Board certificates of appropriateness with conditions, granted road closures for multiple downtown events and adopted the budget for the Red, White and Bardstown semi-quincentennial celebration during its April 28 meeting.
Bardstown’s City Council on April 28 approved a set of local historic-preservation permits, authorized downtown street closures for summer–fall events and adopted the budget for the city’s semi-quincentennial celebration, all by unanimous votes.
The council accepted five recommendations from the Historical Review Board covering Certificates of Appropriateness for properties in the downtown historic district. City Administrator Aaron Boles presented the HRB items. The approvals included: COA-26-06 for a new hanging sign at 208 N. 3rd Street (Homes by Renfro/Paul McCoy) conditioned on installing the sign bracket in the mortar joints; COA-26-07 for a standing/hanging sign, paint and operable shutters at 209 E. Stephen Foster (Red Rose Inn LLC); COA-26-08 to replace nine non-historic wood windows with fiberglass-clad wood windows at 215 N. 5th Street (Michelle R. Boren); COA-26-09 for new duplex construction on E. John Fitch (Cliff Buzick), with final materials and finishes to be staff-approved; and COA-26-10 to change gutter types at 403 N. 3rd Street (Brenda Hagan). Councilman David Dones moved to accept the HRB recommendations; Councilman Joe Buckman seconded and the motion carried 6-0. Buckman emphasized the COA-26-09 approval applies only to the scale and specifications shown in the submitted drawings.
The council also approved multiple road-closure requests tied to downtown events. Councilwoman Betty Hart moved and Councilman Bill Sheckles seconded approval of a road closure for the Kentucky Gun Company’s 2026 Elk and Outdoor Fest; the motion passed 6-0. Councilman Franklin Hibbs moved and Councilman Roland E. Williams seconded approval of road closures and time changes requested by Bardstown Main Street for the following civic events: Bourbon City Street Concert (June 20, 2026), Cheers to Bardstown (Sept. 12, 2026), Arts & Crafts Festival (Oct. 10–11, 2026) and Light Up Bardstown (Nov. 27–28, 2026). That motion also carried 6-0.
The minutes for the April 14 council meeting were approved by unanimous consent. The council then voted, on a motion by Hibbs seconded by Dones, to approve the budget for the Red, White and Bardstown semi-quincentennial celebration as presented by Assistant City Administrator Greg Ashworth; the vote was 6-0.
During member comments, Councilwoman Betty Hart said the Creativity Cupboard will move to the Nelson County Public Library after sale of the Arts Building, and she reported NelCARE received a $253,202 opioid grant. Mayor J. Richard Heaton gave updates including a walkthrough inspection of the Aquatic and Sports Center, which he said is on schedule to be near completion by December, a tree-planting in Bardstown Community Park by the Daughters of the American Revolution in recognition of the semi-quincentennial, and an Earth Day event in Mayor’s Park. He also said Sazerac and Barton Brands plan to award grants.
All votes recorded in the meeting minutes were unanimous (6-0). No formal public hearings or contested votes were recorded in the minutes. The council adjourned at 7:49 PM.
