Hopkinsville did not make the cut for the $3 million technology makeover from T-Mobile. Instead, the city will have to settle for a $50,000 community grant from the company.
T-Mobile selected Woodstock, Illinois, for the big prize, according to a company news release dated Sept. 2 that received little if any notice in Hopkinsville — until now.
Hopkinsville was one of 10 U.S. cities named finalists this summer by T-Mobile for its Hometown Techover competition. The announcement on July 15 stirred a flurry of promotional activity in Hopkinsville, including T-Mobile’s purchase of 6,000 pink doughnuts from Whistle Stop. The color was a nod to the telecommunications company’s magenta-color logo, and the doughnuts were handed out by the dozen at a T-Mobile booth downtown.
T-Mobile described Hopkinsville as “a charming, southern agricultural community with one of the most diverse populations in Kentucky, (which) neighbors the Fort Campbell Army installation.”
The makeover prize going to Woodstock includes technology upgrades, a $200,000 grant and consulting services from Smart Growth America, enrollment in T-Mobile programs, and a free concert by Florida Georgia Line.
As a finalist, Hopkinsville received a $50,000 check on Oct. 12, according to a memo from City Administrative Officer Troy Body to Hopkinsville City Council members. The council is slated to discuss the grant at its Thursday, Oct. 21, Committee of the Whole meeting. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
Body is recommending the council use $25,000 from the grant for painting and repairs at the Woody Winfree Fire-Transportation Museum on East Ninth Street. The city’s iconic clock tower sits atop the building, which is Hopkinsville’s old fire station. The other $25,000 would be used for technology upgrades at the Boys and Girls Club.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
