There’s a new way to view downtown Hopkinsville thanks to a refurbished patio between the first and second floors of the public library at Ninth and Bethel streets.
The public can use the patio again because the 2019-20 class of Leadership Hopkinsville-Christian County took it on as their class project, spending several thousand dollars to spruce up the space and add several amenities for library patrons.
The project began in January 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic caused delays. The library staff and class members recently revealed the finished work.
The patio, which had fallen into disrepair, now has new flooring, a sunshade, electrical outlets, USB ports and a counter with several stools facing Little River and Ninth Street. It’s accessible from the landing of the library’s staircase just inside the main entrance.
“The class did an incredible job of fundraising during a pandemic and brought in over $10,000 to complete this project,” DeeAnna Sova, executive director of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library, said. “The effort and energy surrounding this project is a testament to our community and the importance that they place on our public library.”
The leadership class coordinators were Brooke Jung and Candra Barnett. Every year, a new leadership class chooses a community project. Members of the 2019-20 group dubbed themselves “The Longest Class Ever” because the pandemic disrupted schedules and caused many delays.
A key element of the patio project is a mural of a mid-20th century view of Hopkinsville’s Main Street, looking north from about 11th Street. It’s on the library’s brick exterior wall in the patio space.
University Heights Academy art teacher and coach Faye Hendricks painted the mural with two students — her daughter, Lily, who graduated in 2020, and Beth Peebles, who is graduating this year. They used a scene found in an old, color-photograph postcard. In the mural, they symbolically paved Main Street with three books by Hopkinsville writers — “The Dark Side of Hopkinsville” by Ted Poston, “Goodnight Tweetheart” by Teresa Medeiros and “Bone Black” by bell hooks.
The library’s hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays.
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.
