December 13, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Six Western Kentucky University students have presented their renovation plans for two historic buildings in Scottsville.
The students presented the results of their semester-long study of the J.L. Turner & Son building and property and the Scottsville Freight Depot during a forum Wednesday (Dec. 12) in WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology.
The J.L. Turner & Son building and the Scottsville Freight Depot, both located on the east side of downtown Scottsville, are nationally registered historic places and have a significant historical heritage.
The students proposed mixed-use renovation plans for both sites. For the Scottsville Freight Depot, they proposed a farmer’s market and a restaurant. For the J.L. Turner & Son building and site, they proposed a mixed-use strategy that would include a museum, a recreational center/performance hall, a diner and some small business offices and retail stores.
Dr. Yanmei Li, geography and geology faculty member, developed the project for the Rural Planning course this semester and worked closely with the Heart of Scottsville and the Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation, which are involved in evaluating ways to renovate historic buildings in the Scottsville community.
“These types of projects could have a profound impact on local and regional communities as they help to build a sense of place and hometown pride for residents of cities and counties like Scottsville and Allen County,” Dr. Li said. “The project also provided valuable opportunities for students to apply planning theory and knowledge to a practical situation and it helped them to understand how they can assist local communities in preserving their cultural and historical heritage.”
The J.L. Turner & Son building was used by Dollar General Inc. as a distribution warehouse beginning in 1955. In the 1990s, the building became vacant after the headquarters of Dollar General Inc. moved from Scottsville to Nashville, Tenn. The Scottsville community has expressed a desire to renovate the building but has struggled to find appropriate uses for it.
The Scottsville Freight Depot was used by the L&N Railroad until the 1970s, when it was abandoned. More recently it has been sold to a private owner who uses it for storage.
The WKU planning students conducted intensive research on the buildings’ history, evaluated existing conditions in the community and developed a community needs assessment. They led multiple field trips, interviewed city officials, and interacted with multiple Scottsville and Allen County agencies to obtain first-hand data. The project team also rendered maps and conceptual drawings using ArcGIS and AutoCAD.
Contributing to this semester-long project were Brian McKeever, a construction management major and city and regional planning minor from Glasgow; Brent Cary, a geology major and city and regional planning minor from Burkesville; Rachel Cushman, a social work major from Redford, Mich.; Barry Kennedy, a graduate student in history from Russellville; Christopher Morris, a broadcasting major and geography minor from Louisville; and David Thomas, a political science major and city and regional planning minor from Fort Thomas.
Attending the briefing were Roe Elam, Main Street Manager for Heart of Scottsville; Cabot Pyle and Katherine Sikora, Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation; and Dr. Katie Algeo, geography and geology faculty member.
“Projects like this one are an important part of the department’s educational philosophy,” said Geography and Geology Department Head David Keeling. “Engaging students in community development is not only an important part of building a knowledge base, it also helps students to appreciate local community issues and encourages them to become lifelong learners and lifelong community activists.”
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Yanmei Li at (270) 745-5982.
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