VERSAILLES, Ky. — The city of Versailles is celebrating the opening of a newly renovated public space in its downtown as part of the continued push of downtown revitalization.
It took a decade for the Versailles Market and Entertainment District to fully come to fruition. According to city leaders, the $3.68 million project will have benefits for both residents and the numerous tourists that come to town.
Mayor Brian Traugott has been pushing for this project since his term began in 2013. The city celebrated the project’s completion with a grand opening last week, meeting the project’s intended purpose.
“It’s having a good time, taking a load off; in this era of division, we have a place where everyone can come together and let their hair down and have a good time,” Traugott said.
The new public space is located right off main street and has a stage for entertainment, farmers’ market space and a connection over Glenn’s Creek to Big Spring Park.
“For the first time, we have an ADA accessible way to connect downtown with the park, long overdue but exciting,” Traugott said.
Longtime residents of Versailles believe the space adds more charm to downtown. Kenneth Johns was involved in the very first meetings 10 years ago—back then, this seemed far-fetched.
“It’s a good thing. There’s been a lot of revitalization downtown; we’ve had several businesses come in with the coffee shop, the new Villozi’s Restaurant and this is a way to improve on those things,” Johns said.
Ken Kerkhoff chairs the downtown revitalization committee. He said this offers a place for people to gather downtown and believes it will be a hub for bourbon tourism being within 15 miles of five distilleries. Kerkhoff said it hopes to bring more people into downtown.
“It’s critical to a state to have small towns. This district which we call the entertainment district will help support the people who have private equity in our businesses downtown,” Kerkhoff said.
The space is centered around a public parking lot. Traugott said a net total of four spots were eliminated to make room for the downtown attraction. He believes the positives of development outweigh a few parking spots.
“To me, the success is having parking be a challenge. You want more people to want to come than you have spots. There’s really nothing exciting about empty parking spots,” Traugott said.
Funds for the project came from both the city, county and private sponsors.
The mayor says there will be numerous community events held at the district year-round.