Finally, Corbin’s new farmer’s market pavilion is taking shape

If you have traveled through downtown Corbin in recent days, you have likely noticed the ongoing construction that is taking place at the corner of Main and Monroe streets, at the site of the new Hometown Bank Farmer’s Market Pavilion. It is great to finally see an actual structure beginning to take form, especially considering all of the setbacks that the project has experienced.

It has taken a lot of hard work and perseverance to get to this point, and many folks should be commended for their contributions in helping to bring downtown Corbin what is sure to be a beautiful facility once it is finally completed. At the top of that list of people to be commended is Corbin Tourism Director Maggy Monhollen. It is thanks to her vision and leadership that this project will soon be coming to fruition, adding yet another example to the ever-growing list of meaningful contributions that she has made to the Corbin community in her time as director of the Tourism and Convention Commission.

Let’s take a look back at the events that led us to this point.

In October of 2020, News Journal reporter Dean Manning wrote that Monhollen and the Tourism Commission were working on plans for the construction of a new pavilion on Main Street.

In June of 2021, reporter Mark White shared with News Journal readers that Corbin Tourism would be receiving $100,000 in grant funding from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund to help pay for the construction of the new downtown pavilion. The story also mentioned that $1,500 was being donated by the Whitley County Extension Office, and that Hometown Bank was also stepping up to help fund the project.

In January of 2022, Manning wrote that construction of the new pavilion was tentatively scheduled to take place between Feb. 1 and June 1 of that year. However, he would report only a few weeks later that construction was being held up due to a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture requirement related to environmental risk reporting. Monhollen had previously secured $100,000 in USDA grant funding for the project, but a condition of the agreement was to have the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ensure that there were no hazardous substance, waste, petroleum or hazmat concerns at the site.

In May of 2022, White reported that “final hurdles” were being cleared in order to finally get the ball rolling on the construction of the pavilion, and that an engineer had been hired to conduct the necessary environmental assessment to satisfy all USDA requirements.

In September of 2022, yours truly had the honor of reporting on the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Hometown Bank Farmer’s Market Pavilion. Monhollen, who was all smiles at the event, explained to me that, with the $100,000 USDA grant, the $100,000 Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund grant, the $1,500 donation from the Whitley County Extension Office, approximately $100,000 from the Corbin Tourism Commission’s general fund, and a $250,000 corporate sponsorship from Hometown Bank, work could FINALLY begin on the new pavilion.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the project to hit yet another snag.

In October of 2022, a full two years after Manning’s initial report on this project, we learned that additional funds would be required to correct an issue at the site related to excess ground water. By year’s end, nearly $70,000 more from the Tourism Commission’s general fund had to be used to pay for the removal of topsoil and the installation of gravel and fabric that would allow for a concrete pad to be poured without the risk of buckling due to the excess ground water that was discovered underneath the lot.

Just this past March, the project had to endure yet another delay when an aging brick wall along one side of the property began to fail due to all of the unexpected topsoil removal that had to be done to correct the ground water issue. The old wall had to be entirely removed, and a new, pre-engineered wall was brought in to replace it. The additional cost to have this work done brought the project to about $100,000 over what had been originally budgeted, but the Tourism Commission still managed to come out the other side operating on a surplus of just over $2,000.

Now, it would appear that all systems are go, and we will soon have a new farmer’s market pavilion to visit and enjoy in downtown. It has been quite the journey, but I am super-excited to see this facility when it is complete and in its final form.

The farmer’s market recently kicked off its 2023 season, and is operating as usual (Tuesdays in NIBROC Park) until the new pavilion is open and ready to go. After initial hopes of a 2021 opening proved unrealistic, and the many frustrating setbacks that plagued the project in 2022 and 2023, I say “better late than never” to see the ribbon get cut on this facility sometime before we close the door on the current market season. Judging from the current looks of things, we very well could see that happen. Fingers crossed that it’s smooth sailing between here and the finish line!