Madisonville, KY - The members of the Madisonville Noon Kiwanis met for their regular meeting Friday. May is new member month and a large crowd was on-hand for the meeting.

The guest speaker was Madisonville Attorney, Keith Cartwright. Cartwright has been billed as the Statistician of Hopkins County and presented some very interesting facts about the area.

Growth in the last thirty years has been low. In 1980, the population in the county was 45,519. In 2000, there were just 46,174 people living here. In 1976, eighteen percent of Hopkins County School Students were a part of the free school lunch program. The number has increased to 62 percent. There has been a ten percent decrease in the population of Madisonville while the Nortonville and Hanson areas are reportedly growing.

He did bring some positive news for Hopkins County for now and in our near future. Tourism has become a growing industry in the county as $62 million dollars was spent here by tourist and travelers in 2008. He credited a motel tax as giving a big boost to the local Tourism Commission. The Battle of Sacramento that is going on this weekend in nearby McLean County is expected to bring in more revenue to the county as Civil War Reenactors and tourist are expected to stay and eat in the Madisonville area.

Cartwright asked the group if they thought it is difficult to obtain and spend money during the tough economic times were are experiencing. Most responded in the affirmative. However, he pointed out that our country, including Madisonville and Hopkins County saw a lot of growth in the 1930's right in the middle of the Great Depression during FDR's - WPA program.

In the Kevin Costner movie, “Field of Dreams” the most famous line is “if you build it they will come.” As most sports and baseball fans who saw the movie know, they definitely came. With that in mind, Cartwright contends that the Hopkins County Regional Sports Complex Development near the Southbound Pennyrile Parkway and the Grapevine area will bring them in, both sports teams and tourism dollars. He said this will definitely be a boost to Hopkins County. The plans are to construct a total of eight baseball/softball fields and eight soccer/football fields. There are also future plans to build an aquatic complex on the site.

The facility will be constructed on 94 acres. The land was obtained partially from a donation by Madisonville Businessman Don Bowles while about 1/3 of the land was purchased by the county. The price was $442,260. Also, the Hopkins County Fiscal Court provided another $525,000 in Coal Severance Tax money. But that will not be enough to complete the project. Associated Engineers estimates the total cost will be approximately $6,140,969.

Cartwright told the group that several cities in Kentucky, including Hopkinsville and Owensboro, are enjoying millions of dollars in tourism funds. He said that Hopkins County and Madisonville could also see a big boost to the local economy with the completion of the Regional Sports Complex. He commented that the facility will not be just for Madisonville but for all the youth of Hopkins County.

For more information, you can contact the Hopkins County Tourism and Convention Commission at (270) – 821 – 4171. Or you can log-on at, hopkinscountytourism.com.

Tim Moore – News Director

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