Former HHS Tenants Find New Homes

Robert Moore

Herald Staff

rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com

Most of the tenants of the Harrodsburg Community Center—formerly Harrodsburg High School—have found new homes.

Tenants were shocked when the building’s owner, Keith Currens, announced it would be shut down on Jan. 1, 2018, and put up for sale. The tenants—including Mercer Transformation,  Mercer County Youth Sports League, Campbellsville University’s club basketball team and the organizers of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration—say they have found new homes, at least temporarily.

Pam Sims, president of Mercer Transformation, said Campbellsville University had offered space in the new addition at Conover Education Center to house the agency’s offices and the Community Tutoring Initiative, which helps students from the first through third grades who are reading below their grade level. She said Campbellsville was offering the space free of charge.

“It’s going to fit very nicely,” Sims said. She said Mercer Transformation would move to their new home in mid January, and the tutoring program would resume, as scheduled, in February.

The agency still needs storage space, but said everything had worked out “just perfectly.”

Sims said she was thankful for the community response to the closing.

“I appreciate everybody’s compassion and their kindness,” she said.

Next to the tutoring program, Sims said her biggest concern was the basketball teams using the gym at the old high school. Both the Mercer County Youth Sports League and Campbellsville University’s club team called Harrodsburg High home.

On their Facebook page, Mercer County Youth Sports League announced they would continue the basketball season in the Mercer County School gyms. League officials are still working on scheduling.

The Campbellsville club team has still not located a gym to finish out their first season. While they have looked into using the Mercer facilities, they may  play the rest of their scheduled games in Danville.

The other immediate concern was the 12th annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. Organizers have used the old school to host the traditional pancake breakfast and lectures.

Luci Hockersmith, extension agent for family and consumer science at the Mercer County Extension Office, said Currens agreed to allow the events—including the march down Lexington Street, which begins and ends at the high school— to be held as planned.

Hockersmith, who leads the committee that organizes the celebration, said all deadlines for the event will continues as scheduled. The deadline for the T-shirt design and creative expression contests is Jan. 4, 2018, while banners are due the day of the event.

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