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The Harlan City Council heard an update on multiple downtown properties, including the possible future of the former Powers and Horton location as a hotel.

Mayor Joe Meadors told the council about recent communications concerning the former Powers and Horton property.

“Last week we met with Gil Holland and his group about the hotel in the old Powers and Horton building,” Meadors said. “He had about 18 people here. We had two of the local banks involved, we had Monticello Bank and Hearthstone Bank. They’re also going to try to get Truist Bank and Commercial Bank involved.”

Meadors explained the group represents multiple funding sources.

“This thing is moving pretty good,” Meadors said.

According to Meadors, Holland will be making a video presentation to a group in Asheville, North Carolina, in search of additional funding.

“He feels pretty good about it,” Meadors said. “I hope he can do it. It’s a lot of money, $8 or $10 million. He thinks it can go, and he’s got a lot of people, a lot of government agencies that are involved in economic development and entrepreneurial endeavors to present it to.”

Meadors also informed the council that an ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) grant has been approved for the city.

“We got word that we received our ARC grant,” Meadors said. “That’s $1.6 million…that’s something that will probably start next spring.”

Meadors explained the grant will be used for new lighting and sidewalks from the Harlan County Public Library to Cumberland Avenue.

“That’s great news,” Meadors said. “That’s something that will probably start next spring. It will take probably seven or eight months of hard work. If you go down from the library all the way down on the right side will be torn up. We’ll get new sidewalks. The good news is we don’t have to tear the road up in the block from First Street to Second Street where the courthouse is, all that cable has already been buried.”

Meadors also updated the council regarding blighted housing issues.

“We’ve got essentially four houses to tear down,” Meadors said. “We have the house on Ivy Street, we would already have that down had we a place to take the debris.”

Meadors said the owners of the property had given permission to tear the structure down.

“We’ve also got the house on South Main that burned,” Meadors said. “The city attorney told us we have to wait at least a minimum of 60 days…I assume we’ll have to tear the house down at some point.”

Meadors also mentioned two additional houses are to be demolished, including one in the Fairview community.

“We’re going to be busy tearing some things down,” Meadors said.

According to Meadors, once the city determines where to dispose of the debris, the demolition will begin.