Oak Grove City Council heard an update on progress happening with Buc-ee’s and heard about a proposed homeless shelter and outreach program that could be coming to the city limits.
In a meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Jackie Oliver gave the update on Buc-ee’s and says the giant, gas station convenience store that’s looking to locate to the area of Exit 89 of Interstate 24 off of KY 115 has run into some delays. Those delays mostly comes from continuing discussions with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet around road work and intersection upgrades in that area.
Mayor Oliver says construction has been pushed back to start either later this year or in early 2026.
Officials had been hoping to have a groundbreaking in the fall of 2025. Once the plans with KYTC are finalized, they’ll move forward with construction.
Then, councilmembers heard from John Carter, who is the founder of the Pursuing Life Center, which he is hoping to establish in Oak Grove to help address the growing homelessness population in the region. Carter says their mission is about partnering with individuals experiencing homelessness and giving them a leg up to get back on track in their lives.
It’s his hope to locate the center at an existing location at 205 Stateline Road, which was once a church. Carter says it has several of the amenities they’ll need already, along with 20,000 square feet of space that they can renovate.
The Pursuing Life Center would help someone experiencing homelessness in numerous ways, not just providing a more stable living space, but also a physical address—which is often required on job applications—along with providing resources that could help someone find a stable job, such as computer and financial literacy.
Some councilmembers expressed concerns for the safety of the neighbors near that location, and Carter assured that they would make upgrades to the campus, such as a privacy fence, lighting and a video surveillance system. People housed there would be required to get background checks and abide by rules of the facility.