WEST LIBERTY, Ky. (AP) - Three years after a tornado destroyed much of West Liberty, proposals submitted by architecture students have residents thinking optimistically about the rebuilding effort.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports (https://bit.ly/1IRiXNG ) ideas that have caught residents’ attention include a 200-foot-tall vertical greenhouse that could be illuminated and become an icon for the city.
West Liberty residents held a town hall meeting recently to hear proposals by University of Kentucky architecture students for how to rebuild the downtown.
Speaking of the food tower, West Liberty retiree Brent Engle said he liked it because “it’s an ’in your face’ to a tornado.”
“It’s the craziest thing, but by its essence, it’s also the most interesting thing,” Engle said. “Maybe it’s too outrageous for a lot of people to think of such a thing.”
More traditional ideas included a bike park and trail, a cultural heritage center and a fresh food market.
Gregory Luhan is associate dean for research in UK’s College of Design and the John Russell Groves Endowed Professor of Architecture.
He said he had students develop prototypes for West Liberty that centered on how the community could take its strengths - agriculture, natural beauty, a keen sense of place and history - and turn them into something that would benefit local people and visitors.
“I think what everyone is looking for is a valuable concept that West Liberty can build back better and build back in a sustainable way,” Luhan said. “This wasn’t about us coming in with ideas. This was about working with the community, to get them to see things in different ways.”
The students’ ideas reflected global ideas - like better food, better health and energy efficiency - scaled to a hometown dimension.
Residents say not all of the ideas will come to fruition, but the possibilities have captured their imaginations for how West Liberty could set itself apart from any other town in Kentucky.
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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, https://www.kentucky.com
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