By Blair Dedrick, New Era Staff Writer

Actions by Hopkinsville City Council Tuesday night smooth the way for a new cable television company and allocate more money for the Boys and Girls Club addition.

In back-to-back actions, council members voted to approve the cable television franchise transfer from Charter Communications to NewWave Communications, authorized NewWave’s provider franchise and accepted the franchise bid from NewWave.

After Charter Cable moved some channels to the more-expensive digital tier and customers began having problems with the system being down, the Cable Television Oversight Authority began to look for a solution, said Councilman Larry Radford, who is also a member of the authority.

“We finally found a way to get results,” he said, referring to the provider switch, which should be complete in mid- to late May.

In addition to talking with live people when he has called the customer service line, Radford said he is happy thus far with NewWave’s willingness to work with Hopkinsville. The company has already done some work locally with extending the cable service to Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School without receiving any revenue from the service.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing for Hopkinsville,” Radford said. “It’s a small company that’s growing fast, and they’ve really been trying to work with us.”

Hopkinsville will be the biggest market for NewWave, which serves much of western Kentucky. The provider intends to return Style, Hallmark and ESPN Classic to the expanded basic tier, while adding Women’s Entertainment, the Outdoor Channel and the Game Show Network. Prices should remain the same, officials said.

The council also approved transferring more than $18,500 for the addition at the Boys and Girls Club at the Walnut Street Center. The money will go to finish a 900-square-foot program room that was originally funded by Community Development Block grants a year ago, said Boys and Girls Club Director Jim Wille.

Since the block fund grants are state money, the project has had to be built to state standards, including adding a fire wall that was not in the original plans.

“Without this money, the project will grind to a screeching halt,” said Mayor Dan Kemp.

In other action, the council approved the stormwater utility credit policy for entities that manage their own water run-off at standards that meet or are better than the city’s and authorized funds for the Tie Breaker Park sign.

Blair Dedrick can be reached at 887-3240 or at bdedrick@kentuckynewera.com.