With their new police chief Steve Hadden on hand, the Adairville City Council agreed that Hadden should be able to take his police cruiser home with him. To do so, he will, however, have to reimburse the city for the gas used to travel to and from his residence.

At the regular meeting Monday evening, Mayor Jim Wilkerson and the council discussed the take-home vehicle program that will apply to both Hadden and city employee Vernon Law who takes home a city truck. Wilkerson explained that any city employee who takes a city vehicle home will have to pay the city .20 cents a mile for each mile traveled to and from work. This is the amount Russellville uses for its officers who take their cruisers home.

Hadden, who was hired as the Adairville police chief earlier this month, told the council why it is important for him to be able to take the cruiser home.

Having a cruiser at home means he can be ready to go in an emergency in a very short time.

“All I have to do is walk out the door and I'm here in minutes,” Hadden said. He said it is safer if he has a cruiser at his disposal instead of rushing off to an emergency in his own car.

The council agreed that Hadden should be allowed to take the car home and pay the agreed upon amount for mileage.

Wilkerson also gave council members a copy of a policy followed by Russellville police officers regarding taking vehicles home. The policy outlines the importance of maintaining a certain code of conduct even when off duty when driving a police cruiser. Hadden agreed with the policy.

“I'm a police officer 24 hours a day,” he said.

Hadden spent his first hours on the job walking through the city meeting business owners, workers and other residents.

“I've heard a lot of positive things about that walk through,” said council member Marla Sircy.

“Councilman Danny Finch commended the mayor on his hard work in finding a new police chief.

“I think you made a good choice,” Finch said.

Council member Donna Blake shook Hadden's hand and said she appreciated him saying Adairville is his city.

“Everybody here's been wonderful to me,” Hadden said. “I grew up with a lot of people here.”

In other news, the council discussed the possibility of turning Savage Cave into a tourist attraction. The cave is currently owned by Murray State University, but the university might be willing to give it to either the City of Adairville or the county.

“I would like to see Adairville keep it,” said Blake.

Wilkerson said he is concerned about whether the city would have the money needed to turn it into a tourist attraction.

“It would be a lot of money,” Wilkerson said. “Then there's the liability.”

Blake said she realized that there would be liability issues, but “I think it could really be an asset to us.”

Wilkerson said if the city was to take on the project of turning the cave into something they would definitely need assistance.

The council also: