By Lance Gaither

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

During the recent Danville City Commission meeting, community liaison Melanie Crossfield previewed the city’s new Web site that is expected to go live in the coming weeks. To help teach people to navigate the site, there will be a virtual tour and accessibility features including a help chat. Updated features for the site will be an overhauled community calender and resource menus to make navigation easier.

“The intention of this project is to be an online directory for citizens and tourists,” Crossfield said. “We are going to have analytics and data from this. We will know what people are looking for and where they are going. This is a living breathing site that will grow over time.”

In other news, the commission has approved a resolution for a grant of $15,000 dollars to purchase radiation testing equipment for the fire department.

“We have a railroad running through Danville,” Fire Chief Doug Simpson said. “You saw what happened in Rockcastle County. This will help us detect radioactive waste.”

Also from the meeting:

• The commission passed the second reading of the CROWN Act ordinance amendment.  The ordinance expands Danville’s existing anti-discrimination housing, public accommodations, and employment polices to include natural hair textures and protective head coverings.

Earlier this year, two residents spoke to commission in regards to passing a CROWN Act in Danville. CROWN stands for creating a respectful and open world for natural hair. The CROWN Act is a national movement that encourages local governments to pass legislation preventing discrimination against those with Afro-textured hair.

ª The commission approved a fee of $38,500 from Bayer Becker for administration fees for the playground and splash pad project at Michael Smith Park. The fee covers 16 site visits through the project. City engineer Josh Morgan described ity as a fair rate and expects the project to take roughly six months to complete.