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Mayor Dan Farris discusses the advantages
of living in a ‘small town’ that’s not too far from the ‘big city’

by Aaron W. Hughey

Other than Murray, Hazel is the only other incorporated community in Calloway County. With a population of 500, Hazel is considered a ‘destination’ town.

Hazel is much more than just the ‘Antiques Capital of West Kentucky,’ according to Dan Farris.

And he ought to know, for the past eight years Farris has been the mayor of Hazel.

“For the most part, the residents of Hazel have a ‘laid back’ approach to life,” Farris contends. “We are attractive to those in urban areas who want to get away ‘to the country’ for a day.”

“And those who live here like it that they’re not that far away from the ‘big city,’ Farris quickly adds.

As mayor of Hazel, Farris has a variety of resources at his disposal.

“We get a lot of support from the Purchase Area Development District Board,” Farris says. “They provide much of the infrastructure we need. We also get assistance on various projects and programs from the West Kentucky Corporation and the Kentucky League of Cities.”

One of the biggest challenges facing Hazel in the coming months and years is the construction of the Highway 641 South Bypass.

“The Bypass will be about a half mile to the South of Hazel,” Farris explains. “Many of our local merchants do not necessarily see this as being good for business.”

“To be honest, the impact of a four lane highway could potentially be negative,” Farris admits. “But our challenge is to make it positive. We have to plan so that it doesn’t adversely impact the local economy.”

Farris sees developing the appropriate signage as one way to deal with the change. He also sees safety as one of the redeeming virtues of the Highway 641 expansion.“According to our latest traffic counts, we have around 7,000 vehicles that come through Hazel every day,” Farris continues. “Most are just passing through.”

“One very important aspect of the new Bypass will be that it will be safer to cross the street,” Farris asserts.

“Hazel has a ‘commission’ as opposed to a ‘council’ form of government,” Farris explains. “There are four elected commissioners in addition to the mayor; the mayor is actually the commissioner who gets the most votes.”

“The other commissioners and I all get along wonderfully,” Farris says. “Everyone is truly interested in doing the right thing for Hazel.”

“We also have a very good relationship with the City of Murray and Calloway County,” Farris asserts.

“We all cooperate toward the best interests of the communities we serve.”

In the future, Farris would like to see Hazel build some kind of welcome center for visitors who are entering Kentucky from Tennessee.

“I’d really like to see some type of building constructed for this purpose within the next eight years,” Farris adds.

“Hazel is a great community,” Farris concludes.

“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”