By Korrie Harris
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
The Midway City Council plans to approve a sanitary sewer clean-out that will happen within the year, according to discussion at the council meeting on Monday night.
“It’s something that’s much needed and it’s something that I think will lead to what’s next,” an even larger project to repair and replace much of the sewer system, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said. “I think it’s a huge bang-for-your-buck kind of project here.”
The old sewer system has had problems for decades, but the city hasn’t had the money to fix it. After the city paid off its two sewage-treatment plants, that freed up $63,000 in the Sewer Fund plus an extra $88,000 in emergency funds.
The city will also use its General Fund, which has a surplus that grew to over half a million dollars in the fiscal year ended June 30.
That extra money allowed for the investment in infrastructure. The engineer on the sewer project told the council that it would cost about $180,000.
Chris Stewart, an engineer at HMB Professional Engineers Inc. in Frankfort, told the council that the project would “figure out what repairs need to be made, where they need to be made, when they need to be made and kind of prioritize the issues that we find.”
The project will involve a truck-mounted camera that will enter sewer mains through manholes, record video and show what the sewers are looking like and what repairs are necessary. This clean-out will involve a high-powered water nozzle spraying inside the lines to remove sludge, tree roots, and other obstructions.
Vandegrift added that the project would also focus on the oldest sewer lines in Midway that have the biggest issues, east of Winter Street, and the major “trunk line that goes all the way out to the sewage treatment plant.”
Stewart gave the council an updated budget. He estimated that $115,475 would go to evaluation and $62,500 would go to engineering costs. According to the estimate, the project is estimated to cost Midway $177,975. He suggested that the city budget around $180,000 to $200,000 for the project.
Vandegrift said he would put the project in the budget he will propose to the council for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
“Should you all approve it, we’re kind of ready to roll as soon as possible when July 1 starts,” the mayor said. Stewart said he could start preparing the bid documents as soon as the council approves the budget, which must be done by June 30 but in some years has been done in May.
Stewart said it will take one to two months to “get a bid package together” once the budget is approved. He said it could take about 30 days to advertise for bids, another 30 days to award a contract, and two months to complete the project. Overall, the project could take six months until completion.
“What we want to do is make sure that you have a decent budget amount to go from and then we can adjust that as we need to,” Stewart said.
Among other business at the meeting, the council declared the old sewage-treatment plant to be surplus property, allowing Vandegrift to sell it. He said he wouldn’t do that without checking with the council.
Development issues: The council held first reading of the ordinance to annex the 137-acre Homer Freeney property behind Midway Station. City officials want to annex the property before it is rezoned, to give the council final say in the rezoning.
The proposed rezoning, from agricultural to industrial, was originally supposed to be considered by the county planning commission in November. Vandegrift said the land should be annexed to “ensure that future development will have a very significant impact on city revenue and thus on out opportunities to improve infrastructure all over the city.”
A second reading of the ordinance and vote is expected to take place on March 4.
The council also approved Woodford County Economic Development Authority Chairman John Soper’s independent contractor agreement with the city, the county and the City of Versailles.
Soper works to help develop Midway Station, owned by the EDA.
“The game has changed at Midway Station,” Vandegrift said. “This has probably never been more important.”
Recently, Lexington real-estate developer Dennis Anderson terminated his option to buy the unsold portion of Midway Station, putting the debt on the shoulders of Midway and Woodford County. Anderson’s option agreement was set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year.
The city and county will each pay half the interest on the debt of Midway Station, an estimated $3,000 a month each.
There was one change from last year’s contract, and that referred to workforce development issues. Vandegrift said Soper was “already working on those.”
“He’s done a very good job getting us to this point and I believe he’s absolutely the right person to carry this project forward,” said Vandegrift.
In other business, the council approved two event permits.
Adam Reid, representing Midway Baptist Church, received approval to host a 5K run in Northridge Estates to raise money for a mission trip to Peru for church members. Reid said he would like to use the grass lot by Northside Elementary as a staging area. Council Member Logan Nance recommended that Reid reach out to the subdivision’s homeowners association about the use of that area. In voting, Nance abstained, and the event was approved 5-0.
The council also approved the American Diabetes Association race set for June 1.
“It’s something that’s much needed and it’s something that I think will lead to what’s next,” an even larger project to repair and replace much of the sewer system, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said. “I think it’s a huge bang-for-your-buck kind of project here.”
The old sewer system has had problems for decades, but the city hasn’t had the money to fix it. After the city paid off its two sewage-treatment plants, that freed up $63,000 in the Sewer Fund plus an extra $88,000 in emergency funds.
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| Engineers' map of sewer lines in proposed project |
That extra money allowed for the investment in infrastructure. The engineer on the sewer project told the council that it would cost about $180,000.
Chris Stewart, an engineer at HMB Professional Engineers Inc. in Frankfort, told the council that the project would “figure out what repairs need to be made, where they need to be made, when they need to be made and kind of prioritize the issues that we find.”
The project will involve a truck-mounted camera that will enter sewer mains through manholes, record video and show what the sewers are looking like and what repairs are necessary. This clean-out will involve a high-powered water nozzle spraying inside the lines to remove sludge, tree roots, and other obstructions.
Vandegrift added that the project would also focus on the oldest sewer lines in Midway that have the biggest issues, east of Winter Street, and the major “trunk line that goes all the way out to the sewage treatment plant.”
Stewart gave the council an updated budget. He estimated that $115,475 would go to evaluation and $62,500 would go to engineering costs. According to the estimate, the project is estimated to cost Midway $177,975. He suggested that the city budget around $180,000 to $200,000 for the project.
Vandegrift said he would put the project in the budget he will propose to the council for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
“Should you all approve it, we’re kind of ready to roll as soon as possible when July 1 starts,” the mayor said. Stewart said he could start preparing the bid documents as soon as the council approves the budget, which must be done by June 30 but in some years has been done in May.
Stewart said it will take one to two months to “get a bid package together” once the budget is approved. He said it could take about 30 days to advertise for bids, another 30 days to award a contract, and two months to complete the project. Overall, the project could take six months until completion.
“What we want to do is make sure that you have a decent budget amount to go from and then we can adjust that as we need to,” Stewart said.
Among other business at the meeting, the council declared the old sewage-treatment plant to be surplus property, allowing Vandegrift to sell it. He said he wouldn’t do that without checking with the council.
Development issues: The council held first reading of the ordinance to annex the 137-acre Homer Freeney property behind Midway Station. City officials want to annex the property before it is rezoned, to give the council final say in the rezoning.
The proposed rezoning, from agricultural to industrial, was originally supposed to be considered by the county planning commission in November. Vandegrift said the land should be annexed to “ensure that future development will have a very significant impact on city revenue and thus on out opportunities to improve infrastructure all over the city.”
A second reading of the ordinance and vote is expected to take place on March 4.
The council also approved Woodford County Economic Development Authority Chairman John Soper’s independent contractor agreement with the city, the county and the City of Versailles.
Soper works to help develop Midway Station, owned by the EDA.
“The game has changed at Midway Station,” Vandegrift said. “This has probably never been more important.”
Recently, Lexington real-estate developer Dennis Anderson terminated his option to buy the unsold portion of Midway Station, putting the debt on the shoulders of Midway and Woodford County. Anderson’s option agreement was set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year.
The city and county will each pay half the interest on the debt of Midway Station, an estimated $3,000 a month each.
There was one change from last year’s contract, and that referred to workforce development issues. Vandegrift said Soper was “already working on those.”
“He’s done a very good job getting us to this point and I believe he’s absolutely the right person to carry this project forward,” said Vandegrift.
In other business, the council approved two event permits.
Adam Reid, representing Midway Baptist Church, received approval to host a 5K run in Northridge Estates to raise money for a mission trip to Peru for church members. Reid said he would like to use the grass lot by Northside Elementary as a staging area. Council Member Logan Nance recommended that Reid reach out to the subdivision’s homeowners association about the use of that area. In voting, Nance abstained, and the event was approved 5-0.
The council also approved the American Diabetes Association race set for June 1.
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