Mayor relates his family's own covid-19 story as he recommends caution on Derby Day-Labor Day weekend

By Taylor Beavers
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift says in his latest covid-19 update that the pandemic has “hit home” now that his parents were affected. He told their story as he asked Midway residents to be careful on a weekend that will include the Kentucky Derby, a good reason for a party in Bluegrass horse country.

“I’m sorry if I seem preachy today, but I think when it hits home for you most is when you get a family member – the people I was most worried about all along, my Mom and Dad, have now gone through it,” Vandegrift said, adding later, “For two weeks, I was scared.”

He said his mother, Sarah Vandegrift, caught the virus at her workplace in Lexington. “My mom is the most careful person in the world,” he said. “She taught us good hygiene from a young age.”

“My mom ended up having a hard time,” but has largely recovered, the mayor said.

His parents live in Ironworks Estates in Scott County, near Midway. Vandegrift said he and his family were only able to contact her through text messages for about two weeks while she recovered in quarantine.

“This is not something you want to get if you don’t have to get it,” says Vandegrift as he recounted many symptoms his mother went through.

He said his father, Bob Vandegrift, tested positive but never developed the disease. “It’s bizarre. . . . Some people who are healthy and take great care of themselves have passed; we don’t know why.”

Vandegrift says his mother felt a sense of “civic duty” when dealing with the virus, and personally contacted every person she had been in contact with to inform them she had been infected so they could take steps to get help if needed.

“She did everything right,” the mayor said. Looking ahead to the weekend, he said, “Let’s do our civic duty, like Sarah Vandegrift.”

He said his weekend has the potential to have a “cascading effect” on Midway, leading to more coronavirus cases. So far, the city has had only two reported infections of the virus.

Saturday’s Kentucky Derby will have no fans, so many people who might have attended may have parties instead.

Vandegrift encouraged those attending Derby parties to host them outdoors and to practice social distancing.

“Be careful this weekend,” said Vandegrift. “Remember that ripple effect.”

He recalled that when his mother told him she might have the virus, he said, “We decided not to take any risks that weekend,” And he said he and his wife Katie wouldn’t be attending and Derby parties this weekend.

He said that with in-person schooling scheduled to begin this month, taking precautions now against the virus is the crucial step in making sure students are able to get back to the classroom in September.

“The key to getting kids back in school on the twenty-eighth is this weekend,” Vandegrift said. “Every other big holiday . . . we’ve had a rise in cases.” 

He said that while there is no need to be scared this weekend, following safety guidelines such as wearing a mask and social distancing will help keep the community safe during the celebration.

Vandegrift also said that citizens of Midway can practice their civic duty by considering how they can help keep the local economy open.

“Midway Station is doing well; downtown is struggling more,” he said, encouraging his audience to get out and shop local.

“We need to keep helping them out,” Vandegrift said. “We need to be ordering food, we need to be dining on their patios, we need to be visiting their shops and buying something.”

He stressed that supporting local business during this time can still be done safely by making considerations such as wearing masks, staying in stores less than 30 minutes and even, if it’s uncomfortable to go inside, doing curbside service.

While Midway’s economy is still doing better than most, Vandegrift said that making efforts to keep the economy open is crucial to getting ahead of the virus.

“Let’s catch up to the virus,” he urged. Being “behind the virus” has affected contact tracers who have been overwhelmed with the task of tracing infected people’s contacts to find those who may have been infected.

“They’re understaffed, they’re underfunded, they’re doing the best they can,” said Vandegrift. “Woodford County Health Department is doing an unbelievable good job, but the virus has gotten ahead of us and we need to try and catch back up.”

He said that while the “vast majority” of people who contract the virus do survive (Kentucky’s death rate is 2%), it is important to continue to be safe because the lasting effect of the virus on individuals and communities is still unknown.

“The book’s not yet written. We are still in the middle of this,” said Vandegrift. “I hope we’re towards the end, but folks, it doesn’t look like we are. . . . We have eighteen hundred of you in the city and not one of you is expendable.”

After the virus is under control, Vandegrift said he hopes everyone can see the pandemic as just a “blip” in their lives as things go back to normal.

“I hope it teaches us all about love, about compassion, about empathy and about when we work together we can overcome difficult odds,” he said. “Because a virus this contagious gives us some difficult odds to contain it.”

EDA to develop strategy for marketing commercial land at interchange; City Council to take up greenspace deal

Zoning map adapted by Midway Messenger shows most of Midway Station; for a larger version, click on it.

With all the industrial-zoned land in Midway Station under some sort of formal process leading to sales, the Woodford County Economic Development Authority will be focusing on how to market the commercially zoned land along Georgetown Road and Interstate 64.

The "sticker price" for the tracts zoned B-5, highway interchange service, is $2 million, so it's "a big deal," EDA Chair Michael Michalisin said. "That's our next real item we need to address . . . how to make that more salable." Sales are needed to retire the debt on the property.

Michalisin said board member Paul Schieffler had suggested that EDA needs to develop a marketing strategy for the property, and would "take a leadership role moving forward" on the topic.

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the City Council would discuss on Sept. 8 acceptance of a deed from EDA giving it 38 acres, more or less, along I-64. The land, which is not platted for development, has been intended to remain a greenspace buffer.

Vandegrift reported that county Planning Director Pattie Wilson recently found 1991 City Council minutes that say the city was supposed to get "a scenic and conservation easement around the perimeter of the property prohibiting construction within 150 feet of I-64," plus additional easements to total 39 acres.

The mayor and EDA have agreed that the city would get ownership of the property in return for forgiving $500,000 to $750,000 of the debt owed to it by the EDA, most of which is for the natural-gas line built to serve Lakeshore Learning Materials, but not all of which is considered collectible. Vandegrift said he intends to ask the council to vote on the deal Sept. 21.

Wilson reported that Creech Inc. has filed a revised development plan for the lot it is planning to buy for a horse-muck processing facility, in time for the Planning Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10, and will submit site construction plans Sept. 8. Tom Creech told the board, "I'm ready to go."

Lucas Witt, EDA's new acting executive director, said he met with Barnhill Chimney, which has optioned 2.49 acres for a facility to manufacture chimney caps but has been off and on about going through with it. Witt said the company "fully intends to exercise the option," but hasn't said when. Michalsin said the company has been making its option payments and would bring "a fair amount of jobs . . . I think it's in the dozens." Barnhill has been quoted as saying that it plans to have seven to 10 employees at opening, 10 to 15 in a year and could have 30 in five years.

In the public comment period, Vandegrift said making the transition from former Chair John Soper, who had also been executive director, was "a tough task" but "everybody really did a good job pulling together." He added, "This was a time we couldn't lose steam, and we haven't. I'm as optimistic as ever about Midway Station's outcome."

Gayland and Mill Road residents to get water test kits

Residents of the Gayland and Mill Road subdivisions will soon be receiving water sample test kits at their front door from city employees, as part of testing required by regulations of the state Division of Water. The city is required to sample for lead and copper sample in DOW-designated parts of the city every three years, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

"We ask that residents in these areas follow the instructions in the kit and place them back on their front stoop for our employees to collect and send off to the lab," the mayor said. "We ask citizens in this area to complete their sample as soon as possible so we can return our results as quickly as possible to the Division of Water." Midway buys water wholesale from Kentucky American Water Co.

Funeral Wed. for Geraldine Woodrum, legendary carrier; great-great-granddaughter calls her 'one of the best'

Geraldine Woodrum

Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning in Casey County for Geraldine Woodrum, who died Saturday at 85. She was well known in Midway, perhaps best as the local carrier of the Lexington Herald-Leader for decades.

"She was an integral part of the community," Sally Kinniard posted in the Midway Musings group on Facebook.

"She was the best newspaper delivering person around," Betty Penn Harrod said on Musings, "She will be missed." Peggy Milam Sharon said, "When she left the paper, no one could hold a candle to her work ethic ever again."

"Geraldine was the nicest person you would ever meet," former mayor Tom Bozarth said. "I still see that smile, the van with the yellow light flashing every morning, and the inserts she put in the paper for events."

The family held visitation this evening at Clark Funeral Home in Versailles. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Clementsville in her native Casey County, with burial in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be Josh Whitaker, Melvin Montgomery, Tyler Woodrum, Joe Woodrum, Scott Woodrum and Archie Woodrum.

She was the widow of Melvin T. Woodrum and is survived by her children, Rita (James) Allen, Frankfort; Freda (Dennis) Whitaker, Versailles; Monica Keeton, Versailles; Marsha Wells, Frankfort; Marie (Richard) Kirk, Frankfort; Archie Woodrum, Harrodsburg; Joe (Becky) Woodrum, Lawrenceburg; Jeff (Trish) Woodrum, Midway; and Angela (Johnie) Tudor, Nicholasville; a sister, Mary Frances Phillips of Ohio; a brother, Phillip Wethington of Georgia; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

UPDATE: A remembrance and tribute by a great-granddaughter, Lisa Howell, has been added as a comment to this story. It begins, "Few people in life get to meet their great grandparents. Even less get to have them for 32+ years of their lives. The Lord blessed me with not only knowing my great grandmother but having one of the best."

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association or Bluegrass Care Navigators.

Property valuations rise 14.4% as payroll-tax revenue is steady, so mayor proposes cutting property-tax rates

UPDATE, Monday, Aug. 24: The council heard first reading of the ordinance.

Property valuations in Midway are up substantially, and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift is recommending that the City Council reduce tax rates so the city will get about the same amount of tax revenue and property owners will collectively pay about the same amount of taxes.

Vandegrift has called a special council meeting for Monday to give first reading to the tax ordinance so the council can give it second reading and enact it at the regular meeting Sept. 8, "to get our tax preparations out on time," he told the council in an email. "The state was behind in sending the compensating rates."

Each year, the Revenue Cabinet looks at assessments made by property valuation administrators and calculates for each taxing authority a compensating rate, one that would give it about the same amount of property-tax revenue as the current year, which Vandegrift has proposed. (It also calculates what rate would raise revenue by 4 percent, the most that a taxing authority can get without being subject to a petition for a referendum on the rate.)

The valuation of real estate in Midway went up 14.7%, to $135 million, from $117.7 million. Personal-property valuations were $5.35 million, up from $5 million. The total valuation rose 14.4%.

Vandegrift was aware of the increases in July, when he named Council Member Logan Nance, Fiscal Court Magistrate Liles Taylor of Midway and Midway Business Association President Cortney Neikirk to a committee to study the possibility of tax rebates due to rising valuations.

He said then that valuations are rising because housing demand exceeds supply, and valuations in the city weren't closely scrutinized for four years before its housing market "really took off." He said Property Valuation Administrator Judy Bobbitt told him she divides the county into quadrants that are reviewed every four years and assessed at fair market value, mainly on comparable sales in the area.

The mayor also said in July that rates could be reduced, “but we’ve already cut them 30% and I don't want to hamstring ourselves or future leaders from being able to raise them if the revenue is needed."

His thinking has changed. He has proposed compensating rates of 6.2 cents per $100 on real property, down from 7 cents, and 6.4 cents on personal property, down from 7.5 cents.

He said in his email that there is an argument that cities shouldn't cut property-tax rates because "you can never get that revenue back," but he said that does not applies to cities like Midway, which rely mainly on occupational taxes on wages and net profits.

He said City Clerk-Treasurer Cindy Foster told him that occupational-tax income in the second quarter was virtually the same as in 2019, though "we expected to take our worst hit due to the pandemic."

Vandegrift said the coronavirus will continue to be unpredictable, but "Our numbers and the new businesses we're bringing in, along with the construction crews building new facilities, gives me great confidence that we will exceed our revenue projections for this fiscal year. Other revenues are holding steady as well, but occupational tax butters our bread."

He added, "I believe these rate cuts are appropriate since individual families and businesses are struggling. Anything we can do to ease their tax burden, not add to it, seems prudent and necessary."

He said his proposal amounts to a 12% tax cut on real estate and a 15% cut on personal property, "but as you can see from the calculations, it will overall still generate the same amount of revenue for the city."

The meeting will be held via Zoom at 5 p.m. and will be on the Facebook page Midway Streaming Government Meetings.

Council accepts mayor's plan to use surplus to finish sewer repairs by replacing main line to treatment plant

Green lines show sewers that are part of the video-and-cleanout project.

By Heston Bates, Taylor Beavers, Jordan Brown and Gage O'Dell

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council went along Monday with Mayor Grayson Vandegrift’s plan to finish repairs to the sewer system though the cost is expected to exceed their original estimate.

Vandegrift noted that the original budget of $200,000 for a project to video and clean out sewers on the east side of town was cut back to $150,000 due to COVID-19’s expected effect on occupational-tax revenue, but he said the revenue picture is better now.

When the pipes were cleaned out, they were in better condition in many areas than was previously thought and since then there have not been any spills, but the main line near the plant has “entire gaps of sewer missing” and is causing backups upstream, he said.

Vandegrift said it is likely that the cost will be closer to the original budget. “I don’t think we can blink at this,” he said. “The project is too big not to move forward with.”

The council agreed. Council Member Logan Nance, often a fiscal conservative, agreed with Vandegrift. “That’s what surpluses are for, to help with projects like this,” he said. “This is only going to make things better down the road.”

Some other council members said likewise, so the project will be advertised for bids and the council may pick a bidder Sept. 8.

The mayor hired Buchanan Contracting to video and clean out the sewer system. He said sewage overflows from manholes during heavy rains have stopped, but the condition of the main line causes blockages upstream.

“This will be the city’s biggest public works project in over 50 years,” Vandegrift said. He estimated that the work will begin in late fall or early winter, depending on approval by the state Division of Water.

University students return: Addressing possible concerns about the influx of Midway University students for the start of the fall semester, Vandegrift went over the school’s plans and voiced confidence in them. “If a university can pull this off, it’s going to be Midway,” he said.

He said capacities in classes are limited and students are required to complete a negative coronavirus screening within one week of returning. He said students cannot be confined to campus because many have jobs, but if tested positive, a dorm is available for quarantine if the student is not able to leave campus.

“We are going to continue to communicate with them whether there’s cases or not, as it certainly is an issue that can affect public health,” said Vandegrift. He noted that Midway only has two of the reported 187 coronavirus cases in Woodford County, but expressed concern because most of the recent cases have been people younger than 40.

Vandegrift said  contact tracing will be the key to preventing covid-19 not only on campus but in the community. He praised the university’s quick response to the virus in the spring, saying the closure of the campus helped it better prepare for this semester.

Rentch property is labeled "private property" on map.

A piece of the park: The mayor told the council that Helen Rentch is willing to donate the part of her property that is being used as part of Walter Bradley Park back to the city, if they can agree that her part will not be developed and if the city ever abandons it, it will revert to Rentch or her estate.

Council Member John Holloway, the unpaid park manager, said “virtually all of that property” is in the floodway of Lee Branch, meaning it can’t be developed.  “Helen has been just extremely gracious to let us use her property the way that we have been,” he said.

In its only official action of the meeting, the council approved a permit for the “Turn the Town Purple” parade scheduled for 11 a.m. Sept. 10 by The Homeplace at Midway to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. Representatives from The Homeplace at Midway will be driving through town with purple-adorned vehicles, purple being the signature color of the Alzheimers’ Association.

The event will not seek public participation due to the pandemic. The caravan will start at the Homeplace, go down Stephens Street to Winter Street, turning around at Main Street to head back to the Homeplace.

In the roundtable at the end of the meeting, Council Member Stacy Thurman asked Vandegrift about the progress of the city's new Code Enforcement Board. The mayor said the board, three members and an alternate, has been meeting via Zoom (as the council does) to develop a list of abandoned properties for the council's consideration after Jan. 1. Property that the council declares abandoned can be taxed at about 10 times the normal real-estate tax rate.

Vandegrift said he is still having difficulty hiring a code enforcement officer, partly because of the pandemic. He said the task is "a little bit more challenging than it was six months ago," when the board was appointed. Jim Starks, whom the council appointed to a three-year term, is the board chair.

Kim Dudgeon named to Historic Properties Commission

Kim Dudgeon

Kim Dudgeon of Midway is one of two new appointees by Gov. Andy Beshear to the state Historic Properties Advisory Commission, which is responsible for management and conservation of the state Capitol, the Executive Mansion and the Old Governor's Mansion.

The commission was in the news recently after Beshear asked it to recommend removal from the Capitol rotunda the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which had been installed in 1936, before the commission was created. The commission voted to recommend removal, and the only "no" vote was cast by Brandon Wilson of Somerset, whom Beshear replaced with Dudgeon, owner of The Milam House.

Another new appointee was Kenny Bishop of Lexington, the legislative liaison for Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. Bishop was a personal aide to Gray when he was mayor of Lexington and previously for then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher. He replaced Jon Park of Lexington, who said his vote to remove the statue was "reluctant." Park and Wilson were appointed by Republican Matt Bevin, whom Beshear beat in last fall's election; their terms had expired.

Beshear reappointed the commission chair, Steve Collins of Shelbyville, the son of former Gov. Martha Layne Collins. He, Bishop and Dudgeon were appointed to terms expiring Aug. 11, 2024.

EDA board lines up sales of four large Midway Station lots that are supposed to produce 70 new jobs

Lots 24, 25, 26 and 27 were prepared for sale by EDA at its meeting Tuesday. (For a larger image, click on it.)

Seventy more jobs would come to Midway Station under instruments approved Tuesday by the board of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority. 

The EDA board approved a letter of intent to sell two lots to CSI, which makes auto parts robotics for the auto industry, and a purchase contract for two with Dever Inc., which sells and rents golf-cart fleets.

"CSI is a hi-tech manufacturer for the automobile industry which will bring 40 high-paying jobs and will take Lots 24 and 25," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said in an email to the City Council after the meeting. He said Dever will buy Lots 26 and 27 and "bring roughly 30 more jobs to town."

EDA Chair Michael Michalisin of Midway said the sales, after real-estate commissions, would generate $845,000, about $688,000 of which would go toward reducing the mortgage on the industrial and commercial park, with EDA keeping the remaining $157,000.

Vandegrift said the sales would reduce the debt on the property by about a third. "This is a big day for a number of reasons," he wrote. "This marks the beginning of a shift to a new phase, as these are the last remaining industrial lots in Midway Station not currently under contract."

Lot 30 is under option with Barnhill Chimney, and Lots 29 and 31 are in the process of being sold to Creech Inc., which collects muck from horse farms and ships it to mushroom farms in Tennessee.

Vandegrift noted that 130 acres of north of Midway Station is zoned industrial, "but this is a very nice turning point for the history of our industrial park. Both of these new companies are relocating from Lexington, and while they are not done deals just yet, they’re moving along very quickly and I am confident they will both get across the finish line. We could all use good news right now, and I’m very excited about both of these new companies."

In monthly update on covid-19 issues, mayor focuses on mental health and dealing with anti-mask peer pressure

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift discussed the importance of maintaining mental health, and encouraged Midway residents to fight against anti-mask peer pressure, in his monthly video update on the covid-19 pandemic.

“Mental health is going to be something we really need to focus on,” Vandegrift said. “It’s going to take a while to get through this.”

With uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, anxiety and stress have deeply affected millions of people worldwide, including in Midway, he said: “Pandemics obviously are not unprecedented, but for us this is an unprecedented time.”

Noting that suicides rose during the 1918-19 flu pandemic, he called on Midway residents to help one another in any way possible.

“There are difficult things we all deal with, but we don’t want to lose anyone,” he said. “We don’t want to lose anyone to something so self-inflicted when there are resources to help.”

Vandegrift encouraged those needing help or know someone struggling to email him at mayorgrayson@gmail.com.

Anti-mask peer pressure: Despite a surge in coronavirus cases (the state reported seven more in Woodford County Wednesday) and a mandate to wear facial coverings in social settings, some Kentuckians still refuse to wear them. Vandegrift called on Midway to resist the anti-mask peer pressure, which he said he hopes is not intentional.

“I’m talking from experience when I know it’s difficult to walk into a situation … and people you know and respect don’t have their masks on,” he said. “I was in a situation recently where I was in quarters where we all should have had masks on and nobody did and I did not handle that situation as well as I would have liked to.”

Vandegrift said he has since been able to better speak up in similar situations, which is important and “not as difficult as you’d think.” He added, “Nobody wants to be, so to speak, the wet blanket . . . I think we need to work on being that person; I think that’s what leadership really is.”

The mayor continued to praise the city's response to the virus, noting only two confirmed cases have been seen in Midway and both have fully recovered.

“Considering the cases we’ve seen around the country and in parts of Kentucky,” he said, “it’s really a testament to your will that we’ve kept cases so low here.”

Council discusses school, OKs short-term economic developer, hears fire department has its first ladder truck

Northside Elementary School is scheduled to welcome students Aug, 26. (File photo by Megan Parsons, 2019)

This story has been updated.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift spent much of their meeting Monday sharing their thoughts on re-opening schools amid the covid-19 pandemic.

The council also approved a short-term contract for an economic developer, passed an ordinance easing paperwork rules for volunteer work on city property, made one block of Johnson Street one-way, and heard that Vandegrift bought a used ladder truck for the fire department.

The Woodford County Board of Education is planning to resume classes Aug. 26 with a dual option, in which parents can send children to school or have them do virtual learning, online at home. The board will have a special meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11.

“We want kids to go back to school at some point,” Vandegrift said. “My main concern, though, is if you go back in and we’re not ready to control the spread, if there are four to five kids a week testing positive for coronavirus and we can’t truly test for it the spread is going to continue.”

Vandegrift’s estimate was based on research that uses county infection rates to estimate the number of infected people likely to arrive at a school of 500 in the first week.

The mayor called for delaying the in-person start date, saying said more testing is needed first, to allow tracing the contacts of infected people and asking them to quarantine.

“I think the board should seriously consider delaying an open that allows students to enter the school until we can guarantee more testing,” he said. “I’m not putting that on Woodford County; the health department has done an unbelievable job, but everywhere this thing spreads, you can’t tell where it’s coming or going, and that’s because of testing.”

Council Member Sara Hicks raised concerns about parents who have health risks but face losing their jobs if their children do not go back to school: “If you say you can your kids or not send your kids, it sounds like that’s just a free decision, but I don’t think that’s really a free decision for people who don’t have the financial wherewithal to put their jobs in jeopardy.”

Council Member Stacy Thurman didn't opine about opening but said the school board should get support no matter what decision it makes: “We need unity, we need a united front and we need solidarity with the board and the county.”

“There’s no good solution,” said Thurman, mother of a fourth grader and an eighth grader. “Both solutions are bad and inconvenient and hard.”

Council Member Logan Nance agreed, saying “The bigger risk than covid to our community is the divisiveness and the language we’re using to talk to one another.” He also didn’t give the school board any advice, and no other council members spoke on the topic.

The City Council usually does not involve itself in school matters, “but this is an unprecedented situation,” Vandegrift said, and the final call will be “the most important decision that board has made in a long time, if not ever.” 

The mayor said at the start of the discussion, “We don’t in any way ever want to step on another board or jurisdiction’s toes,” adding later, “I think it well help them to have an idea how our city, our constituency, our end of the county feels about this.” At the end of the discussion, he said Midway-area school-board member Ambrose Wilson posted his thanks on the Facebook page that carried the meeting.

Other business: The council unanimously approved a six-month contract with Fortune Solutions LLC and point person Lucas Whitt to staff the Woodford County Economic Development Authority for six months, filling the role played by retired EDA chair John Soper.

Whitt worked with Midway on the location of Lakeshore Learning Materials when he worked with the state Economic Development Cabinet, Vandegrift said: "He's well aware of what is going on in Midway Station." The city will pay him $1,050 a month; Soper was paid $1,333.

Most of the pay will come from Versailles and the county government; Vandegrift said he, Mayor Brian Traugott and Judge-Executive James Kay agreed on the temporary hire to give them time to develop “a more concrete, more comprehensive” request for proposals from potential long-term hires.

The council defeated, with lack of a motion, Council Member John Holloway's proposal to rename and replace “Sparks in the Park,” normally held on July 3 or 4, with a celebration on June 19 to honor Juneteenth, a now official city holiday, to honor the end of slavery.

Vandegrift said he had discussed with Holloway “what could be done,” and asked for a motion, but none came. He said Sparks in the Park would continue but “We are going to have a Juneteenth celebration next year on June 19, which happens to fall on a Saturday.”

Interviews after the meeting, via email, indicated that the opposition stemmed from the idea of doing away with Sparks in the Park.

"I'm really excited to work with members of the black community here in Midway to honor and celebrate Juneteenth as they see fit. I also didn't want to do away with Sparks in the Park," Nance said. "It's a fun event for families and members of the community to come together and socialize and celebrate Independence Day. I know John's heart was in the right place when he wrote the resolution, but instead of repurposing Sparks in the Park I would rather keep that tradition and create a new, special tradition to honor Juneteenth."

Thurman said, "I appreciate the thought process behind this resolution and feel that Midway should definitely commemorate Juneteenth next year. I didn't make a motion to accept this resolution simply because I think both of these events provide great opportunities to bring our community together and I don't think we have to substitute one for the other."

Hicks said, “I believe Sparks is a loved tradition that should not be eliminated. I am also happy to add another celebration of Juneteenth. There are many reasons to celebrate in Midway.”

Holloway said, "Maybe I'm a purist, but it seems like a Fourth of July celebration should be on the Fourth of July. Juneteenth is 15 days before Sparks in the Park, and it seems strange to have two events that close together.  I was afraid that even if we actually have a Juneteenth celebration (which frankly seems unlikely), the tendency would be for it to become a lesser stepchild – which to me smacks of separate but equal, and I'm totally opposed to that, as we all should be."

The council also:

●    Heard the mayor announce the purchase of a used ladder truck from Stewart County, Tennessee, for $13,500, using state fire aid money and a city appropriation that was going to be used for an antenna but is no longer needed. Vandegrift said the city needs a ladder truck more than ever, with major facilities in Midway Station. He said Stewart County bought the truck used from Beverly Hills, Calif., but “The truck’s in great condition” and has been driven less than 50,000 miles.
●    Unanimously approved an ordinance simplifying volunteer work on city property. Volunteers will no longer be required to sign in and out each time, and won't be required to be under city supervision at all times, since they would sign a waiver of liability. The change confirms current practice.

●    Unanimously made the 200 block of Johnson Street a one-way street, from Gratz Street to Brand Street, effective Sept. 1. Nance said he interviewed all but one resident of the block, and all but one were in favor of the change.

●    Heard Vandegrift report that more than 700 people watched Wednesday’s online forum about traffic issues, and almost 80 made comments. One suggested traffic cameras to catch and ticket speeders, but the mayor said he had learned such cameras are illegal in Kentucky.

Before the moment of reflection at the start of the meeting, Vandegrift asked members and the online audience to remember the late Joyce Logan and the late Pat Wilson and their families.

Mayor and City Council put discussion of Aug. 26 school reopening on Monday agenda, invite public comment

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift will discuss the status of re-opening schools amid the covid-19 pandemic during their twice-monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Anyone wanting to share their thoughts on school reopenings will be able to comment on the online meeting’s Facebook Live stream on the Midway Government Streaming Meetings Facebook page.

“I hope Midway citizens will join the discussion via Facebook,” Vandegrift told the Messenger. “I’ll share my thoughts and ask the council members if they would like to weigh in as well. And all of this in the hope of helping the [school] board, not in any way stepping on their toes.”

The mayor noted that the Woodford County Board of Education is planning a dual option, in which parents can either opt to send kids to school or have them do virtual learning, online at home. School is scheduled to start Aug. 26.

 

“A couple of board members recently expressed concern about sending kids back to school,” Vandegrift said, especially with the rise in cases the last several weeks and a survey that showed many teachers are leery about returning to in-person instruction.”

The school board scheduled a special meeting for Monday night, but that has been postponed to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.

While the council normally does not involve itself in school-board decisions, the mayor said he hopes the conversation will give an idea of where people in Midway stand on school re-opening.

“My goal is simply to be able to give the school board and idea of how Midway and this end of the county are thinking about this, hopefully, to help inform their decision making,” he said.

Diverse crowd of 50 people march across town to raise awareness of a sad event and celebrate Black resilience

Marchers, wearing masks, gathered at the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery. (Photo by Aaron Gershon; to enlarge, click on it)

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

On an overcast day when rain threatened but temperatures were cooler than usual, 50 people marched through Midway to honor those affected by the July 31, 1868 attack on the Second Christian Church.

Friday's event was organized by Honoring Black Stories in Midway, a group dedicated to African American history in the city.

“In Midway, much work has been done regarding researching our Black history, but many people are unaware,” event organizer Milan Bush told the Messenger. She said the march was for awareness and to celebrate the resilience of African Americans since slavery.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said, “I think this was a very important event for our city to remember when we’re talking about our history. We have to talk about it from many perspectives.”

Second Christian Church faces Smith Street. (Photo by Aaron Gershon)

Three years after the Civil War, the church served a vital role in the local Black community, and housed a school. Whites who were determined to uphold the racial status quo in Kentucky attacked and burned the wood structure.

“We have to acknowledge the good and the bad,” Vandegrift said. “And the more I talk to Black citizens around town, the more I realize many simply want their story to be told too, and it’s most important they be the ones to tell it. And we listen.”

The march began at City Hall, went to Second Christian Church at Smith and Stephens streets, and then 0.6 miles across town to the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery at the west end of Bruen Street, where many African Americans are buried.

Vandegrift walked and was pleased with the turnout. “I thought it turned out great, even better than I expected,” he said. “Over 50 people, more than 90 percent Midway residents, both white and black.”

Midway writer Bob Rouse posted on his blog, "Of a Midway Mind," to share his experience in the march.

“In my 62 years, I have walked for miles on Midway’s streets and sidewalks: on Halloween nights with my family, during growing-up days with my friends, and on moonlit evenings with a sweetheart,” Rouse wrote. “But today I walked with purpose in my heart. I walked in the spirit of peace—as John Lewis implored—with my sisters and brothers.”

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, who was the last living civil-rights leader who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, died July 17 and was buried Thursday in Atlanta.

Perhaps the lone concern about holding the event was having a gathering of more than 10 people in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, contrary to an order from Gov. Andy Beshear. Every marcher was wearing a mask and generally kept distance from each other.

“We live in a special community, which we knew, ” Vandegrift said. “But today showed another loving face of our city.”

Honoring Black Stories in Midway group will march Friday, anniversary of 1868 attack on Second Christian

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Honoring Black Stories in Midway, a group dedicated to honoring African American history in the city, will hold a march at midday Friday to honor those affected by the July 31, 1868, attack on the Second Christian Church.

"We are in a day in age where it's open to talk about race, but it makes people uncomfortable," event organizer Milan Bush told the Messenger. "In Midway, much work has been done regarding researching our Black history, but many people are unaware.”

Brenda Jackson, left, and Barbara Holcomb of We're Digging It Metal
Detectors found evidence in 2017 of the original log building of Second
Christian Church. They found foundation stones and handmade nails.
(Lexington Herald-Leader photo by Tom Eblen)

Three years after the Civil War, the church served a vital role in the local Black community, and housed a school. Whites who were determined to uphold the racial status quo attacked and burned the wood structure.

"Being a teacher, I begin researching school information for Blacks. The initial finding was a brief sentence of a colored school being attacked on July 31, 1868," Bush said. "The incident is really disturbing. While no one is alive from that time, I believe it served as a major turning point for Black-white relations in Midway. Nevertheless, the Black community rebuilt and thrived, something many of us didn't know. So we march for awareness and to celebrate their resilience.”

Wednesday the City Council approved a parade permit for the event. Council Member John Holloway, who said he will be marching, told his colleagues that marchers plan to use sidewalks, won't block any streets, and have agreed to break into groups of 10 or less to adhere to the state’s latest social-distancing rules.

"I want people to realize we have been communicating with them (Honoring Black Stories group) about covid restrictions," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said during the special council meeting called to issue the permit. "They're completely compliant, everyone will have masks on. . . . They will also be socially distanced, making it virtually impossible for an asymptomatic carrier to spread."

Vandegrift added that he will take part in the march and is confident in the social distancing measures in place.

The march will begin at noon at City Hall and will go down East Main Street to Gratz Street, then out East Stephens Street to its intersection with Smith Street, where the church was located on what is now Midway University's campus. From there, the march will go back down Stephens Street, then up Turner Street and on Bruen Street to the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery facing Wausau Place, then back to City Hall at 2 p.m.

"Many of the graves at Sons and Daughters cemetery say 'Gone, but not forgotten'," Bush said. "Honoring Black Stories wants to change that narrative and bring to life those people we have indeed forgotten."

A 2017 Lexington Herald-Leader story about the attack is here.

EDA sells two Midway Station lots to Creech Services, which bales and ships muck from horse stalls

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Woodford County Economic Development Authority voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a purchase contract for two lots in Midway Station to Creech Services Inc., a firm that firm that bales and ships horse-stall muck.

“This entity serves the community,” EDA chair Michael Michalisin of Midway said during the brief special meeting. “This is a business that’s served our horse farms that are near and dear to our heart, part of our heritage and what Mr. Creech does is provide a very professional, world-class service.”

At the regular EDA meeting Friday, Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift endorsed the sale. In May, he and the board were hesitant about making a deal with Creech, since composting is prohibited in Midway Station, but then Creech showed them that composting isn’t what he does.

On July 15, Vandegrift and Michalisin told the Messenger that after meeting with Creech at his Fayette County facility that they were willing to sell two lots that Creech would use exclusively as a transfer point for horse muck that is shipped to mushroom farms.

Vandegrift said Tuesday that some Midway residents had voiced concern about odors, but the only smell they noticed was the smell of a horse farm, and “Smelling is believing.”

He noted that prevailing winds run southwest to northeast, which would take any odor into farmland, but he said there would be no problem even if the wind blew from the northeast into Midway.

Vandegrift told the EDA board that he shared the potential deal with the Messenger in order to get feedback from the public, and heard back from three Midway residents.

“They were concerned and wanted to see what this was,” Vandegrift said Friday. He said Creech invited all three to his facility, and “One of them did join him this Monday, is my understanding. I did not hear back, but I figure no news is good news.”

Michalisin added, “I support Mr. Creech and admire what he built out there (Fayette County) and I just love the fact he wants to be here, be part of Woodford County, wants to be close to our horse farms and wants to bring jobs here.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, former Midway mayor Tom Bozarth, a bloodstock agent, spoke highly of Creech, saying he had known him for 30 years. "He just runs a real class operation, so I can't say enough about him and his integrity," Bozarth said.

During Friday’s meeting the board also:

• Authorized signing of closing documents to sell the balance of the Roach property to Big Dog Trading and Storage Barrel Warehouse Co. The property is next to thenAmerican Howa Kentucky auto-parts plant.
• Allocated the expected profit of $65,000 from Big Dog’s purchase to the Roach family to satisfy debt owed the family.
• Welcomed a new board member, Anna Beth Bobbitt of Versailles. She spent six years as a senior project manager for the EDA and is a client relationship manager at Traditional Bank in Frankfort. “I'm looking forward to contributing any way I can,” she said.
• Heard that a committee led by board member Courtney Roberts continues to work to find a replacement for former chairman John Soper as EDA’s paid staffer. Roberts said he is working with Vandegrift, Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott and Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay.

Council committee approves all 29 relief grant applications; John Holloway dissents on three

By Aaron Gershon

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

A three-person City Council committee met Wednesday and approved all 29 Midway businesses that applied for federal covid-19 relief money through the city's $75,000 grant program. Three were approved with one member dissenting.

The committee of Council Members Stacy Thurman, Sara Hicks and John Holloway met on Zoom with Mayor Grayson Vandegrift to apply the criteria established by a prior ad hoc committee of Holloway, Thurman and City Clerk Cindy Foster.

The money will be split evenly between the 29 businesses; thus, each will receive $2,586.20.

Of the 29 businesses, 26 were approved by the three-person committee and three were approved on 2-1 votes with Holloway voting no on each. he voted against BIF Holdings, Horse Country Cottage and Throw Me A Carrot.
  
Holloway's concerns with the three businesses were that none of them were in a commercially zoned area of town and have conditional-use permits. Grantees are required to have a physical location in a commercial zone.

"To me, a conditional-use permit is not the same as being in an area that is zoned," Holloway argued. "That's just not what it (grant criteria) says."

"I'm not sure if it's fair to people who didn't apply because they thought, ‘Well, my claim wouldn't be submitted,’ while some other people are just like, ‘I just want money and file this thing to see if it sticks’."

Hicks disagreed, saying the city needed to show “equanimity and graciousness since people did bother to fill out the application and do contribute to our commercial community in one way or another.”

Hicks is running for re-election this fall. Holloway is the only council member not seeking re-election.

The application form asked what costs or losses were suffered due to closure related to the pandemic and required applicants agree to cooperate with any audit, certify that the information they give is correct to the best of their knowledge, and acknowledge that a false statement may require them to return the money. Recipients must have been forced to limit activities due to the pandemic, and must not owe taxes to the city.

The businesses approved for grants are: The Back Room, BIF Holdings, Breckinridge, The Brown Barrel, Commotion, Crittenden Gentlemen's Store, Damselfly, Darlin' Jeans, Don Jockey, Fisher Antiques, Gigi & George, Goose & Gander, Graviss Studios, Heirloom, Historic Horse Country Cottage, Midway Museum Store, McMahon and Hill Bloodstock, Mezzo, Midway Boutique, Midway Chiropractic, Midway Makers Market, Milam House, Rachel Riley DMD, Railroad Street Framing, Rocket Leather Repair, Southern Sunday, Therapy on Main, Throw Me A Carrot and Tithe Wellness.

The application asks what the money will be used for, and requires recipients to report by Dec. 30 how they used it.

Bob Rouse, former Midway Blue Jay, makes a splash in Toronto by inviting its baseball team to our town

Bob Rouse displays his Toronto Blue Jays gear. (Photo provided by Rouse)

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

A major league baseball team in Midway? Even for a shortened season? Midway resident and Toronto Blue Jays fan Bob Rouse tried to make it happen.

The Blue Jays are looking for a home for the 2020 season after the Canadian government ruled it would be unsafe for players to travel back and forth from the U.S. amid the covid-19 pandemic.

So, Rouse decided to reach out to the team to offer up Midway University's new Don Ball Stadium to host the team.

"I am an unabashed supporter of my home town," Rouse told the Messenger. "And while I didn't really expect an MLB team to roll into Midway, I wanted to seize on the chance to put us in the spotlight.”

Rouse's email to the Toronto Blue Jays; for a larger version, click on it.

In his email to the Blue Jays, Rouse listed several reasons why Midway would be a good fit for the club including the new field, no need for fans, and the town's "remarkably good restaurants” and the mascot of the old Midway High School, the Blue Jays. (He attended elementary school in the same building.)

Rouse told the Messenger that he forgot about another point he could have made in Midway's favor: Freedman's, the equine leather shop in Midway, is based in Toronto.

His email acknowledged drawbacks, such as the lack of a hotel "But as a true-blue fan, I would be rude not to offer to help the team in this challenging time. (I should add that I own three different Blue Jays ball caps — not sure if that's a point in favor of you coming or against it.)"

Despite Midway not being a reasonable home for the Blue Jays, Rouse did get a call from Director of Fan Services Christine Robertson, and has been the subject of news stories in Toronto.

"I expected a cursory email and nothing more," Rouse told the Messenger. "The Jays asked if they could share my email with a reporter, but I really didn't think he'd pick it up. And then being live on CTV News was an even bigger surprise." He also got some U.S. coverage.

The Blue Jays are still looking for a temporary home; they hoped to play in Pittsburgh, but health officials there said no.

While they won't be coming to Midway, Rouse, a writer by trade, feels he accomplished his true goal: "Down deep, this is exactly what I was hoping for: spotlight on Midway."

Railroad Drug & Old Time Soda Fountain is 10 years old

Railroad Drug & Old Time Soda Fountain is celebrating its 10th birthday today. As part of the celebration, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift issued a proclamation declaring it "Railroad Drug & Old Time Soda Fountain Day." Here are the "whereas" clauses, without that word:

• Ken and Amanda Glass opened Railroad Drug on July 23, 2010;
• Dr. Ken Glass has served as the pharmacist, and Amanda has served in a variety of management roles since that day, and their son Kaden and daughter Caroline have been fixtures there ever since;
• Railroad Drug has offered an indispensable service to the community by providing medications prescribed by a medical doctor, supplying over the counter remedies, and giving consultation on medicines and their proper usage;
• Railroad Drug delivers medicine to patient’s doorsteps, and offers the overall service that is often missing in modern day pharmacies;
• Ken is often known to leave his family on evenings and weekends to deliver medicine to citizens in urgent need, young and old
• Quality service and consistent access to medicine prescribed by a medical doctor greatly improves, health, happiness, and quality of life;
• Residents and visitors alike enjoy the nostalgic feel of a milkshake, ice cream, or other sweet treat available at the popular soda fountain of Railroad Drug;
• Amanda and Ken are involved citizens in other ways: Ken serves as a local boy scout troop leader, gives regular check-ins to our wisest citizens at our senior care facility, and offers vaccinations at local events; Amanda has served as president of the Northside Parent-Teacher Organization and is often found volunteering for local causes; and
• Railroad Drug has become a staple of Midway’s business and cultural center.

Council moves to ease volunteer work, honors Soper for EDA leadership, gets 29 applications for pandemic relief

By Aaron Gershon

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway’s City Council took a step Monday toward simplifying volunteer work on city property, and honored outgoing economic developer John Soper, who gave another upbeat update.

Meeting via online video, the council gave first reading to an ordinance that would simplify volunteer work at Walter Bradley Park or other city property.

Volunteers would no longer be required to sign in and out each time they volunteer, and wouldn’t be required to city supervision at all times, since they would sign a waiver of liability, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said before the meeting.

“Frankly, we have not been doing it that way,” said Council Member John Holloway, who wrote the proposed ordinance with help from city attorney Sharon Gold. Holloway, the unpaid manager of the park, spearheaded a major cleanup and improvements in recent years, with much volunteer help.

Holloway said he was guided by volunteer work he did at BigSpring Park Versailles and singing that city’s waiver.

“It was a lot more inclusive than what we were doing,” Holloway said. “It gets the city a lot more coverage against possible lawsuits and makes the waiver good for one year from  the time the volunteer signs it.” 

The second reading of the ordinance and a vote on final passage is scheduled for the council’s August 3 meeting.

Grant applications: The mayor announced that 29 businesses in Midway have applied for federal covid-19 relief funding from the city. 

On July 6, the council voted to appropriate $75,000 from the city’s $129,000 relief allocation to fuel the grant program. The businesses that are approved will all get the same amount; if all 29 businesses were to be approved, each would get $2,586.

Vandegrift said he plans to meet Wednesday with his appointed committee of Council Members Stacy Thurman, Sara Hicks and Holloway to decide which of the 29 businesses are eligible for the grants.

While businesses have suffered due to stay-at-home orders in March, April and May, the mayor said the city has seen just two coronavirus cases and that both patients are now recovered.

Hail John Soper: The mayor and council honored longtime Woodford County Economic Development Director John Soper, who will be stepping down July 31. The council declared the day “John Soper Day” in the city and Vandegrift gave him a “key to the city” clock.

After thanking the council, Soper said progress continues at Midway Station, the industrial and commercial park that he helped transform from the city’s largest liability to its biggest asset. 

“We’re close or significant contract negotiations with probably every industrial acre out there in Midway Station,” Soper said. “That’s remarkable given the times that we’re in, but I think it also shows you the product.”

In other business Monday, the council:

●            Approved a $5,000 donation to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group that checks on children who may be in danger of neglect or abuse. That left $2,500 in the budget for donations.

●            Deferred a request from the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce for a $1,000 donation, saying Executive Director Emily Downey should appear before the council, as should all others seeking donations. Vandegrift said Downey is “really doing a great job and I do think that we are getting a lot more attention than we used to,” but Council Member Logan Nance said the council should review other possible donations so it can stick to the budget for them.

●            Nance said he spoke with several residents of the 200 block of Johnson Street and found that all but one were in favor of making the block a one-way street, from Gratz Street to Brand Street. “It’s really not big enough to be a two-lane street anyway,” Nance said. “Homeowners expressed frustration with meeting people on the street and people driving in their yards and curbs.” Vandegrift said that unless he hears objections, he would put the issue on the Aug. 3 agenda.

●            Appointed lawyer and Laurel Hostetter to the county Board of Ethics. Vandegrift said she is philanthropy and engagement director for the Life Adventure Center near Versailles.

●            Accepted a $31,815 in-kind grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation for 12 Sets of firefighting gear for the Midway Fire Department.

●            Holloway announced he is preparing a resolution to rename and reschedule Midway’s Sparks in the Park event, which has been held on July 3. The resolution would move it to June 19 and make it the “Midway Juneteenth Celebration” to recognize emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Thurman said African Americans need to be included in the discussion, and Holloway agreed, saying, “Right now it’s a bunch of white people sitting around talking about what black people want, and we don’t know.”

Martin St. to be closed for water-main work Wednesday

Martin Street, a one-way avenue that connects North Winter and North Gratz streets, will be closed to through traffic Wednesday, July 22 for replacement of a water main and elimination of a dead-end line, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced this evening.

In budget town-hall meeting with other executives, mayor says city is adding jobs even in pandemic

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift shared updates on the city’s budget and plans for the 2020-21 fiscal year in a town hall meeting Wednesday, July 15 with Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott and County Judge-Executive James Kay.

The covid-19 pandemic loomed over the event, hosted by the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, but Vandegrift said job growth in Midway is continuing.

“Despite the struggles today, our city is very strong and has been growing for quite a few years now,” Vandegrift said. “The largest bit of good news has been our job growth primarily in  Midway Station, although there’s been job growth throughout the city the last five years.”

Vandegrift said the city has doubled its occupational tax revenue since 2015, thanks to the addition of more than 500 new jobs.

“Our bread and butter for the city is occupational taxes,” he said.

City of Midway budget as passed by City Council; for a larger version, click on it.

When Vandegrift was elected mayor in 2014, the city was bringing in $300,000 in occupational taxes. In the fiscal year ended June 30, “some receipts still to go,” the city brought in $700,057 in occupational taxes.

With a 133% increase in occupational taxes the past five years and more jobs coming in Midway Station, the mayor said he believes the city can bring in $1 million in occupational tax revenue by 2022.

“Midway was not known as a job hub for a long time, but it’s starting to become one now and it’s opened up a lot of doors for us,” he said.

But for the 2020-21 fiscal year, Midway is planning “conservatively” due to the pandemic, Vandegrift said. The city’s budget calls for $737,000 in occupational tax revenue, not the $825,000 Vandegrift estimated expected before the pandemic. 

The 2020-21 budget calls for less revenue and spending than the 2019-20 budget; the only category set to increase is cemetery expenses, budgeted for $7,009 more than last year, due to completion of a pavilion allowing families to hold services under cover during inclement weather. It was the last major item restored by the City Council in its budget workshops.

The budget calls for spending $1,789,533, not including the separately funded water, sewer and cemetery accounts, and reducing the city’s surplus to $751,217 from $925,800.

Mayor names committee to study rising property valuations and how a tax-rebate program might work

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift has formed a committee to consult with tax experts and look into a tax-rebate program as property valuations are rising in the city, which usually leads to a rise in property taxes.

Logan Nance

The committee, at least for now, is City Council Member Logan Nance, Woodford County Fiscal Court Magistrate Liles Taylor of Midway, and Midway Business Association President Cortney Neikirk. They will study the rise in valuations and consult with tax experts, including local ones, then present their findings and offer recommendations for action to the council.

In his email to the council and the Messenger, Vandegrift didn’t explain what a tax rebate program might look like. “I’m being purposefully vague because I think the committee should hammer out the details,” he wrote.

Liles Taylor

Cortney Neikirk

He said valuations are rising due to lack of housing supply to meet demand, and the fact that the city's valuation hadn't been assessed for four years before its housing market "really took off."

He said county Property Valuation Administrator Judy Bobbitt told him she divides the county into four quadrants that are each reviewed every four years and assessed at fair market value, based mainly on comparable sales in the area.

Vandegrift quoted from Bobbitt’s email: “The market is definitely up right now. Most likely four years ago there was not an increase in sales, like this year.” She said homeowners should watch nearby sales to compare with their valuation, and “If they don't agree with our assessments please give us a call and we will be happy to review with them.”

The mayor said he had been told an "anecdotal story about a home whose valuation rose by $90,000. I doubt that's the norm, though."

With many already dealing with financial hardships amid the covid-19 pandemic, Vandegrift said he wants to avoid a rise in property taxes. He said the pandemic “has accelerated our plans to tackle the issue and help prevent folks from struggling to keep up with the taxation associated with higher values."

He said one possible solution would be to reduce property taxes, “but we’ve already cut them 30% and I don't want to hamstring ourselves or future leaders from being able to raise them if the revenue is needed." Midway's real-estate tax rate is now about the same as the rate in Versailles.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, via Zoom.

Mayor, EDA chair check out firm that bales horse-stall muck and decide to welcome it to Midway Station

By Aaron Gershon

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and Woodford County Economic Development Authority Chair Michael Michalisin of Midway are ready to sell Midway Station lots to a company that bales muck from horse stalls and ships it to Tennessee mushroom farms.

Vandegrift told the Messenger that he and Michalisin met last week with Tom Creech of Creech Services Inc. at his Fayette County facility, and “We agreed that what Mr. Creech wants to bring to Midway Station is not composting and is in actuality simply a transfer point. He takes muck and straw from horse farms, Lane's End being one of them, and bales it via a processor, and then ships it off.”

Composting of animal waste has been prohibited at Midway Station since Bluegrass Stockyards tried to relocate there in 2007, prompting objections and a lawsuit.

In May, then-EDA Chair John Soper that a sale of Midway Station property to Creech would require a petition for a declaratory judgment to determine "if it could exist under a settlement of the lawsuit regarding the stockyards.”

Vandegrift said Wednesday night that he doesn't see that as necessary since Creech is not planning to do any composting in Midway.

“I think that would only come into play if someone were to challenge the sale in court, based on the deed restrictions,” he said. “Obviously, anyone can sue for anything at any time, but after looking at the operation Creech wants to bring to Midway, I'd be surprised if that happened.”

One of Vandegrift's original concerns about the purchase was the potential for odors wafting across Interstate 64 to residential areas, a major concern 13 years ago. “We don't want to stir up the ghosts of the past,” he said in May. Now that he has a clear understanding of Creech’s operations, he says there would be no odor.

Creech said in May that he would like to have a baling facility in Woodford County because he serves so many farms in the county.

Vandegrift said, “Michael and I have both agreed this is a good agricultural business that supports the horse industry and does not produce any discernible odor except for when right up in the building.”

He said the facility would likely add 10 or possibly more jobs to the city.

Vandegrift said he and Michalisin have asked EDA attorney Bill Moore to draw up a purchase contract. It could be approved at the EDA’s next meeting on July 24.

“Once they are approved, the lots sold will be under option for about 90 days,” Vandegrift said. “That allows the buyer to do some due diligence like geotechnical to see what they'll be digging into.”

SWAT drill in 100 block of Turner St. tomorrow afternoon

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officers of the Versailles Police Department, which patrols all of Woodford County, will be in training exercises tomorrow from noon to 6 p.m. at 118, 122 and 126 Turner St. "If you notice heavy police presence and activity in the area do not be alarmed," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift advises. "It is a drill."

The waters of Midway – South Elkhorn Creek and Lee Branch – are cleaner; still not clean enough to play in

Lee Branch just before it enters Walter Bradley Park; click to enlarge

By Lauren McCally
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

South Elkhorn Creek is a popular fishing and kayaking stream, and a beautiful feature of the Midway area. But the creek and its tributary that runs through Midway, Lee Branch, still do not meet the standards for recreation involving contact with the water, despite continuing efforts to clean them up.

However, that does not mean fishing in the creek is unsafe, or that users of Walter Bradley Park should worry about an occasional splash from Lee Branch.

The latest public samples from the streams, taken last year, showed some improvement from 2016, but with fecal bacteria levels still above the threshold at which swimming becomes risky.

In 2013, the last time the Midway Messenger looked at Elkhorn Creek’s pollution, Lindell Ormsbee, director of the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute at the University of Kentucky, said, “I would not recommend swimming in that creek.”

Seven years later, “The impairment status of the stream has not yet changed,” Steven Evans, a researcher at the UK institute, said in an email.

Lee Branch has received more use and attention since the forested section of the park along the stream was improved four years ago. It also has bacterial pollution above the limit for swimming, but isn’t deep enough to swim, and its latest sample showed a level lower than the one from South Elkhorn Creek.

Lee Branch's pollution can vary widely because it is small and subject to overflows from a faulty sewer on Smith Street. When a member of the Midway Musings group on Facebook noted the overflows, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the city’s planned sewer-repair project would resolve that issue.

The Musings thread began when a member asked if the water in Lee Branch was “safe for our fur babies.” Vandegrift said a test for the city two years ago showed it “about twice as high as normal” for fecal bacteria, but “I don’t think it’s unsafe for dogs, though. Ours cool off in it on walks and even drink in it. No human should ever drink from it, though.”

Vandegrift said even pets shouldn’t be in Lee Branch when it floods. The state Division of Water advises against swimming or playing in streams immediately following a storm event due to the increased likelihood of bacteria and other pathogens.

Data from Kentucky River Watershed Watch

For water to be considered swimmable, it must have 240 or fewer colony-forming units (CFUs) of E. coli bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, about one-fifth of a pint. In 2019, a sample taken from Lee Branch by a volunteer for Kentucky River Watershed Watch showed 298 CFUs.

In 2016, KRRW samples showed 238 in May, 2,628 in July and 135 in September. That July was a very rainy month, and heavy rain causes sewers to overflow.

The samples were taken 150 yards downstream from Stephens Street, near the Midway University footbridge, according to the KRRW.

Another site, which KRRW labeled as Lee Branch “in front of Midway University,” appears to be from the unnamed tributary of the branch that runs along Stephens Street and flows into the branch halfway between Stephens and the MU footbridge. That sample showed only 179 CFUs, indicating the sewer’s influence on the main branch. In 2016 report, the tributary had much more bacteria, with an average score of 938.

South Elkhorn Creek: Samples taken last year just downstream from Ironworks Estates showed 532 CFUs, more than double the limit for swimming. That was more than the 302 average for 2016, when readings ranged from 104 in May to 691 in July.

An unnamed tributary running through Ironworks Estates showed only 47 FCUs, indicating that the subdivision is contributing little to the pollution.

Grading the streams: Conductivity is another key indicator of water quality. High conductivity signals more dissolved chemicals. It is measured in microsiemens per centimeter, with 500 the level posing risk to aquatic life. In 2019 Lee Branch had a conductivity score of 323, lower than its 2016 average of 389.

Overall in 2019, the UK research institute gave Lee Branch and South Elkhorn Creek a grade of C, or “fair,” for bacteria. For conductivity, Lee Branch received a grade of B, or “good.” The creek got a D, or “poor,” and was listed as a “site of concern,” perhaps also because of nitrogen and phosphorus levels, which are raised by runoff from fertilizers on farms.

South Elkhorn Creek runs from western Fayette County to Franklin County, and forms almost all the border of Woodford and Scott counties.

“It’s not very clean, but it’s a whole lot cleaner than it was 30 to 40 years ago,” said Mac Weisenberger, fifth-generation owner of Weisenberger Mill, located on the Scott County bank of the creek near Midway since 1865.

“I see a lot of people come down here and go fishing,” he said. “It has been on the increase.”

Lexington's role: The creek runs through horse and cattle farms, which are sources of bacteria, but in recent decades it has also been polluted by leaky sewer pipes and stormwater overflow from Lexington. In recent years, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government has completed several projects to mitigate the problem.

“Tremendous progress and investment has been made towards improving water quality in the Fayette County portion of the South Elkhorn watershed,” Evans said in an email, “ but there is still a long way to go.”

In 2019, the Lexington government completed detailed analysis of the areas that required additional work due to high concentrations of bacteria, with the assistance of community volunteers.

“There been a lot of work to move things in a positive direction,” Evans said. “The problems were not created in a day, and the solutions will not occur overnight.”

Meanwhile, there is other good news. Robert Watts, president of Bluegrass Wild Water, said in an email, “One of my members found a huge, less than 12 inch (deceased), mudpuppy salamander out there last summer. Those are an indicator species for great water quality, because of the way their skin absorbs chemicals.”

This story originally appeared in the Spring/Summer print edition of the Midway Messenger.