State investigating complaints by Highview Drive residents of damage from herbicide spraying on farm

Photo from corner of Highview and Oak shows the effect of the herbicide on a field that was green. (Photo by Al Cross)

Rebecca Herpick of Highview Drive says her young
tree was damaged by the nearby spraying of paraquat.

Story and photos by Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Residents of the Highview Drive area in southeast Midway found herbicide sprayed on their properties last week. They’re upset, and the state agriculture department is investigating.

“Our garden backyard’s our sanctuary” in the covid-19 pandemic, said Rebecca Herpick of the 100 block of Highview. “That's how we're getting through this thing. It was, but it's my therapy, and just to see all your plants dying is just, like, devastating.”

The herbicide was sprayed on one or more farm fields next to the residential area. That was confirmed after Herpick had a conversation with farm owner Susan Coats, who told her that the spraying was done by Joe Greathouse of Midway, who is leasing the land. Herpick’s partner, Sean McDonald, said he believes wind blew it onto the residential property.

Herpick and her partner, Sean McDonald, say
this damage was caused by the spraying.

Greathouse and Coats could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

McDonald said Coats told him that the herbicide was paraquat, which is commonly used to kill grass before planting crops.

McDonald and Herpick said they noticed spots on their lettuce on Wednesday, June 3. Two days later, when they went to grab lettuce for a weekend camping trip, the spotting looked worse, but they did not think of much of it, they said.

"It just had this ominous dead look to it and we're like ‘Wow’,” McDonald recalled. "We didn't think about a chemical or anything like that." 

The couple still packed the lettuce and ate it while on their trip. When they returned Sunday, however, they realized there was undoubtedly a problem.

“Everything had major damage," McDonald said. "I told Rebecca, man, the whole place looks like we've got a disease."

Eating food contaminated with paraquat “could poison people,” says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Herpick shows damage to her garden. (For
a larger version of any photo, click on it.)

Herpick and McDonald reported no symptoms, but Herpick said, "I just kept feeling so violated. We have a small dog . . . he could have died.” A study by Cornell University has found that paraquat is highly toxic to animals by all routes of exposure.

Angry, McDonald posted photos of their garden on the Midway Musings group on Facebook, and others reported similar experiences.

“The leaves in my trees and bushes are dying,” wrote Melissa Scheier, whose yard runs along Highview. “They all have the same spots.”

Warren Carter of Highview wrote, “I complained to Mr. Greathouse a few years ago about this same issue. I lost my garden in my back yard. When he sprays and the wind is coming from the southwest you can smell the chemical is your house. At least in mine. . . . Something must be done about this issue."

The problem isn't just on Highview Drive. Mary Williams Greene of Richardson Street commented on McDonald's social-media post Tuesday: "I noticed this evening that some of my plants on the side of the house nearest Highview had that same spotting."

A closeup of other damage. 

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift encouraged the residents to file complaints with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

 “We are going to keep an open line with the Department of Agriculture as it proceeds, and will do tests of water in Lee's Branch to see if any pesticides show up. We'll look especially for paraquat, unless an investigation leads us to look for any other pesticide as well.”

The Agriculture Department has received two complaints, and “We have two inspectors looking into it,” spokesman Sean Southard said. “Over the course of the next four to six weeks, we should wrap up the investigation which will determine if a violation has occurred.”

Under state law and regulation, the fine for applying herbicide not according to its label is $100.

Firm that bales horse-stall muck has an eye on Midway Station, but is discouraged by prospect of court action

By Al Cross and Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

A Lexington firm that services horse farms says it may want to put a facility in Midway Station that would bale the muck it takes from stalls and ship it on flatbed trucks to Tennessee mushroom farms.

The prospect of Creech Services Inc. offering to buy five to six acres in the industrial park raised the possibility of a court action to determine whether the facility would be allowed under a restriction placed on the property after Bluegrass Stockyards tried to relocate there 13 years ago.

The restriction by the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, which was part of the settlement of a lawsuit over the stockyards plan, bans "the composting of animal waste." Creech says that it would not compost the material, and that it contains only 1 percent manure.

However, EDA Chair John Soper said at the authority's May 22 meeting that sale of Midway Station property for such a facility would require a petition for a declaratory judgment "to determine if it could exist under settlement of the lawsuit regarding the stockyards."

Soper, some board members and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift spoke about the matter in past tense, as if it had been decided, but Soper said in an email after the meeting that no decision had been made.

He said EDA attorney Bill Moore had advised that a sale would require a declaratory-judgment lawsuit, in which a judge determines the rights of the parties involved. "If Mr. Creech wants to pursue a formal offer (no actual or informal offer has been made to date) he would need to be prepared to pursue the matter at his expense to clear the stockyard lawsuit's restrictions," Soper wrote.

Google map has outdated city limits; city has annexed and zoned industrial
138 acres north and east of Midway Station. For a larger image, click on it.

He said during the meeting that such an action would cost at least $2,500 and bring "people from the lawsuit back into Midway Station." The settlement gives any resident of Northridge Estates or Ironworks Estates, or any member of Elkwood LLC, a property owner across Georgetown Road from Midway Station, the right to enforce the restrictions.

Tom Creech, president of the firm, told the Midway Messenger, "I don't want to go to court. . . . I want somebody to want us." He said he might make another approach to EDA after the outcome of a business meeting he has scheduled for Friday.

Creech said Wednesday that he hadn't talked with Soper since before last Friday's meeting, and if he decided to pursue Midway Station land again, "My approach would be to go to the mayor of Midway" and invite him to look at his baling facility in Fayette County, which is separate from his composting facility.

"I don’t want to be the bad neighbor to anybody," Creech said. "I would never propose to put in a compost facility in that park." He said he would like to have a baling facility in Woodford County because he serves so many farms in the county.

"You all depend on these horse farms and the waste off them is an issue, and you ought to be glad I'm getting rid of it," he told the Messenger. His firm also supplies hay and straw to farms. He estimated that a Midway Station facility would employ eight to 10 people, including drivers who work the farms. He said he hires common-carrier trucks to ship the bales.

Vandegrift said Wednesday that he would like to see the baling facility, but he and Soper are concerned about creating no more than 10 jobs by selling five or six acres. Earlier, he noted that EDA and the city want to create at least 10 jobs per acre in Midway Station.

"I do appreciate the fact that it's supporting the horse industry, but just from a dollars-and-cents standpoint, he's got to understand if it were to be something that might end up being litigated, and might be controversial . . . I'd have to explain to people why it was worth it," Vandegrift said. "What butters our bread in Midway is occupational taxes, and this is low jobs." 

However, the mayor said he would not oppose the sale "if there's no smell that bothers neighbors. We don’t want to stir up the ghost of the past." He said, "Overall, I think it's an industry people would support," but "At the end of the day, we just had a lot of unanswered questions."

Creech said the material "smells like a horse barn" and didn't know how far its smell would carry, but argued that prevailing winds wouldn’t waft the smell to Northridge Estates.

Another smell could yet be at work: the smell of money. At Friday's meeting, Soper said selling the property at EDA's price of $65,000 an acre would generate a $97,000 profit that would pay one and a half years' interest on the mortgages for Midway Station. "You gotta have cash to stay alive," he said.

Later in the meeting, Vandegrift said of prospective Midway Station buyers, "A lot of people might be very surprised to know that we've turned down as many as we've accepted … for similar reasons or the same reason."

Model railroad buff Christy Reaves displayed one outside her home in the 100 block of West Bruen Street during the event.

Story and photos by Hayley Burris
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

106 Cottage Garden: A yarn shows some Kentucky love.
For a larger version of any picture, click on it.

During times where neighbors cannot see each other unless at a social distance, Midwegians are creating new ways to stay interactive and entertained.

More than 30 householders in Midway decorated their lawns with widely different themes for a Yard Art event that let them interact with others while providing entertainment and staying at a six-foot distance. The event took place throughout the neighborhoods of Midway and started Saturday at 10 a.m. and lasted all day.

A colorful wooden dinosaur stood proudly (and menacingly?) at 109 Cottage Grove.

Colorful stakes and balloons were posted at 104 Carriage Lane. 

The idea was adapted from a Lexington event by Haley Wyatt of Northridge Estates. She said the idea was to help spread joy and stay connected during the covid-19 pandemic.

Wyatt created a committee to help plan it, along with similar events for the town.  They started to get the community involved by doing scavenger hunts for the kids stuck at home, beginning with shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day.  From there, they escalated it to Yard Art. 

“This was an opportunity for everyone to get creative, work with their families on a project and to share their art with others,” said organizer Brittany Ehrlich of Cottage Garden Lane.  “I think Midway doing this just makes sense.  Midway is a tight-knit community, but we love inviting and allowing others to participate in our community events.”

Brittany Ehrlich and her daughter wrote "Freedom is not free" in their driveway in the 100 block of Cottage Garden Lane.

The restrictions for covid-19 made the event particularly different.  People were able to drive by and interact with others that they might not have seen for weeks.

Midwegian Michael Whaley said he has been keeping up with the community during this time “by just checking on your neighbor and making sure they don’t need anything.”

A boy at 105 Cottage Garden stands in front of a sign saying "GROW love, kindness and creativity."

People started setting up their houses early Saturday morning.  Some participants like model train buff Christy Reaves even had moving elements like trains within their yard. 

“It was something fun for people to just drive by and see,” said Reaves. “There’s not a lot of detail; they can see everything from their car.  I thought it was great so that parents had one more thing for them to do with their kids.  It was outside and it was new.”

Skeletons showed social distance at 128 S. Winter St. At least one more
yard used skeletons, apparently from the Halloween decorating contest.

The Yard Art event is a way for homeowners to express themselves and to interact with each other during these trying times. 

“Today it’s just been so heartwarming to see people walking by and driving by slowly with big, bright smiles so to me, that’s been really special,” Wyatt said.  “It’s kind of a heavy time, so just to see people being able to be lighthearted and experience some joy has been really good.”

132 Old Towne Walk also looked forward to a big day later this year.
Santa said, "Stay Healthy@Home and I will see you in December."

The committee is doing other non-yard-based activities  every Wednesday and Saturday with a different theme. “Encouraging Words” and Easter eggs will be the objects of scavenger hunts on April 8 and 11, respectively.

Organizers hope to make Yard Art an annual event.

“There was a house with a painting and quote, ‘Take your broken heart and make it into art’,” Ehrlich said. “I think this best explains the entire idea of why we decided to do this in Midway.”

151 Coach Station also looked to the future, with a sign hung from trees beaming an important word.

Half of council likes idea of helping form neighborhood associations, half does not; mayor says to watch video

If more neighborhood associations are formed in Midway, it won't be with the help of the city government, with the possible exception of some individual City Council members.

That was the upshot of the main discussion at Monday night's council meeting, when neighborhood-association advocates asked the city for help in planning boundaries and identifying initial leaders.

Council Members Stacy Thurman, John Holloway and Sara Hicks, who sit on one side of the council table, were supportive; Council Members Logan Nance, Bruce Southworth and Kaye Nita Gallagher, who sit on the other side, said the city shouldn't be involved.

Thurman said neighborhood associations would give a greater voice to "parts of Midway that don't really have a voice or use their voice as much other parts," but Gallagher said, "I kind of think it's segregation, to a certain degree."

Mike Adams of Versailles, president of the countywide Council of Neighborhood Associations, said "The idea is to give people a voice, not segregate." Joyce Evans of Midway, a CONA board member, said "We don't feel like anyone has to belong to one association or another."

Southworth said, "I don't see anything on here that we need to do." Nance said, "If people want more governance, let them have more governance."

Evans distinguished between homeowners associations, which can be "about restricting what you can do with your property," and neighborhood associations, which are voluntary. Northridge Estates, with about 125 homes, has a homeowners' association that also functions as a neighborhood association; Campusgate has a neighborhood association that is inactive, Evans said.

Dottie Cordray of the Gayland subdivision in southwest Midway said it doesn't have a neighborhood association, contrary to a written report to the council, "but might be interested" in forming one. The subdivision has about 24 homes.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said, "I've never seen the table so evenly divided" between the council members. He suggested that the council defer the matter until constituents could watch the discussion on Facebook, in a video created by a new recording device that produces a higher quality video than those on the Midway Streaming Government Meetings page. That page will still be used for the recordings, but the meetings won't be live-streamed, at least until more internet bandwidth becomes available.

In other business, the council:

• Heard first reading, without comment, of the ordinances it has worked out to crack down on blighted property. Vandegrift has said he wants second reading and passage at the council's next meeting, on Jan. 6.
• Voted to let Vandegrift proceed with drafting a budget amendment that would delay the sewer cleanout and repair project on the east side of town, buy a $72,000 backhoe (through a state-government price contract) to replace one that has broken down, and get some of the needed money from the streets and cemetery budget lines. Vandegrift said he expected to have first reading of the amendment Jan. 6.
• Approved an encroachment permit for White Dog Trading and Storage, which is building whiskey warehouses along Georgetown Road. Vandegrift said the company's retention basin would be a permanent water feature that "would literally beautify Midway Station."
• Heard Marcie Christensen, chair of the Greenspace Commitee of Midway Renaissance, report that the committee was being revived hopes to deal with a range of environmental and sustainability issues, and is "just a kind of think tank" that is interested in knowing what residents would like it to do.
• Approved an event permit for the Frozen Rails 5K/10K Run/Walk from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on New Year's Day. Organizers said they are expecting 300 to 400 runners, who will use West Bruen, South Turner and East Stephens streets (continuing out Spring Station Road for the 10K). The fourth annual event will raise money for the Midway Ministerial Association.
• Heard that the Iron Horse Half Marathon wants to stick to its new schedule of the Sunday morning of the Midway Fall Festival, about three weeks earlier than the old schedule, but no longer use Gratz Street, which could interfere with the festival and traffic to churches.

City Council to hold anti-blight ordinances' first reading, hear request to help create neighborhood associations

The Midway City Council agenda for Monday, Dec. 16, includes first reading of two ordinances that Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and the council have drafted to crack down on blighted property. You can read the proposed code-enforcement ordinance here and the proposed amendment to the nuisance ordinance here.

Judy Offutt, left, and Joyce Evans proposed to the council in March
2017 that it help create neighborhood associations. Mayor Grayson
Vandegrift liked the idea but some council members were skeptical.

Other than usual items, the agenda includes a presentation from from Marcie Christensen about a greenspace committee, and one about neighborhood associations from the presidents of the city's two associations (Dottie Cordray of Gayland and Harvey Couch of Northridge Estates); Joyce Evans, a member of the county Committee of Neighborhood Associations; and CONA President Mike Adams.

The written report from Evans says they will ask the council to help establish neighborhood associations in Midway by drawing preliminary boundaries, selecting preliminary representatives and developing a timeline for establishing the associations. More information about CONA is on its Facebook page; the report and other details on agenda items are in the council meeting packet.

The agenda also includes an event permit for the Frozen Rail 5K and 10K races to be held Jan. 1; a discussion about the Iron Horse Half Marathon, which was rescheduled this year for the Sunday of the Midway Fall Festival; and a budget amendment.

All council and committee meetings are open to the public. Council meetings start at 5:30 p.m. on first and third Mondays at City Hall, 101 E. Main St. 

Vandegrift asks state to widen Georgetown Road; City Council discusses residential rental issues

By Garrett Burton
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift wants the state to widen Georgetown Road (KY 341) from the Interstate 64 interchange to the Scott County line due to the increase in traffic due to growth at Midway Station.

In Monday’s City Council meeting, Vandegrift referred to a letter he sent Thursday to Department of Highways District 7 Coordinator Natalia McMillan.

With the expansion of Lakeshore Learning Materials on part of 138 acres that the council recently annexed and zoned for industry, he wrote, “I believe there will need to be adjustments made including but not limited to widening of the road, lowering the speed limit, and any and all measures to protect human life.”

At the meeting, Vandegrift said road improvements were discussed in 2016 when Midway first landed Lakeshore, which is expanding and adding 100 jobs to the 250 or so it already has.

“We haven’t seen any accidents yet, but 341 is narrow, and there’s a lot of blind spots on 341, especially if you’re coming in from Scott County,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to see that be a situation where we wish something would have been done before someone gets hurt.”

In the meeting, the council approved two measures relating to Lakeshore. The first gives Vandegrift authority to sign closing documents on the new Lakeshore expansion; the other changes an erroneous date in a previous resolution.

Residential rentals: In what Vandegrift calls the “final thoughts” segment of the meeting, Council Member Logan Nance said Midway residents had reached out to him about opening their property as an Airbnb or Vrbo (vacation rentals by owners). Currently, residents need permission from the Board of Adjustments and must live full time in the residence.

Nance asked if there was a way to make this process easier for people. Vandegrift replied, “I think it’s completely a planning and zoning matter at this point.”

Council Members John Holloway and Kaye Nita Gallagher said they know of houses being rented out that don’t have the owners living in them. There’s people renting them out to the college kids” at Midway University, Gallagher said. Vandegrift said they may have a permit, or approval of the Board of Adjustments.

To Nance’s point, Vandegrift said “I’ve heard more concern over unregulated Airbnb’s than I have heard people wishing we had more of them.” He recommended that anyone interested in this topic make a stop at the planning and zoning office at the courthouse in Versailles and talk to Planning Director Pattie Wilson or Kim O’Reel, the administrative assistant.

Pumpkin contest: Pastor Mary Weese of Midway Presbyterian Church asked council members to participate in a pumpkin carving contest to be held on the steps of the church on Halloween to “help raise awareness for the community garden.” She said there will be prizes for children and adults.

Vandegrift laughed as he said it will be the first time that he has carved a pumpkin.

The display of the pumpkins will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday Oct. 31 (Halloween night). The categories to be judged are scariest. most creative, and Halloween spirit.

Winners of Midway Woman's Club Holiday Decorating Contest are announced; several are pictured here

Best overall design: 112 Old Towne Walk

The Midway Woman's Club has announced the winners of its annual Holiday Decorating Contest. Here are a few of the winners; the rest are listed below. For larger versions of the pictures, click on them.

Most whimsical lights: 238 W. Stephens St.

Most colorful design: 318 N. Winter St.

Best Christmas spirit: 219 W. Higgins St,

Other winners were:
Best Front Door – 225 Gayland Dr.
Most Creative Lights – 323 S. Winter St.
Best Daytime Display – 111 Coach Station Rd.
Best Indoor Tree – 401 Merrywood Dr.
Best Traditional Decorations – 231 Johnson St.
Best Outdoor Tree – 219 Gayland Dr.
Most Fun – 109 Carriage Lane
Best Porch – 268 W. Stephens St.
Best Yard – 225 E. Higgins St.
Best for Spirit of Woodford County – 115 Coach Station Rd.
Special 2018 14th Anniversary MWC Holiday Décor Judging Award – 217 N. Turner St.
Best Business Decorations – Milam House, 140 E. Main St.

Best wreath: 129 Old Towne Walk

The Messenger welcomes contributions of photos of other winners. Send to al.cross@uky.edu.

Woman's Club announces winners of decorating contest

The Midway Woman’s Club has announced the winners of its 13th annual Christmas house decorating contest. The best daytime display was judged to be at 202 South Turner St.:

Mezzo Italian Cafe and Provisions, 131 E. Main St., won the award for best business decorations:

The home of Midway University President John Marsden, 305 S. Winter St., won for best wreath:

The award for Most Animated Lights went to three side-by-side homes at 138, 140 and 142 Carriage Lane. We tried to get you a video, but getting good photos of Christmas lights is tricky, and getting good video of them is even trickier, so you'll just have to go look for yourself.

New to the contest this year was the People's Choice Award, chosen by votes for the favorite of four houses on the Midway Musings Facebook page. The award went to the home at 106 Cottage Grove. The runner-up was 232 W. Higgins St. Honorable mention went to 112 Old Towne Walk and 117 Carriage Lane.

Other awards were: Best Front Door – 412 Mill Road Place; Most Creative Lights –119 E. Stephens St.; Most Whimsical Lights – 238 W. Stephens St.; Best Indoor Tree – 304 S. Winter St.; Best Christmas Spirit – 209 Gayland Drive; Best Traditional Decorations – 225 Gayland Dr.; Best Overall Design – 109 Carriage Lane; Best Outdoor Tree – 345 Northridge Dr.; Most Fun – 103 Carriage Lane; Best Porch – 219 W. Higgins St.; Best Yard – 219 Gayland Dr.; Best Inflatables Design – 222 E. Stephens St.; Special 2017 13th Anniversary MWC Holiday Décor Judging Award – 116 E. Stephens St.; Best for Spirit of Woodford County – 102 Cottage Grove; and Best Gate – Southern Equine Stables, 241 N. Winter St.

City to ask residents what they want from it, explore idea of creating neighborhood associations

The City of Midway plans to survey residents about their needs and wants, and ask about the possibility of creating neighborhood associations in the town.

City Council Member Sara Hicks revealed plans for the survey Friday evening, at an Events, Outreach and Tourism Committee meeting called to discuss the idea of neighborhood associations.

"We are planning an outreach at the first of the year called 'All Aboard,' to find out what people in town are wanting from the city," Hicks said. The survey would be posted on the city's website and included with water-sewer bills.

Hicks and the committee agreed to include in the survey a few questions about neighborhood associations, such as potential benefits and pitfalls, improvements they would like to see in their neighborhood, and what neighborhood residents consider themselves to be part of.

Joyce Evans, a promoter of the neighborhood-association idea, said preliminary discussions have defined as many as eight neighborhoods and as few as five. She said drawing a map is "way down the road."

Judy Offutt, another promoter of the concept, said initial discussions should focus not on boundaries, but "the social aspects of it and a way to get to know your neighbors. We've talked so often about people on our block who we don't even know."

If the survey indicates sufficient interest, the next step could be a town meeting to discuss the concept. Council Member John McDaniel, who suggested a meeting, said it could be moderated by a Kentucky League of Cities staffer who moderated a town hall in Midway a few years ago.

"You need the interaction," McDaniel said. "What Sara's talking about would give us some ammo, different things to be sure and cover at the meeting."

Offutt said neighborhood associations would not be legal entities like homeowners' associations that enforce deed restrictions, levy dues and "tell you what color you're going to paint your house. . . . That's not what what we're talking about at all."

She, Evans and council members said neighborhood associations could encourage neighbors to look out for each other, provide babysitting services, set up telephone trees for communication, provide assistance during natural disasters, and work on projects such as replacing old trees -- "just something that makes these neighborhoods get closer," Evans said.

Council panel to discuss neighborhood associations

The Events, Outreach and Tourism Committee of the Midway City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at City Hall. The meeting notice says the purpose is to discuss neighborhood associations, and no action will be taken. All committee and council meetings are open to the public.

The council discussed the possibility of creating neighborhood associations on March 21, pursuing a suggestion by Joyce Evans and Judy Offutt. Evans said the idea was “driven by the need for a little closer communication within the community.” She added, “I think it’s about getting to know who your neighbors are and how you can interact with them and help out.”

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said at the March meeting that neighborhood associations would be “a great way to connect city government to the city,” but Council Member John McDaniel questioned the need for them, noting Midway's small size, and said he would prefer "town hall meetings."

Vandegrift said such meetings typically attract about 30 people, and neighborhood associations would probably be more effective because individual leaders within the associations could promote involvement in each community, person to person. He, Evans and Offutt agreed that the first step in creating associations would be to establish neighborhood boundaries.

Zoning board rejects application for bed-and-breakfast in old residential area at 214 S. Winter St.

The home, left, is next to that of Betty Lehman Feagin, who objected.

Bed-and-breakfast accommodations aren't welcome in purely residential areas in Midway, neighbors of a proposed B-and-B and the Woodford County Board of Zoning Adjustment made clear Monday evening.

The board turned down an application by Steve and Joy Hadden to rent out three guest rooms in their home at 214 S. Winter St., in the heart of Midway's old residential district.

The board accepted the argument of several neighbors of the Haddens, and a lawyer for their next-door neighbor, that a bed-and-breakfast would be "the intrusion of a commercial property into a residential neighborhood," as neighbor Jo Blease put it.

Hank Graddy of Midway, attorney for next-door neighbor Betty Lehman Feagin, told the board, "People are investing in it as residential and they want to keep it residential." With a bed-and-breakfast, "One couple makes money, but everybody around them loses privacy and loses security."

Steve Hadden spoke to the board as wife Joy, right, listened.
Opponents included former city council member Sharon Turner,
left, attorney Hank Graddy and his client, Betty Lehman Feagin.

The Haddens said they, too, have made an investment in the property as a source of additional income after he retires as pastor of Midway Baptist Church. "We don't want to do anything to be detrimental to Midway or our neighborhood," he said.

The Haddens' neighbors said they didn't like the idea of "people we've never laid eyes on before" next door, as Loretta Wethington put it. Blease told them, "You're not vetting those people for who they are." She said Midway is more than the historic downtown, and "If you do this you are really going to deteriorate what makes Midway Midway."

Opponents also raised concerns about traffic, saying guests unfamiliar with Midway would have trouble entering and leaving the Hadden lot, and about drainage, saying more paving on the lot would worsen stormwater problems. The Haddens said they would not add more pavement.

Joy Hadden said they did not plan to not put a sign on the house, and would rent rooms mainly for special events and only nine months a year, but her backyard neighbor, Mike Hagan, suggested that bed-and-breakfasts would undermine Midway's authenticity.

Noting that there are already two B-and-Bs on Winter Street, he said, "I don't want us to turn into the Cracker Barrel motif. . . . If we change the basic character all over Midway, with that Cracker Barrel motif, we're not going to be a nice place to live."

Al Schooler, Midway's appointee to the board, said he didn't think the B-and-B would cause drainage or traffic problems, but "I do have an issue with the integrity of the neighborhood." He moved to deny the application, and his motion passed 4-1, with Frank Stark dissenting. Hadden and his neighbors talked courteously with each other after the meeting.

The Hadden property is at the center of this Google map, marked with an asterisk. (Google identifies South Winter Street as Versailles Road.)

City council backs mayor and cemetery workers' enforcement of rules; variances won't be grandfathered

By Elizabeth Allen

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

At Monday’s Midway City Council meeting, council members unanimously agreed to support Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and cemetery workers in the enforcement of Midway Cemetery regulations. They acknowledged the move would stir some controversy.

“It's going to be bad. . . . We really need to show some solidarity at this table,” said Council Member Libby Warfield, chair of the Cemetery and City Property Committee, which discussed possible changes in the regulations but decided that they should be enforced “and not grandfather anybody in.”

Vandegrift said his position since taking office in January 2015 has been to enforce the regulations as they are written, but previous administrations granted certain individuals “variances” from some rules.

Examples include benches placed around graves, bushes and flowers that take up too much space, or anything that might encroach on other graves or might be considered inappropriate for a cemetery. Vandegrift said there were probably fewer than 20 cases of such variances.

The council agreed to enforce the rules retroactively. In other words, those who were given special permission by former city officials will no longer be exempt. Vandegrift said he recognized that will be but believes it is the fair thing to do.

The council discussed how to enforce these rules in a strict but reasonable way. Warfield asked if 30 days would be enough time for those in violation of the rules to make corrections after receiving a letter telling them to do so. The other council members agreed, but no definite decisions were made about specific enforcement procedures.

Judy Offutt gestured as she and Joyce Evans discussed their idea
for neighborhood associations with the Midway City Council.

Neighborhood associations: The council also discussed the possibility of creating neighborhood associations in Midway, an idea conceived by Joyce Evans and Judy Offutt.

Evans said the idea was “driven by the need for a little closer communication within the community.”

“I know the idea of having another committee is horrible for everyone,” Offutt joked, but said the potential benefits would be more than worth the inconvenience of initial startup.

“I think it’s about getting to know who your neighbors are and how you can interact with them and help out,” Offutt continued.

Vandegrift said he thinks neighborhood associations would be “a great way to connect city government to the city.”

Council Member John McDaniel questioned the need for neighborhood associations, noting Midway's small size, and said he would prefer "town hall meetings."

Vandegrift said such meetings typically attract about 30 people, and neighborhood associations would probably be more effective because individual leaders within the associations could promote involvement in each community, person to person.

Vandegrift, Evans and Offutt agreed that the first step in creating neighborhood associations would be to establish boundaries. Council member Kaye Nita Gallagher said the Events, Outreach and Tourism Committee that she chairs would meet Wednesday morning, then meet with Evans and Offutt on the idea.

Drew Chandler, director of Woodford County Emergency Management, presented the county hazard-mitigation plan to the council. Chandler said the greatest natural risk to Midway is severe weather.

“Hail actually kills more people than tornadoes each year,” Chandler said.

Following severe weather, the next greatest natural risks to Midway, Chandler said, are flooding, winter storms, drought, wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes. The plan outlines a way to deal with these natural disasters when they occur. Vandegrift said the plan, part of a Bluegrass regional plan, is “very impressive.”

Tourism appointment: The council approved the appointment of Gallagher to the Woodford County Tourism Commission, which manages revenue from the county's 3 percent tax on overnight lodging. The revenue is small because the county has only bed-and-breakfast lodging, but a Holiday Inn Express is to be built in Versailles soon and there are prospects for a hotel on Interstate 64 at Midway.