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.”

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 OKs $75,000 in federal relief money for grants to businesses; mayor exploring options to fight speeding

Green lines show sewers involved in cleaning and renovation project; red outlines big main targeted for replacement.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council voted 4-0 Monday evening for a grant program to provide federal covid-19 relief funding to local businesses. 

This program will “keep them afloat, make up for lost revenue, pay their employees, purchase their goods, pay their bills, or keep their lights and water on,” Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

The council voted to appropriate $75,000 from the city’s $129,000 relief allocation to fuel the grant program. Vandegrift said the city has another $53,000 in pandemic-related expenses that the allocation will cover.

The $75,000 will be split evenly between businesses approved by a three-member council committee. “If 30 businesses apply and were granted this money, you divide it evenly, which would mean each business would get $2,500,” the mayor said.

Vandegrift and Council Members John Holloway and Stacy Thurman, members of an ad hoc committee, debated and worked out most of the details at a meeting last week.

“I think that we simplified it and mainstreamed it enough where we’re still showing some guidelines and that this is a serious application,” Thurman said. “But we give them enough credit that they’re going to be honest . . . with the money in the best way that they can to stay open.”

The application asks what costs or losses were suffered due to closure related to the pandemic. Vandegrift said city attorney Sharon Gold added a final section in which 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.

Grantees must have a physical location in Midway, have been forced to limit activities due to the pandemic, and must not owe taxes to the city. No grant can exceed the amount of the funds business lost. The application asks what the money will be used for, and requires recipients to report by Dec. 30 how they used it.

The application also asks, “Is it your intention to continue operating your business in the City of Midway for the next six months?” Vandegrift said Versailles is requiring its recipients to stay open for a year; he asked, “How can you guarantee that?”

Council Member Sara Hicks said, “We’re just asking them to act in good faith.” For more details of the program and the application form, see the council meeting packet, downloadable here.

The plan is for the applications to be posted as soon as Tuesday and have the program launch on July 8, “time is of the essence,” Vandegrift said. All applications must be turned in by July 17 and can be picked up and turned in either online or at city hall.

As soon as the committee of Holloway, Thurman and Hicks reviews and approves applications, the mayor said, he will instruct Foster to begin writing checks. 

The three voted for the program along with Council Member Logan Nance. Vandegrift said Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher was ill, and Council Member Bruce Southworth was absent because his mother, Ann Southworth of Georgetown, died unexpectedly; services are Tuesday in Georgetown.

Last month, Nance, Gallagher and Southworth made the 3-2 majority (Thurman had left for a work obligation) that voted informally for a second and third round of a voucher program that allowed residents to use $50 in “Midway Bucks” at local businesses, which the businesses turned in for cash.

The program was popular, but the state Department for Local Government said the federal relief bill didn't allow the city to be reimbursed for it, and 19 business people signed an open letter warning that some of them could close without help, so the council chose the grant program, which is specifically authorized by the relief bill.

Vandegrift noted that the council funded the program with $40,000 in unspent economic-development funds before the relief bill passed. He said only $27,000 in vouchers were redeemed by the end of the program on June 30, but he and the council praised the program.

Nance said, "I think a lot of people felt kind of helpless and wanted to help but didn't really did not know how, and I think the voucher program gave them a way to say, you know, I have this little bit of money that I can use to invest and I can support a business I appreciate. With everything going on right now that separates us, I feel like this was a really good way to connect us to come together and do something."

Vandegrift added the voucher program was one of his proudest accomplishments as mayor but feels the grant program will help give businesses a much needed “shot in the arm.” In originally proposing the grant program, he said retailers didn’t benefit from it as much as restaurants.

Nance said, “I definitely think this is going to be a great way to help our businesses.”

In other business Monday, the council:

● Heard Vandegrift say he wants to try rumble strips or speed tables (slightly elevated sections of a street) “on a bunch of streets” to reduce speeding, which he said is the main complaint he gets from residents. “I feel like we have to change the tactics here or lose the game,” he said, adding that he would check cost, probably refer the issue to a committee, and “I’m not saying we’ll vote on anything anytime soon.”
● Heard the mayor say that the next step in the city’s sewer work should be replacement of a 10-inch main leading to the treatment plant with a 15-inch main. He said sediment in the line in causing problems upstream, but cleaning of those lines has stopped manholes from overflowing during heavy rains.
● Heard Vandegrift say he would swear in and update the city’s new Code Enforcement Board on Thursday, even though the city still hasn’t named a code enforcement officer. He said that has been delayed by the pandemic.
● Appointed Michael Hunter to the county board overseeing the 911 dispatch system and its funding. Hunter, a Midway native and resident, is a former Woodford County EMT and 911 dispatcher who knows the system, Vandegrift said.
● Debated returning one block of Johnson Street to one-way. Holloway, who lives off the street, said one way or the other would make it difficult for residents to get into their driveways. The council agreed that residents need to be consulted.

● Approved encroachment permit for a new entrance for White Dog Trading Co. in Midway Station to separate the bourbon-warehousing firm’s office and truck traffic. “We just feel it’s a safety issue,” White Dog consulting engineer Matt Carter said.
● Approved an encroachment permit for Tom and Mur Greathouse to park their pumpkin-sales wagon in a space at 112 S. Gratz St. this fall, as they did last fall.
● Agreed to waive the sewer tap-on fee for 230 S. Gratz, the former home of the Midway Woman’s Club. Vandegrift reported that the new property owners discovered their sewer had never been hooked to a city main though the Woman’s Club had paid sewer charges for decades.

Mayor reinstates open-container ordinance, recounts fireworks rules, calls for empathy in that and masking

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said today that he has reinstated the "entertainment destination district" that allows customers to carry open containers of alcoholic beverages from the city's restaurants and bars. Vandegrift suspended the ordinance in March as the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Vandegrift made the announcement near the end of his biweekly video update on coronavirus matters, which he said he would now do monthly "unless circumstances dictate otherwise." He talked about the need to wear masks and said "I'm glad to see that mask wearing has become less of a political football."

Vandegrift offered more praise to Midway residents for doing "very well" with their response to the pandemic. "We are seeing spikes in cases all over the country, but in Kentucky, we're doing relatively well," he said. "In Woodford County, we're doing well and in Midway, we're doing very well."

He said that's because residents have stayed diligent and vigilant, with social distancing and wearing masks.

"I think mask-wearing is one of the most typical, straight on examples of empathy," the mayor said. "When I see someone wearing a mask I say that person cares about me.  If I can do the same we build on each other’s empathy."

Vandegrift also noted that wearing masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas is important that masks are not necessary when people are spread out outdoors. "When you're outdoors in open areas and there are not a lot of people around, I don't think a mask is necessary," he said. "There's so much open air even if you were unwittingly carrying covid-19, the odds of you getting someone enough of a virtual load if you spread out is nearly impossible science has shown."

Fireworks: Ahead of the July 4 holiday on Saturday, the mayor reminded residents of rules and regulations regarding fireworks. "If you are someone who's going to shoot off fireworks, you're allowed to," he said. "You can't be shooting them the week before or after July 4."

He reminded those planning to shoot fireworks that they must be 100 feet from any structure, and can't shoot them before 10 a.m. or after 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday.

Vandegrift again encouraged empathy, for those who have served in the military and may suffer from PTSD, as well as residents with dogs who may fear fireworks. "If we do empathize with each other I believe we will find a common ground," he said.

Mayor makes Friday, June 19, a city holiday to honor fight for racial justice; says more vouchers in mid-July

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift is making Friday, June 19, a city holiday to honor those who have fought for racial justice, he announced in his regular update today.

Many African Americans observe June 19 as "Juneteenth," the day that a Union general who had just occupied Texas announced that in accordance with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, "All slaves are free."

Vandegrift said, "We have to keep finding ways to remind each other of the racial inequities that still exist. Slavery ended, but oppression and systematic racism did not," even after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. "We're getting better, but we are still so far away, and to honor all those who have struggled in the fight . . . we have to do more.

Vandegrift said the holiday means that city offices will be closed and city employees won't be working but will be paid. He told the Messenger that when June 19 falls on a weekend, the holiday will be the day closest to June 19.

"While this is not an earth-shattering step," he said in the update, "it's important that we remember that just one hundred fifty-five years ago, black Americans were literally held in chains for nothing more than the color of their skin."

Other topics: Vandegrift said the next round of Midway Bucks vouchers that can be spent at local, non-franchised businesses to help them get through the pandemic will probably go out in mid-July. "We need to make sure that the current vouchers get out of circulation, so to speak," he said. "You've got to spend them by June 30."

The mayor asked that residents consider going to a shop, perhaps one they have not visited before, to spend vouchers. "Some shops really haven't had a cut of the pie at all yet, and that's what we were hoping to avoid," he said. "We've had two shops close already during this pandemic. I'm afraid more will follow if we can't help them. Any bit helps, so please spread your money around as best you can."

Vandegrift began weekly updates on the pandemic March 18, and is shifting to every other week, but he said the coronavirus is "a reality that we live with and will be living with for some time."

"We definitely need to disabuse ourselves of the motions of having a normal summer, but that doesn't mean we have to have a bad summer," he said, noting that more relaxations of restrictions are planned for June 29.

He said social distancing and masks are the best way to keep the virus from spreading, and called for special attention to protecting people with underlying medical conditions and over 60. "There are even signs that people in their 40s need to be worried," he said.

Vandegrift opened his update by expressing condolences to the family of U.S. Rep Andy Barr, whose wife Carol died suddenly at their Lexington home Tuesday night. "It reminds us of how precious life truly is, and how important it is that we love one another."

Council prefers two more rounds of Midway Bucks to business-grant program mayor proposed; budget OKd

Leslie Penn of the Midway Museum Gift Store watched as Elisha Holt (facing camera) and Morgan Castle of the Midway Business Association recorded a promotional video for Facebook last month as stores prepared to reopen. (Photo by Al Cross)

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

The Midway City Council voted 3-2 Monday for a second and third round of vouchers for residents to spend at local businesses, rather than give money directly to the businesses for covid-19 relief.

The council also unanimously approved the city budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The budget, which the council worked out last month, calls for almost $1.8 million in spending. “It really well serves the city of Midway while preserving the surplus, but it’s not skimpy either,” Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

Business aid: When Vandegrift learned last week that the city qualified for $129,000 in coronavirus relief funds from the federal government, he proposed that the city apply for $80,000 to give grants of up to $2,000 to as many as 40 businesses to help make up revenue lost to the pandemic.

He told the council that it could issue $80,000 more in vouchers to citizens, on top of the $40,000 that it issued in May, but that would “roll the dice” because there's no assurance that it will be reimbursed. He said the grant program is clearly authorized by the relief law but the voucher program is not.

“We may not know for months,” Vandegrift said. But he added, “I’m confident it would be reimbursed.”

As for the grant program, he said, “Maybe $2,000 isn’t gonna save everybody, but I’ve talked to these shops and restaurants a lot lately, and there are quite a few that are close to having to pack it in.” He said grants would help shops more than vouchers, which he said are being spent mainly at restaurants and the grocery.

Vandegrift said a vote for the grant program would be “a preference vote” that wouldn’t commit the council to it, just start a process in which a council committee would work out details. “The clock is ticking for these businesses,” he said, “and if we’re gonna do a grant project we need to move on it for it to matter.”

Council Member Stacy Thurman said, “I feel we have to be responsible, and I have a hard time trying to make the decision when I don’t know for sure.”

The vouchers come in $10 denominations; no change is given.

Council Member Bruce Southworth said he preferred the vouchers. He said the city could afford to risk not getting reimbursed because it has a big surplus, and “It’s the people’s money to begin with. If we get reimbursed, it’s somebody else’s money. If we use our money, it’s the tax dollars they pay anyway.”

Council Member John Holloway disagreed. “I just don’t think it’s fiscally responsible to give away a bunch of money . . .when we don’t know if we’re gonna get reimbursed for it,” he said.

Council Member Sara Hicks, who had made the motion for the grant program, said the council needs to “prevent a lot of empty storefronts downtown … it can be a snowball reaction; we’ve had that happen before in Midway; if the town doesn’t have enough going on you start to lose more business.”

But no other members favored the grants. Thurman wasn’t present for the 3-2 vote because she had to leave the meeting for a work obligation, Vandegrift said.

Voting with Southworth were Kaye Nita Gallagher, who said earlier, “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from citizens about the vouchers,” and Logan Nance, who said he didn’t think $2,000 would make a difference to a business at risk of closing.

After the vote, Vandegrift said, “This is what I hoped would happen, but I didn’t want to cloud it or make it difficult to have free discussion.”

He said the next round will be conducted exactly like the current one, except that the “Midway Bucks” would be a different color and he might delay before starting again. The current vouchers must be spent by June 30.

“I’m not saying we won’t do them again until August 1,” he said. “I think we’ll probably try to do it in the middle of July.”

St. Matthew AME Church is on South Winter Street.
(Photo by Christopher Riley, via Flickr)

Racial matters: Vandegrift said the St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church wanted people in the city to know that it has put up surveillance cameras to catch someone who is “messing with them.”

“There’s just no way that I can’t believe its not racially motivated at this point,” Vandegrift said. “I’m pretty sure we know who it is. That’s not indicative of the people of Midway; it’s just one jackass.” Addressing the unnamed person, he said, “You should move, because you don’t belong in Midway, in my opinion.” Southworth agreed.

Vandegrift added, “I hope they catch him and we can say his name.”

In a related matter, Vandegrift complimented Versailles police, who patrol the whole county, for their participation in a peaceful demonstration June 3 at their headquarters to honor George Floyd, the African American killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

In a similar vein, Holloway said he is mapping the recently renovated St. Rose Tabernacle cemetery with short biographies of those buried there, and would like to put up an informational history sign about the African American burial ground.

He said he would like to do the same for several sites in town, like the Black History Tour in Washington, D.C., and asked people with information to contact him.

Covid-19 response: ” The virus has kicked into gear again a little bit,” with a recent uptick in Woodford County but no second case reported in Midway, Vandegrift said. He said mask wearing and social distancing should be encouraged.

Midway saw its lone confirmed case on May 22. As of Monday, Woodford County had 58 confirmed cases, with 24 of them recovered, according to the county health department’s Facebook page. One person in the county is hospitalized and with covid-19 and 30 are recovering at home.

During the grant-or-voucher debate, Hicks pitched the idea of having a coronavirus testing site in Midway. Vandegrift said he had talked to county Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler about a mobile site in Midway but had “no luck yet.” He said there is much demand for such services “and we’re small.”

There are two testing sites in the county, including a rapid testing site at Bluegrass Community Hospital in Versailles, where results can be received in less than an hour. The mayor said a Midway resident went there Monday and the test came back negative.

In other business, the council approved a quitclaim deed to Scott Bradley, clearing up some property-line discrepancies at the Midway Corner Grocery, so he can sell the real estate to Nik Patel, who bought the business in January; and approved the addition of Todd Pack’s name to the veterans memorial in the cemetery.

The mayor announced that the city would not have its annual Sparks in Park gathering on July 4 but might come up with “some way of helping to do something.”

Midway University adds degrees, minors to curriculum; students will return Aug. 14-16; classes begin Aug. 17

Midway University has added majors in accounting and public health, and minors in finance, entrepreneurship and leadership for the fall semester, which will begin with in-person classes.

“When we add programs we always look at the market needs and growth potential for jobs for our graduates,” Dr. Mark Gill, dean of the School of Business, Equine and Sport Studies, said in a news release about the new degrees. “Accounting majors and CPAs continue to be needed in a wide variety of business segments.”

Accounting was formerly an area of concentration in the business administration major. It is available online or in person. The bachelor of science in public health degree is only available online.

“The field of public health is broad and offers students a variety of career opportunities such as working with both private and governmental agencies to help stop the spread of disease or prevent such illness from occurring, said Dr. Faith Garrett, dean of the School of Health Sciences. “Those in public health educate the public on improving health both individually and as a community.”

The university stopped in-person classes due to the covid-19 pandemic, but says it will resume them Monday, Aug. 17, as originally scheduled, with a staggered move-in to residence halls Aug. 14-16.

Interested parties can contact its admissions office at 846-5788 or admissions@midway.edu. A form requesting information can be completed at www.midway.edu.

In-person voting on primary day, June 23, will be at Falling Springs Center or by appointment at courthouse

Falling Springs Center is at 275 Beasley Rd. (Google map)

Woodford County voters who want to cast their ballots in person are being directed to a single countywide polling place at the county's Falling Springs Center in Versailles on primary election day, June 23, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. They can also make appointments to vote at the Woodford County Courthouse during those hours.

“We have had in-person absentee voting at the Courthouse since June 1,” County Clerk Sandy Jones said in a press release. “We want to give Woodford County every option to vote in the primary election and Falling Springs will serve as a centralized polling location for registered voters to cast their ballots on election day.”

Judge/Executive James Kay said in the release, “We want Woodford County to vote. We always have one of the highest voter turnouts in Kentucky, and we want to be umber one. We have never had this many options to vote in any election.”

Kentucky moved its primary election to June 23 under a bipartisan agreement due to the covid-19 pandemic, and expanded the medical excuse for absentee voting to include the risk of infection from the pandemic. All voters were mailed a postcard telling them how to apply for an absentee ballot.

“Voting absentee keeps people safe and saves tax dollars,” Kay said. “The more people that show up on election day, the more risks there are and the more poll workers, cleaning expenses, protective equipment, and county employees we need to run the election.”

Voters have until 11:59 p.m. Monday, June 15, to request an absentee ballot online at GoVoteKy.com or by calling the county clerk’s office at 873-8005. Absentee ballots can be mailed in or dropped off at the courthouse. A return envelope is provided and its postage is prepaid.

Woodford County voters can still vote early in person at the courthouse. There is also the option to drive-up, request a ballot and vote curbside at the courthouse.

“We are working overtime to allow voters every opportunity to vote,” Jones said. “We encourage voters not to wait until election day, because early voting is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the courthouse.”

Jones and Kay said they have worked with Falling Springs Executive Director Rich Pictor for weeks to prepare the polling location. Falling Springs will be closed for recreation and arts June 23 so it can perform the sole purpose of serving as a voting precinct. The center is at 275 Beasley Rd.

Mayor's update: Reaching out at a time of high anxiety, anger and sadness, and remembering to stay safe

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway
     I have been reaching out to leaders in our church community in hopes of continuing a conversation we started in our park nearly 3 years ago so that they can help us decide where we should go next. I will keep you updated as to those details.

     Ours is a time of high anxiety, anger, and sadness. Since I have no answers about what the future holds, I always find comfort in looking to the past. Our shared history and my faith teaches me that we are not novel in struggling with racism, division, and pandemic. We continue to have a problem with institutionalized racism in this country, but we can lay the next stepping stone to healing.
     To my black and brown neighbors, I see you, and I’m with you. To those still suffering from the plague of hatred, I hope you find a way to open up your heart.
     We are merely temporary on this stage, so each of us has no choice but to decide whether we will help lay the path forward to peace, or whether we look the other way to more anger and division. Even if all of our efforts only lay one stone on a path of a thousand, we should lay it anyway.
     As we continue this struggle for equality, let’s not forget about the global pandemic we are also dealing with, and while it is a more temporary situation, it is still here. Keep practicing good social distancing; try to keep get-togethers outdoors; wear a mask if you can when you enter a store, pharmacy, or any place with tight quarters; and practice good personal hygiene. Stay well, and God bless.

Mayor reminds post-office-box users to respond to census, urges them to vote by absentee in primary

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway residents are getting a letter from Mayor Grayson Vandegrift urging them to fill out their census forms, encouraging them to vote by absentee ballot in the June 23 primary election and giving an update on the “Midway Bucks” program.

The notice about the census was prompted by a note the mayor and the Midway Messenger received from civic activist Helen Rentch, saying that she and many people in town had not received a census form. “Those of us who can only get our mail at the post office did not get them because our forms had been sent to our street address rather than our P.O. boxes,” she wrote.

The Postal Service couldn’t deliver the forms because it does not deliver mail to residences in Midway, with a few exceptions. “I hate for Midway/Woodford County to get undercounted,” Rentch said. “I suppose there will be surveyors come door to door, when restrictions for such are lifted. Just seem to have so little faith in the Feds right now!”

Vandegrift said in his letter, “In order for Midway and Woodford County to be appropriated the federal resources required it is important that as many of us as possible fill out our census.”

He encouraged anyone who had not received a direct email with instructions on how to fill out their census form to call or email him or visit the 2020census.gov website.

Voting: The mayor announced that there would be no in-person voting at the Northside Precinct on primary election day due to the covid-19 pandemic, and asked all citizens to cast absentee ballots by mail.

The State Board of Elections is mailing notices about the election changes to voters at their physical addresses, so post-office box users will need to request an absentee ballot by going to elect.ky.gov.

Vandegrift said anyone not able to vote by mail can request an appointment to vote at the Woodford County Courthouse by calling 873-3421. Anyone who enters the building will be required to wear a mask unless they can provide a medical reason not to do so.

Midway Bucks: The mayor reminded Midway residents that they would each receive $50 in “Midway Bucks,” five $10 vouchers redeemable at local, non-franchised businesses to encourage local shopping as retail reopens amid the pandemic.

“This is a local stimulus we share with you as dividend residents from our large budget surplus,” Vandegrift explained.

“I am happy to say we’re the first in Kentucky with such a program,” Vandegrift said. “We see it as a way to help our local brick-and-mortar businesses to get through this time.”

The mayor said the city’s expense for the program would be reimbursed by the federal government with money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress. He encourages residents to use their vouchers by the expiration date of June 30 to support local businesses.

Vandegrift wrapped up his letter by praising residents for their efforts during the covid-19 pandemic.

“We have stayed together and respected each other in a caring way,” he wrote. “Midway throughout the ages has always responded admirably and courageously to difficult circumstances and this time is no different."

Council votes to put completion of cemetery pavilion back into budget; first reading scheduled for Monday

Late-winter photo shows that the concrete base, casket platform and walkway for the pavilion have been completed. 

By Aaron Gershon

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council voted Tuesday to put $30,000 back into the city's draft budget to finish building a pavilion at the Midway Cemetery.

The decision came after Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said Public Works Supervisor Terry Agee saw an elderly woman roaming the cemetery alone, with funeral crowds limited due to the covid-19 pandemic. It was "heartbreaking to see," Vandegrift said.

The concrete base and casket platform of the pavilion have been completed, and Vandegrift had the rest of it in his proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. When the pandemic hit, threatening payroll-tax revenue, he and the council drafted a “bare bones” budget without the pavilion.

When Lakeshore Learning Materials, the city’s largest employer, said it would call most or all of its workers back soon, the officials drafted a “middle ground budget” with the pavilion as the main unanswered question, which Vandegrift put to the council.

Council Member John Holloway said he visited several cemeteries and said pavilions are "something other cities are doing now,” And "It's something that should we should go ahead and get done."

He also said, "Something that's this close and to being finished, it seems to me to be a waste of money that went into before if we don't go in and finish the deal."

Council Member Bruce Southworth agreed. "It really needs to be done," he said. "It needs to be finished. We already started it; let's go finish it."

The vote was 4-0. Council Members Kaye Nita Gallagher and Stacy Thurman were absent. The meeting was held online, as meetings have been since the covid-19 pandemic hit.

Holloway said Agee wants to ensure that services at the cemetery are of low stress and that the pavilion will help accomplish that, especially in wet weather.

“He's not just blowing smoke,” Holloway said. ”They can handle things so much better and it'll be a better service,” because graveside services with tents require “being so super careful about where the dirt is” placed.

He also said completing the pavilion might even save some money, because f less manpower used in setting up tents.

The only real question was whether to take the $30,000 from the city’s large surplus or, as Vandegrift first suggested, eliminating cost sharing for repair of sidewalks. After some discussion, the council voted to use the surplus, which Vandegrift said is almost $1 million when certificates of deposit are included.

"I think it's the right thing to do, I think it's the proper thing to do," the mayor said after the vote. "I think we're still very fiscally cautious."

Concern remains about a significant loss of payroll-tax revenue amid the pandemic, so Vandegrift reduced that revenue estimate to $737,500 from his original $825,000.

The mayor said Lakeshore has been "on top of the outbreak" since it began in Wuhan, China, because it has a manufacturing center there. Thus, the company believes it will still have a profitable year, which will help Midway's revenue.

Vandegrift said Midway University may still "produce big" payroll-tax revenue regardless of whether or not classes are online or in person.

He said it's hard to tell how the virus will spread, given behavior such as "idiot kids swimming in pools three inches away from another in Missouri." However, he believes there won't be a "typical recession" if the people of Midway continue to keep proper social distance and wear masks.

While much of the budget remained the same from last Monday's discussion of the "middle ground budget," Vandegrift proposed a handful of mostly minor changes that brought no objections from the council. They included:

● Police expense increased from $160,000 to $175,000, based on Midway’s agreement to pay 4.2 percent of the budget of the Versailles Police Department;
● Brick repair work on the Rau Building, which houses City Hall, down to $17,000 from $45,000, with expectation that a grant will pay part of the cost;

● Parks maintenance reduced from $10,000 to $7,000;
● Christmas decorations down to $3,500 from $5,500.

Vandegrift said Wednesday afternoon that he expects the budget to be in ordinance form and ready for first reading at the council's next regular meeting on Monday. Ordinances require two readings before passage.

First covid-19 case confirmed in Midway; it's a reminder for caution, especially this weekend, mayor says

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

Midway has its first confirmed case of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said in a video that county Public Health Director Cassie Prather informed him of the diagnosis this afternoon, the patient is doing "pretty well" at home, and their recent contacts have been contacted for purposes of self-quarantine. He said he had no other information about the patient.

Coronavirus cases per 100,000

Midway's case was one of six new cases reported in Woodford County. The county Health Department reports the new cases are 58-year-old woman, a 74-year old man, a 79-year old man, a 29-year old woman, a 59-year old man and a 13-year-old girl. All are listed as stable and recovering at home.

The county's infection rate of 92 per 100,000 population is moderate compared to other counties, as shown on the map at left. It had gone several days without any new cases, and the remaining 19 have all recovered. UPDATE, May 23: Another case was reported in the county, for a total of 26.

Vandegrift said the virus has surely been in Midway already, and the presence of a confirmed case shouldn't cause addition concern, just more vigilance about precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. He called for residents to keep washing their hands, covering their coughs and practicing good hygiene, so there is no "spike" in Midway.

"In some ways [the town's first case] might be a very important reminder of how careful we need to be," he said in the video, which runs about two and a half minutes.

Mayor thanks citizens, asks them to report businesses that don't follow required precautions in reopening

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

In his bi-weekly pandemic update Wednesday, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift praised Midway's response to the coronavirus and called for a proactive and careful approach as the town's economy reopens.

"You have done an outstanding job," Vandegrift said to open his update. "I'm so proud of Midway citizens."

He also praised residents for supporting local businesses amid the pandemic. "The way you've supported the restaurants to keep them through this is truly remarkable." However, he said one unnamed store "looks to be closing."

Then the mayor warned that Midway, which has not had a confirmed case of the coronavirus, might begin to see cases appear as more visitors come to town with reopening of retail stores Wednesday and restaurants (with greater limitations) Friday.

"The truth is, this is the phase where we may begin to see more cases," he said. "There's going to be more spread when people are out and about."

Vandegrift assured residents that they can keep the virus in check.

"We can control it," he said. "The virus can be somewhat controlled with the practices of social distancing, wearing a mask, which is one of the ultimate signs of sacrificing."

The mayor urged residents to let him know if a restaurant or shop violates social distancing guidelines such as not wearing a mask or keeping people six feet apart.

He also had a message regarding gatherings of 10 or fewer people, which will be allowed starting Friday, the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend.

"Practice social distancing the best you can,” he said. ”We're not going to be looking over your fence to see how many people are at your house or if they’re spaced out, but I think it's smart to keep the number of covid cases as close to zero as we can."

Mayors and judge-executive talk about the 'new normal,' say it needs to include the wearing of masks

Screenshot of, from top left, County Judge-Executive James Kay, Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott, Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and Emily Downey, executive director of county Tourism Commission and Chamber of Commerce

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

While excited to reopen their economies, Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott and Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay all urged caution and mask wearing during a virtual town hall Wednesday.

The event on Facebook consisted exclusively of questions provided by Woodford County Tourism Executive Director Emily Downey and residents, and answers from the two mayors and judge-executive.

Are masks required to be worn? The trio highly recommended that people wear masks while at local businesses. Kay said the county is a "free society," but businesses have the right to deny service to anyone not wearing a mask.

Vandegrift said that the more people wear masks, the more positive pressure will be put on those choosing not to. He encouraged business owners and customers to "gently and kindly" remind or request people not wearing masks to put one on.

Kay noted that those with medical conditions such as asthma would not be required to wear masks.

Traugott said he plans to wear a mask when out, in hopes of setting an example for others to follow suit.

Where can people obtain masks? Kay said nearly every business that plans to require the wearing of masks would provide customers with them.

He and Vandegrift added that residents should contact the Woodford County Jail, whose inmates are still making masks, as they did for the Midway mask project.

Vandegrift said Midway still has around 200 masks available, many in children’s sizes.

What will the 'new normal' look like? Even as businesses reopen, things will look a lot different than before, as Woodford County tries to thwart the spread of the coronavirus.

Kay called the early stages of reopening of shops and restaurants a "soft reopening" and told residents to expect paper menus, plastic utensils and other disposable products, and nearly everyone in masks, at restaurants.

Vandegrift said business "will and look different." He said the use of masks, deep cleaning and limits on capacity will be crucial to keeping the spread slowed, and no businesses want to be known for spreading the virus.

"It's going to look a little different, it's going to feel a little different, but it's going to be all right," he said.

Traugott said the use of restrooms will be much different, since they will be cleaned much more frequently, but customers should not fear going out to eat at restaurants. He urged people to stay patient and polite, because businesses and customers will need time to adjust to the new normal.

When will government offices reopen? The county clerk’s office remains closed to in-person business but will still be available over the phone and via email.

The courthouse will remain closed to in-person services until June 1 and then will reopen by appointment only. Everyone inside the building will be required to wear a mask.

Versailles City Hall will not reopen for the time being but may soon offer in-person meetings by appointment. Midway's will not be open for at least a month to see if the reopening of restaurants and shops lead to a surge of covid-19 cases, but appointments can be made for meetings. Dropbox services and phone services will remain available.

When can yard sales return? Both mayors said they were unsure if there's a set a date for return of yard sales in Gov. Andy Beshear's guidelines. (There are not.) Kay encourages using online sale for the time being to prevent any potential spread of the virus.

Are retail spaces still one customer per family? Woodford County will still limit shoppers to one customer per household inside stores, with exceptions for parents with young children or the disabled.

Mayor says he will use persuasion, 'market forces' to compel compliance in reopening, but not 'three strikes'

Elisha Holt does a Midway Business Association video about the Historic Midway Museum Gift Store, part of a series tied to retail reopenings, as co-owner Leslie Penn watches and Morgan Castle records. The store will reopen on a limited basis.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council heard Mayor Grayson Vandegrift outline the city's game plan as several businesses are set to reopen this week with Kentucky’s covid-19 restrictions gradually being lifted.

Vandegrift also discussed his new “middle ground” budget, and the council approved three zoning-ordinance changes, in another council meeting held online due to the pandemic.

Reopening and enforcement: Vandegrift told the council that he has sent both digital and hard copies of the reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to businesses, and expects workers and customers to follow them closely.

"We're going to be strict about this, as we should be," the mayor said, adding that violations of the guidelines should be reported: "Tipping ain't snitching." However, he said reports should be made to him directly via phone call, text, or email, not to police, who he said are busy enough already.

Vandegrift said “There are some things we can mitigate ourselves, just by talking to business owners,” who are responsible for controlling behavior in their premises. He said after the meeting, “The optics of having a police officer come to a business is not really something we want to do.”

Council Member Sara Hicks said she has had “some kind of scary experiences” in a Lexington grocery of people not wearing masks or keeping six feet apart, and asked Vandegrift “who is responsible for following those rules, besides the customers.”

He replied, "I do consider myself somewhat responsible for making sure the governor's guidelines are being followed. You know, we're not going to create a police state. . . . My approach is going to be this, that no restaurant and no shop wants to permanently damage their brand right now by being the place that created a virus farm."

He said customers will be expected to wear masks indoors, except when eating, but “We as a government can’t force people to wear masks,” so it’s up to business owners.

“Restaurants need to know that right now, their duty is heightened, in a sense,” he said. “They really, I think, need, and I think they will, step up to the plate and help enforce these guidelines, because they don’t want to be the restaurant that gets in trouble; they don’t want to be the restaurant or shop that gets shut down and loses their business license over, you know, infractions. They don’t want to be the restaurant known as the place that started an outbreak in a city that had zero confirmed cases. And I think in that sense, market forces can help keep them in line.”

The mayor, a former restaurateur, said he knows how hard it is to tell independent-minded customers that they have to do thing they don’t want to do, but should think of the mask rule as just the latest addition to the standard sign, “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” He added, “That mask is not to protect you, it’s to protect other people.”

Asked after the meeting what the penalties for violation would be, he said “I don’t think it’s going to come to a point where we have to do something drastic, like pull a business license.” He said he would use “open communication” and “honest dialogue” and give violators an opportunity to comply, but there is “not gonna be three strikes.”

Vandegrift said Midway’s experience would be “a bit of a case study” because it is a small town that attracts many visitors.

“Everyone's got to stay vigilant, using social distance, wearing a mask and using the proper hygiene to keep our numbers as close to zero as possible,” he said. No cases of the virus have been reported in Midway, but “I’m sure it’s been here in one form or another.”

Many visitors come to Midway’s restaurants, which can reopen Friday but with only one-third of their normal indoor seating capacity. Vandegrift said he would issue an executive order letting restaurants put tables in parking spaces that the city has designated for curbside pickup, and waiving fees restaurants normally pay to use their sidewalks to set up outdoor tables

He said the order will also allow alcohol sales at such tables, but he would not reinstate the "entertainment destination center" ordinance that allows patrons to carry open beverage containers between businesses. "I think we need to step slowly into this," he said. "I don't think it's the time to encourage congregation downtown."

Vandegrift said outdoor dining is safer than indoor dining. "Indoors has poorer circulation of air, and ventilation systems can pass covid-19 to others."

Restaurants will still be advised to encourage customers to use their curbside pickup, online ordering and delivery options.

“The restaurants and shops that adapt are the ones that will survive,” Vandegrift said. “No restaurant can survive on just 33 percent occupancy.”

Budget: With reopening on the horizon, Vandegrift discussed his recently revised "middle ground budget" that adds back some expenses he and the council agreed to cut when city revenues were more in doubt.

The “bare bones budget” cut almost $200,000 of spending from the mayor’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

That is now “not necessary,” he said, mainly because the city’s largest employer, Lakeshore Learning Materials, had furloughed 225 of its 300 employees, putting a hole in the city’s largest source of revenue, the occupational tax on wages and net profits.

Now Lakeshore plans to bring back its full workforce in the next few weeks, and “expects to have a profitable year,” which it did not expect last month, Vandegrift said.

The company also expects to receive a certificate of occupancy in September for its second Midway distribution center, with that facility opening officially in March 2021, adding revenue from up 100 new jobs in the last quarter of the fiscal year.

Nevertheless, Vandegrift reduced his estimate of occupational-tax income for the next fiscal year to $737,500, down from his original estimate of $825,000. He said the city also expects less income from restaurants. The mayor proposed restoring these “bare bones budget” cuts, totaling $67,500:

●            $10,000 for training and travel for employees and elected officials

●            $7,500 in donations (including $5,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocates)

●            $25,000 for street paving, for a total of $50,000

●            $20,000 for the sidewalk cost-sharing program

●            $5,000 for a water fountain and refill station on East Main Street

Vandegrift said he would like to see the council find a way to restore the $30,000 originally budgeted for completion of the pavilion in the cemetery, because city employees have told him about older people having a hard time in bad weather at the cemetery, with few family members to help them. Beshear has limited funeral and burial gatherings to 10 people.

The council will work more on the budget during a special budget workshop meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 26.

Zoning: The council gave second reading and final passage to three zoning ordinances that will:

●            Allow fences in the front building setbacks along rights of way to be up to 48 inches high instead of 42; John Holloway voted no.

●            Limit display of banners for charitable activities for up to 14 days, with a 14-day waiting period for reinstallation; Logan Nance voted no, calling it “silly.”

●            Prohibit permanent location of recreational vehicles in flood plains. All council members present voted yes; Kaye Nita Gallagher was absent.

The changes, in the countywide zoning ordinance, are being approved by the Versailles City Council and the county Fiscal Court. Those bodies are also approving another change recommended by the Planning Commission, which allows signs to project up to five feet from fronts of buildings, with nine feet of head clearance.

With the council’s tacit agreement, Vandegrift did not ask for approval of that change. He said at the last meeting, “Our downtown is beautiful and pedestrian-friendly, and I feel that this could only lead to a cluttered and unnecessary look.” He said it is “the first time I can remember when all three bodies didn’t adopt the same amendment” to the countywide ordinance.

Other business: Holloway, the unpaid manager of Walter Bradley Park, said it will “probably have 20 times more visitors than we did this time last year for obvious reasons,” but “most everyone is really considerate of getting out of the way of other people.”

Nance and Vandegrift said they had noticed more dog waste in the park. Holloway said he is placing signs to encourage owners to pick up after their dogs, but “Some people just don’t want to.” He said a dispenser for pet-waste bags is located in the fenced dog park. 

Vandegrift announced that the city’s annual Memorial Day service would be held largely online, with readings of the names of veterans on the monument in the cemetery, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Midway branch library resumes limited services

The Midway Branch of the Woodford County Public Library has resumed service, at curbside. To reserve items, call the library at 846-4014.

The pickup hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

All returns should go to the book drop. Librarian Stacy Thurman says returned items are “quarantined” for 72 hours and that the library is following “very strict” policies to keep readers safe.

Thurman says the staff can't accept items for printing or faxing, but can print free of charge up to 10 pages sent to the library via email, and can likewise receive faxes of up to 10 pages.

Midway retailers prepare to reopen, but for some the new normal will be very different from the old normal

Morgan Castle, right, of the Gigi & George shop on East Main Street talked with Elisha Holt, promoter for the Midway Business Association, about a Facebook video Holt was preparing to do about the shop and other stores last week.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Many businesses in Midway are getting ready to reopen after the covid-19 pandemic forced them to close their doors for almost two months, but some won’t be as open as they were before.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ordered all “non-life-sustaining businesses" to close March 26, to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the state's case numbers surged. Many restaurants went to curbside and delivery service, but that wasn’t feasible for most retailers.

With daily new cases at a rough plateau, Kentucky began phase one of Beshear's reopening plan Monday, May 11, with manufacturing, distribution centers, office-based businesses, pet groomers and other low-risk businesses allowed to open their doors.

On Wednesday, May 20, retail stores will be allowed to reopen and restaurants can open in-service dining at one-third capacity plus outdoor seating Friday, May 22.

For some local businesses, this kicks off what will be a resumption of some normalcy. 

As businesses reopen or prepare to reopen in Midway, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift has sent each local business a copy of the state guidelines for reopening.

“My biggest concern is that store and restaurant owners and employees wear masks when they are in the store or restaurant and around customers and that customers wear masks when they are in the store,” Vandegrift said.

“It’s going to be very important that businesses follow the guidelines strictly, which includes the limited-occupancy restrictions as well.”

In order to get Midway back to work safely, Vandegrift says the city will provide masks to any business in town that needs them, and it will use “all statutory authority available to enforce the guidelines if necessary. This would include pulling the business license of any business that creates a threat to the safety and health of Midway citizens and visitors.”

Vandegrift said the businesses that will open May 20 are:

●            Milam House

●            Damselfly

●            Fisher's Antiques

●            Southern Sunday

●            Midway Boutique

●            Midway Historic Gift Store (curbside only)

●            Breckinridge

●            The Back Room

What about restaurants? Vandegrift said he will sign an executive order temporarily allowing restaurants to use the sidewalks in front of their establishments for outdoor seating, so long as they maintain a walking path for pedestrians.

The Messenger talked with several businesses about their reopening plans, some that will open and some that stay closed for now.

Historic Midway Museum Gift Store, 124 E. Main St.

Owners Bill and Leslie Penn say they’ll continue to do business differently despite being allowed to reopen.

With books, jewelry and other items that customers often touch, the Penns say it’s impossible to clean them all. Also, they are both over 65, and thus considered more vulnerable to the virus, and want to assure the health of customers and themselves. So, they said they don’t expect to reopen as normal until a covid-19 vaccine becomes available to the public, which could take a year or more.

The Penns said they are thinking of opening on Saturdays with an outside booth full of items for customers to examine and purchase while keeping a social distance. Customers can reach them by phone or email to inquire about specific items.

The store will continue offering delivery and curbside pickup and will allow residents to pay with “Midway Bucks,” the $50 in vouchers that the city will mail to all water customers next week for spending at local, non-franchise businesses.

Gigi and George, 120 E, Main St.

Morgan Castle says her antique and leather store will reopen May 20 and continue its normal business hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

Castle says customers may shop while maintaining a social distance and can also use curbside pickup if they do not feel comfortable coming indoors. She says one challenges of reopening will be keeping items clean, since many of the antiques cannot be cleaned with bleach. Instead, Castle says she is using fleece oil.

Anyone using Midway Bucks will get 10% off, Castle said.

Back Room, 138 E. Main St.

The Back Room is on the list of businesses that will reopen Wednesday but tell the Messenger that in-person shopping will be limited.

The store will continue both delivery and curbside pickup services and accept Midway Bucks. Items such as books, toys and their popular stuffed animals can be found on their website and Instagram page.

Milam House, 140 E. Main St.

The Milam House will reopen May 20, Jan Ramos said. It will resume normal business hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday but will be closed Sundays.

For customers uncomfortable entering the store, curbside pickup and delivery will be available, and Midway Bucks will be accepted.

Southern Sunday, 106 E. Main St.

Southern Sunday will be reopening their doors Wednesday but with strict protocols in place.

Owner Megan McClure tells the Messenger that no more than eight people can be in the shop at one time; everyone will be offered hand sanitizer as they come in the door and again at checkout, and everyone will be asked that to wear a mask upon entering and to maintain a distance of at least six feet between other shoppers.

All clothes that are tried on will be steamed afterward, and private appointments will be offered for anyone interested in shopping alone. Shoppers can email megan@shopsouthernsunday.com for more information.

Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Friday.

Railroad Drug, 115 E. Main St.

As an essential business, Railroad Drug & Old Time Soda Fountain has been open to curbside customers since the beginning of the Pandemic.

On May 20, customers will be allowed inside the building to pick up prescriptions. Two days later, the soda fountain will be open to dine-in customers, along with restaurants, but at only one-third capacity.

Owner Ken Glass tells the Messenger all workers will be wearing masks and customers will be expected to do the same. To ensure social distancing, they will have the floor marked off to allow customers to spread out six feet apart.

They will maintain their normal business hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Information about other stores may be added by emailing Messenger intern Aaron Gershon here.

City budget outlook brightens, as feds will reimburse vouchers and Lakeshore plans to call back workers

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Two developments have prompted Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift to begin drafting what he calls a "middle ground" budget, not the “bare bones” plan he and the City Council drafted two weeks ago.

The mayor announced Monday he expects the federal government to reimburse the city for the $40,000 the council set aside a week ago for vouchers for city residents to spend at local businesses.The money had been budgeted for a Midway Station interest payment the city didn’t have to make.

He also announced that Lakeshore Learning Materials President Bo Kaplan told him Friday that the distribution center expects to be fully staffed within three weeks, after furloughing 225 of its 300 employees. Lakeshore is the city’s largest employer, and the city’s largest revenue source is a payroll tax.

Vandegrift also delivered more good news from Kaplan: Lakeshore expects to receive a certificate of occupancy for the company's second Midway distribution center in September, with that facility opening officially in March 2021. It will add 100 jobs.

With the reimbursement and return of payroll-tax revenues, the mayor said he does not believe that all the potential cuts in the "bare bones" budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 will be necessary.

“If businesses reopening leads to bad spikes in covid-19, we may need to reassess,” he wrote, “but if people use these skills we’ve learned and wear their masks, we might be able to avoid another economic shutdown.”

Vandegrift said he would propose restoring these funds:
● $25,000 for street paving
● $5,000 for a drinking water filling station on East Main Street
● $20,000 for the sidewalk cost-share program

The mayor said he would ask the city council to decide on adding another $25,000 worth of spending back into the budget, for a total of $75,000 in restorations.

That would be just over half of the $145,500 in potential “bare bones” cuts. Before the council and Vandegrift agreed on those, he had cut from his original budget proposal a $50,000 project, an extension of the Stephens Street sidewalk to The Homeplace at Midway, saying the timing wasn’t favorable.

Vandegrift said he would present a “middle ground of the two budgets” during the council meeting May 18. He said he would call a special meeting for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 25 via Zoom to work on the budget, which must be enacted by June 22.

Mayor's update: Stay vigilant, act safely as reopenings begin; vouchers are 'a dividend created by our surplus'

By Grayson Vandegrift

Mayor, City of Midway

This Friday will mark eight weeks since we started social distancing and then soon after started staying healthy at home, all while washing our hands often and practicing good personal hygiene. You likely see or hear all kinds of numbers and projection models about the virus, and frankly, it can be dizzying – and confusing. So here’s something we know: the measures we took have worked. We have not overwhelmed our hospitals, and that has likely saved hundreds if not thousands of lives across the commonwealth.

To your credit, and with great blessings, we have yet to confirm a case of covid-19 in Midway, and we’ve seen only 17 in the whole county. That is a testament to how well you have adapted to these nearly unprecedented circumstances. I do urge us all, though, to remember that just because we haven’t confirmed any cases in Midway, that doesn’t mean it isn’t here.

The unusually long incubation period of this virus means an outbreak could happen today, but we wouldn’t know about it for a week or two. That’s why, even as we begin to see parts of our economy open back up we have to remain vigilant to giving the virus as little chance as we can. Words can’t describe how incredible you’ve been. It’s been two long months, and we’ve got a ways to go still, but what you’ve accomplished is not only impressive, it’s inspirational. So let’s dig in and keep getting through this together.

With staggered openings coming to our economy, we can’t be surprised if we see some spikes in cases, so let’s remember to keep using our good common sense and stay healthy at home as much as possible, and even with some return to a new normal, keep using the social distancing and hand-washing practices that have gotten us here. Midway, and even all of Woodford County, have been a model for how to get through a crisis with the best face possible, and that’s because of you.

I was extremely happy that the City Council supported a plan to use $40,000 of unused economic-development funds to become the first and only city in Kentucky to create a stimulus to help both our citizens and our local businesses get through this time. With your next water bill, which will be mailed out around the 28th, you will receive five $10 vouchers to be used at any participating local business. You can use these as cash, though you cannot make change with them, and those businesses will be reimbursed for the purchase amount. It’s a way to help everyone – businesses who are struggling to meet overhead, citizens who are squeezed to pay bills, and those who are in need of the most basic of necessities. It’s your money – a dividend created by our surplus – and you get to decide personally how you reinvest it in our local economy. And we all know that money spent at home stays at home.

There are frequently asked questions and answers about the vouchers that we will post on the door at city hall and in the post office and other places around town, as well as on our website, and on my Facebook page. If you live in an apartment or you aren’t the one who directly receives your water bill, we’re already planning for how we’ll make sure you get your vouchers. Each home, apartment, or other abode in Midway will receive them. I’d also like to add that this program won’t cut into important infrastructure plans like our sewer rehabilitation project, which is still included in the upcoming budget for this fiscal year, with work to begin in the first half of it.

Masks are still available if you need one; just call City Hall at 859-846-4413 to arrange a pick-up. On May 18, if there are still masks left, we will open that program up to anyone in the area or county who needs one. No one is going to force you to wear a mask, and while I admit it feels weird at first, you get used to it quickly, and it’s an act of love, not of fear. As we transition to a healthy at work environment, masks are going to be a very important part of how we keep cases from spiking.

I truly believe we’re feeding off of each other right now. Even though we can’t be together, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And if the healthy at work initiative goes well and we’re able to begin gathering in small groups in the coming weeks or month, we will still need to use these skills we’ve clearly shown we can adapt to exceptionally well. So keep your heads up and looking forward, you’ve clearly got many, many reasons to be extremely proud of yourselves and of our home – of Midway. Thank you, and God Bless.

Mayor's update: Keep it up, help the needy, get a mask, watch for developments regarding reopenings

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

This is my shortest so far of all my weekly updates since I began giving them on March 18 in light of the covid-19 emergence in Kentucky, but it’s for good reason. I don’t need to be pounding this stuff into your brain any more than just to say this: Keep up the great work; you are showing the first-rate character of this community amid this crisis. For yet another week, I have the pleasure of reporting to you that we still have had no confirmed cases of covid-19 in Midway.

This of course doesn’t mean it isn’t here as we speak, and it doesn’t mean it won’t be here at some point, but as I said last week, there’s no doubt that your firm commitment to beating this, and to taking care of each other, is absolutely shining right now. The people of Midway, as we have always known, are good people who only get better when times are hardest. So keep up this great and important work.

Though this time has been incredibly difficult, and you and I have had to use every ounce of our energy to both process and persevere, and although we’ve lost too many people already and will sadly likely lose more, the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to show. But I urge us all to remember, it is a bit of a long tunnel. Normalcy will come back to us in phases. I worry about those who need their income and their sense of purpose through their work, and I worry for those who struggle with the isolation, but I am fully confident that we need to stay the course to its completion. The truth is, if we didn’t do what we’ve done, this would have been a lot worse, and we have to be careful how we come out of it to assure it still isn’t. And I know that through your sheer determination thus far, that you’re willing to go a bit longer.

As the governor stated recently, we are likely to see the beginning of limited openings of our economy as we get deeper into May, and I will routinely update you on those developments and what they mean for Midway as the details become hammered out. There is a 10 step plan (see below) for what will be required of businesses when they reopen, and we will get those added to our city website, meetmeinmidway.com, along with other resources that may be helpful.

If you are food-insecure or know someone who is, there is no reason for anyone in Midway to be hungry. I have asked City Council Member Logan Nance to work with Woodford County School Board Member Ambrose Wilson to help to ensure that anyone who wants access to food can have it, confidently and without question. Email Council Member Nance at logan@meetmeinmidway.com if you or someone you know needs nourishment. We also have masks still available, so if you need one please call City Hall at 846-4413 and Sonya or Cindy will arrange for you to come by and have one placed in your car. If you need one delivered, let us know, and we’ll get them to you. And as always, if you need help with anything, no matter what it is, call me at 859-361-6320 or email me at mayorgrayson@meetmeinmidway.com.

Staying healthy at home, practicing social distancing, washing your hands and having good personal hygiene, wearing a mask in publicly occupied spaces and taking care of yourself is working, so let’s continue and see this thing through. If we stick to this plan, and follow these guidelines, then we will stay on the quickest path possible out of this crisis, and closer and closer to normal once again. It’s not going to happen tomorrow, but one day you’ll look back on this and think about how you were an integral part of an effort bigger than us all, and your first-rate performance in this, and the care it took you to achieve that will tell the story. So let’s keep doing our best at making a bad story have as many silver linings as possible. I’ll update you again this time next week, unless circumstances warrant otherwise. Thank you, and God Bless.