Owner of historic building has until Oct. 31 to fix it up

116 E. Main St. in January 2019; little has changed.

By Emmanuel Flemister
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The owner of the condemned building at 116 E. Main St. has until the end of October to fix up the rundown landmark or face the likelihood of the city tearing it down.

Woodford County planning and zoning officials had given Ness Alamdari of Lexington until March 30 to correct 10 issues with the building, as cited by Building Inspector Joshua Stevens on Feb. 10.

The deadline was extended to Oct. 31 after a consulting engineer for Alamdari submitted a letter, dated March 17, saying that the structure was stable. That headed off a possible order of demolition.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift told the City Council and the news media March 24, “At the end of this extension, he must have the property approved by a certified engineer, who in turn would be taking liability for the structural integrity of the building.” The property has become a “threat to public safety,” Vandergrift said earlier.

If Alamdari fails to meet these requirements, the process becomes “very burdensome for him,” said Vandergrift. “He would essentially have to start the process over with the Board of Architectural Review,” which set conditions for renovation of the property soon after Alamdari bought it in 2016. “If he fails in these obligations, I will be pushing for condemnation.”

Alamdari is still operating under a building permit that was issued in April 2018 and listed the cost of repairs at $20,000.

The property has been a trouble spot since at least 2006, according to Planning and Zoning Commission records. Vandegrift asked for the Feb. 10 inspection. “As a government, we were very patient with him for a long time,” he said in March.

Alamdari told the Messenger Feb. 19 that Vandergrift wants to tear down the building to make it a parking lot for festivals. Vandegrift denied that.

“I think I took the diplomatic route and probably was erring on the side of patience, just trying to make sure we were working with him,” the  mayor said.

The building was erected in 1898 by the Pilgrim Lodge of the Odd Fellows, an African American men's organization. Local historian Bill Penn, a nearby store owner, said it was last occupied 15 to 20 years ago. It is a landmark in Midway’s African American community, but is also one of the most prominent examples of blighted property in Midway, due to its downtown location and severe condition.

The mayor said he would take no pleasure in demolition of a historic stricture, but “I have been inside the building, and like so many others have watched as time and weather continue to deteriorate it . . . I came to believe that condemnation is the only solution.”

Vandegrift said that if the situation isn’t resolved by Oct. 31, one last alternative to demolition could be putting the property the city’s list of abandoned urban properties, which would be done by the city’s new Code Enforcement Board. The list is due to the City Council for review by Jan 1, 2021. Properties on the list are taxed at a much higher rate.

“If this building didn’t have such historical significance, I would likely disagree with this step,” he said. “But if one last-ditch effort to save this structure is what it takes, then we’ll proceed with a keen eye and a stern voice. We will continue to ensure that the citizens of Midway will not be taken advantage of, but we will also willingly follow the letter of the law in both protecting the rights of owners and the safety of our residents and visitors.”

County inspector condemns long-vacant historic building; owner has 20 days to appeal, 30 to fix up

116 E. Main St. once housed an African American men's organization.

By Midway Messenger staff
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Woodford County building inspector has condemned the old, long-vacant Odd Fellows lodge at 116 E. Main St., at the suggestion of Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, the mayor announced today.

The building's owner, Ness Alamdari of Lexington, will have 20 days to appeal to the county Planning and Zoning Commission. Alamdari did not respond immediately to a phone call and voicemail seeking comment.

The letter from Building Inspector Joshua Stevens to Alamdari cited 10 issues and gave him 30 days to correct them and "obtain a letter from a licensed Kentucky engineer certifying that the structure of the building is not in danger of collapse and does not pose a threat to public safety. If an engineer letter is not obtained and a building permit not obtained for the above listed corrections, an order of demolition will be needed."

Vandegrift said in an email to the City Council and the news media that he asked Stevens several months ago to thoroughly inspect the building and consider condemnation.

“My paramount concern was the building's deteriorated condition and the safety threats it poses to the public,” he wrote. “Large metal items, some quite heavy, have already fallen from the structure to the sidewalk below. The building has also become a haven for rodents and is an attractive, and therefore dangerous, nuisance to children as well.”

The mayor told the Messenger in another email, “If the owner continues non-cooperation with the city, and I hope he decides to work with us, we would take any and all measures to make sure the order by Mr. Stevens is carried out. I’d much rather be in this position than talking to someone with a microphone and a camera about a serious injury sustained in downtown Midway.”

If Alamdari does not appeal, and doesn't demolish the building, the city can do the work and place a lien against the property to recover its costs. Alamdari also faces a fine of $25 to $100 per day for each of the 10 violations.

Vandegrift said he would take no pleasure in seeing an historic structure be torn down, but “I have been inside the building and like so many others have watched as time and weather continue to deteriorate it, and I came to believe that condemnation is the only solution.”

The building, which dates to 1898, was built by the Pilgrim Lodge, an African American men's organization.

Bill Penn, a historian who has a gift shop a few doors down from the building, told the Messenger, “I’d rather it be restored, but . . . if the owner isn’t going to restore it, it’s called demolition by neglect.” He added, “I’m disappointed it can’t be saved, but I understand the situation.”

Still, in a way, the old building with the peaked roof in front will be missed. “When a train comes into town from the east, that’s the first thing you see [from it], so it’ll be a gap,” Penn said. He said the building's last occupant was an antique clothing store, 15 to 20 years ago.

The building is one of the most prominent examples of blighted property in Midway, due to its downtown location and severe condition.

This is the first condemnation order issued since 2013, and the first following the City Council's recent creation of the Code Enforcement Board, to which the city could take the matter if the Planning Commission ruled against its own building inspector.

Asked why he didn't wait until the city has its own code enforcement officer, who will soon give the board cases to handle, Vandegrift said, “I’ve been so worried about this causing serious injury that I decided to take a 'try everything' approach, which started with private conversations with the owner. When I wrote the letter requesting condemnation be considered, I didn’t yet know if our new ordinances would be successful, but figured if they were passed and we didn’t succeed in this route with the building inspector then we’d have a Plan B.”

He said Stevens “did a thing that is not easy to do, both technically and demonstratively, but he did the right thing, and I hope this sends a message to others that we want to work with you on getting your properties in order. We’re sending no one to the poor house. But if properties are ignored at the peril of others, we’re serious about taking action.”

Council debates, tweaks ordinances to crack down on blighted property; first reading scheduled Dec. 16

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift displayed metal objects that he said had fallen from the building at 116 E. Main St.

The Midway City Council seems ready to pass two ordinances to enforce ordinances requiring property owners to maintain their property, following a final work session Monday night.

Following the half-hour discussion, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, who has been trying to crack down on blighted property since he took office almost five years ago, said he would schedule the ordinances for first reading next Monday, Dec. 16, and hope to pass them Jan. 6.

116 E. Main was once the Odd Fellows Hall.

To demonstrate the need for the ordinance, Vandegrift showed the council pieces of metal, some of them heavy and some of them sharp, that he said had fallen from the old Odd Fellows Lodge Hall at 116 E. Main St., which has been owned by Ness Almadari of Lexington since early 2016.

He said someone could have been killed by the heavy object, and Council Member John Holloway said likewise of the sharp ones. "I knew somebody who was killed in an accident like this," he said.

"This is the reason for the rush," Vandegrift said, adding later, "That's sort of the crux of the issue to me."

The only issue that prompted disagreement at the meeting was Council Member Bruce Southworth's concern that one of the proposed definitions of "blighted or deteriorated real property" is too broad.

The proposed definition, taken from state law, applies to vacant structures, or vacant or unimproved lots or parcels "in a predominantly built-up neighborhood" and includes seven alternative criteria. One covers property that "has not been rehabilitated and brought into compliance with the housing, plumbing, electrical, fire or nuisance code of the local government . . . within the time constraints placed upon the owner by the appropriate permitting or code-enforcement agency."

Southworth said half the houses in Midway don't meet the current electrical code. Holloway said the code "grandfathers" such houses and doesn't require them to be upgraded to code.

Vandegrift said action against any property requires a complaint and action by the code inspector, and "you would think it would have already been a problem statewide or it wouldn't be in the current KRS," the Kentucky Revised Statutes. He said the ordinance would be enforced by "a reasonable board, which we're going to appoint."

In response to a question from the Messenger, Vandegrift and Council Member Logan Nance said the provision is intended to apply only in cases where a permitting or code-enforcement agency has ordered the property owner to comply and the owner has failed to do so in the time period established by the agency.

Nance said the provision needed to stay to discourage "slumlords." Council Member Stacy Thurman said it would make enforcement stronger, and Council Member Sara Hicks said "It makes people want to do the right things . . . and it makes the town safer." The other council member, Kaye Nita Gallagher, did not attend the meeting.

Holloway, Nance and Thurman were elected last year, making the council more amenable to action on the issue, but the process has required three special meetings and who knows how many private conversations between members. Vandegrift told the council, "I think you all have made good steps to preclude some things that can be done just out of spite."

The council did ask for one last change, a clarification of the time a property owner would be given to comply after receiving a citation. The proposed code-enforcement ordinance says it would be up to the enforcement officer, but "not less than seven days," while the proposed blighted-property ordinance calls for 10 days' written notice. The council agreed both should say 10 days.

If the owner didn't comply, the case would go to a new Code Enforcement Board of at least three members and two alternates, who must have been residents of the city for a year upon appointment. After initially staggered appointments, they would serve three-year terms, be limited to two terms and could be removed by the mayor or a council majority plus one for "misconduct, inefficiency or willful neglect of duty." They could not hold any office with the city or any agency that enforces housing, plumbing, fire, maintenance or related codes.

Vandegrift has said the Code Enforcement Board is the key to enforcement that would stand up in court. The ordinances follow state laws that were passed in 2016 to give cities more power to crack down on blighted property.

In addition to safety concerns, the mayor said dilapidated properties bring down property values and discourage investment by adjoining property owners. He said the sport of the proposed laws is "not to burden those who don't have the means" to improve their property, "but to make people who have the inventory do something with it."

Burn ban over; leaf collection, water-main flushing set

The rain yesterday and today prompted Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift to rescind the ban on open burning that he issued Sept. 19. He said in an email, "This is a good time to remind folks though that any recreational burning must be in a contained structure like a fire pit, and burning brush or vegetation is prohibited."

Meanwhile, leaf collection in the city will begin Monday, Oct 14, Vandegrift has announced. "Please leave your leaf piles in the right of way and city employees will pick them up," he said. "Please don’t leave any sticks or brush in leaf piles; they can damage our chipper."

Also on Monday, city employees will begin their periodic flushing of water mains by opening fire hydrants to clean the water system of mineral deposits and sediment. Residents may notice cloudy tap water for a short time. The water will be safe to drink, but residents should avoid doing laundry until the water clears.

Mayor bans open burning in city due to dry conditions

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said this morning that he has issued an executive order temporarily banning open burning in the city limits. "The especially wet 2018 followed by this very dry season make conditions worse than usual for potential danger," he aid in an email to the city council and the news media. "Cooking on grills is still permitted, but recreational fire pits and any other burning normally permitted is being temporarily suspended until further notice. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions."

'Sparks in the Park' starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday; mayor urges thoughtful use of fireworks July 3-5

Midway's annual "Sparks in the Park" event will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, in Walter Bradley Park.

The city will provide a dinner of barbecue, buns, coleslaw and baked beans for 250 people, and activities for children, including a bounce house.

As he reminded the City Council of the event at its Monday meeting, Vandegrift was asked if he was ready to start getting telephone calls at 11:01 p.m., the first minute after the end of the period for legal use of fireworks on July 3, 4 and 5.

He turned the jest into a serious point, urging citizens to "be a little more mindful" about where and when they use fireworks.

"We have veterans in Midway with PTSD," post-traumatic stress disorder, he said. "I just wish more people would think about that." 

Sole bid on new Weisenberger Mill Bridge may be too high for state to accept, state says 'there was no error'

The bridge is a scenic, historic spot due to the mill, built in 1913 on the site of an 1865 mill, and its dam on South Elkhorn Creek.

This story has been updated.

The only bid for construction of a new Weisenberger Mill Bridge was almost three times the engineers' estimate, raising the possibility that the bid will be rejected and the project further delayed. The bridge will have been been closed for three years as of next Monday.

The bid by Louisville Paving Co. was $1.95 million, 2¾ times the estimate of $709,889. The Awards Committee of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is scheduled to consider the bid and others from Friday's bid letting at 9:30 a.m. Friday. (The meeting is exempt from the state Open Meetings Act.)

Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay told the Midway Messenger that his office had heard from Kelly Baker, the chief engineer at the cabinet's District 7 office in Lexington, "that the bid may have been a mistake." District 7 spokeswoman Natasha Lacy said in an email that Baker "has not talked with Judge Kay about this. In addition, there was no error." Kay said in an email, "Magistrate Jackie Brown spoke with Kelly Baker and relayed that info to me."

Brown told the Messenger Tuesday evening that Baker told him Louisville Paving bid on foundation work they would not have to do, and expects a rebid would be much nearer to the engineers’ estimate.

Told that, Lacy sent an email Wednesday saying, "The existing abutments are being left in place for the project. The design calls for placing a soil-nail wall around the abutments . . . to sufficiently protect and strengthen them. If the bid is rejected, we will discuss the possibility of separating out this part of the project. It then [could] be completed through maintenance agreements that we have in place. The remainder of work for the bridge would be placed back out for bid."

The bridge across South Elkhorn Creek, the border of Woodford and Scott counties, is nominally Woodford's responsibility, under a longstanding agreement between the counties, but the state agreed to take responsibility for it several years ago.

The state closed the bridge on July 1, 2016, after inspectors found it was not safe for a load of three tons. The state had already lowered the limit twice in an effort to turn away heavy trucks whose drivers used the bridge, apparently following Global Positioning System directions for a shortcut to or from Interstate 64, using Paynes Depot Road and perhaps Big Sink Road.

The state could ask the county to share in the unexpectedly high construction cost, but Kay said he doubted that the Fiscal Court would be willing to do that, even with a contribution from Scott County.

Magistrate Liles Taylor, who represents the Midway area on Fiscal Court, said he expects the state to keep its commitment to replace the bridge, and said the top concern must be public safety, but "Everything's on the table."

The bridge's closure has further isolated the largely African American community of Zion Hill, at the southern tip of Scott County. Woodford County has been providing emergency services to the area.

Replacing the one-lane span, built in the early 1930s, has been complicated. The first plan was for a two-lane bridge, but the cabinet changed it to one lane, with the pony-truss style of the old bridge, to assuage public concern that a modern concrete span would detract from the scenic nature of the site and encourage speeding, causing accidents in the sharp curve on the Woodford County side.

Since the bridge has historical significance and is a state responsibility, the project had to undergo review by the State Historic Preservation Office and the Kentucky Heritage Council, as well as an environmental impact report to federal officials. The project was delayed at least a month by negotiations over construction easements.

City Council approves budget with $200K for sewers, $50K for curb extensions and many other additions

The City of Midway's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is the probably the largest in the town's history, with General Fund appropriations of $1.9 million and a projected surplus of $488,601.

"It's likely the biggest ever," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said as the City Council approved the budget on a 4-0 vote in an eight-minute special meeting Thursday. Members Sara Hicks and Kaye Nita Gallagher were absent, but they had attended all three workshops at which the council tweaked the budget Vandegrift had proposed.

The budget has been boosted mainly by increased occupational taxes on payrolls and net profits, mainly from the Midway Station industrial park. The council has lowered property taxes and water rates in the past year.

Holding up the budget, the mayor said, "This, as much as anything, is a policy document. What this shows is that our policy focuses on infrastructure."

The biggest infrastructure item is $200,000 for a project to examine and clean out the old sewer lines on the east side of town and see where repairs and replacements are needed. $50,000 is budgeted for curb extensions, or "bulb-outs" on Winter Street at the intersections of Bruen and Stephens streets, to help slow traffic and increase pedestrian safety.

The plan has $40,000 for interest payments on Midway Station, which are no longer made by the developer who gave up his option on the property, but the city and the Woodford County Economic Development Authority are hoping property sales will eliminate the need for interest payments.

The budget also adds $10,000 for new signs; $5,000 for new City Hall computers; $5,000 for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, which has come to the county with the help of the Fiscal Court and the Versailles City Council; $2,000 for local churches' backpack meal program for needy children; and about $11,000 to join the Woodford County geographic information system, which Vandegrift said would help track infrastructure.

The budget includes $10,000 and $15,000, respectively, for repairs and maintenance on the firehouse, up from $5,000 and $10,000 in the current year; and $1,000 for the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, up from $500. The Versailles Police Department will get $27,000 more as the city shares in the one-time cost of computer and telephone upgrades to the department, which patrols all of Woodford County. Under a contract, Midway pays 4.25 percent of the department's budget.

City Council stretches out cemetery pavilion project to start funding improvements at city's three cemeteries

Two of the largest trees in the St. Rose Tabernacle Cemetery, next to the Midway Cemetery, have upended tombstones.

The Midway City Council decided this evening to stretch out construction of a pavilion at the Midway Cemetery over two years, to fund other work at the cemetery and start fixing up the two historically African American cemeteries for which the city has taken responsibility.

At its second workshop on the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the council also discussed other budget changes, and a suggestion that it seek bids for engineering services on the proposed budget's single biggest item, a sewer-improvement project estimated to cost $200,000.

The council plans to finish drafting the budget at a third and final workshop at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, and enact it at its regular meeting on June 17.

The pavilion, which would provide shelter in inclement weather, is estimated to cost $45,000. The council voted to put $20,000 in the budget for pouring its concrete footers and pad, and use the other $25,000 for other improvements at all three cemeteries.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said Public Works Supervisor Terry Agee has a list of work needed at the main cemetery and at the other cemeteries, including removal of trees that have upended tombstones. The mayor said Agee sees the tree removal as a five-year process, partly because removal of too many trees would upset the public.

Council Member Sara Hicks, chair of the Cemetery and City Property Committee, said all the tree work in the St. Rose Tabernacle Cemetery should be done first, "so you can start to re-erect the tombstones." The work there and at the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery will also include installation of lines and taps for watering.

Engineering firm's map of project (click on image to enlarge)

Sewer project: The council agreed in February to use up to $200,000 of its half-million-dollar-plus General Fund surplus for a project that would send a camera through the city's oldest sewer lines, east of Winter Street, to see how they need to be repaired or replaced, and then remove sludge, tree roots and other obstructions. Vandegrift put the project in the budget he proposed to the council.

Council Member John Holloway noted that $62,000 of the estimated cost is for engineering services, which presumably would be performed by HMB Engineers of Frankfort, the city's longtime consultant. "For sixty-two thousand dollars, I think we should bid out the engineering," Holloway said. He also said he didn't understand some of the terminology in HMB's description of the project, some of which seemed duplicative.

Vandegrift said "All those questions can be answered by HMB," and "I have no problem with bidding whole thing out. . . . We can ask HMB those hard questions." He said the project was originally planned for this summer, but "It's looking more like the fall."

In other sewer-system business, the mayor noted that his budget continues to invest in improvements at the city's wastewater-treatment plant, and said that he has been impressed with the work of plant operator Jack Blevins. He said when the budget was tighter, the plant was not as well kept up.

The sewer budget calls for $60,000 in capital expenses. The water budget has the same amount, up from $43,000 in the current fiscal year. Vandegrift said lot of water-line replacements are needed, as well as a gearbox replacement.

The mayor said he expects the state Public Service Commission will give Kentucky-American Water Co., the city's water supplier, a 10 percent increase instead of the 21.5 percent hike it is seeking. He reiterated that unlike last year's increase, the city will not be able to absorb the increase and will have to pass it on to customers. The city cut water and sewer rates 25 percent last year.

Other items: The city's contract for police services from the City of Versailles is budgeted at $166,000, the same as currently; the contract calls for Midway to pay 4.25% of the police budget, and for the Versailles Police Department to be in Midway 16 hours a day. From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m, police are in the Midway-Millville area, but not in the city unless they get a call, Vandegrift said.

Council Member Logan Nance said those hours are when crime might be most likely, so "It might be worth looking into them doing some overnight [patrols in the city] as well."

On another public-safety issue, Vandegrift said his estimate of $50,000 for bulb-outs, or curb extensions, at two major intersections on Winter Street is "just a guess," and the work might be done for less. The bulb-outs at the Stephens Street and Bruen Street intersections will be designed to slow traffic by reducing street width.

The budget also calls for $10,000 for new signage. Vandegrift said about half of that would go for a promotional sign directing traffic from Interstate 64 to downtown, requested by merchants. He said that it would face traffic coming off KY 341 (Midway Road) at US 421 (Leestown Road), and that he thinks the state Transportation Cabinet would allow it to be placed in the right of way.

Holloway wondered if a sign would be visible enough to guide motorists before they chose the left-turn or right-turn lane from 341 to 421. Vandegrift said it would "if you put it in the right spot." Hicks said, "If it's big enough, you would see it before you got to the lanes."

Council Member Stacy Thurman said the city needs a sign for the charging station for electric cars behind City Hall. Shown an example, Vandegrift said he would have Agee order one.

Request for increased police presence in Northridge may have come just a little too late for one resident

At Monday night's City Council meeting, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift noted that the Versailles Police Department, which patrols all of Woodford County, had been asked to increase patrols in the Northridge Estates area of Midway due to reports of a suspicious vehicle that seemed to be prowling.

Later that night, someone broke into the car of Northridge resident Blake Jones, according to a post he made Tuesday morning on Residents of Northridge Estates, a closed Facebook group.

Magistrate Liles Taylor, a resident of the subdivision, posted on the site Tuesday afternoon that he and Vandegrift had spoken to the police about "the unfortunate increase in attempted burglaries and vandalism" in the area, seeking additional patrols. "They were extremely responsive and are processing that request. We should see an increased presence as early as tonight."

On Wednesday afternoon, Vandegrift posted on the site, "The police are actively working the case and are using all resources available, including going through camera footage available. If the perpetrators are reading this: You’re going to be caught."

Mayor says 25% sewer-rate cut to be proposed at next City Council meeting; sidewalk repair plan renewed

By Hannah Woosley, Sierra McLean and Al Cross
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift plans to ask the City Council to give the city's sewer customers a Christmas present: a 25 percent reduction in the city's sewer fee.

Vandegrift made the announcement today, after distributing figures at Monday night's City Council meeting showing that the balance in the sewer fund is "rising very steadily." He told council members that he would "be talking to each of you individually, but I’m of the opinion we can have the first reading of [an ordinance] lowering sewer rates the first Monday in December."

Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, Vandegrift said in an email to the Messenger and The Woodford Sun, "We’re going to go ahead and put 25 percent sewer-rate cuts into ordinance form and schedule for first reading on Dec. 3 and second reading Dec. 17. It’s become apparent, and I’m very confident, that with the sewer fund rapidly improving and our new revenue coming in, which is expected to continue to grow itself, we can both cut rates and make major investments in infrastructure."

Vandegrift told the Messenger Tuesday night that he did not talk to all the council members before making the decision: "After the meeting I felt that wouldn’t seem right. I did speak to a few, individually, but didn’t try to get a consensus much more than those I spoke with felt that this council should be the one to decide, which I agree with." Three council seats will change hands Jan. 1.

The sewer fund is growing because it no longer has one big expense: payments on the bonds the city issued to build its current wastewater treatment plant. At Vandegrift's request, the council voted in July to dip into the city's savings to pay off the bond issue early. He said the city was paying more interest on the bonds, 3.8 percent, than it earned from the $285,490 certificate of deposit it cashed, 0.6 percent. Vandegrift said at the time that the move should lead to lowering sewer fees by “at least 25 percent . . . in a few months.”

West Main Street in 2015

Sidewalk redux: The council voted 5-0 to renew the program it started last year, paying half the cost, up to $1,000, of repairing selected sidewalks. Property owners will apply to be part of the program, pay the full cost, then be reimbursed. Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher abstained, saying, "I've got a dog in this fight." Her sidewalk on West Main Street needs repair or replacement.

Last year, due to budget limitations, only three owners were funded for repair of five sidewalks, and the plan “worked very well,” Vandegrift said. “It wasn’t a huge number, but it was sidewalks that hadn’t been fixed in a very long time. This showed us that we can do it on a larger scale.”

Vandegrift said he wants residents to apply if they believe their sidewalks need repairs. He said letters will be sent in February to those who have sidewalks that need repair but haven’t signed up. The sign-up deadline will be March 31. If residents who need sidewalk repairs haven’t signed up by this date, they will be required to bear all costs to repair their sidewalks, he said.

The mayor also said residents who own blighted or abandoned property or have not paid their taxes are ineligible to participate in the cost-sharing program.

Council Member Steve Simoff asked Vandegrift how the city will prioritize repairs. He said Winter Street should have priority, especially due to the busy Halloween traffic, “simply for safety reasons.” Vandegrift agreed, saying that they will look to frequently walked streets first.

The mayor said that eventually, repairs on old streets such as Winter will require tearing up old trees. Council Member Sara Hicks noted that the city has a tree plan that could guide replacement work.

Citizen’s petition: Rex Cecil, who owns the vacant building at 123 E. Main St., asked the council to consider a variance in its policy for restoring water service to properties that have not been active for five years.

Cecil said he closed his architectural practice that was in the building in 2005, and he turned the water off in 2009. He said he wants to sell or rent the property, but “Since it’s been more than five years, it’s $850” to do that, he said.

Vandegrift said he would refer the matter to the council's Public Works and Services Committee.

400 S. Winter St. (Photo from Google Maps street view, 2015)

Building extension request: Greg Rawlings requested an encroachment permit for an addition to the house at 400 S. Winter St. that would need an entrance for parking. Rawlings said the property was originally platted for townhouses but will remain a single-family residence. The council approved the permit 6-0.

Traffic update: Vandegrift said edge lines and center lines will be painted on Stephens Street when the weather stays consistently warm. He said he will include in the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 money to build sidewalk bulb-outs at the Winter Street intersections of Bruen Street (the post office) and Stephens. Bulb-outs are designed to make streets narrower, create more space designated for pedestrians, and discourage speeding.

Holiday schedule: The council also discussed the upcoming holiday-season events. On Friday, the tree- and street-lighting ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Santa Claus will be visiting via RJ Corman Railroad at 11 a.m.

City Council resets trick or treat for Tuesday, 6 to 8 p.m.

The Midway City Council voted unanimously this evening to reschedule trick or treat for tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. because heavy rain is expected on Halloween.

During a five-minute special meeting, the council heard from Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler, who said heavy rain is a certainty "Wednesday and Thursday. The prudent thing is to move it forward," because rain makes young pedestrians less visible.

Chandler added, "It's not just going to rain. It's going to be a lot of rain." Council Member Johnny Wilson said The Weather Channel was forecasting two to five inches.

Lexington, Versailles and Frankfort have all moved trick or treat to Tuesday.

Midway's decision was a foregone conclusion. As soon as Mayor Grayson Vandegrift called the meeting to order and said other cities had rescheduled, Council Member Sarah Hicks said, "Motion," echoing the perfunctory adjournment motion Council Member Bruce Southworth usually makes at the end of meetings. Southworth, perhaps beaten to the punch, seconded the motion.

Vandegrift said he would use social media, one-call notices and personal contact to get the word out, including canvassing with city workers and willing council members Tuesday morning.

Council will consider moving trick or treat to Tuesday

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said in an email this afternoon that he has called a special meeting of the City Council for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29 at City Hall "to discuss, and possibly take action on, moving trick or treat to Tuesday night." Heavy rain is forecast for the afternoon and evening of Halloween, Wednesday, Oct. 31. (That has prompted City of Frankfort officials to consider the same move; they have said they will announce a decision at 10 a.m. Monday.) In a social-media post, Vandegrift invited citizens to attend the meeting and share their thoughts.

Mayoral candidates run on their records: Vandegrift as city official, Wilson as school and state official

By Hannah Woosley
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway’s Nov. 6 mayoral election is a choice between Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, running on his performance in the last four years, and Ambrose Wilson IV, running on his work as a Woodford County school board member, employee relations manager and state official.

Vandegrift, left, and Wilson, right, agree on many goals for the city, such as better infrastructure, affordable housing and a city-wide notification system, but differ on the details and the order in which the work should be done.

In campaign advertising, Vandegrift says he’s running on lower taxes, better services and improving infrastructure. “We’re doing very well,” he said at his only forum with Wilson. “Let’s stay the course; let’s not mess with success.”

Wilson emphasizes his 27 years on the Woodford County Board of Education, including his efforts to establish Northside Elementary School, in what some called “a dying community” at the time, and the school’s summer reading program. “I will care about the city of Midway the same way that I’ve cared about the educational process for the past 26 years,” he said at the forum.

Vandegrift said in an interview that the place to start infrastructure work is a camera inspection of old sewer lines. “We’re going to camera almost the entire part of the city that has aging lines . . . and we’re going to clean them out as we go,” he said. “The quicker we get started on it, the better we’ll be in the long run.”

Because the city paid off the bond issues for its sewage-treatment plants, that freed up $63,000 in sewer fund money and an additional $88,000 in emergency funds, and general fund money is also available.

Vandegrift says he wants to lower sewer rates by 25 percent in December, much like the city lowered property taxes this year because occupational-tax revenue has doubled. That gain came mainly from plants in the Midway Station industrial park, developments for which he takes partial credit.

Wilson said the city needs an overall plan for infrastructure, to set priorities. He believes the place to start if elected is a notification system, in which those who register with it get automatic notice of pertinent information. He said a one-call system where “everybody receives the same news at the same time,” is something that can happen quickly, and that’s why he’s focusing on it first.

The candidates also differ on their approach to affordable housing.

Vandegrift said he wants to establish an affordable-housing task force to look at requirements for homeowners to get state and federal monies for down payments and low-interest loans, and work with owners of land that’s already zoned residential to encourage development of affordable housing.

Wilson said he wants to focus on infill development and converting old structures to single-family living or apartments. “We can’t avoid this issue any longer,” Wilson at the forum. In an interview, he endorsed the task force idea, but said Vandegrift “should have done it four years ago when he was elected mayor rather than putting it off.”

Wilson said likewise about the blighted-property ordinance that Vandegrift proposed more than a year ago. The ordinance has stalled mainly over whether a new board would consider citations. Vandegrift said this summer that he wanted to get the ordinance passed this year, but on Oct. 10 told the Messenger that it should be up to the council that takes office Jan. 1.

Vandegrift and the council have also wrestled with ways to discourage speeding.

Vandegrift said he believes edge lines have discouraged speeding on Winter Street, and the city will add them to Stephens Street. He hopes to add and decorate sidewalk “bulb-outs,” curb extensions that reduce pedestrian crossing distance and tighten lanes, on Winter Street.

Wilson said he wants to work on the issue with the Versailles Police Department, which Midway pays for patrolling the city. He said the city’s mobile radar gun and edge lines slowed traffic for a while because Winter Street looked different, but he said he doesn’t consider the lines a deterrent.

Wilson said at the forum that he would focus on streets and sidewalks. Last year, Vandegrift and the council started paying half of selected property owners’ sidewalk improvements, up to $1,000.

During his first year in office, Vandegrift pushed through the council, on a 4-2 vote, an ordinance banning discrimination in public accommodations, employment and housing based on sexual orientation, gender identity or familial status.

Asked if he’s for the ordinance, Wilson said, “I’m not for discrimination of anybody, absolutely.”

The candidates are of different generations.

Wilson, 67, says he has more than 30 years’ experience in human resources, conflict resolution, banking and government. He served the administration of Gov. Steve Beshear from 2008 to 2013, ending as secretary of public protection and regulation, where he supervised 13 agencies with budgets totaling $98 million.

Wilson said his family moved a lot as a child, and he graduated high school in Oklahoma, then attended Oklahoma State University for two years then transferred to the University of Kentucky, and dropped out in 1972. He said he went back to UK in 1981 and graduated with a general studies degree. He said he has lived in Midway on and off for the last 34 years. His father was mayor from 1993 to 1996. He and his wife Karen have three children.

Vandegrift, 36, grew up in Scott County’s Ironworks Estates area three miles north of Midway. He attended college for three years at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and one year at the University of Kentucky but didn’t graduate. He and has lived in Midway since 2007, when he and his family opened a restaurant. Since selling it, he has worked various jobs, currently as a part-time tour guide at the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington. He and his wife Katie, a banker, have a son.

He was president of the Midway Business Association in 2008, 2009 and 2012, Fall Festival coordinator from 2011 to 2014, and City Council member in 2013-14. He was elected mayor in 2014, defeating Sharon Turner, who had served eight years on the council, by a vote of 374 to 325.

Each candidate was asked why he’s the better choice.

Vandegrift said, “Because I’ve done the job for four years and I’ve proven I can work with anybody.” He said that through his “communication skills” he’s created jobs, doubled the city’s revenue, paved Midway’s worst roads, revitalized Walter Bradley Park and more. “I truly believe results speak for themselves.”

Wilson said, “I will be mayor from day one. I will start trying to accomplish things from day one. . . . There’s not a problem I won’t deal with.” He also said he thinks he will have a good relationship with everyone on the city council and can work with them well.

Council asks state to replace bridge ASAP, but state says much remains to be done and work is set for 2020

By Sarah Ladd

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council voted Monday to ask the state to reopen the Weisenberger Mill Bridge as soon as possible and keep the public updated “clearly, consistently and regularly” about the project.

The council’s resolution cited delayed emergency-response time and resulting anxiety in the Zion Hill community, “increased costs to the city of Midway” for street paving, and additional traffic, as reasons to “act with urgency” in replacing the bridge.

The resolution requests the Commonwealth of Kentucky “do what is necessary to make the required repairs or replacements to reopen the bridge as soon as possible.”

The bridge, shortly after it was closed July 1, 2016

State engineers closed the bridge July 1, 2016, after they concluded that it was unsafe for traffic. Since then, parts of the community have become more isolated, and tensions have increased.

The state kept working on a plan to replace the one-lane bridge with a two-lane span, but neighbors of the bridge wanted it to be only one lane because it represents a historical presence, having been constructed in the 1930s, and because they feared a two-lane span would increase speeds on Weisenberger Mill Road.

The state agreed in October to make the replacement bridge only one lane, but construction has been delayed by environmental and historical studies requested by the State Historic Preservation Office and the Kentucky Hearitage Council. In March, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said all indications were that the new bridge wouldn’t be built until 2020.

The latest state road plan has money to build the bridge in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2019. Engineers have said the work would take a full construction season, and before construction, small amounts of right of way must be purchased. The state can't do that until the historical and environmental tasks are done, Transportation Cabinet spokeswoman Natasha Lacy told the Midway Messenger in an email.

"The Historical Eligibility and Effects report remains in the draft phase," Lacy wrote. "We anticipate having a second Section 106 Consulting Parties Meeting sometime in early June. In the meantime, there may be some additional environmental field work such as archaeology in the mill’s historic district."

Lacy wrote, "At this time there is not a selected alternative," suggesting that plans could change again. "After completion of all field work investigations and reports; the Cabinet must seek approval by the SHPO," circulate a memorandum of agreement for approval and seek approval of the National Environmental Policy Act documentation from the Federal 
Highway Administration.

"We anticipate the above activities to be complete by the end of this year, although this is dependent on how well the process progresses." Lacy wrote. "Due to the complexities and controversies of this project, it is still premature to determine a completion date for the bridge."

Google map points to Zion Hill community. Black dot in pointer is on bridge site.

The bridge, over South Elkhorn Creek, connects county roads in Scott and Woodford counties. Under an old agreement, Woodford County has responsibility for it, but the state agreed to replace it in return for the county repairing a state bridge a few years ago. The project was further complicated when federal funds were allocated to cover the costs that exceeded estimates, including of building a one-lane bridge in the historical "pony truss" style of the existing bridge.

Vandegrift said the resolution is to be a joint one with the Scott County Fiscal Court. He said he and residents of the county’s Zion Hill community, who have been forced to use non-direct routes by the bridge closing, met with the court last week and he agreed to draft the resolution. He said Scott County might make changes, but they would be minor.

Party time: In other business, the council authorized the outdoor use of open containers for alcoholic beverages for Midsummer Nights in Midway on June 29, July 27 and August 24; the Midway Block Party on May 26; and the Midway Fall Festival Sept. 15-16.

Midsummer Nights will continue as in previous years, as a catalyst for wholesome, family fun that showcases local talent and businesses, Debra Shockley of Midway Renaissance told the council. The popular photo booth from last year will be featured again, and non-profit vendors will sell from 6 to 8 p.m. and a band will play from 7 to 10 p.m. 

The open-container rule will apply to Main Street and North Gratz Street, ending at the Brown Barrel, Vandegrift said.

Water bill policy: The council also began moving toward a new policy on adjustment of water bills, after former council member Sharon Turner's bill showed an unexplained 9,000-gallon jump from her average usage of 2,000 gallons.

Turner said she hadn't experienced a leak and could not explain her bill. "I know I didn't use it," she said of the excess water. Vandegrift said it was unlikely that 9,000 gallons could be stolen. Turner said she was aware of at least one other citizen experiencing similar glitches, and was concerned for families on fixed incomes. 

"It's the strangest thing I've ever seen when it comes to water meters," said Vandegrift, who defeated Turner in the 2016 election for mayor. He said he wondered if it is time to consider changing the city’s policy, which allows adjustments only in the case of a leak.

Turner agreed. "One of the things I would ask is that there be some consideration for issues like this. ... It's a mystery to all of us," she said.

The council briefly discussed possible solutions, such as a once-a-year, no-excuses adjustment, perhaps for usage above a certain multiple of a customer's average. The council agreed to revisit the ordinance and to waive the late fee Turner had been charged.

Budget: The council will hold a special meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday another workshop on the budget for fiscal year that begins July 1. Vandegrift said no action will be taken. All council meetings are open to the public.

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Versailles asks Midway to pay $173,674 a year for police, up from $100K; committee meets 2:30 Wed.

UPDATE: The committee will meet at 2:30 Wednesday at City Hall for further discussion of the issue.

By Tre Lyerly

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Versailles wants Midway to pay 73.7 percent more for police services next year.

Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott and Police Chief James Fugate proposed a revision of the cities’ police contract to the Midway City Council’s Public Works and Services Committee at a meeting Thursday. If approved, the new contract would bring Midway’s $100,000 payment up by another $73,674.

The number came as a surprise to the committee, who expected the revised costs to be in the $150,000 range. Council Member Bruce Southworth, chair of the committee, called the proposal “a hard sell,” saying that he liked the idea of paying $150,000 “a lot better.”

Council Member John McDaniel listened as committee chair Bruce
Southworth, center, talked with Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott.

Traugott told the committee that Midway could not form an independent police force for less than their presented cost, and that relying on the state police “would be a big disappointment” due to the possibility of increased response times.

Southworth agreed, but still felt that the proposed cost would be “a lot for Midway.” He and City Clerk Phyllis Hudson said the city should receive improved service from the police department in return for the higher costs.

“I can’t promise you they’ll be 73 percent better,” Traugott said.

Hudson said after the Versailles officials left, “I could see it if it was a gradual increase per year.” The new contract would go into effect July 1, 2018. It could be for four years or longer.

Versailles’ police budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year is $3.86 million, not including state incentives for salaries. Traugott multiplied this by 4.5 percent to get the $173,674 figure presented to the committee.

Traugott didn’t say why he used that percentage, calling it “semi-arbitrary,” but noted that it was more favorable to Midway than using the city’s share of Woodford County’s population, 7 percent, which would be “overkill;” or 9.5 percent, the share of service calls made to the Midway area between Jan. 1 and Aug. 30.

Later in the meeting, Southworth noted that County Judge-Executive John “Bear” Coyle wanted to require Midway to pay a lot more in the three-way deal among the governments, to help reduce the county’s costs.

“It’s a heck of a lot better than $400,000 … four and a half percent is not bad,” he said.

The other committee member present, Council Member John McDaniel, said, “It’s going to be hard to sell that amount of money, but proportionally . . .” He didn’t finish the thought, but said he thought the percentage would be a bit higher. McDaniel is a former Midway and Versailles police officer.

Beyond the financial part of the contract, the committee considered a renegotiation of the shifts officers would work while providing service to Midway, a possibility Traugott and Fugate were open to.

The current contract calls for the police department to provide “daily, around-the-clock” service to Midway, which it currently fulfills by using two eight-hour shifts and having officers on call for the remaining eight hours.

Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher, who also serves on the committee, didn’t arrive in time for the committee’s discussions with Traugott and Fugate, but supported the revision of the shift terms if it would result in more comprehensive service for the city.

A view of the lot from above its side fence on Cross Street

Land-use dispute: The committee also discussed a land-use issue at 120 S. Winter Street, continuing a conversation opened during the full council meeting on Sept. 4 about a gravel parking area laid from the lot’s backyard to Cross Street without the city’s permission.

The owner of the lot, Emmajo Pulley Gray, applied for an encroachment permit to allow access to and from Cross Street, but only after the work was completed and she got a letter from the city attorney asking her to.

Gray has not appeared before the council to explain the rationale for the work, but her neighbor Charles Logan speculated at the previous meeting that installation of blacktop on the lot could result in damage to his property from water runoff.

Council Member Steve Simoff, who was present at Thursday’s meeting but does not serve on the committee, passed along heard additional concerns from Gray’s neighbors, and expressed a need on the council’s part to identify what her plans for the lot were before taking further action.

“Are [they] going to have a business operating out of there, or is it just going to be a place for storage?” Simoff asked.

The committee agreed to recommend that the council deny Gray’s encroachment request.

Lights on North Gratz: Southworth and McDaniel briefly discussed the committee’s plans to contact Kentucky Utilities about the cost of installing new streetlights on North Gratz Street.

The lights would be placed to help navigation to and from Walter Bradley Park, which saw a host of improvements last year, as well as the businesses in the area, including the new Brown Barrel restaurant and Darlin Jean’s Apple Cobbler Café.

Southworth asked Deputy Clark Sonya Conner to check with Kentucky Utilities about the cost of lights.

Council sticks with Stephens speed bumps, hears Soper back officials' pay raise, and helps merchants with signs

The Midway City Council stuck with its new speed bumps for now, helped merchants pay for signage, and heard a strong endorsement of its proposed pay raise Monday evening.

The council also had first reading of the city budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and passed on second reading an ordinance allowing all nonprofit organizations, not just churches, to get once-a-week trash pickup instead of twice a week.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and council members were expecting comments from guests about the removable speed bumps installed a week ago on East Stephens Street to discourage speeding on the avenue, which becomes Weisenberger Mill Road. They got one complaint and one compliment, and had a lot more discussion among themselves.

Dakota Shaw, who lives in the 200 block of South Gratz Street, said the devices had diverted speeders into her street and others, and "They're speeding more than usual." She added, "There's a lot of kids where I live, so it's pretty dangerous."

Margi Stout, of the 200 block of East Stephens, said she favored the bumps "or whatever mechanism you choose to do," because traffic on the street "has improved immensely."

She said the biggest problem had been from eastbound drivers going downhill out of town. "By the time they get to Gratz, they're going like 55 or more. . . . Something had to be done, and it does seem to be helping."

Vandegrift said, "They're extremely effective, but there have been some concerns brought forth. I'm a little disappointed that, you know, then, some of the voices on social media didn't come to the meeting tonight, because they were invited to. But that's kind of the nature of social media, in some respect."

Vandegrift said he was sorry that he had not checked beforehand with Woodford County Ambulance Director Freeman Bailey, who was concerned that the bumps could cause complications for patients being transported. He acknowledged that they had diverted traffic to other streets, and said the city has ordered a sign to alert motorists that they are approaching the bumps. UPDATE, May 16: Here's a short video of traffic crossing the bumps:

The mayor recommended that the city get bumps "that aren't quite so tall" because "You have to go 5 miles an hour over those" that have been installed. But later he said that if shorter bumps didn't work, the city would "be between a rock and a hard place."

Council Member Bruce Southworth, who lives on East Stephens and spearheaded the purchase, said "I think they're doing exactly what they're designed to do." Later, he said, "We need more of 'em in town."

In response to a question from Council Member Steve Simoff, Southworth said he didn't know the speed rating for the bumps, but "I ordered the tallest ones they had," 3 inches high. The speed limit on the street is 25 miles per hour.

Council Member Libby Warfield said she had received three calls for the bumps and three against, with some suggesting four-way stops at various intersections.

Council Member Sara Hicks suggested using 2-inch bumps on Stephens and moving the 3-inchers to other streets. But when Simoff asked Council Member John McDaniel, a former city policeman, what he thought, McDaniel said "Give it more time," and the council informally agreed.

Pay raise: Hicks reported that the council's Ordinance and Policy Committee had recommended that the mayor and council elected next year be paid $12,000 and $4,800 a year, respectively, instead of the current $1,200 and $600. She gave many of the same reasons that she gave in an interview with the Messenger last week.

"We think that we are going to have a lot more work ahead of us, because of the way Midway Station is developing," Hicks said. "We want the positions to be positions that younger people would be willing to give their time up for, and we think that if we raise the money that maybe we'll get some fresh, new ideas."

John Soper, the paid chairman of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, said "I strongly endorse those concepts."

Soper, who was at the meeting to report on developments at Midway Station, said the mayor and council will have many more decisions to make about the industrial and commercial development in the next few years. He said "the work's there," and so is the revenue, to justify a mayoral salary of $25,000 that could be raised to $40,000.

"Twelve thousand dollars is not enough to put up with me for what's coming at us," said Soper, who had some contentious meetings with Vandegrift and the council last year. "We've got a major project going on out there . . . and it needs to be shaped by the people in this room. . . . It's going to require a lot of time and your effort."

Soper alluded to the county's longstanding conflict between preservation and development interests. He is identified with the former, and Midway has been largely identified with the latter. "There is probably no town in Kentucky that has a better identity than Midway," he said, "and we've got to keep that."

Earlier, Soper said commercial development at Midway Station is about to start, with sale of a big lot for a convenience store. He said an "ag retail" business may buy eight acres and a "high tech
manufacturing" company that serves automobile plants may locate on the remaining 1.5 acres of original industrial land in the development.

Other business: The council voted to give the Midway Business Association $600, the remainder of its donations budget for the fiscal year, to keep signs on Interstate 64 and place a new sign downtown directing motorists to parking, shopping and the city park.

"A lot of people coming into our city don't know where everything is," MBA President Peggy Angel said.

Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher said she was more concerned about the interstate signs, the fees for which are due this month. Angel said the group had run short of money to pay the $1,200 bill, and had obtained about $200 in donations from non-member antique stores because one sign in each direction of the road mentions antiques.

In other business, Gallagher stepped down as chair of the Tourism and Outreach Committee, saying she was going to help start a new business. Vandegrift appointed McDaniel to succeed her.

The council granted an event permit for the annual Horsey Hundred bicycle race, which will pass through town May 27 and 28. There will be live music in the Darlin' Jean's parking lot from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 27.

The second reading of the proposed city budget for 2017-18 is scheduled for the council's next meeting, on June 5. The pay raise will also be up for discussion, but it would require drafting of an ordinance, which requires two readings.

Council rezones, starts to annex land for industry; discusses restaurant vestibule in Main Street sidewalk

By Austyn Gaffney

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway’s City Council rezoned and began to annex more property for industry at Midway Station, and discussed the new, temporary vestibule outside Heirloom Restaurant, at a regular meeting Monday night. It also heard about safety trainings that will be available in the city.

The council approved a zoning map amendment and heard first reading of an annexation ordinance for 34 acres at Midway Station that Lakeshore Learning Materials intends to use for expansion of the distribution center it is building. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said second reading and passage are set for the next meeting, Feb. 20.

The council also approved a reimbursement agreement with the Woodford County Economic Development Authority for Midway’s commitment of $450,000 for the $2.8 million gas line to Midway Station. The EDA plans to repay Midway most, if not all, of the financial commitment with net profits from land sales.

The council also heard from Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler. He invited the community to a monthly, one-hour CPR training for bystanders at the Woodford County Courthouse, and a Community Emergency Response Training session Saturday, Feb. 25 and Saturday, March 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lunch provided, at The Homeplace at Midway.

The council approved Chandler’s proposal to apply for a grant from Kentucky’s Homeland Security Department to buy a new computer for the fire department.

Proposals by council members at the end of the meeting included Sara Hicks’ request to move the city’s cemetery database to a user-friendly site like www.findagrave.com or www.billiongraves.com, to which members of the Veterans Committee have posted the graves of military personnel. Libby Warfield praised those efforts, led by committee member Jimmie Murphy.

John McDaniel suggested the downtown Christmas tree be moved to another location replaced by a smaller tree less likely to damage surrounding infrastructure. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift agreed. Warfield complained about speeding near the lower end of Cottage Grove, and she requested that Vandegrift consider adding a three-way stop there.

The recently installed vestibule at Heirloom

Warfield’s complaint wasn’t the only one discussed Monday evening. Vandegrift said county Planning Director Pattie Wilson told him she has received two or three complaints about the vestibule recently placed outside Heirloom restaurant.

Vandegrift said the main issues were the obstruction of the sidewalk, which he said he wouldn’t press for now because the city leases the restaurant sidewalk space for tables and chairs in the summer, and a potential fire hazard. He said the fire department is aware of the vestibule, and the fire inspector will make a report about the safety of the structure before the city moves forward with any other action.

Wilson said in an interview, “I have received several complaints anonymously, and the concerns are that it sets a precedent for all businesses along the railroad. The concerns are a safety hazard and an aesthetic issue for the street. It’s both a visual, but most importantly, a health-and-safety issue.”

Hannah Smith, a server at Heirloom, told the Midway Messenger that the vestibule is a temporary structure added to retain heat during the winter.

“It’s exactly what Grey Goose puts up every winter in front of their restaurant,” Smith said. “It’s so our customers don’t get blasted with cold air through the front door.”

Vandegrift noted that the Grey Goose’s vestibule doesn’t obstruct a public passway, and said he is worried about setting a precedent.

“Can you imagine if every business had one of those things outside?” Vandegrift asked the council. He said he brought up the matter at the meeting so council members could explain it to their constituents if they inquired.

Police still seek convenience-store thief, step up patrols

By Kaitlyn Taylor
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Police are still looking for the employee who they think stole $30,000 and a truck from the Midway Food Mart on Nov. 20. The theft has prompted Versailles police, who patrol all of Woodford County, to increase their presence in Midway in the third shift, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

A Versailles police officer who lives in Georgetown parks his cruiser at the convenience store. (Photo by Kaitlyn Taylor)

According to police and an employee of the store, Baljit Singh, the suspect is Greg Smith, who worked as a handyman for the Shell-brand convenience store for four to six months.

Singh, brother of the store manager, said he never suspected Smith. “He was working with us for the past six months,” he said, “and we never doubted him.” But WLEX-TV quoted the manager as saying that Smith had taken the truck and disappeared for two days before returning.

Singh said the theft occurred while Smith was fixing ceiling tiles. “We are open 24/7 and employees were still present when he was doing his job,” Singh said. “He was the one who put the safe in the ground. Maybe it was since then that he put the plan in his mind.”

Although the safe needed a code to open it, Singh said, Smith broke into the safe and walked out the front door as if nothing had happened. According to police, Smith was caught doing the crime on surveillance cameras before unplugging surveillance them and unlocked the office door through the ceiling tiles.

Greg Smith (driver's license
photograph via WLEX-TV)

Smith hopped in the black Ford F-150 that belongs to the store and has not been seen since. Police are continuing to search for him and the truck, and have a warrant for his arrest, said Mike Murray, assistant chief of the Versailles Police Department.

“We are still going over the video and surveillance,” said Lt. Michael Fortney. “Stuff like this does affect the community. Luckily no one was hurt and we want to tell people it is a random, isolated incident.”

Fortney said police “have stepped up patrols” in the Midway area in response to the theft.

Murray said, “Whenever on third shift, all the officers that work in the Midway district, especially any business that is open 24/7, we constantly do extra patrols. Third shift is so vigilant under business checks. That’s what we focus on, on third shift." He also said that after the theft, officers in the northwestern part of the county were told to also keep an eye on the Midway area.

Fortney said police want to make sure that the area near the interstate is a safe environment for locals and those who are passing through.

“We have an officer that is assigned to Midway city limits 24 hours a day and we want to let people know that they are safe and that we are taking this seriously,” he said. “We stepped up our patrols before this convenience store was opened. We simply added it to our routes when Subway, McDonald’s and other businesses were building in that area and when it officially opened.”

According to police, when the store opened three years ago, they stepped up patrols because it was the first 24/7 business in Midway. An officer who lives in Georgetown parks his cruiser at the store, Fortney said. Murray said officers may also fill out paperwork in their cruiser at the store when time permits.