City Council adds downtown water station to budget, discusses alternatives for large sidewalk project

The Midway City Council added a downtown water station to the proposed city budget and discussed how to handle a much bigger project, new sidewalks, at its first workshop on Mayor Grayson Vandegrift's proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Meeting by online videoconference, the council approved a motion by Bruce Southworth and seconded by Stacy Thurman to put into the budget $5,000 for a water station on East Main Street, as suggested and priced by Logan Nance. He said it would have a standard fountain and spouts for water bottles and pet bowls. The city has a public water fountain only when City Hall is open.

In his initial budget proposal, Vandegrift proposed spending $50,000 to build a sidewalk on Stephens Street to Sexton Way, which leads to The Homeplace at Midway. Last week, he suggested waiting a year to find grants to expand the project to Brand Street, while assessing the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today he said the pandemic's impact would be uncertain, but noted that the city was already expecting to exceed its occupational-tax forecast by $175,000. He said the city's largest employer, Lakeshore Learning Materials, gave 100 employees two weeks off with pay, and the second-largest, Midway University, is still working (though the campus and farm are closed to the public).

The latest price for the Stephens Street sidewalk is $75,000. Vandegrift said it would have to be built on the north side of the street, because drainage is on the south side, requiring a crossing, and would also require a "fairly long" footbridge over a low spot. Nance said a crossing with lights and signs would help slow speeders, long a problem on Stephens.

Black dots mark original idea for large sidewalk project.
(Google map, adapted) 

Vandegrift said, "We're probably not going to be able to find a grant," for the Stephens sidewalk, and that it would be more economical to have a later, larger project that would include Brand Street, reaching Dudley Street (where another footbridge would be needed) and tying into Walter Bradley Park trails leading to Northside Elementary School. That would qualify the project, or at least part of it, for a Safe Walk to Schools grant, he said.

Thurman said she saw the logic in a combined project, but "We have to really let people know the big picture if we’re gonna put it off a year." Nance said waiting would save $25,000; Vandegrift agreed, noting that the grant would cover 80 percent of eligible costs.

"Part of me thinks we should build the one on Stephens and look for grants later on." Vandegrift said.

John Holloway questioned whether there is room for a sidewalk in the railroad underpass on Brand, and suggested that the grant application could say the route to the school is via Gratz Street, which already has sidewalks. Vandegrift said the engineer he consulted wasn't certain the underpass is wide enough, and the Gratz route could be an option.

"I’d like to see that sidewalk as quickly as possible," Vandegrift said, but "I was worried we might not get the best bang for our buck . . . Going to Gratz might be way smarter. . . . We can do either one."

The mayor agreed with Kaye Nita Gallagher's suggestion that if the project needs extra money, some could be taken from the $25,000 snow-removal budget, most of which has not been used, except to stockpile salt.

The other major point of discussion was the proposed budget of $30,000 for attorney services, up from $21,000 in the current year. Questioned by Nance, Vandegrift said new city attorney Sharon Gold is one of the best lawyers in the state and is charging the city $274 an hour instead of her regular fee, which is more than $300 an hour.

Vandegrift said part of Gold's work is done by lower-priced associates, and the city has less work for its attorney than before because he has six years of mayoral experience and new City Clerk-Treasurer Cindy Foster can write ordinances.

In other business, the council approved a resolution commending Gov. Andy Beshear for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, citing "great leadership" that has been "nonpartisan," a "swift response and a "calm demeanor" in his daily updates, and actions that "protected the most vulnerable" and encouraged citizens "to maintain good social distance and personal hygiene." Vandegrift said the resolution was suggested by an unnamed citizen and written by Nance.

State and local officials celebrate new Weisenberger Mill bridge and recount the decade-long story that led to it

Transportation Secretary Jim Gray cut the ribbon, with other officials, the contractor and Weisenberger family members.

The Weisenberger Mill bridge, a Midway landmark that reopened last month after being closed for almost three and a half years, closed again for two hours today so state and local officials could celebrate a very unusual project: building a one-lane span nearly identical to the one built around 1935.

"It looks just like the old one," said Sally Weisenberger, a member of the family that owns the historic mill on South Elkhorn Creek, before the ribbon cutting. The mill and its dam create a favorite scenic spot for locals and visitors, but the area's history and distinctiveness created challenges to replacing the span: years of debate and reviews historical and environmental, and months of negotiating with property owners for construction easements.

The biggest debate was about how wide the bridge would be. Scott County Magistrate Chad Wallace told the crowd that people in the area, including the Zion Hill community at the county's southern tip, agreed at a 2013 meeting that it should be one lane, "at a time when one-lane bridges seemed foreign in the transportation world."

Neighbors feared a two-lane bridge would only attract more heavy trucks seeking a shortcut, and cause more speeding and more wrecks, especially in the sharp curve on the Woodford County side. State engineers resisted, but finally relented.

In October 2017, almost 16 months after it closed the bridge for safety reasons, the Transportation Cabinet agreed to a new, one-lane span, a pony truss modeled on the old one.

A one-lane bridge "makes us be patient," Wallace said, alluding to the scenic surroundings. "You get to soak it in while you're waiting for a car to pass."

Gray spoke after District Highway Engineer Kelly Baker, at left.

As the waters of the creek roared over the dam, Transportation Secretary Jim Gray told the crowd, "There's arguably not many projects in our state that convey a sense of history and culture as much as this project does. . . . It is picture-perfect, postcard-perfect."

The project required "minimizing impact to surrounding properties, making sure this bridge fit the context of the area and the nature of the original bridge," said Kelly Baker, the Highway Department's chief district engineer. "I think we met our goals ... to preserve that integrity. I see a structure we all can be proud of."

"It adds to the beauty we have around here," said state Rep. Phillip Pratt, a Republican from Georgetown.

Rep. Joe Graviss, D-Versailles, thanked God "for his divine intervention" in getting the bridge replaced and seeing that no one was injured during construction.

Kenny Roller of Louisville Paving and Construction Co., the contractor, said the new span was fabricated at a Big R Bridge plant in Abingdon, Virginia, and assembled in the Midway Station industrial park. The company completed the work well before the May 1 completion date in its contract; the new span opened to traffic Dec. 23.

Baker told the Midway Messenger that the bridge would have no posted weight limit, because it can support 80,000 pounds, the regular weight limit on state roads. The bridge connects county roads, but the state agreed to take responsibility for replacing it around 2010, when then-Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway, got the first state funds appropriated for it.

The event was a bit intriguing to Phil Weisenberger, in the sixth generation of the family that started the mill in 1865. "I figured it's such a sore subject they'd just keep quiet about it," he said. "But it's nice to have it back open." He attended with his grandmother, Bett Weisenberger, 93.

Leestown Road to be closed at railroad overpass near Midway from 7 p.m. Thursday to 3 a.m. Friday

The state Transportation Cabinet says the Department of Highways will close Leestown Road (US 62/421) at the railroad overpass about 1.6 miles east of Midway tomorrow night to install drainage pipe. The location has a persistent drainage issue, posing an ice hazard in freezing weather.

The closure is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, extending to 3 a.m. Friday. "All work, and closures are subject to change depending on weather, emergencies, and other factors beyond the control of the Department of Highways," the cabinet said in a news release today.

Local traffic will be able to use Leestown Road on either side of the overpass. "Appropriate signage will be in place to guide/direct the traveling public," the release said. Guardrails were installed at the site yesterday.

State Transportation Cabinet confirms Weisenberger Mill bridge is scheduled to open Monday, at 8 a.m.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet photo

The state Transportation Cabinet confirmed this afternoon that the new Weisenberger Mill Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic at 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, five months ahead of schedule. "The bridge, on Weisenberger Mill Road (CR 1015), restores a critical link over South Elkhorn Creek in Scott and Woodford counties," the cabinet's District 7 office said in a news release.

“Restoring this vital connection for motorists and emergency services who depend on the bridge daily was a priority,” said Kelly Baker, chief engineer for District 7. “We listened to the needs of the public, and worked diligently with the contractor to accelerate the opening of the new bridge.”

The old bridge was closed July 1, 2016, after a routine inspection found advanced deterioration was found in the bottom and outermost members that run parallel to the surface of the bridge. The bridge, which had been used by heavy trucks as a shortcut, had been operating under repeatedly lower weight limits, finally at only three tons.

After delays for historical and environmental studies, including citizen input, the state gave up its plans for a two-lane bridge and agreed to install a one-lane structure very much like the old one. "The newly constructed bridge fits within the context of the environment," the release said. "The goal of the project team was to closely match the features of the previous structure. The bridge is a pony truss with galvanized steel, and a concrete deck."

Louisville Paving Co. was the sole bidder on the project and began work Aug. 12. It removed the old bridge in late August and placed the new structure in late November. Crews were working on signs and other final measures today.

The bridge is a popular destination and route for tourists, runners and cyclists, since it overlooks the historic, family-owned Weisenberger Mill, which has been grinding flour in the same location since 1865 and in the same building since 1913. The traffic count on Weisenberger Mill Bridge Road in 2012 was 1,200 vehicles per day, the cabinet said.

Weisenberger Mill bridge about ready for Mon. opening

Bill Jenkins of the Woodford County Road Department walked across the new Weisenberger Mill bridge yesterday morning. The department's Tom Fortenberry said the bridge will be ready for traffic, once state contractor Louisville Paving Co. installs the ends of guardrails.

Louisville Paving posted signs at the Scott County junction of US 62 and 421 saying that the bridge will open Monday, Dec. 23, but the state Transportation Cabinet has been unwilling to guarantee that. Construction went faster than expected largely because of favorable weather, Fortenberry said.

The state is paying for the bridge under a long-ago trade with Woodford County, which is responsible for the bridge under a previous agreement with Scott County. (South Elkhorn Creek is the county line.) The Woodford County Road Department was responsible for blocking traffic and posting signs after the state closed the bridge for safety reasons on July 1, 2016.

Replacement of the bridge was delayed by historical and environmental concerns. In response to concerns by nearby residents who feared a two-lane bridge would lead to more speeding and wrecks, especially in the curve on the Woodford County side, the state contracted for a one-lane pony truss bridge much like the one built in 1935.

Newton Street to be closed at intersection with Dudley Street at 3:30 today due to flooding, cold temperatures

The outlet through Midway University is at lower right. (Google base map)

Newton Street will be closed at its intersection with Dudley Street at 3:30 today due to flooding of Lee Branch and cold temperatures, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced via email at 1:45 p.m.

"Because of floodplain runoff from the recent heavy rains, and the falling temperatures, a dangerous, icy condition at the bend on Newton St. where it meets Dudley has caused us to make the decision to close Newton Street at 3:30 p.m. today," Vandegrift wrote. "It will reopen at 8 a.m. tomorrow, and at this time we do not expect any further trouble occurring from this."

The mayor said Newton Street residents won't be cut off; they "will be able to leave their homes by using the back entrance to Midway University," and going through the campus to East Stephens Street. "We’re thankful to Midway University for allowing our residents to exit through campus," he wrote. "Let me know if you have any questions."

State reschedules lane closure for drainage work at railroad overpass: tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Google base map

The state Transportation Cabinet has rescheduled its closure of a lane on Leestown Road at the railroad overpass 1.65 miles east of Midway for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.

The closure is necessary for shoulder work and ditching operations, presumably to resolve a drainage issue near the overpass. The work was postponed from the original date of Monday, Dec. 16, due to inclement weather. The state has posted portable signs warning of possible ice on the highway.

The lane closure will be in effect at Woodford County milepoint 16.15 of US 62, near the overpass and Davistown Road. "All work, and closures are subject to change depending on weather, emergencies, and other factors beyond the control of the Department of Highways," the cabinet's news advisory says.

Lane of Leestown Road at railroad overpass near Midway WON'T close today for work, state says

UPDATE: The work and the lane closure have been delayed "due to inclement weather," the Transportation Cabinet said this morning. (The original item was published Friday.)

Google base map

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet advises motorists of a lane closure planned for Leestown Road (US 421/US 62) for shoulder work and ditching operations Monday, Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The location, at US 62 milepoint 16.15 in Woodford County, is near the railroad overpass 1.65 miles west of the Midway city limits. The area has had drainage issues for some time and signs warning of possible ice were placed recently, apparently after a motorist slid into a guardrail.

"All work, and closures are subject to change depending on weather, emergencies, and other factors beyond the control of the Department of Highways," the cabinet's news release says.

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."

Mayor looks back at a year of improvements in Midway, suggests others to be made with booming tax revenue

By Garrett Burton
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Monday’s City Council meeting was almost entirely dedicated to Mayor Grayson Vandegrift’s annual report, looking back at what had been accomplished in Midway the past year. 

This was “the year we truly put our money where our mouth is in making large investments in our infrastructure . . . but we can’t rest on our laurels,” Vandegrift told the council, suggesting ways the council can use its booming payroll-tax revenue to make more improvements.

“Tax revenue created from new jobs is growing, and that it’s steadily improving our city’s fortune and future as it grows,” the mayor said, announcing that “We are 29 percent ahead of our occupational-tax revenue for the fiscal year, putting us on track to generate $838,000 this cycle.”  The city budgeted $650,000 in occupational-tax income for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

The tax revenue from wages and profits has boomed mainly because of the Lakeshore Learning Materials distribution center, and further job growth will be led by expansion of the center, with 100 new jobs, announced in September. Vandegrift said this puts Lakeshore’s total investment the Midway at around $75 million.

In the only major action at the meeting, the council passed an ordinance authorizing $35 million in industrial revenue bonds for the expansion. The bonds will be paid off solely by Lakeshore’s lease payments to the city, which owns the property. That makes it tax-exempt, but Lakeshore will pay the county schools an amount equal to what it would pay in taxes.

“They will eventually employ at least 362 full time workers in Midway, far and away the largest job provider the city has ever had, and one of the largest in the county,” Vandegrift noted.

The mayor said “2019 saw us create over 225 more jobs in Midway,” and with other jobs expected from businesses that have bought lots in Midway Station, ”It won’t be long until our annual occupational tax revenue is exceeding 1 million dollars. For reference, back in 2015, we were bringing in $300,000.  That is the effect of bringing in 500 new jobs in five years.”

The city used the new revenue to make improvements, including a sidewalk-repair cost-sharing program.  “Of every project we’ve implemented in the last five years,” Vandegrift said, “none generated the number of compliments we received from citizens than this one.”

He said the city “should look seriously” at building new sidewalks “where they are needed and where they are possible,” such as East Stephens Street near the Homeplace at Midway, Leestown Road (US 421) and “the US 62 bypass,” officially Midway Road. He noted that sidewalks on the latter two would “require state input and/or participation.”

When East Stephens Street was repaved, it also got new lines in the center and on its edges.

Other infrastructure improvements this year have included the wastewater treatment plant and improvement this fall of East Stephens Street, including “edge lines which early eyewitness reports indicate are slowing traffic,” Vandegrift said. “It is time we create a five year road plan for a priority list of which roadways should be resurfaced soon,” he said, such as Higgins, Bruen and Gratz streets.

"Money is budgeted this fiscal year for a sewer repair project “that will mark a turning point for us in our efforts to combat aging infrastructure,” the mayor noted.

He said a “decades-long grievance about Midway,” its high water rates, could be ended by switching to a new water wholesaler in 2015, when the city’s contract with Kentucky American Water Co. is up. “Frankfort Plant Board is an obvious and strong candidate for our business because they can sell us equally clean water at a rate 40% cheaper,” he said, but “as other players come to the table, we should hear them out as well.” He said “wholesalers within our own county” are interested.

After the meeting, he said the interest is from the City of Versailles, which already supplies water to the Northeast Woodford Water District, but it’s unclear whether the water would come directly from Versailles or through the district’s lines.

The mayor ended his annual report by thanking city employees, whom he called “the unsung heroes of Midway.” Earlier, he thanked the council members, the Midway Business Association, Midway Renaissance and the city Parks Board for their work.

“I look forward to continuing to work together with you to maintain Midway’s status as a city that defies all expectations,” he said.

Earlier, noting that Versailles and Georgetown have followed Midway’s lead in banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, he said, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that because a city is small that it somehow matters less.”

All council members applauded at the conclusion of the report, which can be read in full here.

Other business: Vandegrift said the long-debated ordinance to crack down on blighted property, which he has been trying to get passed since his election in 2015, should be ready for first reading at the Dec. 16 meeting.  He said he plans to have the second reading and final vote Jan. 6, but a special meeting if there are further questions.

 “I firmly believe this is the only way to tackle the problem of blight and abandonment,” he said, “and the current version is a great example of cooperation and compromise.”

Council Member Logan Nance asked that the council discuss the policy of shutting off water users for nonpayment, policy he said in September should be abolished. Vandegrift said the issue is “next on the agenda.”

Message from the mayor: Be careful as we go through the winter’s first snowfall

Hello everyone,
     This is just a friendly reminder that the first snow of the year tends to lead to a lot of accidents, likely because we haven’t been driving in those conditions for some time.
     While this weather event may turn out to be little, the conditions are right for potential ice overnight and in the morning on your commute. Wright Farm Services is prepared to respond if conditions necessitate, but don’t count on roads outside of Midway having been treated thoroughly.

     Please take extra caution; we’ve been driving on mostly dry roads lately.
Stay safe,
Grayson Vandegrift, Mayor
City of Midway

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

By Garrett Burton
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."

More videos and photos from the 'pick' of the Weisenberger Mill bridge

This video was taken from just above the mill dam. For the completion of the "pick," as the move was called, go to Midway Messenger reporter Dalton Stokes' story, below or here.

Crane operator Joe Fisher (yes, really) of Taylorsville fished as he waited for other workers to finish preparations for the pick. He said he had fished in all manner of waters, never in Elkhorn Creek, but when he visited the site the day before, he said to himself, "I'm going to make a few casts." In ideal conditions, he caught five largemouth and one smallmouth bass, all too small to keep.

Jay Weisenberger waited at his vantage point for the work to begin. His family has operated a mill at the site since 1865; the current building was erected in 1913, partly with stone from the original mill. It is no longer directly powered by water; water flowing from the creek behind the dam drives a generator that contributes to the electric power used to run the mill.
Below, a wider shot taken at about the same time, showing the crane, the mill, the dam and the creek.

After 84 years, there is no bridge across South Elkhorn Creek at Weisenberger Mill; new one to be done by May

Story and Vimeo video by Dalton Stokes
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

After six years of debates and preparations, the Weisenberger Mill bridge was removed from its moorings with a 550-ton crane at around 11 a.m. Friday.

A handful of spectators gathered to watch the crane lift the 84-year-old bridge over the corner of the mill and onto a trailer bed. Many spectators were part of the Weisenberger family who had come to see the bridge that they had known all their lives to be lifted and hauled away.

Among them was Phil Weisenberger, who manages the family-owned mill. He said the bridge “had always been there, and it was strange to leave, but time marches on.”

Doug Elam, a neighbor to the bridge on the Woodford County side of South Elkhorn Creek, said  “It Looked like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade with a balloon” as the crane slowly swung the bridge through the air on a sunny morning.

Crane operator Joe Fisher visits with Kristey and Susan
Weisenberger after "picking" the bridge. (Photo by Al Cross)

The crane that "picked" the bridge, as engineers say, was from Sterett Crane and Rigging, based in Owensboro, and manned by crane operator Joe Fisher of Taylorsville, who caught a few bass in the creek before his part of the job began.

He said the crane measured the bridge’s weight at 52,300 pounds,  much heavier the 37,000-pound estimate given by Roger Wade, a structural engineer for Louisville Paving and Construction, the main contractor on the project. He said there were more asphalt and probably less rusted steel than he estimated.

The job wasn’t as easy as just picking up the bridge with the crane, putting on the truck bed and hauling it off. The tractor-trailer was too long to turn around, so the tractor and trailer were separated, and while the tractor turned around, Fisher and workers flipped the trailer around. Kentucky Utilities also had to de-energize overhead power lines for safety.

The bridge is to be rebuilt by May 2020 as most in the community requested, as a pony truss one-lane bridge much like the original. It was argued by some of the community in the decision-making process that the bridge should stay a one-lane bridge as opposed to a two-lane bridge to force southbound drivers to slow down for the sharp curve on the Woodford County side.

The bridge has been marked for either renovation or replacement since 2010, and required public meetings and studies because it is a state project. Woodford County is responsible for the bridge, but the state assumed control in return for the county doing some work for the state several years ago. Before any decision could be made, the damage from heavy trucks forced state engineers to close the bridge on July 1, 2016.

When the work was done, the view from above the mill dam looked very different than it had since 1935. (Photo by Al Cross)

Removal of Weisenberger Mill bridge is set for Friday

Thursday evening, the crane was in place for Friday's work. (Photo by Al Cross, Midway Messenger)

The steel structure of the Weisenberger Mill bridge will be removed by a crane Friday to make way for the new bridge, the state Transportation Cabinet announced in a press release.

"Louisville Paving Co. Inc. will take out the steel truss between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow. The time frame for lifting by crane to transfer truck is approximate," the release says. "Kentucky Utilities will de-energize the overhead power lines pending appropriate weather and temperature conditions." The weather is forecast to be sunny in the morning and partly cloudy in the afternoon, with temperatures rising from 66 degrees at 8 a.m. to 87 degrees in late afternoon.

Louisville Paving will move the bridge, which was built in 1935, to its yard. The new bridge will be built in a similar "pony truss" style because the State Historic Preservation Office deemed the site to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

The bridge has been closed since July 1, 2016 because of damage caused by heavy trucks. Its replacement was delayed by required hearings, historical and environmental studies, and right-of-way acquisition.

A Transportation Cabinet photo earlier in the day shows the lifting supports installed across the top of the bridge.

Mayor: Stephens Street sewer work, followed by paving there and elsewhere, is to be done in time for festival

Street paving on and near Stephens Street, following storm-sewer work on the street, is expected to be completed by Sept. 20, just in time for the Midway Fall Festival, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said in an email this morning. He gave this schedule:

• 8/26-9/1: Storm sewer pipe work on East Stephens Street
• 9/2-9/9: Concrete curb work on North Winter Street (near City Hall) and E. Stephens
• 9/10-9/13: Milling and paving on E. and W. Stephens, Starks Alley, N. Winter (near 421)
• 9/13-9/20: Clean up and finish

"This is obviously tentative," the mayor wrote. "Weather and unforeseen circumstances could delay this schedule, but this should be wrapped up by Fall Festival," which will be held Sept. 21-22. "Each of these areas is going to be much improved with more functional storm sewers, better storm-water flow, and better roadways."

Vandegrift said workers ruptured a gas line last Friday "due to the 'spaghetti' nature of lines that were buried a long long time ago without adequate mapping. That is all fixed up now, though, and the project is off to an otherwise smooth start. I’ll keep you apprised if anything changes or new developments occur."

Work starts on new Weisenberger Mill bridge

Work began this week on the new bridge over South Elkhorn Creek at Weisenberger Mill. This photo, looking south from the mill side, shows construction of a temporary road for a crane that will be used to remove the 1935 bridge for replacement with one of a similar style. The state Transportation Cabinet says the work by Louisville Paving Co. is expected to be completed by May 2020. The bridge has been closed for safety reasons since July 1, 2016, and its replacement was delayed mainly by required historical and environmental studies.

Weisenberger Mill bridge project gets same bidder, lower price, but still well above engineer's estimate

The second round of bidding for a new Weisenberger Mill bridge drew the same lone bidder, who bid much lower but still well above the estimate of state Transportation Cabinet engineers.

Louisville Paving bid $877,000 for the work, almost 42 percent above the estimate of $618,959. Still, that was a big improvement over the first bid: $1.95 million, 2¾ times the estimate of $709,889. The estimate was lowered because the soil-nailing part of the project, insertion of reinforcing bars into the creek bank, was removed and made part of an overall contract the state has issued for such work.

The Transportation Cabinet is expected to decide in about a week whether to accept the bid for the long-delayed project to replace a bridge that was closed more than three years ago.

After the first bid, Woodford County Magistrate Jackie Brown said Kelly Baker, the chief engineer at the cabinet's District 7 office in Lexington, told him that Louisville Paving bid on foundation work they would not have to do, and expected that a rebid would be much closer to the estimate.

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 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 for a shortcut to or from Interstate 64.

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 undergoreview 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.