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

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

City council, mayor draft ‘bare bones budget’ in virus response, but delay final action; sidewalk projects cut

By Emmanuel Flemister
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council and Mayor Grayson Vandergrift cut 10.6% of expenses from the mayor’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, in a meeting held Monday in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its unforeseeable end.

Vandergrift called the special meeting to draft what he called a “bare bones budget” after the town’s largest employer and taxpayer, Lakeshore Learning Materials, furloughed 225 of its 300 employees.

 With a loss of occupational-tax revenue looming, the council and Vandegrift agreed on $195,500 in potential cuts from the $1.83 million in expenses he had proposed.

”Obviously, a lot of things have changed,” Vandegrift said at the start of the discussion. “I think we’re going to have to rethink the way we budget for next year. . . . I am very concerned about our revenues.”

The mayor’s original budget anticipated $825,000 in occupational-tax revenue, but he said that is no longer certain. “Originally I hoped we could bounce back in the new fiscal year,” he said, but now, “Even if things go better than expected, I just don’t think the economy is gonna be in full stride by July 1.”

Vandergrift and some council members were not too pleased with having to make these changes. “This is a painful exercise for me,” the mayor said. None of the budget cuts are final, since there are two budgets are in the works: the bare bones budget and the “status quo budget,” as coined by Council Member Logan Nance.

Before the meeting, Vandegrift had already subtracted $50,000, delaying the Stephens Street sidewalk project for a year.

The project would extend a walk to The Homeplace at Midway, and Vandegrift was hoping to make it part of a larger project to extend a walk to Walter Bradley Park, which would lead to Northside Elementary School, making the overall project eligible for a federal walk-to-school grant. He said City-Clerk Treasurer Cindy Foster said getting the grant would probably take a year anyway.

Vandegrift suggested, and the council agreed, to suspend the city's cost-sharing program for sidewalks, for which he had proposed $20,000.

Several other projects and expenses are on the list of proposed cuts:

• $30,000 for finishing the cemetery’s pavilion.

       At this, Hicks exulted, “My baby!” She has been on the forefront of the project.
       Vandergrift said, “You know Sara is serious about this when she talks about pulling out her biggest project.” He noted that the concrete base for the pavilion “isn’t going anywhere; it would not be a detriment to that project to be delayed a fiscal year.”
       He said $5,000 needs to remain for the cemetery’s fence: “It’s pretty bad in spots and doesn’t look too great.” This cut was the biggest made by the council.

• $25,000 of the $50,000 proposed for street paving. “You got to leave something there,” said Vandergrift, noting the possibility of small, unexpected paving projects.

• $18,000 from training and travel for city officials and staff, which was originally proposed to be $20,000, down from the current year’s $22,000. This will cut travel to Kentucky League of Cities conferences, for which the elected officials get incentive pay.

       “I think here’s where we really need to make a sacrifice,” Vandergrift said. “This is going to cost me, and it’s also going to cost the veteran council members $2,000, but you know this is a sacrifice we’re willing to make.” He said the remaining $2,000 might be needed to pay for webinars to receive training.

• $10,000 for donations, the same as the current year’s budget. Nance said, “Since we’re not bringing in money, we don’t need to be giving it out.”

• $10,000 from the proposed $20,000 for the coming year’s contingencies, which would have been the same as the current year. “These are the little things that come up that don’t necessarily fit in the ledger, but we decide we have the money to do them,” Vandegrift. We’re saying: less of that.”

• $5,000 from the $35,000 proposed for fire department salaries, which are budgeted for $28,500 this fiscal year. “This is a way to cut $5,000 without really hindering them,” Vandegrift said, adding that salaries were on track to hit $30,000 by June 30.

• $5,000 for the proposed public water fountain on East Main Street. “No one’s going to want to share a fountain anyway,” considering the pandemic, Nance said.

• $2,500 for park improvements, cutting that $5,000 budget in half. The council budgeted $12,500 on park improvements for the current fiscal year.

• $20,000 in City Hall maintenance. Brick tuckpointing was supposed to be done, perhaps with a grant; the proposed total budget for maintenance was $45,000.

The council tentatively decided to keep Vandegrift’s proposed 2 percent pay raise for city employees, and to not shop around for health insurance instead of accepting a 9 percent increase. “I don’t like the idea of messing around with the health insurance, especially at a time of uncertainty, so I think we’re gonna have to bite the bullet on that one,” Vandegrift said.

The council discussed cuts in the water and sewer budgets but decided against it since those are enterprise funds, generating their own revenue. “Believe it or not,” Vandegrift said. “we’ve already cut out a lot from water and sewer in the past.”

The council and Vandegrift agreed they need to be conservative with funds during the pandemic because it is uncertain how long it will last, and there may be a resurgence after the initial wave passes. 

Vandergrift voiced fears of what could happen if the state allows too many businesses to reopen too soon. “There’s a lot of political pressure to just go ahead and push through, but I think that would be a disaster,” he said. “I think it would be a disaster economically. It might end up hurting the economy more in the long run.”

He elaborated, “If you look at every other pandemic in history, it’s like humans keep making the same mistakes over and over again, they come out too quickly.” He even fretted, “If we aren’t careful, we’re going to eat all our surplus on covid-19.”

Midway is sitting on $1.2 million in unbudgeted surplus, and Vandegrift said he is “confident that Midway, pound for pound, has the healthiest city coffers of any city in Kentucky.” It’s important to note the bare bones budget isn’t final.

Council members and the mayor noted that they can amend the budget anytime. “We don’t want to get rid of this stuff, just put it on hold,” Hicks said. “Things are unsure at this time, and we should just make sure the city remains stable . . . and have money for emergencies.”

Council Member Bruce Southworth said, “Everyone’s got to make sacrifices.”He suggested that the council wait a few weeks to finalize the budget, to see “how this is going to last.” Vandegrift said the budget must be approved by June 22 to have it advertised in The Woodford Sun, thus taking effect, before July 1.

Council gives closed shops a utility-bill break, hears mayor predict 'There will not be large events' this year

By Madison Dyment

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The coronavirus is still going strong, and Midway is meeting the challenges head-on, even if some plans are being altered in the process. A plan to relieve some financial burden of closed downtown businesses was one of the ideas the City Council adopted Monday.

The meeting also included final passage of the new 911 service fee, and updates on covid-19, including a forecast from the mayor that Midway will have no major events for the rest of the year.

To help the 21 downtown businesses that have been forced to close, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift proposed to forgive their minimum utility payments of $59.30. The minimum, set by ordinance, covers water, sewer and garbage service.

The city has promoted takeout from restaurants and provided parking for that function, but “with shops, we just haven’t been able to help them out,” said Vandegrift. “I know at a time like now they’ll really appreciate it.”

The council debated whether more businesses, or all businesses, should get the break. It passed Vandegrift’s plan 5-0 with one abstention, applying it only to the April billing, which the mayor estimated would total $1,186. He said he expects to get federal emergency reimbursement.

Vandegrift had offered the option of also forgiving the minimum bill for May, but the council agreed to discussing extending the plan at its May 4 meeting, along with the possibility of adding additional businesses to receive relief. Council Member Bruce Southworth, who abstained on the vote, wanted to include more businesses.

City officials aren’t the only ones coming to help Midway during these trying times. Vandegrift said Ambrose Wilson, the Midway area’s representative on the county school board, told him about a Midway citizen getting food from a church blessing box.

“He was just out for a walk and the person was sort of apologetic, and Ambrose was thinking, ‘Why are you apologetic for that?’,” said Vandegrift. “Our concern is that we know these people exist and that they’re using the blessings boxes, but we just can’t seem to identify them to help them.”

Wilson, who challenged Vandegrift in the 2018 mayoral election, offered to form a way that Midway citizens in hardship can be helped in a confidential matter, Vandegrift said, and he was happy to oblige. He asked Council Member Logan Nance to work with Wilson, with help from the Midway Baptist Church, which runs the local food bank and delivers food anonymously to those in need. The church can be reached at 859-846-4514.

“We’ve got the food to do it, so no one should be going hungry in Midway right now,” said Nance, a member of the church.

This goodwill seems to be a trend within the community. Between efforts to feed those in need, volunteers making masks for free distribution at City Hall, and more, Midway has come together while staying apart.

“There are so many examples in Midway where if someone sees an issue, they don’t say ‘That’s too bad,’ but instead say, ‘How can I help?’,” said Vandegrift.

Despite that good report, Vandegrift sadly informed attendees that, while decisions are not absolute yet, Midway will not have its usual summer and fall events.

“The truth of the matter is that 2020 is not going to be completely normal,” said Vandegrift. “There’s going to be many questions going forward about events in Midway, and I think people need to start preparing themselves that there will not be large events in Midway in 2020.”

The Midway Business Association, which holds the Midway Fall Festival on the third weekend of September, has scheduled a special online meeting for 10 a.m. Thursday to discuss “how the association can help our members,” the meeting notice says.

Even if many effects of the coronavirus are felt across Midway, the mayor announced that Midway still stands at zero confirmed cases of the virus. Masks and sanitizer are still available at City Hall, with roughly 800 masks remaining.

Vandegrift attributed the lack of cases to citizens’ doing “such a good job following social-distancing guidelines, staying healthy at home, and only going out when necessary.”

He added, “We’ve got to keep hanging in there. We’re all getting antsy; I want to be able to see people and say hi again, but we all have to hang in there longer.”

911 fee, Windstream request: Outside of covid-19, the council gave second reading and unanimous final passage to the ordinance funding the 911 dispatch center and other emergency services, levying a $59 annual fee on residential lots and higher fees for businesses.

“This is taking a step towards making sure 911 is funded going forward in an equitable way,” said Vandegrift. The fee was agreed on by representatives of the three governments in Woodford County and will take effect when the Versailles council and the county Fiscal Court pass it.

The fee will be added to the tax bill for each residential, commercial and industrial property and will replace the telephone-landline fee of $3.50 per month at the end of the year.

The council postponed a decision on an encroachment permit requested by Windstream Communications. The company wants to bury fiber optic cables in the sidewalk on the south side of East Main Street to provide service to a customer in the area.

The Windstream representative in the online meeting was unable to answer questions about the project, so Vandegrift said he would arrange a discussion with Windstream engineers, expressing concern about the city’s streetscape being destroyed and calling that “a frightening concept.”

Wednesday night, Vandegrift sent the council and the news media an email reporting, "I talked to an engineer today who cleared everything up and there will be no tearing up of road or sidewalk, and it’s to service 395 customers." He called a special council meeting for 5 p.m. Monday to act on the permit and work on the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The next regular meeting will be May 4 at 5:30 p.m. via an online Zoom conference. Vandegrift encouraged citizens to join the call or to send in statements to be read, to facilitate public involvement at a time when meetings can’t be held in person.

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.

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: Thankful for many things

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

As we come to another Thanksgiving I find I’m more thankful than ever. As always, I’m thankful for my friends and family and this wonderful community, but this year I’m also thankful for a few things specific to 2019:

I’m thankful, for example, that the sidewalk cost-sharing program was a smooth success (pun intended), that the street project came in under budget, and that we’re now a debt-free city. I’m also thankful that the council was agreeable to funding these initiatives, although they were not without their tough questions and discerning eyes, as they should be.

I’m thankful we were able to cut property taxes a little bit more, as we restructure our tax revenue stream for the future. I’m also thankful the blighted property and code enforcement ordinances are moving along smoothly and are hopefully headed for passage. And while I’m thankful for much more, I also know I’ve only got your attention for so long, but I’m very thankful we have a plan to give our city what it deserves – options – when its current 40-year contract with Kentucky American Water expires in 2025 and we’re free to go to the Frankfort Plant Board or another competing wholesaler so we can pay lower rates – much lower rates.

I’m also very thankful for our incredible city employees who keep the town running like a finely tuned machine. They deserve the long weekend they have coming up – and then some.

I hope you’re feeling as thankful as I am this Thanksgiving, and I hope you can keep those divisive topics off the table where the food belongs, topics like: “Are we Midwegians or Midwayans?” Some topics are just better left at the front door.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope to see you at the Tree Lighting this Friday night at 6:30.

Council cuts real-estate taxes, approves open-carry area, targets volunteer ordinance, ponders water cutoffs

By Megan Parsons, Grant Wheeler and Garrett Burton
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

A host of previous agenda items made their rounds at the Midway City Council meeting Monday night: taxes, water bills, a new entertainment destination center, and an ordinance from a decade ago about volunteer work on city property.

Taxes: Perhaps the most important decision of the night got the least discussion. The council lowered the tax rate on real property to 7 cents per $100, from 7.5 cents. The median value of a house and lot in Midway in 2017 was $165,700; at that value, a homeowner will pay $115.99 in taxes this year. The council kept the rate on personal property, including vehicles and watercraft, at 7.5 cents.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said both rates would produce the same revenue as last year. The 7 percent reduction in the real-estate tax follows a 25 percent reduction in the rate last year, driven by increased occupational taxes from business expansions.

Water: Reversing course, Vandegrift announced that he doesn’t plan to raise water rates "anytime soon" despite the state Public Service Commission's recent approval of a rate increase by the city's supplier, Kentucky American Water Co. The city did not pass along the previous increase, either, and Vandegrift had initially said he did not think the water system would be able to absorb another one.

In the usual roundtable that ends meetings, Council Member Logan Nance said shutting off someone’s water for not paying their bill “does not need to be a policy of ours.” He called such action “draconian” and said “Clean water is a basic human right; this policy only effects those who are impoverished.”

Vandegrift said he would refer the matter to the Public Works Committee, headed by Council Member Bruce Southworth, who was noncommittal about it in an interview afterward.

Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher, a member of the committee, did not seem fond of the idea. “I personally think they should cut off” non-paying customers in order to look out for customers who do pay, she said in an interview. “How far are you going to let them get behind?”

Council Member Stacy Thurman said in an interview, “I do agree it’s something we should look into, as it does seem harsh to shut someone’s water off if they simply cannot afford it. . . . I believe we must balance effectively running the city with some grace for people who are having a hard time, as there are some people who truly need help.”

Vandegrift said after the meeting that customers who haven't paid receive a delinquent notice five business days after the due date, telling them the last day to pay and the cutoff day if payment is not received by then. "Generally, the cutoff day is the 26th of each month and last day to pay is one day before," he said. "There is a reconnect fee of $25 for turning water back on."

Xs mark limits of entertainment center on adapted Google map

Entertainment: The council passed an ordinance designating parts of downtown as an "entertainment destination center," in which drinkers can take alcoholic beverages in and out of licensed premises within the center’s boundaries from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., as long as they have their beverage in a cup with the logo or name of the restaurant that served it.

Thurman said she would “like to strongly encourage licensed restaurants to use biodegradable cups or to recycle,” to keep waste to a minimum.

Vandegrift said “a couple of people” had expressed concern about the change, but he predicted it will “not be incredibly noticeable,” saying “I don't think there's going to be a New Orleans-type look.” The ordinance is written so that if problems arise, the mayor can suspend it.

The process for getting the state permit and notifying the public will delay the ordinance's effective date until probably Oct. 4, the day before the start of the fall meet at Keeneland Race Course.

The licensed restaurants inside the entertainment destination center will receive packets laying out what the ordinance entails, and there will be signs on sidewalks at the limits of the area, letting visitors know they cannot take their beverages outside the edge of the premises.

Volunteer ordinance: Council Member Sara Hicks, chair of the City Property Committee, said the three-member panel thinks the rest of the council should repeal a 2009 ordinance requiring volunteers to register, give details and file a waiver of liability before doing volunteer work on city property. She called the ordinance “unneeded, antiquated, and an obstacle for volunteers.”

Those who opposed the ordinance in 2009 feared it targeted groups who frequently volunteered in the community and saw it as an obstacle. Council members, none of whom are still on the council, said it was in the interests of the volunteers, giving them the same insurance protection as city workers.

The ordinance was passed in the first mayoral term of Tom Bozarth, on the advice of Phil Moloney, who remains the city's attorney. Bozarth retired in 2014 and was succeeded by Vandegrift, who said he never enforced it.

“I felt it was established to stop volunteerism in Midway,” he said. “I agree it needs to be repealed, to stop future administrations from enforcing it.” Repeal will require two readings at council meetings. The next meeting is Sept. 16.

Other business: The council appointed Cortney Neikirk to fill the city's vacancy on the Woodford County Tourism Commission, succeeding Cynthia Bohn, who resigned, citing time constraints. The commission, which is now getting much more revenue from the new hotel in Versailles, recently voted to hire an executive director and stop paying the Chamber of Commerce to staff it.

Vandegrift said the sewer and paving work on Stephens Street is "going as well as you could imagine," and when paying is competed, double yellow center lines and white edge lines will be painted on the street, to make it seem narrower and slow down speeders. He said curb work is scheduled to be concluded by Sept.9, followed by milling and paving Sept. 10-13.

The council approved an event permit for the fourth annual “Ernie’s Bacon Run” on the morning of Nov. 9, beginning in Walter Bradley Park and looping through Midway University with 5K and 15K routes. Midway Renaissance will share in the proceeds, and Soles4Souls will take donations of gently worn shoes. The event is named for Ernie Peel, a Central Kentuckian who helped hundreds of people discover their love of running. Peel had a love for bacon, and all finishers will get bacon.

Nance asked if the music that will be played by a DJ at the park will be contained to the park, since runners will start gathering at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. A Renaissance representative said the music would not be heard beyond the park.

All the votes were 5-0. Council Member John Holloway was absent.

Council plans to allow open containers of alcoholic drinks outdoors until 10 p.m. in downtown area

Google map, with Xs added by Midway Messenger to show limits
of the proposed "entertainment destination center," where the city
would post signs banning open containers beyond those points.

The Midway City Council tentatively decided Monday night the boundaries and rules of a proposed "entertainment destination center," in which drinkers can go in and out of licensed premises with alcoholic beverages as long as they stay within the center's boundaries.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift called the proposal, which the council heard July 15, an "open container ordinance." It is possible under a recent state regulation that allows cities to buy a license for $2,800. The rationale stated by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is to reduce the enforcement load on ABC agents and police, and to help localities promote tourism and economic growth.

The Versailles City Council recently adopted the idea, allowing the mayor to set and change the dates when its center will be effective. Vandegrift said Midway council members "seem to be more in favor a permanent, set time" that the council would establish with an ordinance.

"The point of the ordinance is to allow people to walk around and shop," Vandegrift said, but later asked how many shops are open at night, saying he was "playing devil's advocate." Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher mentioned a couple of shops, adding later that even if shops were not open, they would still attract window shoppers.

Council Member Logan Nance asked if more stores might stay open later if the council passed the ordinance, which he said would give the city "kind of a unique feel." Council Member John Holloway said, "If it turns out badly, we could just stop doing it."

The council agreed to end the open-container hours at 10 p.m., the discussed what the containers would look like. Versailles requires beverages to be in an unbreakable, "non-clear" container, such as a plastic Solo cup, perhaps in a style all the restaurants could use.

Council Member Stacy Thurman said her husband Ian, an ABC agent, said one reason for such a rule is that it is "kind of tacky" to see what someone is drinking. Council Member Sara Hicks said, "I kind of like the idea of a special cup; it could be a collector's item."

Vandegrift, a former restaurateur, called it "a great idea" but ultimately "untenable" because use of the cups would likely be inconsistent. The mayor said he would leave the "non-clear" provision out of the ordinance that he would present to the council Aug. 19, but "You all can put it in."

If the ordinance is enacted and the city buys the license, it would have to post signs marking the limits of the "entertainment destination center."

Vandegrift presented a map of the proposed boundary where open containers would be allowed, and the council made one adjustment, to allow them on Dudley Street in front of The Brown Barrel and Blind Harry's. The other limits would be the corner of Gratz and Martin streets, Winter Street and the end of East Main Street. In response to a question, Vandegrift said the parking lot at the end of East Main is private property and cannot be included in the boundary.

Midway Station: John Soper, chair of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, reported that recent closings of property sales in Midway Station had enabled EDA to make the annual interest payment on the bonds used to build the industrial and commercial park, relieving the city and county of the responsibility, and that if sales continue as expected and the bonds are refinanced this year, EDA will no longer need an appropriation from the city, which was $15,000 last year and is budgeted at $12,000 this year.

The most recent closing was on 9 acres sold to Journey Ministries, which plans to build a church and other facilities, including a day-care center that will be open to anyone. "I feel very encouraged about where we're heading," he said, adding later, "I think we've got a great location, and in the real-estate business, that's what matters."

Soper did not mention something he reported at last month's EDA meeting, that Barnhill Chimney had decided not to buy a lot for a factory to make chimney caps.

Receiving certificates of appreciation from the Midway Veterans Committee were, from left to right, City Council Member Sara Hicks, chair of the Cemetery and City Property Committee; city employees James Downs, Terry Agee, Tim Agee and  Tim Spencer; and Sonya Conner, assistant city clerk. Retired clerk-treasurer Phyllis Hudson also received a certificate.

Good works: The Midway Veterans Committee, created 20 years ago to establish a monument to veterans in the Midway Cemetery, presented certificates of appreciation to several city employees as it prepared to disband, having accomplished its purpose and turning its functions over to the city.

One of those workers, Assistant City Clerk Sonya Conner, received an award for her recent completion of three years of municipal-clerk training. Vandegrift read a letter of recognition that said she had "sincere dedication to her work and the people of Midway," demonstrated "consistent, sound judgment and fairness to all" and "in the face of adversity" often did the jobs of two people, as recently retired clerk-treasurer Phyllis Hudson had health issues.

Vandegrift also recognized the contributions of Mark Roberts, a retired employee who continues to work for the city as a contract laborer, and Wastewater Superintendent Jack Blevins, who "has done a great job bringing our sewer plant back up to specifications," probably extending its useful life by 10 to 15 years. The city recently paid off the bonds it sold to build the plant almost 20 years ago.

Later in the meeting, Holloway said it was time to buy a $1,700 monument-moving machine for the cemetery. Vandegrift said he had already told city employee Terry Agee to order it.

Mayor breaks a tie: The council turned down a request from Midway University's tennis program to sponsor a regional tournament to be held at the school Aug. 9-11. The request was for $600, but Hicks moved to give $300, the sum the council provided last year, and Gallagher seconded the motion, noting that this year's event is expected to be larger.

Holloway said "I kind of feel iffy" about the sponsorship because the city recently gave the university $5,000 for improvements at the baseball field that is owned by the city but is "pretty much" exclusively used by the school. Nance, noting that the council had exhausted its donations budget by giving $5,000 toward a van for The Homeplace at Midway, said it would be irresponsible to go beyond the budget.

On the roll call, Council Member Bruce Southworth voted yes with Hicks and Gallagher, and Council Member Stacy Thurman voted no with Holloway and Nance -- who, like her, were elected for the first time last November. Vandegrift, who was elected to his second four-year term as mayor in November, voted no, denying the request. The mayor votes only in case of a tie.

In other business, the council:

• Approved paying $1,100 for extra police during the Midway Fall Festival, the amount that the city is saving because the Iron Horse Marathon is providing portable toilets for the newly combined events. The Midway Business Association, which runs the festival, will pay the rest of the cost, estimated by coordinator Elisha Holt to be a maximum of $1,560.
• Voiced no objections to Vandegrift's plan to allow electronic payment of water bills, with a fee of 3 to 4 percent for the vendor, which would be paid by those who choose the electronic option. "Three to four percent is still less than a late fee," Nance noted.
• Heard Vandegrift report that the sidewalk work is almost done and street work is expected to start in a week or two.
• Heard Assistant Police Chief Rob Young report that in July, Versailles police "definitely stepped up a lot of the traffic enforcement . . . at the request of the city."
• Appointed Assistant Fire Chief Joe Campbell to the county's 911 board.

Council accepts sidewalk bids, raises city's maximum share on each project to $2,000 from $1,000

The most expensive project will replace 160 linear feet of walk
at 105 S. Winter St. at a cost of $8,800. (Photo by Casey Parker-
Bell, UK School of Journalism and Media, November 2015)

The Midway City Council voted Monday night to accept the low bid for sidewalk work and to double the city's potential cost-sharing on projects to $2,000 each.

ADE Contracting Inc. of Lawrenceburg bid $39,790 to do the 11 projects. RT Infrastructure Inc. of Winchester bid $42,177, including a $1,345 bond fee that wa not part of ADE's bid. Council Member John Holloway and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the fee seemed high for such a relatively small project. Holloway also noted that RT lists itself as a sewer contractor, and ADE seems to have more experience with sidewalks and is re-qualified with state government.

Council Member Logan Nance moved to award the bid to ADE, and Council Member Bruce Southworth seconded. The motion passed 4-0. Council Member Sara Hicks was absent due to illness, and Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher abstained, since one project will be on her property.

For the last two years, the city has shared in the cost of sidewalk repairs, up to a maximum of $1,000 in city funds. The council voted 3-1 to increase the maximum to $2,000, which will reduce the remainder to be paid on eight of the 11 projects. On the four most expensive projects, that reduced the owners' shares by $1,000 each.

Holloway said after the meeting that he voted against paying more of the cost because he thought it was too much. "I've had to replace my sidewalks, and nobody gave me any money," he said.

UPDATE, July 5: Vandegrift told the council that "No tree will be cut down or altered as a result of the project. In some cases, the sidewalk can be tightened by a foot and still meet code, and in other cases in can be diverted around the tree."

At a special meeting June 27, the council voted to accept the low bid of Randle-Davies Co. of Frankfort, $155,525, for blacktopping projects. The other three bids ranged from $188,355 to $223,875. These bids and those for sidewalks are in the council meeting packet, downloadable here.

The council also declared surplus a house and lot at 426 S. Winter St. that was once used for the local library and is now used for storage by a local business. The declaration will allow the city to advertised for sealed bids for the property.

Holloway, who joined the council in January, suggested that the city could get more for the property by putting it on the open market. Vandegrift said the city can always reject bids as too low, and city attorney Phil Moloney said state law requires sealed bids. Gallagher, a retired state employee, told Holloway, "Welcome to government." The vote was 5-0.

Message from the mayor: Infrastructure summer is here

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway
     Three large infrastructure projects are planned and funded for this year, with two about to begin. Within days, bidders will be selected to complete our 2019 sidewalk rehabilitation project, which includes 11 projects as part of our cost-sharing program; and a major street project that includes paving, storm sewer repair, and curb installation and rehabilitation.

     The streets project encompasses parts of East and West Stephens, Starks Alley, and North and South Winter. The end of North Winter, near Leestown Road, will be paved, as will bad stretches of East and West Stephens. Storm sewer work will be done on Stephens, and curb installation will occur on the east end near Brand Street, with curbs also being replaced on Winter near City Hall. 

     Later in the year, a sanitary-sewer project is planned that will camera and clean out all sewer lines east of Winter, but not including Northridge, where the lines are relatively new. The project will tell us exactly why inflow and infiltration occurs on Smith Street (experts disagree), as well as give us invaluable knowledge of the issues that part of the system faces. Furthermore, the cleaning out of the lines with high powered water will immediately make them better functioning. This project is integral for us to know what sewer project needs to begin next, and to get a better idea of its scope. 

     Most of these projects will be non-intrusive, but please note that the street project will at times divert traffic around parts of Stephens, Starks, and Winter. This project should take a few weeks to complete once it begins, and the sidewalk project should also be finished up by late July or early August if the current timeline holds. The sewer project will begin sometime later this summer or fall. 

    As always, if you have any questions please feel free to email mayorgrayson@meetmeinmidway.com or call me at 859-361-6320. This is what I call our “infrastructure summer.” 

Mayor's budget has 5% raise for city workers, $50,000 for curb extensions; council starts making changes

The Midway City Council has begun what Mayor Grayson Vandegrift called its "number-one legislative function," preparing the city's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The mayor led the council's first budget workshop, Thursday evening. The second workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. Under state law, a mayor proposes a budget for revision and approval by the council. The workshops are open to the public, just like any other meeting of a quorum of the council, are streamed on the Midway Government Meetings page on Facebook.

Vandegrift said his proposal is "by far the heaviest-spending budget" of the five he has proposed, "reflecting our improved position and our desire to invest in infrastructure."

The proposed budget anticipates revenue of $1,847,813 and a surplus of $446,743, or 24 percent of revenue. The city's position is improved because it is collecting much more occupational tax, mainly due to payrolls in the Midway Station industrial park.

The current budget anticipated $550,000 in occupational tax, but the city collected more than that in the first nine months of the fiscal year, about $623,000, Vandegrift said. His proposal anticipates occupational-tax revenue in the next fiscal year of $650,000, which he called "very conservative." Last year he proposed, and the council approved, a 25 percent cut in property-tax rates.

The other big percentage jump in expected revenue is from alcohol license fees, which are budgeted at $5,000 for the current year and $8,000 for the coming year, apparently due mainly to the success of The Brown Barrel and Blind Harry's, the restaurant-bar combination on North Gratz Street.

On the expense side, Vandegrift said he wants a 5 percent pay raise for city employees instead of the usual 3 percent, because the city has the money and "Our employees do such a good job."

An example of bulb-outs, or curb extensions

The mayor proposes spending $50,000 for bulb-outs, or curb extensions, that would shorten pedestrian crossings of Winter Street and intersecting streets, and narrow Winter at angles to discourage speeding. Vandergrift has said the bulb-outs could be landscaped to “beautify the city.”

The budget also calls for $5,000 for new City Hall computers, $10,000 for repairs at the fire department (up from the current $5,000) and an extra $11,058 to the county Planning and Zoning Commission for use of its geographic information system, which Vandegrift said would help the city keep better track of the water and sewer system, especially after long-serving employees retire.

The council had questions about the information system, which Vandegrift said he would try to get answered at the next workshop. He said he has another motive for the move. Based on population, the city has one of the nine commission members, and the mayor said he would like it to have an additional member, but "I don't think we can get there unless we put our money where our mouth is." 

In a similar vein, he defended a proposed $1,000 contribution to the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, up from the current $500. Some on the council don't think the chamber does much if anything for Midway, but Vandegrift said refusing to help it "would send the message that Midway is isolationist."

The chamber has provided support for the county Tourism Commission, which Midway gave $1,000 last year. Vandegrift said he included no money for the commission in the proposed budget because the agency is now collecting lodging taxes from the county's first hotel, in Versailles.

The council agreed to give $5,000 to the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, which helps children involved in court proceedings. It recently expanded to the county but needs more funding to meet state requirements for supervision of volunteers. Vandegrift said his proposed appropriation of $3,350 was based on the city's difference in population with Versailles, which is giving the program $20,000. The Lexington-based program is also hoping for funds from Woodford County.

The second biggest new line item among expenses, $40,000 for interest on the mortgage on Midway Station, is expected to be only temporary. Vandegrift said he expects the Woodford County Economic Development Authority to repay the city with proceeds from land sales by the fall.

The council has three new members who are working on their first budget: John Holloway, Logan Nancy and Stacy Thurman. Holloway was the most talkative, mainly because he is also the unpaid manager of Walter Bradley Park, which has received a $10,000 grant for a performance stage. The proposed budget has an additional $12,500 for park improvements, down from $17,000 in the current fiscal year.

The stage project has become more complicated; Holloway estimated its total cost at $19,750. He said spending $9,750 of taxpayer money on it would leave enough for invasive-species control at the park, but made clear that he could take or leave the stage project. "I've been trying to get out of the entertainment business," he said, alluding to his work as head of the Lexington stagehands local.

Looking at the cemetery budget, the council discussed stretching construction of a long-planned pavilion over two fiscal years to facilitate repairs and improvements at the two historically African American cemeteries for which the city has taken responsibility. "This is going to be a giant undertaking," Holloway said.

Former council member Johnny Wilson, who brought the condition of the two cemeteries to the council's attention and donated more than $1,000 toward repairs, attended the workshop and said he was satisfied with the budget. "It's a start," he said.

City Council passes resolution endorsing resettlement of refugees in Ky.; meanwhile, mayor fears 'event fatigue'

With some disagreement but not much debate, the Midway City Council passed a resolution Monday night endorsing the resettlement of refugees in Kentucky and asking other towns in the state "to join them in supporting a stronger national effort to resettle refugees around the world in need of a home."

The vote was 4-2, with Council Members Bruce Southworth and Kaye Nita Gallagher voting no. "Sorry, Logan," Gallagher told the resolution's sponsor, Council Member Logan Nance, as she voted.

Southworth said the resolution wasn't needed. "This is a federal issue, not a local issue," he said. "This is an issue more for the churches than the government, at a local level."

Logan Nance

Nance, an Army veteran of Afghanistan, replied that there's nothing wrong with a city saying "We welcome you . . . It would be very weird to live in a place where I don't speak the language and I don't have a home. So for some place to say 'Hey, we welcome you,' it is a symbolic thing, but at the same time I think it's a powerfully symbolic thing."

Earlier, Nance said refugees' world has changed, "and they're just trying to find a place . . . they find a place here that is now their new home, so anything we can do to make them feel welcome, I think, is a great thing."

Gallagher, saying she was relaying questions citizens had posed to her, asked Nance why Midway would be the only city in Kentucky to pass such a resolution, and if refugees "do end up moving here . . . who is going to help pay for them to be here?"

Nance said cities like Louisville and Lexington "are probably afraid [to pass such resolutions] because of the backlash they would get." He said refugees are self-sufficient after six months, and are helped by Kentucky Refugee Ministries every day, teaching them English and American culture.

Council Member Sara Hicks said she had worked as a family therapist with refugees, and "They were very honorable and good people." As a child-abuse investigator, she added, "I never had a refugee case, ever. I never had a juvenile-delinquent case."

Council Member Stacy Thurman said, "Gestures like this have to start somewhere," and Council Member John Holloway said, "Absolutely." Thurman said "Logan could have easily backed off of this," but took under advisement comments made at a public forum on the issue.

Nance said he redrafted the resolution in partnership with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. An earlier version was modeled after one prompted by Amnesty International, a group criticized by some opponents of the original resolution.

The public reaction to the original resolution surprised city officials. Gallagher said she thought when she first heard of it that it would pass without controversy, but "We've gotten more flak over this than we did about the Fairness Ordinance, which I think is weird."

In 2015, soon after Mayor Grayson Vandegrift took office, the council passed 4-2 an ordinance he offered to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Gallagher and Southworth voted for it, as did Hicks, the only other current member who was on the council at the time.

Vandegrift said he also was surprised at the opposition to the refugee resolution, but said, "The political situation in America is different" than it was in 2015.

The closest the resolution comes to political commentary is: "The number of refugees allowed into the United States has been slashed to the lowest number in decades," though "there are more refugees in the world today than at any time in recorded history." Last year, President Trump, who made immigration a central issue of his campaign, limited U.S. refugee admissions to 30,000, a record low.

The resolution supports refugees' resettlement in Kentucky "no matter their religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity or country of origin" and says Midway "is a welcoming community that celebrates diversity and inclusivity."

About 15 people attended the council meeting. Vandegrift opened the floor for comments, but suggested that those who had spoken at the forum defer to others. No one rose to speak.

Vandegrift, who took no public position on the issue, said before the vote, "The democratic process won out again," and "This city will move forward as a united city."

Other business

The council tabled the Midway Business Association's application for an event permit that would allow it to close the north side of Main Street for pop-up "Makers' Markets" and roving musicians on May 25, June 14, July 12 and Aug, 9, after no representative of the association appeared and Vandegrift said, "There's already talk about event fatigue this year."

The mayor said the schedule, along with Midway Renaissance's Midsummer Nights in Midway, would result in the closing of one side of Main Street every two weeks. He also said he wanted to know "who's benefiting from this financially."

The application says the purpose of the event is to "promote downtown Midway." When MBA event coordinator Elisha Holt discussed the plan with MBA members at their monthly meeting last week, she said they would mean that an event would be scheduled somewhere in the county "every single summer weekend."

The council also:

• Approved this year's sidewalk-repair program, which will involve 11 projects in which the city will pay up to $1,000 of the cost. Vandegrift said some walks to be fixed are among the worst in town, and "I think everyone's going to get a good deal because this is a lot of sidewalks." The city will issue a request for proposals by contractors; Vandegrift said it would include provisions for protecting as many trees as possible. Pictures of the sidewalks to be repaired are in the council meeting packet, a 10-megabyte PDF downloadable here. Gallagher abstained from the vote; one of the properties is hers.
• Appointed Dan Rosenberg and Rich Schein to the Affordable Housing Task Force, chaired by Thurman (who abstained), bringing its membership to seven. Vandegrift said Rosenberg, a bloodstock agent, can reflect horse-farm interests, and Schein will serve "ex officio" because he is the city's representative on the Woodford County Planning Commission.
• Appointed local architect Kevin Locke to the county's Board of Architectural Review, the planning body that considers applications for zoning variances in historic districts.
• Heard Vandegrift announce that former mayor and state representative Carl Rollins will speak at the Memorial Day ceremony in Midway Cemetery, set for 10 a.m. May 27. (An earlier version of this story gave the wrong time; Vandegrift said he misspoke.)
• Heard Nance say that several names will be added to the veterans' monument in the cemetery, "one of the best veterans' monuments in the state, bar none," and that there is still time to submit additional names to the local Veterans Committee.
• Heard Vandegrift say that he hopes to have a proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 late this week or early next week.

The council heard an appeal for funding from Melynda Jamison, executive director of CASA of Lexington, which runs the program for court-appointed special advocates for children involved in court proceedings in Woodford County. She said the nonprofit recently expanded to the county, with $20,000 in funding from Versailles, and is "very hopeful" for funding from the county. "We are there for what's in the child's best interest," she said.

Jamison said the program expanded to Bourbon County about three years ago, and is fully funded by the county and Paris, but the Woodford County position is not fully funded. She said the county has 26 volunteers and state law requires such agencies to have one supervisor for every 30 volunteers. She said 79 cases of child abuse were documented in the county last year.

Council hears more good news on Midway Station, holds first reading of cemetery ordinance

By Korrie Harris
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway probably won’t have to resume paying interest on Midway Station after all, due to pending property sales, the City Council heard Monday evening.

              

The council also heard first reading of an ordinance that will raise cemetery-lot prices to fund upkeep of the two largely abandoned African American cemeteries in the city.

Midway Station: Woodford County Economic Development Authority Chair John Soper said the EDA has approved three tentative sales of property, with one other contract waiting for approval at the EDA meeting this Friday.

EDA Chair John Soper spoke to the City Council.

“We’ve got $800,000 in contracts that we’re in various stages of doing,” Soper said, adding that the buyers could employ more than 100 people in two to three years.

Soper said the sales prospects mean that the city and county probably won’t have to resume paying interest on the Midway Station debt, as was expected in February when developer Dennis Anderson terminated his option on the property, which he maintained by paying the interest.

“We may not be able to pay it July 1,” Soper said. “You all may have to pay it, but I think of these four, that by August or September we’ll have at least two of these closed so we can reimburse you.”

Soper said from the $800,000 in sales, about $480,000 will go toward the principal of the note and the remaining balance should be around $300,000. That cash on hand will allow the EDA to maintain the property.

Recently, Midway agreed to do one or two rounds of mowing at Midway Station while the EDA bid out the work. The city will be reimbursed for fuel and labor, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said it took the mowers 23 hours to get Midway Station to “where it is now.”

Soper said, “It looks like something somebody is wanting to sell.”

Midway Station, developed in the 1990s, was largely a failure for 20 years, leaving Midway and the county with $6 million in debt borrowed to buy and develop the land.

Soper quipped, “In my former life, I was a banker and we loved to see development loans paid out in 15 to 18 months and this is going on 15 to 18 years so it’s time, it’s time.”

Vandegrift said, “You’ve done an amazing job, and I think that it’s becoming pretty clear that after all this time, 20 years, that Midway Station has turned into a success story and everything looks like it’s going in the right direction.”

Soper said the EDA is concentrating on the industrial side of Midway Station because the EDA thinks the “demand is there” and is starting to put “feelers” out on the commercial lots, zoned B-5, but plans to address that after the industrial side gets moving.

“The more we get in on the industrial side, the B-5 will become more valuable as we go on,” Soper said.

Cemeteries: Vandegrift said first reading of the proposed cemetery ordinance could wait, due to some council members having concerns about it, but he went ahead after Council Member Sara Hicks made the request to read the ordinance. 

Hicks chairs the Cemetery and City Property Committee, which proposed changes to the cemetery ordinance. For example, the cost of a single grave would increase to $750 from $650; and opening and closing a grave would cost $700, instead of $600.

Vandegrift said the idea was to get some money to help create a perpetual-care fund to help maintain the two closed African American cemeteries in Midway that “can’t generate revenue on their own,” the Sons and Daughters of Relief and Saint Rose Tabernacle graveyards; and to install markers for unmarked graves.

The extra revenue wouldn’t be dedicated directly to the replacement of markers, Vandegrift said, because the council should be able to discuss each budget cycle to “determine the needs of the budget and the needs of the cemetery” to decide how much to put in the perpetual fund “going forward.”

He added, “You can’t really compel future councils to adhere to this, I’m afraid. I mean, you can try, but I think it gives future councils more leeway to decide each budget cycle how much money goes into the perpetual fund.”

Former Council Member Johnny Wilson, who drew attention to the African American cemeteries in January by donating $1,000 for their restoration, presented two $250 checks to the council to go toward the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery and Walter Bradley Park.

Wilson told Council Member John Holloway that he would like a tree named after him, “a crabapple or persimmon tree, to fit my personality.”

“Persimmons are great trees,” said Holloway, who manages the park.

In other business, the council:

•   Approved Vandegrift’s nomination of Cynthia Bohn, owner of Equus Run Vineyard in Midway, to the county Tourism Commission for a three-year term.

“She’s really a kind of expert in all things tourism, so she’s a good pick,” Vandegrift said.

•   Heard the mayor say that the application deadline for cooperative sidewalk repairs ended on March 31, and 10 projects signed up.

“The ones who needed to do it the most stepped up,” Vandegrift said.

He said the city will get measurements of repairs, take photos and present them to the council for approval. Once approved, there will be a request for contractors to work the project.

•   Heard Jeffrey McGuffey, representing the U.S. Census, say that census takers are needed.

The job has three parts, he said: validating addresses, helping people to go paperless, and going to the homes of people who don’t respond.

McGuffey said the “temporary, part-time, flexible” work will start in July and the pay will be $14 an hour.

“The count is very important,” he said.

To apply go to www.2020census.gov/jobs or call 855-562-2020.

•   Accepted bids totaling $3,582 for equipment that the council had declared surplus.

Tom Walton and Lauren Lancaster both bid $500 on a mower, and Vandegrift broke the tie with a coin flip. Walton was the winner, but Lancaster was the successful bidder on three other items, all $20 or less. The bid tallies are in the council packet, available here.

•   Heard Elisha Holt, representing the Midway Business Association, announcing that “pop-up markets” would be held in Midway from 7 to 10 p.m. June 14, July 12 and Aug. 9, all Fridays for “artists, craftsmen and strolling musicians.” 

•   Approved an event permit for the American Diabetes Association Bicycle Race. It will be on June 4 from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. The cyclists will start at Keeneland and finish at Keeneland, riding through Midway and stopping at Walter Bradley Park.

In the roundtable that ends each council meeting, Council Member Stacy Thurman, manager of the Midway Public Library, announced that the history of Walter Bradley Park will be discussed at the library on April 25 at 6:30 p.m.

Council creates housing task force, starts to expand this year's street work, discusses sidewalks and trees

By Korrie Harris

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media 

       The Midway City Council created a task force Monday evening to help with the lack of affordable housing, and affordable land for housing, in Midway.

       The council also took the first step toward expanding this year’s street work, heard Mayor Grayson Vandegrift say he will keep taking applications for sidewalk-repair subsidies, and had a lively discussion about removing trees as part of fixing sidewalks. 

       Vandegrift said the affordable housing task force will make recommendations and suggestions to the full council on a “difficult topic.”

Midway Council Member Stacy Thurman, chair of the new
Affordable Housing Task Force, listened as Mayor Grayson
Vandegrift talked about the need for it and how it would work.

       With the council’s approval, Vandegrift appointed Council Member Stacy Thurman, who will serve as chair; Freeland Davis, who the mayor said has worked with Lexington on similar projects; Xon Hostetter, a public defender who lives in Midway; Rob Mills, the owner of Damselfly Gallery; and possibly Susan Cottingham, who works for Kentucky Housing Corp. and is waiting on her general counsel’s approval to serve, Vandegrift said.

       Asked after the meeting why the task force was needed, the mayor said he has heard many people say they wish they could find affordable housing in Midway. “A lot of people end up moving to Versailles because it’s cheaper,” he said. “It’s cheaper to buy, it’s cheaper to live.”

       One thing the task force will look into, Vandegrift said, is what affordable housing means in Midway. “Everybody seems to have a different definition for it. So, what do we need as Midway?”

       He had part of the answer, saying that affordable housing in Midway shouldn’t be defined as Section 8 housing, in which rent is subsidized by the federal government. “We don’t mean Section 8. Sometimes people think we mean that, and we don’t mean that,” he said. There are a few Section 8 apartments in the city.

       Also, Vandegrift said he isn’t looking for the development of new subdivisions. “Our focus is going to be on infill, to not expand the urban service boundary,” inside which housing can be built, he said. “We actually have quite a bit that’s even zoned residential, believe it or not, but whether it’s for sale or not is another question right now.”

       “We need to establish what kind of housing do we need, what do we mean by affordable housing,” to see if there are ways to “help facilitate people to build within an urban service boundary where they’re able to build right now,” he said.

       Vandegrift said he would stay out of the task force's work, and chose Thurman as chair because she “showed an interest and she has the leadership.”

       Thurman said her interest comes from the lack of moderately priced housing. “We’ve looked for something between North Ridge [Estates] and kind of a little step up, then you get to these $300,000 homes – there’s not a lot in between,” Thurman said.

       She also said that when Lakeshore Learning Materials located in Midway, several workers or prospective workers came by the local library, which she runs, to ask about housing.

       Thurman, who got the most votes in the last council election, said the task force will take “a lot of ground work . . . face-to-face, and having conversations.”

       Asked if the task force would take an inventory, she said, “That’s the first thing I’d like to see, is where all those lots are and who the property owners are.”

       Vandegrift said, “I think this task force work is gonna take some time.”

       Street project

       The council heard the first reading of an ordinance to increase the street-repair budget by $75,000 to include up to $200,000 worth of additional projects that Vandegrift proposed at a special meeting last week.

       The money will come from unanticipated revenue, unused snow-removal money, and the budget for building a pavilion in the cemetery, which was delayed by rainy weather.

       Vandegrift wants to add curb installations and storm sewer repair on Stephens Street, paving of Starks Alley and curb repairs on North Winter Street.

        Joseph Mosley, an engineer with HMB Professional Engineers, said all the planned street work could be completed by June 30, the end of this fiscal year, at a cost of no more than $200,000.

       “If for some reason we got into to the project and it took longer than June 30, we would just have to reflect that in our next fiscal year budget,” Vandegrift said. Mosley said the contract could include a completion date to “discourage them from going past that date.”

       In expanding this year’s street work, the city might get more value. Mosley told the council that he expected the work to attract “some people who haven’t bid here before,” and he told the Messenger that was because the overall project would be larger and more attractive to contractors.

       The mayor said he would like to have a second reading of the ordinance in a special meeting this week. UPDATE, April 3: The meeting has been set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4.

       “I would hate to waste two weeks just waiting for the projects,” Vandegrift said.

       Sidewalks and trees

       The mayor said he plans to extend the application deadline for cooperative sidewalk repairs, which was March 31, for another week because people are still inquiring about it.

       “I think we’ve got about seven or eight applicants so far. We can do as many as 15, theoretically. So, we might as well add as many people into this as we can,” he said.

       Nance asked if there are some property owners who need to be “targeted” to apply because of the “dangerous nature” of their sidewalks. Vandegrift said he wrote a letter to the owner of property across from the post office and told them that “it was in their best interest to apply because it can save them money.”

       “Otherwise, it would be up to the council and the council has the right for ordinance to force the work to be done and we can basically put a lien on their property for it,” he said.

        The mayor brought up the need to cut down some trees, which have caused sidewalk damage, in order to make repairs and that would be controversial.

       Council Member John Holloway expressed his concern about “cutting down a lot of trees on Winter Street” and suggested a new sidewalk could “bump into the trees and “then go around.” Vandegrift said that would be difficult in most cases, unless the property owner is willing to move a fence back.

       Council Member Logan Nance said the sidewalk on Winter in front of Midway Baptist Church has become a hazard for parents attending Midway events with children in strollers. “I see families doing it,” he said. ”"It’s dangerous and embarrassing,” he said.

       Holloway told Vandegrift, “I’m just asking you to be sensitive to the fact that, I mean, some of those trees are hundreds of years old. So, there’s no one in this room that’s gonna be alive when a new tree would be as big as that.”

       Vandegrift quipped, “I know if we cut down a tree in Midway, my phone’s gonna start blowing up because I cut down a tree. I know it. I’ve seen it happen before.”

       He said the city would replant “street trees,” but Council Member Sara Hicks said they didn’t have to be ornamentals such as dogwoods, and could include slightly larger trees.

       Mowing for others
       The mayor said Midway has worked out an agreement with the Woodford County Economic Development Authority to do one or two rounds of mowing at Midway Station while the EDA bids out the work. The city will be reimbursed for its labor and fuel, he said.

       He said the interest in Midway Station is “remarkable right now” and there are three contracts of property sales about to be signed, with many others looking at the industrial and commercial park.

       However, two businesses that expressed an interest have expressed concern about how the property hasn’t looked so good in the last five years, Vandegrift said. “Why would you want to buy a property knowing that the property next to you looks terrible?” he asked.

       The mayor said he planned to continue mowing at the recently opened ambulance station this summer on the city’s dime. At the end of last year, when the station opened, Midway mowed as a “courtesy,” Vandegrift said. 

       “I think it’s a reasonable request,” he said. 

       Council Member Bruce Southworth said he didn’t have a problem with the mowing but preferred to have a written contract.  The mayor said Midway and the Woodford EMS will work up a contract and bring it to the council.

       Upcoming events
       The council agreed to a request by Elisha Holt and Jon Maybriar, with Francisco’s Farm Arts Fair, for city employees to help them set up the event, which has been done in the past.

       The event will take place on May 18-19. Holt said it will include Kentucky Proud food vendors, artists from several states, music and a student art display. For more information on the event, see www.franciscosfarm.org.

       Vandegrift went over arrangements for the public forum on the proposed resolution endorsing refugee resettlement in Kentucky, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 at Northside Elementary School.

       The mayor said he will give a brief welcome, then someone from Amnesty International will give a five-to-10-minute explanation of the resolution, and a moderator from Kentucky League of Cities will continue the remainder of the forum.

       “It’s intended for it to be a listening session for all of us,” Vandegrift said. “We will sit together but separate from the audience.”

       The mayor said the tentative plan calls for citizens to speaks no more than three to four minutes each.