Interstate 64 rest areas to reopen Saturday, almost five months late, after being closed since late January

The Interstate 64 rest areas near Midway, which have been closed for months for repairs, will reopen Saturday morning, the state Transportation Cabinet announced today. The approximate reopening time is 7 a.m.

The state closed the rest areas Jan. 31 for repair of the sewage lift stations and other renovations. They were scheduled to reopen on May 3, in time for the Kentucky Derby, but the reopening was rescheduled for June 11, and then rescheduled again.

The rest areas remained open only to semi-tractor trailer drivers.

State accepts sole bid for Weisenberger Mill bridge; job to take 6 to 9 months but starting date is not set yet

The bridge, the historic mill and the creek in June

The state Transportation Cabinet decided Friday to accept the sole bid of $877,000 for the long-delayed replacement of the Weisenberger Mill Bridge.

Louisville Paving Co. was again the sole bidder. Its bid was almost 42 percent above the state engineers' estimate of $618,959, but that was much closer than its first bid: $1.95 million, 2¾ times the estimate of $709,889. The estimate was lowered because part of the project was made part of an overall contract the state has issued for certain work.

Construction is expected to take six to nine months, but a starting date has not been set. That will be discussed at a pre-construction meeting at the cabinet's District 7 office in Lexington, said Natasha Lacy, public information officer for the district.

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.

Heavy trucks taking shortcuts have been blamed for wearing down the bridge. The state closed it July 1, 2016, after inspectors found it was not safe for a load of three tons.

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

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

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.

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.

Council hears plan for 'entertainment destination center' with relaxed drink-carrying rules; donates to Homeplace

Midway could have an "entertainment destination center" with relaxed rules for consumption of alcoholic beverages in a limited area, under a proposal offered to the City Council Monday evening.

The council deferred action on the idea, but took action on other matters, giving The Homeplace at Midway $5,000 to help buy a bus for residents and adopting a resolution supporting communication about land-use planning among local governments in the Bluegrass region.

Alcohol: About a year ago, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board enacted a regulation allowing cities to buy a license for an entertainment destination center, in which customers of private licensees can go in and out of their licensed premises with alcoholic beverages as long as they stay within the center's boundaries.

The licenses had previously been available only to businesses, but are slowly being bought by cities for a fee of $2,800. Versailles recently passed the necessary ordinance for one, and Frankfort is working on one, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

The rationale for the license is to reduce the enforcement load on police and ABC agents, and help localities promote tourism and economic growth, said ABC Agent Ian Thurman, the husband of City Council Member Stacy Thurman. She asked him what the city's obligations would be as licensee.

He said the city would be liable for anything in the common area, inside the boundary and outside the privately licensed premises, that was not directly tied to a business, including someone with a beverage from that business.

Council Member Logan Nance asked about the possibility of drinkers being "overserved." Thurman said that has not been a problem in the two cities that have entertainment destination center licenses, Maysville and Owensboro. He said police and licensees say "It's one thing off the plate, about people walking in and out, that they don't have to worry about, and thus can focus more on over-service.

Cortney Neikirk of the Midway Business Association said allowing customers to go in and out of restaurants with alcoholic beverages "is a huge deal for all the restaurants." She said they work together to spot drunks who should be denied service.

Vandegrift asked the council to consider the proposal and put it on the agenda for the next meeting, on Aug. 5. He said he favored a provision in the Versailles ordinance, which requires beverages taken into the common area to be in a standard size and color plastic cup, for safety reasons. Neikirk said she was sure the restaurants would agree to that.

Other business: Business association coordinator Elisha Holt asked the council to pay half the cost of overtime for two police officers who would provide security and traffic help during the Midway Fall Festival. Vandegrift said "It makes perfect sense to help out with this," but the council deferred a decision to the next meeting.

The council adopted the regional planning resolution after a presentation from Rob Rumpke of Bluegrass Tomorrow, which he said is focused on protecting farmland and advocates growth along major transportation corridors. The resolution supports continuation and expansion of the Regional Land Use Partnership that has been meeting regularly since November 2017 to improve communication among governments and planners in the 18-county region.

"We're trying to build some consensus and partnership in the region" for better communication, Rumpke said. "It is in no way about creating a regional planning commission."

The resolution, supporting documents and other materials for the meeting, including a photo of the bus The Homeplace wants to buy, are downloadable as a PDF here.

The Homeplace bus would cost $25,000 and would hold 12 passengers and two wheelchairs. Representatives of the nursing and assisted-living facility said they had raised $8,000. Mary Lynn Spalding, president and CEO of Christian Care Communities, which operates the 48-bed facility, said the bus they want to buy is eight years old.

"I am 100 percent behind this idea," Vandegrift said. "I want to see a City of Midway sticker on that bus." He said the Homeplace generated more than $32,000 in occupational tax for the city last year, "and this is a one-time purchase." He noted that the newly adopted budget allocates $5,00 for donations. Council Member John Holloway moved to give that amount, and Council Member Bruce Southworth seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

The council also approved an encroachment permit for Tru Blue Hemp Co. to locate in Midway Station. "They're kind of the middlemen for the farmers and the oil processors," Vandegrift said.

Vandegrift reported that he and Southworth plant to meet with Frankfort Plant Board officials next week to discuss building a pipeline that would make FPB the city's primary water supplier, as the mayor announced recently that he wanted the city to do.

He also announced that the sidewalk project is scheduled to begin Wednesday, weather permitting, and take about two weeks. When it is done, he said, "eleven new sidewalks" will replace broken ones, "including the worst of all," which he didn't specify.

Restrooms, but that's all, open at I-64 rest areas

UPDATE, May 3: The eastbound rest area is open again closed, due to  now that plumbing issues have been resolved, the state announced at 2:11 p.m..

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Thursday the east and westbound rest areas on Interstate 64 in Woodford County are open temporarily on a limited basis. A renovation project began in January for both facilities that was expected to be completed Friday.

Temporary restrooms are open at both facilities, but until 7 a.m. Monday, the lobbies in both facilities will remain closed, and vending machines cannot be accessed, the cabinet said.

I-64 lane to be closed near rest areas Friday Monday

Closure of a westbound lane on Interstate 64 west of Midway, originally set for yesterday and today, Friday, has been rescheduled for Mondaytomorrow from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., the state Transportation Cabinet has announced in an updated news release.

The cabinet said the closure is needed for a sewer-line replacement for the Woodford County rest areas, located between milepoints 60.2 and 60.7, as part of a renovation project for both facilities, which is scheduled for completion in about five weeks. The rest areas are closed to regular motorists until then, but semi-tractor-trailer drivers may continue to use them; temporary accommodations are in place for semi drivers.

The right, or slow, lane will be closed between milepoints 60 and 58. "All work is subject to change depending on weather, emergencies and other factors beyond the control of the Department of Highways," the cabinet said in a press release.

I-64 rest area facilities in Woodford close until May 3

Facilities at both rest areas on Interstate 64 in northwest Woodford County will be closed for the next three months, the state Transportation Cabinet announced tonight.

The cabinet said the closures are needed in order to make repairs to the sewer lift stations that serve the facilities. "In addition, renovation operations for both rest areas will be underway," the cabinet said in a news release.

The rest areas will remain open to semi-tractor-trailer drivers for "temporary accommodations," the cabinet said. The facilities are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Friday, May 3 – the date of the Kentucky Oaks, and the day before the Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

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

By Sarah Ladd

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Alternating lanes and shoulders of I-64 to Frankfort will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday for repair

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced today that it will close lanes and shoulders of Interstate 64 this weekend between Exit 58 in Frankfort and Exit 65 in Midway. The work is scheduled from 7 p.m. Friday, April 20 to 6 a.m. Monday, April 23, "to perform corrective work on a recently completed pavement rehabilitation project," the cabinet said in a news release.

"Contract crews plan to alternate closures between the left lane, right lane and shoulder on eastbound I-64 while westbound I-64 closures will be limited to the right lane and shoulder," the release says. "At least one lane in both directions will remain open at all times. The date and duration of this work may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen delays occur."

Electric-vehicle charging station unveiled at City Hall

Cutting the ribbon: Council Member Bruce Southworth; David
Huff, director of energy efficiency and emerging technologies for
KU and LG&E; Mayor Grayson Vandegrift; council members John
McDaniel and Sarah Hicks; Woodford Forward CEO Chase Milner.

Kentucky Utilities representatives and Midway city officials unveiled KU’s new publicly available charging station for electric vehicles Thursday in the far corner of the parking lot behind City Hall.

The City Council agreed in July to reserve two spaces at the back corner of the parking lot for the charging station, which was installed at no cost to the city. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said then that KU had picked Midway to be one of 20 towns with such stations, which charge $3.28 per hour.

Council Member Sara Hicks, who had pushed the idea, said at the July meeting it would attract new visitors to town and generate business because "They'll have to sit around for an hour" while their vehicles charge. Vandegrift said, "It's just the next step in becoming a greener city."

Local nonprofit Woodford Forward took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Its chief executive officer, Chase Milner, "initiated outreach with KU and the mayor of Midway this spring in seeking to cultivate a private/public EV partnership opportunity," the group said in a news release.

“Chase helped to bring renewable energy innovation and EV charger development to Midway’s infrastructure grid, thereby putting the City of Midway ‘on the map’, which will help to attract more zero-emissions vehicle drivers to Woodford County,” Woodford Forward Chair Benny Williams said. “We hope that this effort will also help spur more destination tourism to Midway’s uniquely charming and historic downtown, as EV drivers will now have a great place to visit and shop while they wait on their vehicles to charge.”

Lanes, ramp at Newtown Pike interchange to be closed

Light blue line shows where interstate lane will be closed. One lane of
northbound Newtown Pike, south of the interchange, will also be closed.

If you're heading into Lexington via Interstate 64 and Newtown Pike this weekend, be aware of road construction.

The state Transportation Cabinet says temporary ramp and lane closures are scheduled in and around the Newtown Pike (KY 922) interchange from 7 pm. Friday, July 21 through 5 a.m. Monday, July 24.

The ramp from Newtown Pike to I-75/64 southeast will be closed for rehabilitation work, and the far right of the interstate through most of the interchange will be closed for concrete patching work. Two lanes will remain open.

Also, one lane of Newtown Pike northbound from Coleman Court to the interstate bridge (about a quarter-mile) will be closed for concrete patching work. One lane will remain open.

Raise gets first reading; Simoff says proposed council pay should be halved; 'Old Smoky' could still come

Member John McDaniel seemed
dressed for the occasion as the
council proposed a pay raise.

The Midway City Council gave first reading Monday night to an ordinance that would give the mayor and council elected next year big pay increases, but one council member said he would try to cut the council's proposed salary in half.

The long-discussed plan would raise the mayor's annual pay to $12,000 from $1,200, and the council's $600 salary to $4,800 a year. In monthly terms, the mayor would go from $100 to $1,000, and the council would go from $50 to $400.

Council Member Steve Simoff said he would propose at the next meeting, on Aug. 7, that the council members elected in November 2018 be paid $200 a month, or $2,400 a year. "We're all doing it for fifty dollars right now," Simoff said. "I just want everybody to kind of think about it."

There was no response to Simoff's suggestion. Council Member Libby Warfield, who has been the one most publicly skeptical of the proposal, was not in attendance.

Proponents of the raise have said it is long overdue and the council and mayor are badly underpaid, especially in light of the the increased responsibilities they have as Midway grows and Midway Station develops. The council could vote to enact the raises at the next meeting. For a copy of the proposed ordinance, click here.

The caboose is near the Corman track.

Locomotive needs financial fuel: Council Member John McDaniel announced that the R.J. Corman Railroad Group still has a grant available to place its "Old Smoky" steam locomotive in Midway. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the grant is for $180,000 but the cost of the project is estimated at $250,000, so the city and Corman would have to raise private money.

Vandegrift said the Corman family wants the locomotive "displayed prominently downtown," in a see-through enclosure like the one it once had in Lexington, so the likely location is where a Corman caboose now sits, at the east end of the United Bank parking lot. Placing it there will require a retaining wall and an easement on the adjoining property, he said.

The mayor said after the meeting that a possible new location for the caboose would be the hill above the intersection of Leestown Road (US 421) and Georgetown Road (KY 341), which intersects with Interstate 64, so it would greet traffic coming into town from the freeway and remind visitors of Midway's status as the first Kentucky town founded by a railroad.

Lakeshore sign and jobs: The council voted to ask the county Planning and Zoning Commission to amend its industrial-sign ordinance in a way that would allow Lakeshore Learning Materials to have a proportionally sized sign for the distribution center it is building in Midway Station.

Vandegrift said the size limit on industrial signs is 300 square feet, which "would be a dwarf sign on a five hundred thousand square-foot building." The change would remove the absolute limit but keep the ordinance's maximum of one square foot of sign for each lineal foot of building frontage. He said he had discussed the change with Planning Director Pattie Wilson and expects the commission to make the recommendation and send it back to the council for final approval.

Photo illustration shows how Lakeshore's sign would look if the industrial-sign ordinance is changed to allow it.

Lakeshore official Paul Chisholm showed the council a rendering of how the 40-foot-wide sign would look on the 575-foot-wide building. Asked about outside lighting, he said it would come from light-emitting diodes, directed downward, to limit light pollution.

Chisholm said work is on schedule and the company expects to get an occupancy permit Aug. 4 and begin the interview and hiring process there. The schedule calls for the plant to be active on Sept. 29 and make its first shipments in early November. It is expected to employ 262 people after two years.

Electric-car charging: The council agreed to reserve two spaces at the back corner of the City Hall parking lot for an electric-vehicle charging station to be installed at no cost to the city by Kentucky Utilities. Vandegrift said KU had already picked Midway to be one of 20 towns with such stations. The council also authorized him to sign a memorandum of understanding with KU.

Council Member Sara Hicks, who had pushed the idea, said it would attract new visitors to town and generate business because "They'll have to sit around for an hour" while their vehicles charge. Vandegrift said, "It's just the next step in becoming a greener city."

Other business: The council accepted a series of bids for surplus equipment, the largest sale being $350, bid by Thomas Walton for a 5-by-10-foot trailer. Brian Boettcher got a 1990 Ford Ranger truck for $250 and Simoff got a 1994 Jeep Cherokee for $186. He abstained on the vote. Council Member Bruce Southworth was among four bidders for the trailer. For the bids and the rest of the council's meeting packet, click here.

The council also approved an event permit for the "Hope for Tomorrow" 5-kilometer and 1-mile races on Nov. 4, and an encroachment permit for 216 Higgins St.

UK study for local groups finds almost 30% of jobs in county are directly or indirectly related to agriculture

Agriculture and businesses that support it account for almost 30 percent of the jobs in Woodford County, according to a study the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment released Monday.

Cover of study report

Alison Davis of the college's Community & Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky did the study for Woodford Forward, the Pisgah Community Historic Association, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Performance Products of Versailles, which sells horse supplements.

The study found that Woodford County has 9,478 jobs, 1,881 of which (19.8 percent) are directly attributable to agriculture and 2,783 of which (29.4 percent) are directly or indirectly related to agriculture.

"This is a very large number," Davis said at a press conference at the UK farm near Versailles. "It is a small county, but it is a very significant number."

Davis said the figures do not include jobs from industries that serve agriculture but may serve primarily other industries, such as fencing and painting. "We try to be as conservative as possible," she said. Later, she said the study cost about $15,000.

In addition to collecting data from proprietary sources, the researchers interviewed people at 15 varied Woodford County businesses, including the Holly Hill Inn and Heirloom restaurants in Midway, asking them what makes the city or county an attractive place to do business, how the horse industry and other agriculture-related activities influence their business, and how their views of it as a place to do business would change "if the rural landscape declined significantly."

Davis summarized the answers to the last question as: "Woodford County would lose its appeal as a place to do business and a place to live; recruitment and retention of employees would become more difficult; and Woodford County would lose its distinctive identity and brand." The study adds, "While some development is wanted, careful consideration of available labor and the impact of infrastructure is needed in the planning process."

Map from study showing commuters into and out of county

Davis said a significant issue for the county's economic development is a shortage of local labor. She said the study found that 4,400 people come into the county for work. That is outweighed by the 7,070 Woodford residents who work in other counties, but the relatively large inflow helps dispel the notion that the county is just "a bedroom community," state Rep. James Kay said.

Kay was among those who offered comments and questions after Davis's presentation. Another was Hampton "Hoppy" Henton, who said "what's missing in this audience" are people from the towns and the planning office, because there needs to be discussion about development, roads and so forth.

Davis replied, alluding to the study's sponsors, "There's a pretty significant divide between the two groups, and it's hard to get them in the same room together." She said one person from CEDIK is trying to get such conversations going.

Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Greg Kocher, who recently wrote a profile of Woodford County Economic Development Authority Chair John Soper, asked why Soper wasn't intervewed. (Soper told the Midway Messenger that he wasn't invited to the event.)

Davis said the interviews were limited to businesses, but "That would be the next step. . . . I think that's a conversation that needs to occur." Earlier, she noted that interviewees called for “stronger communication between the ag and non-ag sectors.”

Council honors departing Roller and Craig, reviews annual audit of city's finances

By Emily Priddy

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council Monday evening honored Dan Roller and Steven Craig as they leave the council, reviewed a recent audit of the city, and confirmed the goals and objectives submitted by the planning commission.

Council Members Dan Roller and Steven Craig, left and right,
posed with Mayor Grayson Vandegrift after their last meeting
as members. (Midway Messenger photo by Kaitlyn Taylor)

Roller has been elected to the council three times, serving since 2011. This year, he decided to not seek re-election. “Dan has been the driving force on the council in updating the city of Midway’s property maintenance code,” Vandegrift said, reading from a proclamation he had written.  Roller served on the Property Maintenance Code Committee during his time on the council, working to resolve issues with blighted properties. Continuing his proclamation, Vandegrift said, “Many formerly blighted properties have been rebuilt as a result of Dan Roller’s work.”

Vandegrift added: “Dan put significant time and energy into making Midway the eighth city in Kentucky to adopt a fairness ordinance.” The June 2015 ordinance prohibits businesses that have more than seven employees from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. In recognition of his service, Vandegrift declared Dec. 31 “Dan Roller Day.” This will be his last day on the council.

Craig, the other council member honored at Monday’s meeting, was one of two members who opposed the fairness ordinance. The other was Libby Warfield. After serving one two-year term, he ran seventh in last month’s election for six council seats.

Vandegrift praised Craig in his proclamation for using “his considerable skills and talents to improve Midway’s city property.” Craig has worked at Georgetown College for the last 20 years and also works for the Woodford County Fire Department.

Vandegrift credited Craig for the sidewalk in front of the Midway Veterans Memorial in the cemetery. Craig was on the council committee dedicated to sidewalks that created the city’s first sidewalk cost-sharing program. Vandegrift declared December 30 “Steven Craig Day.”

The council passed a resolution confirming the goals and objectives for the comprehensive plan adopted by the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning and Zoning Commission. The council had passed a similar motion at its last meeting, but Planning director Pattie Wilson asked the council to adopt a formal resolution.

The goals and objectives had long been a point of contention because one goal specified an objective that included a proposed northwest Versailles bypass. If built, the bypass would funnel traffic from Versailles onto Midway Road, U.S. 62.

The specific reference to the bypass was removed as part of an amendment by a committee of representatives from the governing bodies, appointed so that all would be in agreement.

The resolution passed unanimously. Council Member Sara Hicks, who voted against last month’s motion, was not present Monday evening.

While the resolution didn’t plow new ground, it gave Vandegrift an opportunity to comment on planning and zoning issues.

“I think the whole document is a compromise . . . There are questions that we need to not let drop,” Vandegrift said, alluding to relations between Midway and the rest of Woodford County. Midway’s sole representative on the commission, Rich Schein, was left off of the subcommittee that drafted the goals and objectives.

Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott has proposed giving Midway another seat on the commission, and the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, in return for Midway paying more to fund the planning function and EDA.

Traugott’s proposal was a reaction to tension that arose at the last meeting between Vandegrift and EDA Chairman John Soper over Soper’s proposal to raise Midway’s payment to EDA to finance a contract for Soper, who already has such a contract with Versailles. Midway also only has one representative on the seven-member EDA board.

Vandegrift told the Messenger that he has scheduled discussion of the proposal for Jan. 3, the next council meeting, when new members Steve Simoff and John McDaniel will take office.

Audit finds a weakness and a deficiency

The council also reviewed a financial statement provided by Smith & Co. CPAs. The statement said the city's finances have a material weakness and a significant deficiency. The firm described the material weakness as the city not having internal control “over financial reporting that would allow it to prevent, detect, and correct a significant misstatement in its financial statements.”

The statement said, “The city has financial restraints that prevent the hiring of accounting personnel” such as certified public accountants. It described a similar cause for the significant deficiency.

In describing the deficiency, the financial statement said “There was not adequate segregation of duties over receipts, disbursements, and reconciliations at City Hall. The clerk/treasurer accepts cash receipts and also records the amounts into the accounting system.”

The recommendations suggested by the firm were: “Mail should be opened by an employee not responsible for accounting, such as the assistant clerk or the mayor. Cash receipts could be recorded in a cash receipts journal and the deposit prepared by this person. The cash receipts journal, supplemented by remittance advices, could be forwarded to the clerk/treasurer for postings to the general ledger and detail customer accounts. Cash receipts should be deposited intact daily. Holding receipts for a weekly deposit exposes the city to loss.

“Bank statements, canceled checks, and appropriate advices should be received by someone other employees maintaining cash records. Such items could be periodically reviewed prior to turning them over for reconciliation. Unusual items noted during the review should be investigated promptly. Signed checks should be also mailed without allowing them to be returned to the employee responsible for accounts payable.

“The mayor should review supporting documents for normal recurring disbursements (not usually reviewed) on a spot-check basis. Non-routine testing would aid in ensuring compliance with city policy for all disbursements.”

Vandegrift told Smith & Co. accountant Jason Strange that he actually does such a review when the city issues checks, twice a month. Strange said the statement was referring to corrections in the ledger, which Vandegrift said he does not check routinely.

The audit statement also said, “Journal entries should be approved by an employee other than the one who prepared the entry. Bank reconciliations should be reviewed by someone not responsible for entries in the receipts and disbursements records. Inasmuch as this is difficult because of the small number of office employees, we recommend that test reconciliations be made from time to time by one of the council members. In addition, he or she should review, approve, and sign the bank reconciliations to document the approval.”

Strange said both findings were common for cities similar in size to Midway. “The second finding is very common for local governments and cities of smaller sizes . . . it’s related to segregation of duties,” he said.

Warfield, the only council member who asked questions about the audit, told Strange, "I take from your comments that you're not overly concerned about it."

“I wouldn’t say I’m not concerned,” Strange said. “They’re common.”

Warfield said of Strange’s staffing recommendations, “I can see the benefits to that.”

Ky. Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal of rulings denying condemnation power to Bluegrass Pipeline

The legal battle over the Bluegrass Pipeline, led by Midway-area landowners, is over, and they have won. For now.

The Kentucky Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a Court of Appeals decision that upheld Franklin Circuit Judge Phllip Shepherd's ruling that said only utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission can use eminent domain, or condemnation, to get easements for pipelines.

University of Louisville law professor Tony Arnold, a land-use and environmental law expert, told James Bruggers of The Courier-Journal that the decision was "significant for both for opponents of the Bluegrass Pipeline and for all Kentucky residents who want to ensure that the exercise of eminent domain for energy development and transmission is held accountable to the public interest."

However, the ruling goes only so far, Arnold said: "National companies seeking to move oil or gas through Kentucky and to use eminent domain to acquire easements for their preferred routes may try to get around (this) limited ruling by partnering with public utilities that are regulated by the Public Service Commission or with state agencies. They would have to provide some sort of benefit or service to Kentucky residents, such as providing some of the oil and gas to Kentuckians. Don't underestimate the tenacity of energy companies to find a way to get what they want."

The Williams Companies put the Bluegrass Pipeline on indefinite hold in April 2014, saying it did not have enough customers for the natural-gas liquids it planned to move to the Gulf coast from oil and gas fields in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Tom FitzGerald of Louisville, attorney for Kentuckians United To Restrain Eminent Domain, told Bruggers, "I couldn't have had better clients." (Read more)

Versailles bypass not in new road plan; both mayors speculate that politics were in play

By Al Cross and Aayat Ali
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Gov. Matt Bevin's proposed road plan does not include the controversial Versailles bypass, pleasing interests in Midway that feared it would bring much more truck traffic to the town and Midway Road.

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said he didn't know why Bevin dropped the $40 million project, but speculated that it stems from its cost and Bevin's Republican politics, "the sort of tea-party aspect of it. He's sort of trying to cut anywhere he can cut."

Bevin has called for a 9 percent cut in most General Fund agencies. The Road Fund is separately funded, but its main source of revenue, motor-fuels taxes, has been declining along with gas prices, and the road plan has more projects than can be built in its six-year span, Vandegrift noted.

Also, he said, "They probably were aware it was a controversial project." Bill Marshall, a leading Republican in Midway who knows Bevin, said he had not spoken to the governor about the project. County Republican Chair Bobby Gaffney, who ran for county-executive judge in 2014, could not be reached for comment.

Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott, who works for Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo and is a major promoter of the bypass, said he didn't know, either, but also said the move seemed political, aimed at a county that is represented in the General Assembly by Democrats.

"I can't imagine that the governor has any real public-policy opinion on that road one way or the other," Traugott said. "He obviously doesn't know the local politics. It's not a real party-line issue."

Asked if he thought his legislative job influenced the decision, he said, "I can't imagine that that would help, but I would expect more out of a governor. The speaker and I have never discussed the road. I believe it was purely political, but I don't think it was geared toward me or the speaker or my role there. He probably thinks we've elected the wrong people to represent us."

Transportation Cabinet map (click on it to view a larger version)

State Rep. James Kay, a Democrat from Versailles, told The Woodford Sun, "My priorities . . . never included the bypass. I obviously understand the traffic concerns, I understand the future when you look at it, but there was never an effort on my part to get funds for the bypass, particularly considering everyone knew they wouldn't be there."

The road, officially known as the Northwest Versailles Mobility Corridor, is designed to relieve traffic congestion in downtown Versailles. It would extend Falling Springs Boulevard, which begins at KY 33 near the Bluegrass Parkway, to Frankfort Road (US 60).

Vandegrift said Bevin's move doesn't necessarily kill the project, and Traugott said he considers it a delay, not a cancellation. He said he will try to get the legislature to add planning money for the project in the latter part of the plan "to keep the discussion alive." The plan had included $2 million for final design of the road.

The Transportation Cabinet has identified three possible routes, one of which would feed directly into Midway Road (US 62), which trucks could use to reach Interstate 64 eastbound and Interstate 75. The other possible routes would intersect Frankfort Road short distances either way from its intersection with Midway Road.

Robert Sprague, the Transportation Cabinet engineer supervising the project, was not able to provide a reason why the bypass was left out of the road plan. He did tell the Midway Messenger that the cabinet still plans to recommend a route for the bypass some time this month, as previously scheduled.

Told that, Traugott said, "I'm glad to see that they're moving forward with that due-diligence part of it."

Merchants back letter questioning Versailles bypass, hear about April 22 cleanup and fairness ordinance

By Arion Wright

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The Midway Merchants Association voted Wednesday morning to endorse a letter that expressed the concerns of an alliance of Woodford County groups about the proposed Versailles Connector.

The association also heard from Mayor Grayson Vandegrift about the proposed “fairness ordinance” and from a representative of a nonprofit group seeking sponsors for the Main Street Clean Sweep in 14 Kentucky cities April 22. Members said they were willing to help.

The Corridor Study Group has a drafted a letter to the Northwest Versailles Mobility Corridor Citizens Advisory Committee and representatives of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet that expresses their concerns about the proposed Versailles bypass. The association agreed to have its name placed in the document as representatives of groups who participated in drafting the letter.

“We call it a bypass. The state calls it a connector,” association President Kenny Smith said. “What has been proposed is a bypass that would tie in over by Falling Springs and it would go around Versailles and tie into US 60. The most logical place where it would be able to tie in would be at Midway Road, and it would be directing all this truck traffic right through our town.”

The letter has a list of concerns and possible suggestions. It states that there have been no traffic studies to show the bypass would help, and that it would cause increased traffic and reduced safety on Midway Road (US 62).

The letter suggests, among other things, that better signage would direct truck traffic away from Versailles and Midway Road, and Midway Road could be made safer by moving the “Federal AAA trucking highway” designation from the Midway Road portion of US 62 to part of US 60. For a PDF of the letter, click here.

Next on the agenda was a representative from the nonprofit environmental group Bluegrass Greensource, who talked about the Main Street Clean Sweep.

Businesses from the 14 cities can send volunteers to pick up trash in various parts of their towns as part of the Main Street Clean Sweep.

“It is an Earth Day cleanup,” Bluegrass Greensource Ashley Cheney told the merchants. “We want to encourage businesses to get involved with the cleanup. It will be centered to downtown. It changes for each community. Sometimes the downtown area is not what needs to be cleaned up. Driving around Midway, I see you keep Midway clean. That may not be true for other areas of the town. There may be areas that you know need some attention.”

Cheney said Greensource will provide gloves and bags on April 22, and businesses can provide volunteers, a $100 sponsorship, or a $250 sponsorship. There are various incentives for each donation.

Vandegrift said he was at the meeting to clear up some misconceptions that people may have about the fairness ordinance, which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identification.

“In the state of Kentucky you can be fired or evicted for being gay,” Vandegrift said. “Businesses with eight or fewer employees are exempt. It will allow everyone to have a right to have a roof over their head and to eat at their favorite restaurant without being discriminated against. People are in favor of the fairness ordinance.”

Vandegrift said opposition is coming from other parts of the county, but he acknowledged that not everyone in Midway is not in favor of the ordinance. He said citizens will be given a chance to talk about it at a public forum at Midway College.

Smith was the only merchant who expressed his opinion at the meeting. He said it wasn’t right for businesses with eight of fewer employees to be exempt.

Each year, artists from all of the world come and showcase their art at the Francisco’s Farm Art Festival. Smith said 121 artists have applied, and the application period has closed. The festival will be at Midway College on May 16 and 17.

There have been concerns about parking. Parking at the college is $5, but downtown it is free. The association plans to have a shuttle from downtown Midway to the college, so it will be easy for people to park their cars downtown area and go to the event.

In the near future, association members will allow artists to showcase their artwork in front of their business as a way to get the word out about the festival.

The association is also making plans for the Breeders’ Cup, to be held at Keeneland Race Course Oct. 30-31.

Smith ended the meeting by talking about upcoming events. Vendor applications are now available for the Fall Festival.

City council hears questions and answers about tax-increment financing, to be used at Midway Station

The Midway City Council heard a consultant for the plan to use tax-increment financing to develop Midway Station answer a series of written questions from a likely council member Monday night.

After the council disposed of several largely routine items of business, John Harris of Commonwealth Economics answered six questions posed by Libby Warfield, one of six candidates for the six council seats in the Nov. 4 election. He distributed written responses to the council, then elaborated on them. A PDF with Warfield's questions and Harris's responses can be downloaded here.

Asked by the Messenger if she was satisfied with the answers she received, Warfield said she would have to check with her son, Matt, a former council member who worked for the state Revenue Cabinet and compiled the questions.

Tax-increment financing uses extra tax revenue generated by a development to pay for the public infrastructure associated with the development.

Council Member Grayson Vandegrift, a candidate for mayor, asked Harris, "What would you say in a nutshell are the biggest risks the city takes?" Harris said that since the city isn't being asked to guarantee any bonds, its risk would be to its reputation if the proposed industrial, commercial and residential development fails.

"Versailles took the reputational risk" with a redevelopment project that was delayed for years, Harris said. "I don't think it's a big risk at all." Later, he noted that the state TIF law requires a development to start within four years and "another couple of years" to reach the $20 million minimum investment.

"These are all really very good questions," said Harris, who was the last secretary of finance for the administration of Gov. Ernie Flecther in 2007. "It took me three or four years to understand the statute I helped write." He said the state's interpretation of the law has evolved.

In a related matter, the council gave first reading to an ordinance rezoning a 38-acre tract on Georgetown Road that would be added to Midway Station, presumably for a prospective industry.

The Woodford County Economic Development Authority, which asked for the rezoning and owns Midway Station, will hold its monthly meeting at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24 in the Anne Hart Raymond Center at Midway College.

In another matter involving Warfield, the council denied her request for reimbursement of $2,330 for a water line her father installed in 1989, on grounds that the reimbursement ordinance has a 10-year limit. Warfield told the council that the line "will now be used by entire west side of town. . . . I just thought out of fairness I should ask. Now I can tell my father that I tried."

In other business, the council voted to schedule trick or treat for Friday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m.; authorized Bozarth to execute a new franchise agreement with Kentucky Utilities; and decided to seek a neutral site for a meeting with the Woodford County Fiscal Court to discuss the dispute over financing of emergency management services.

The court had proposed that the meeting be held in conjunction with its regular meeting on Nov. 25, but Mayor Tom Bozarth said, "I think our meeting should be held at a place like KCTCS or Midway College, in a more inviting environment, where we can all sit down at the table and have a conversation instead of sitting in the courtroom and being in the audience."

UPDATE: Wednesday morning, a special meeting was announced for the council's special emergency-management committee from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce office in Versailles. The meeting will also include representatives from the Versailles City Council, which is also at odds with the county about emergency-management funding.

Regarding another meeting, Bozarth noted that the state Transportation Cabinet will hold a public hearing from 5 to 7 p.m.Oct. 30 on the corridor for the proposed Versailles bypass, which could route more traffic onto narrow US 62. "It's very critical for both Versailles and probably Midway to see exactly what's going on," he said.

Bozarth also announced that Habitat for Humanity will hold an open house Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at its recently built home on North Winter Street, and that bids for reconstruction of water lines on Higgins Street will be opened Nov. 6.

Council Member Sharon Turner, the other mayoral candidate, announced that the Cemetery Committee would meet Oct. 27 at 4:30 p.m. to discuss a proposed mausoleum and landscaping, and the Blighted Property Committee would meet Oct. 28 28 at 8:30 a.m. to continue its discussions about individual properties.

Precise route of natural-gas-liquids pipeline, or at least its originally planned route, is now public knowledge

The precise proposed route of the Bluegrass Pipeline, or at least the original proposed route, is now public, thanks to The Courier-Journal, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get maps that the natural-gas-liquids enterprise filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of an application for permits to cross streams. The Louisville newspaper has published the maps on its website; those showing the route in or near the Midway area appear below, running from north to south. Note that most of the maps are tilted about 50 degrees from due north.

This map shows the pipeline leaving Scott County, entering Franklin County and crossing US 460 (Frankfort-Georgetown Road) just east of Woodlake. Most of this area is in Midway's ZIP code.

This map shows the pipeline nearing the South Fork of Elkhorn Creek, which it would cross shortly after Mile 289 of the pipeline. (Click on any map to see a larger version.)

The pipeline would cross the creek in Franklin County, then enter Woodford County, cross Leestown Road near the county line, go under Interstate 64 and take a dogleg to Duckers Road. 

The route then follows the east side of Old Frankfort Pike, crosses that road and heads west toward US 60 (Frankfort-Versailles Road), leaving the Midway ZIP code when it crosses the highway.

More maps will be added. For the story, by C-J environmental writer Jim Bruggers, click here.

It's an Internet night at the council: Plans for faster rural service, problems with website are among agenda items

By Rachel Aretakis and Erin Grigson
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The Midway City Council met Monday evening with discussions centering on plans to bring faster Internet service to rural Midway, problems with the city website and a brief review of snow removal.

Windstream Communications has approached the council about obtaining an easement for city property off Spring Station Road near Gate 24. “It’s trying to get customers faster service in areas outside the city,” Mayor Tom Bozarth told the council.

The company has offered $5,000 for the easement, but Bozarth and Council Member Bruce Southworth said Windstream should pay more.

Bozarth referred the matter to a committee comprising Southworth, Aaron Hamilton and Sara Hicks and asked them to “bring back an appropriate number.” The three plan to meet at the site Wednesday with Raymond Tinson, assistant to the resident engineer for EA Technical Services, the engineering company for Windstream, who spoke to the council about securing the easement.

“Anything you all have a concern about, we can discuss the amendments” to the proposed agreement, Tinson told the council after answering questions. He said the company has received a state grant to improve Internet access in rural areas.

The project could bring high-speed Digital Subscriber Line service to as many as 485 households, Tinson said, though there are not nearly that many people living in the area. He estimated the facility would serve about 150 homes and businesses. The project is working on a six-month deadline, he said.

Bozarth said the property is an old landfill that is no longer in use. The land is near Middlebrook and Nuckols farms, according to the water-line easement provided to council members. Windstream has been unable to obtain property rights from local owners, Tinson said.

The property “would provide pull-off access and room to place equipment,” the company told the council in a letter.

Windstream is requesting the rights to a 25-foot-square piece of the property. It cannot install the fiber optic line needed for the project without such facilities along the routes. Tinson said the area could be fenced in, to be only accessible to Windstream employees, but the details could be worked out in the agreement.

Tinson said the company would maintain the gate and access road. In response to a question from Hicks, he said the facility would cause no harm to animals.

Example of Windstream facilities provided by company in document given to Midway City Council

Among other business Monday, the council passed an ordinance to conform with the latest Kentucky building code, reappointed Helen Rentch as the city’s representative on the county Human Rights Commission, and discussed the city’s website and snow removal.

The website host, WordPress, recently updated its format, which caused the city’s page to have minor problems, said Council Member Grayson Vandegrift.  The site and the events calendar still work, he said, but minor improvements need to be made. “The website still functions; it just doesn’t function great,” he said. “We’re very limited right now with what we can do with the website.”

He said the city will likely have to build a new site, and recommended that the council not put more money into the current one and begin thinking about building a new one.  Southworth suggested that estimates be obtained for consideration in drafting the city budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Vandegrift said the site is seven years old and the council might get three more years out of it. “I think the best option is to just keep going forward and keep trying to make steady improvements to it without reinventing the wheel,” Vandegrift said. “It’s not on its last leg or anything, but some day it’s just not going to work anymore.”

Vandegrift said he thought the contractor the city hired for snow removal has been doing a very good job. “I haven’t heard any complaints,” he said.

This is the first winter that the city has had to pay for plowing of streets after snow, because the county fiscal court dropped the service after Midway became a city of the fourth class.

Bozarth originally budgeted for $30,000 for snow removal in the annual budget that ends June 30, but the council lowered it to $20,000. The city has spent roughly $11,700 so far, but that did not include Monday’s large snowfall, Vandegrift said after the meeting. “We’ve had a lot more snow this year. We hardly had any last year. It’s one of those things that, it’s got to be done,” he said. “Even though we’re a little over what we budgeted right now, in the end, it looks like we’re going to be under.”