Council accepts mayor's plan to use surplus to finish sewer repairs by replacing main line to treatment plant

Green lines show sewers that are part of the video-and-cleanout project.

By Heston Bates, Taylor Beavers, Jordan Brown and Gage O'Dell

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council went along Monday with Mayor Grayson Vandegrift’s plan to finish repairs to the sewer system though the cost is expected to exceed their original estimate.

Vandegrift noted that the original budget of $200,000 for a project to video and clean out sewers on the east side of town was cut back to $150,000 due to COVID-19’s expected effect on occupational-tax revenue, but he said the revenue picture is better now.

When the pipes were cleaned out, they were in better condition in many areas than was previously thought and since then there have not been any spills, but the main line near the plant has “entire gaps of sewer missing” and is causing backups upstream, he said.

Vandegrift said it is likely that the cost will be closer to the original budget. “I don’t think we can blink at this,” he said. “The project is too big not to move forward with.”

The council agreed. Council Member Logan Nance, often a fiscal conservative, agreed with Vandegrift. “That’s what surpluses are for, to help with projects like this,” he said. “This is only going to make things better down the road.”

Some other council members said likewise, so the project will be advertised for bids and the council may pick a bidder Sept. 8.

The mayor hired Buchanan Contracting to video and clean out the sewer system. He said sewage overflows from manholes during heavy rains have stopped, but the condition of the main line causes blockages upstream.

“This will be the city’s biggest public works project in over 50 years,” Vandegrift said. He estimated that the work will begin in late fall or early winter, depending on approval by the state Division of Water.

University students return: Addressing possible concerns about the influx of Midway University students for the start of the fall semester, Vandegrift went over the school’s plans and voiced confidence in them. “If a university can pull this off, it’s going to be Midway,” he said.

He said capacities in classes are limited and students are required to complete a negative coronavirus screening within one week of returning. He said students cannot be confined to campus because many have jobs, but if tested positive, a dorm is available for quarantine if the student is not able to leave campus.

“We are going to continue to communicate with them whether there’s cases or not, as it certainly is an issue that can affect public health,” said Vandegrift. He noted that Midway only has two of the reported 187 coronavirus cases in Woodford County, but expressed concern because most of the recent cases have been people younger than 40.

Vandegrift said  contact tracing will be the key to preventing covid-19 not only on campus but in the community. He praised the university’s quick response to the virus in the spring, saying the closure of the campus helped it better prepare for this semester.

Rentch property is labeled "private property" on map.

A piece of the park: The mayor told the council that Helen Rentch is willing to donate the part of her property that is being used as part of Walter Bradley Park back to the city, if they can agree that her part will not be developed and if the city ever abandons it, it will revert to Rentch or her estate.

Council Member John Holloway, the unpaid park manager, said “virtually all of that property” is in the floodway of Lee Branch, meaning it can’t be developed.  “Helen has been just extremely gracious to let us use her property the way that we have been,” he said.

In its only official action of the meeting, the council approved a permit for the “Turn the Town Purple” parade scheduled for 11 a.m. Sept. 10 by The Homeplace at Midway to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. Representatives from The Homeplace at Midway will be driving through town with purple-adorned vehicles, purple being the signature color of the Alzheimers’ Association.

The event will not seek public participation due to the pandemic. The caravan will start at the Homeplace, go down Stephens Street to Winter Street, turning around at Main Street to head back to the Homeplace.

In the roundtable at the end of the meeting, Council Member Stacy Thurman asked Vandegrift about the progress of the city's new Code Enforcement Board. The mayor said the board, three members and an alternate, has been meeting via Zoom (as the council does) to develop a list of abandoned properties for the council's consideration after Jan. 1. Property that the council declares abandoned can be taxed at about 10 times the normal real-estate tax rate.

Vandegrift said he is still having difficulty hiring a code enforcement officer, partly because of the pandemic. He said the task is "a little bit more challenging than it was six months ago," when the board was appointed. Jim Starks, whom the council appointed to a three-year term, is the board chair.

Martin St. to be closed for water-main work Wednesday

Martin Street, a one-way avenue that connects North Winter and North Gratz streets, will be closed to through traffic Wednesday, July 22 for replacement of a water main and elimination of a dead-end line, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced this evening.

The waters of Midway – South Elkhorn Creek and Lee Branch – are cleaner; still not clean enough to play in

Lee Branch just before it enters Walter Bradley Park; click to enlarge

By Lauren McCally
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

South Elkhorn Creek is a popular fishing and kayaking stream, and a beautiful feature of the Midway area. But the creek and its tributary that runs through Midway, Lee Branch, still do not meet the standards for recreation involving contact with the water, despite continuing efforts to clean them up.

However, that does not mean fishing in the creek is unsafe, or that users of Walter Bradley Park should worry about an occasional splash from Lee Branch.

The latest public samples from the streams, taken last year, showed some improvement from 2016, but with fecal bacteria levels still above the threshold at which swimming becomes risky.

In 2013, the last time the Midway Messenger looked at Elkhorn Creek’s pollution, Lindell Ormsbee, director of the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute at the University of Kentucky, said, “I would not recommend swimming in that creek.”

Seven years later, “The impairment status of the stream has not yet changed,” Steven Evans, a researcher at the UK institute, said in an email.

Lee Branch has received more use and attention since the forested section of the park along the stream was improved four years ago. It also has bacterial pollution above the limit for swimming, but isn’t deep enough to swim, and its latest sample showed a level lower than the one from South Elkhorn Creek.

Lee Branch's pollution can vary widely because it is small and subject to overflows from a faulty sewer on Smith Street. When a member of the Midway Musings group on Facebook noted the overflows, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the city’s planned sewer-repair project would resolve that issue.

The Musings thread began when a member asked if the water in Lee Branch was “safe for our fur babies.” Vandegrift said a test for the city two years ago showed it “about twice as high as normal” for fecal bacteria, but “I don’t think it’s unsafe for dogs, though. Ours cool off in it on walks and even drink in it. No human should ever drink from it, though.”

Vandegrift said even pets shouldn’t be in Lee Branch when it floods. The state Division of Water advises against swimming or playing in streams immediately following a storm event due to the increased likelihood of bacteria and other pathogens.

Data from Kentucky River Watershed Watch

For water to be considered swimmable, it must have 240 or fewer colony-forming units (CFUs) of E. coli bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, about one-fifth of a pint. In 2019, a sample taken from Lee Branch by a volunteer for Kentucky River Watershed Watch showed 298 CFUs.

In 2016, KRRW samples showed 238 in May, 2,628 in July and 135 in September. That July was a very rainy month, and heavy rain causes sewers to overflow.

The samples were taken 150 yards downstream from Stephens Street, near the Midway University footbridge, according to the KRRW.

Another site, which KRRW labeled as Lee Branch “in front of Midway University,” appears to be from the unnamed tributary of the branch that runs along Stephens Street and flows into the branch halfway between Stephens and the MU footbridge. That sample showed only 179 CFUs, indicating the sewer’s influence on the main branch. In 2016 report, the tributary had much more bacteria, with an average score of 938.

South Elkhorn Creek: Samples taken last year just downstream from Ironworks Estates showed 532 CFUs, more than double the limit for swimming. That was more than the 302 average for 2016, when readings ranged from 104 in May to 691 in July.

An unnamed tributary running through Ironworks Estates showed only 47 FCUs, indicating that the subdivision is contributing little to the pollution.

Grading the streams: Conductivity is another key indicator of water quality. High conductivity signals more dissolved chemicals. It is measured in microsiemens per centimeter, with 500 the level posing risk to aquatic life. In 2019 Lee Branch had a conductivity score of 323, lower than its 2016 average of 389.

Overall in 2019, the UK research institute gave Lee Branch and South Elkhorn Creek a grade of C, or “fair,” for bacteria. For conductivity, Lee Branch received a grade of B, or “good.” The creek got a D, or “poor,” and was listed as a “site of concern,” perhaps also because of nitrogen and phosphorus levels, which are raised by runoff from fertilizers on farms.

South Elkhorn Creek runs from western Fayette County to Franklin County, and forms almost all the border of Woodford and Scott counties.

“It’s not very clean, but it’s a whole lot cleaner than it was 30 to 40 years ago,” said Mac Weisenberger, fifth-generation owner of Weisenberger Mill, located on the Scott County bank of the creek near Midway since 1865.

“I see a lot of people come down here and go fishing,” he said. “It has been on the increase.”

Lexington's role: The creek runs through horse and cattle farms, which are sources of bacteria, but in recent decades it has also been polluted by leaky sewer pipes and stormwater overflow from Lexington. In recent years, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government has completed several projects to mitigate the problem.

“Tremendous progress and investment has been made towards improving water quality in the Fayette County portion of the South Elkhorn watershed,” Evans said in an email, “ but there is still a long way to go.”

In 2019, the Lexington government completed detailed analysis of the areas that required additional work due to high concentrations of bacteria, with the assistance of community volunteers.

“There been a lot of work to move things in a positive direction,” Evans said. “The problems were not created in a day, and the solutions will not occur overnight.”

Meanwhile, there is other good news. Robert Watts, president of Bluegrass Wild Water, said in an email, “One of my members found a huge, less than 12 inch (deceased), mudpuppy salamander out there last summer. Those are an indicator species for great water quality, because of the way their skin absorbs chemicals.”

This story originally appeared in the Spring/Summer print edition of the Midway Messenger.

Messenger's latest print edition has several new stories: water quality, features on people and businesses, more

Download a 5 MB PDF by clicking here.

The Midway Messenger is primarily online, but publishes a print edition twice a year, with stories of lasting interest, including some that haven't appeared online yet. The latest one, being distributed in town tonight and Tuesday, has several stories that you haven't seen before.

We covered the Midway mask project at several junctures, but now we wrap it up with a start-to-finish story, aggregated by University of Kentucky student Emmanuel Flemister and boosted by Editor-Publisher Al Cross's interview with Amy Bowman of Midway Makers Market, who came up with the idea.

Also on the front page is an illustration leading you to a story inside about the water quality of the streams of Midway: South Elkhorn Creek and the town tributary, Lee Branch. UK student Lauren McCally looked at the latest water samples and interviewed people about the streams, which are getting cleaner.

UK student Madison Dyment has a knack for feature stories, and the print edition has two new ones: about former Secret Service agent Danny Smith and the Freedman's saddlery shop, which has only one other location: Toronto. As luck would have it, Maddi is a Canadian from near that city.

Some previously published stories have been updated, such as the one on the new Weisenberger Mill bridge (with a drone photo offering a fresh perspective) and UK student Hayley Burris's report on the latest outbreak of the disease that causes Thoroughbred mares to lose their foals.

On the last spread of the print edition, we republish a story and some photos from the Midway Chalk Day for Racial Justice, and recount other examples of how Midway became in the national movement for racial reckoning that has seized much of the nation in the past month.

The print edition is available at the post office tonight and Tuesday morning, and will be distributed to City Hall, retail stores and restaurants on Tuesday. It is free of charge.

Water bills can be paid online by credit card Wed.

Midway water customers can pay bills online by credit card for a fee, starting Wednesday, July 1.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift had decided to make the change, but the timing had not been decided. He announced in Friday in an email to the City Council and the Midway Messenger.

"There will be a link on our homepage at meetmeinmidway.com," the mayor wrote. "Once the customer clicks on the link, the portal will guide them through the very simple process."

Online payments of less than $150 will incur a $2.50 service charge from the vendor who is making it possible. Those over $150 will be charged a fee of 2.75 percent. " We as a city collect no fees for this service," Vandegrift said.

Customers can still pay at city hall or by mail, "but we’re very happy to add a new service for our citizens convenience," Vandegrift said.

Close call: City's 12-inch water main is hit, quickly fixed

Google image shows water tower and two businesses involved.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway residents nearly saw their water shut off on Thursday after an accident involving two businesses in Midway Station.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said AST Environmental hired its neighbor, Reed Utilities, to bore underground for an electric-service upgrade. During the process, a worker hit the 12-inch water main that comes from the nearby tower.

After sending an alert to City Council members, City Hall staff and the Messenger at 3:53 p.m., warning that the city's water supply might be shut off, Vandegrift sent another one at 5:31, saying the issue had been revolved.

The city's water and wastewater operator, Jack Blevins, saved the day, Vandegrift said.

"Because of the amount of water on the site . . . Jack was very concerned the break was bad," Vandegrift said in an email. "He was even more concerned because it was at the bottom of the pipe, the hardest spot to do a repair."

Luckily, Blevins was able to determine upon digging around the pipe that he could fix it without cutting it, and used a repair band around the pipe that sealed the break.   

Jack Blevins

Public Works Supervisor Terry Agee assisted Blevins with the repair in what Vandegrift called a team effort. The mayor praised Blevins, who worked without his usual co-worker, who is not working due to being at high risk for covid-19.

"I give Jack a ton of credit because he doesn't normally call me as worried as he did today, and given the current circumstances of dealing with covid-19, the timing would have been exceptionally bad,” Vandegrift said. "He pulled a rabbit out of his hat today."

The mayor added, "It's a great example of why I'm so proud of all our city employees. They're a skeleton crew, but they work together, and they've all absolutely stepped up even bigger during this pandemic."

AST and Reed Utilities also played an important role in helping resolve the problem, according to Vandegrift. "They hit the line by accident but were extremely helpful afterward, he said. "It's not every day the one who hits a line also helps you fix it."

The mayor says he does not fault either company. "Unless you have X-ray vision, it's a human thing to think you're further from a line than you are. It could have been a bad deal, but fortunately, it turned out well."

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 hears about mask project, other covid-19 issues

By Hayley Burris

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

With all the stress that comes from the spread of the coronavirus, Midway is fighting back and making masks. That community project was among the updates at Monday’s City Council meeting, as well as reports on the town’s major employers and use of Walter Bradley Park.

Lakeshore Learning Materials, the city’s largest employer, is operating on a skeleton crew “out of an abundance of caution” and beginning furloughs, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift reported. He said furloughed workers are eligible for unemployment.

The second largest employer, Midway University, has closed to the public, but “This weekend they had picnickers up there, drivers, walkers,” Vandegrift said. He said some had been walking through the campus for 50 years, but “These are not common times, and we all have to do our part. The university does not want to start doing anything heavy-handed.”

Walter Bradley Park is open, and to allow social distancing, walkers are allowed to step off the trails. “One thing we need to get a little bit better about with some folks is the leash laws,” Vandegrift said, noting that dogs can scare some people get into fights with each other. He also said painted “happy rocks” should be kept in place or moved with a cloth or gloves.

Mask project: Prompted by the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear masks when you may encounter others in public, Vandegrift and volunteers have started ‘Project Healthy Midway.’

“We’re gonna be able to make enough masks for everybody in Midway who wants one,” he said. ”They will be free to citizens who want them.”

He said the masks are expected to be distributed soon, “in waves,” and will meet all CDC requirements and will include CDC guidelines for wearing and washing them.

Vandegrift said Amy Bowman, owner of Midway Makers Market, approached him with the idea. “That’s just another very great example of Midway at its finest,” he said.

He said the project has three teams: the prep team, the construction team, and the finishing team.

The prep team cut the fabric and pressed the materials together. That phase is complete, with the help of 40 volunteers, according to Vandegrift.

The construction team, with at least 22 volunteers is sewing the masks. The finishing team will sanitize and seal the masks, and couple them with the CDC guidelines.

“They’re doing all the proper social distancing even when volunteers are picking up materials,” said Vandegrift. “They’re not meeting, they’re driving off in cars and they don’t get within six feet of each other.”

According to the mayor, Bowman is expecting around 60 to 100 volunteers. If anyone wants to help out as well, contact her at 859-533-0922.

The masks are just an added layer of protection, Vandegrift said: “This is not your first line of defense. Nobody should think they have some kind of immunity suddenly because they have a mask on because they do not. This will not fully protect you from coronavirus; it will not fully keep someone else from getting coronavirus.”

The masks are designed to prevent spread of the virus by the estimated one-fourth of people who have it but don’t realize it because they have no symptoms. Vandegrift said the best way to stay safe is to stay socially distant, keep up good personal hygiene and to wash your hands with soap whenever possible.

Vandegrift said 1,500 masks are being made, with the expectation that some people already have some and some won’t want them, but more can be made. He said each mask costs about $2 to make, and he is paying the cost from general city funds with the expectation that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75 percent of the cost.

Council Member Stacy Thurman said, “We’re going to able to provide the health department with cloth masks, which I think is a really nice thing. They’re reserving all their masks for health-care providers, so . . . I think that any way we can support the health department and anything thing we can do for them is a good thing right now.”

Other covid-19 matters: Businesses must pay a minimum bill for water, sewage and garbage, but with most businesses being forced to be shut down, Vandegrift said he wants the council to relieve those businesses of paying. He said he plans to propose the move at the next council meeting, on April 20, unless “I get the sense it’s not gonna go” with the council.

Vandegrift said he ordered hand sanitizer from Bluegrass Distillers, “a distillery in Lexington that is dying to operate in Midway,” and is providing it to the three groceries, the fire department and the police department.

He reported that the Sojourn City Church is planning a short drive-in service in Easter, with no live music and cars parked every other spot to stay six feet apart, and only biological family members will be allowed in the same car. He said communion will be held but participants must bring their own bread and grape juice.

The Woodford County Health Department has issued an order allowing one person per household enter a grocery, except in cases where children or the elderly need assistance. (Gov. Andy Beshear made the policy statewide Wednesday.) Vandegrift said it’s difficult to practice social distancing in the Midway Corner Grocery, the town’s only full-service grocery, but Council Member Sara Hicks said the grocery is offering curbside service to people who pay in advance.

Vandegrift said, “That’s a great way to keep people out of the store and still support them.”

County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler, who also participated in the online video meeting, said “Social distancing is going to get us through this.”

Vandegrift said citizens should tell officials if they see social-distancing rules being broken. “Tippin’ ain’t snitchin’,” he said, and it protects “the whole community.”

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.

City Hall error means some city water bills included a late fee, contrary to mayor's plan to stop charging them

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift's experiment to no longer charge late fees on city water bills has  had a hiccup, he announced today.

"A clerical mistake resulted in us sending out water bills with the late fee included," Vandegrift said in an email.

Deputy City Clerk Sonya Conner said in an email, "If someone does happen to pay the late fee, it will be a credit on their next month's bill."

Water bills are sent out near the end of each month and are due on the 10th of the following month.

Council endorses $59-per-lot fee to fund 9-1-1; mayor says he will try 6 months without late fees on water bills

Jeremy Emerson, Doris Leigh, Sharon Turner and Jimmie Murphy received "certificates of excellence" from the city Monday night for their service on the Veterans Memorial Committee. Turner and Leigh are former members of the City Council.

To pay for Woodford County's 9-1-1 dispatch service, a $59 fee would be tacked onto the tax bill of each residential property in the county, under a plan endorsed by the Midway City Council tonight.

The council also approved a new contract with John Soper, chair of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority; honored members of the Veterans Memorial Committee, which is turning its functions over to the city; set terms for the new Code Enforcement Board; and approved appointment of a new city attorney. Before the meeting, Vandegrift announced a trial policy of doing away with late fees on water bills.

Dispatch funding: The nonbinding vote on funding the dispatch center came after police and other first responders said they preferred the tract-fee idea to the other finalist, a fee on water meters. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the water fee would have to be higher, perhaps $70, to cover the cost, due to the inefficiency of collecting the fee through the county's eight separate water suppliers.

He said commercial and industrial property owners would pay higher rates, yet to be determined, if the three local governments adopt the proposal. The Versailles City Council is scheduled to hear about the issue Tuesday night.

"We've gone through every possible way of funding this," Vandegrift said, adding later that the tract fee appeared to have unanimous support among first responders. "It's not something anybody wants to do, but it's something we have to do."

The dispatch service is now funded by a $3.50 monthly fee on telephone landlines, which are fading out. About 80 percent of the service's calls come from wireless phones, Assistant Versailles Police Chief Mike Murray told the council. He said eight or nine Kentucky counties have shifted to a tract fee to finance dispatch.

Vandegrift said Midway hasn't participated in the funding, but "With our rising standing in this county, we need to step up to the plate. If we want to be included at all tables, we've got to sit at every table."

Water policy: Over the weekend, Vandegrift told the council in an email that he would "try a six month trial run with no late fees on water/sewer bills." His decision follows a council discussion last month about water policies.

"If this becomes permanent, it will cost the water fund approximately $9,600 per year, but with the Higgins Street water line replacement debt retired, we’re still in a cost-saving situation compared to where we were a year ago when still paying the debt," he wrote. "Plus, $9,600 is a fraction of our overall water fund budget and even if we did rely on that income, it’s an unsavory thing to rely on."

Vandegrift said water bills will still be due on the 10th of each month, "but people who don’t pay on time won’t be penalized a fee. They will, however, still end up on the cut-off list if they continue to be late, and the cut-offs will remain on or around the 26th of each month. If too many customers are ending up on the cut off list, or unforeseen ramifications cause an administrative strain, I may end the trial run within the next six months. But, if after 6 months, things go as I hope and expect they will, this will become new permanent policy. After reviewing the council’s comments from our water policy meeting, speaking with city hall staff, and thinking through it over and over, I think this is a worthy effort to help lift some financial burden for those who struggle the most to afford the most basic of necessities."

EDA contract: Soper is both chairman of the EDA and an independent contractor for the three local governments. His new contract is for six months, and gives him a raise. He has been paid $5,720 per month, and will now get $6,002 a month for recruiting and retaining jobs and selling property in the Midway Station industrial and commercial park.

Midway has been the main beneficiary of Soper's recent work, and it will pay a greater share of his compensation: $1,333 per month, up from $858 a month. Vandegrift said that reflects performance, justified by the great increases in the city's occupational tax on wages and net profits, and is "still a good deal" for the city. Midway's share will be 22.2 percent, or two-ninths, of the total. The county will pay four-ninths and Versailles one-third. The contract is in the council meeting packet, here.

Logan Nance, the only council member who voted against industrial zoning of 138 acres between Midway Station and the Brown-Forman whiskey warehouses (which have a conditional-use permit in an agricultural zone) told Soper that they differ on development, "but you're doing a good job at Midway Station." The property's debt is now being paid entirely by EDA, not the city and county.

Soper reported that EDA may be able to develop public access to South Elkhorn Creek through negotiations with AT&T, which needs a construction easement to replace a fiber-optic line that runs along Midway Station's fence with Interstate 64.

Veterans Committee: Vandegrift presented "certificates of excellence" to four members of the Midway Veterans Committee who were present. The committee was formed several years ago to build a memorial in the Midway Cemetery, raised $40,000 for the project, and worked for years to add names to the monument and hold an annual Memorial Day service. The committee's membership has evolved over the years, and it has turned its funds over to the city, which is assuming its functions.

"You can learn a lot about a town by the way it honors its veterans," said Nance, an Army vet who served in Afghanistan. "Those veterans gave so much to ensure that this country, the values that we value, freedom and democracy, are built in stone. And I think it's only fitting that because of your work, their names will forever be etched in granite. So, thank you all very much."

Code enforcement: The ordinance the council passed last month to create a new Code Enforcement Board, to hear appeals of citations for building-code violations, calls for the terms of the first appointees to be staggered so one appointment comes up each year hence. But when Vandegrift and the council filled the board, they didn't specify the terms. Tonight they decided that Jim Starks would serve three years, Jo Blease two years and Dan Roller one year.

Code violations will be cited by an enforcement officer, whom the city has yet to hire. Vandegrift said he is talking with a Scott County building inspector about doing the part-time work and hopes to have his appointment ready for the council's confirmation at its next meeting, Feb. 17.

In response to a question from Council Member John Holloway, the mayor said that the officer would respond to complaints, not cite violations on his own, but that the complaints can be anonymous.

Other business: Council Member Sara Hicks, chair of the cemetery committee, said the foundation for the pavilion at the cemetery is in place, and stakes have been placed for a road to it. She invited members to check it out. Vandegrift said an architect is doing blueprints for the pavilion, based on a design by Holloway.

The council approved three event permits for the Midway Business Association:a St. Patrick's Day celebration Saturday, March 14; a summer-kickoff block party from 5 to 10 p.m. May 23, the Saturday before Memorial Day; and the Fall Festival Sept. 18-20, with Friday needed for setup.

Also approved was Vandegrift's choice of Sharon Gold as the new attorney for the city. She was not present at the meeting. Neither was Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher.

Vandegrift said after the meeting that Gold will be paid $283 per hour and her associates at the Lexington office of Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs will get $185 an hour. Her predecessor, Phil Moloney, got $225 and his associates $145. "Phil’s office hadn’t raised their rates in five years, so that was probably due," Vandegrift said in an email. He added that new City Clerk Cindy Foster's "ability to write ordinances (she’s written two of our most recent) will save us a lot on billable hours."

After council water-policy talk, mayor may drop late fee; change or repeal of reconnection fee is up to the council

Midway water customers who don't pay their bills promptly may no longer have to pay a $5 penalty, following a special City Council meeting on water policies tonight.

After the council discussed the matter, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said he would probably eliminate the late fee for customers who don't pay within 10 days, but wanted to discuss it with Assistant City Clerk Sonya Conner, who deals more with customers.

Abolishing a bigger fee, $25 for reconnecting customers who have been cut off for nonpayment, would be up to the council because the fee is in an ordinance, Vandegrift said.

After the council heard that the fee is low compared to nearby water systems, there was no motion to drop the fee. And there was no discussion of ending the policy of cutting off customers who don't pay after 25 days -- the policy that prompted the discussion in the first place.

Council Member Logan Nance said in September that the city shouldn't cut off non-paying customers because "Clean water is a basic human right." But that idea got no support, and public debate was deferred. In starting tonight's discussion, Nance said he would like the council to address the fees and the "short grace period of 10 days" after which the late fee is assessed.

At least some council members were under the impression that water is cut off for nonpayment after 20 days, but Vandegrift said cutoffs begin on the 26th day unless that falls on a Friday or the weekend. He said water bills are mailed on the 28th or 29th of each month so customers will have them on the first of the month. People who are facing cutoffs and say they must have water for a baby or to deal with emergencies get reprieves unless they become repeaters, he said.

The mayor said the city doesn't track the number of cutoffs, but does track the number of customers who are put on the list to be cut off if they don't pay by the 25th of the month. In the last 11 months, that number has ranged from zero (in December, when "a good Samaritan" pays the overdue bills, he said) to 25 in June, with an average of 12. He said half of or more of those usually pay in time to avoid being cut off.

He said the city could extend the cutoff period, but it would need to be an extra month because of the monthly schedules that the water department follows. Council Member John Holloway said he checked with the Frankfort water system and "They found it's bad to let people go too long," because they get too far behind and can't catch up.

After Council Member Sara Hicks asked, "What is the moral responsibility of a municipality?" Vandegrift said the fees punish the poor more than the rich, and the best way to help the poor with water is to lower rates, which the city did after paying off its sewage-treatment plants, and wants to do by finding another wholesale water supplier. He noted that the city's water costs are not only for bulk water it buys from Kentucky-American Water Co., but include testing and maintenance.

After more discussion, the mayor said he was "inclined" to eliminate the late fee, which comes "probably from a time when the city needed the money." He added, "If we were to waive that $5 fee I don't think a whole lot would change."

Hicks said the city could make the change, monitor the effect and adjust in a year. Earlier, she suggested that rather than use the negative reinforcement of penalties, the city could exempt from penalties any customers who have a long record of paying on time.

Nance said as the discussion wound up, "Those are the kids of things we can do that really effect positive change in people's lives."

In other business, the council held first reading of a revised budget amendment, which had to be changed because of an error in the first version that got a first reading in December.

The council's next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, a day later than usual due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

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.

Water company tells us how to keep pipes from freezing

Press release from Kentucky American Water Co., Midway's wholesale water supplier
     With colder weather arriving here in the Bluegrass, Kentucky American Water reminds customers of ways to help prevent their water pipes from freezing this winter.
     “We want our customers to understand the importance of protecting the pipes in and around their homes before extreme weather or below freezing temperatures set in,” said Kentucky American Water Vice President of Operations David Farrar. “By taking a few simple steps, customers can prevent serious and costly damage to their homes this winter.”
     Frozen water lines typically occur in areas such as crawl spaces or along the outside walls where unprotected plumbing tends to be more vulnerable to the elements. Following these tips now can help avoid headaches later:
• Make sure you have disconnected garden hoses from your home. If you have an irrigation system or sprinklers, make sure it is turned off and drained.
• Search your house for un-insulated water pipes, especially in unheated areas. Check attics, crawl spaces, and outside walls. Consider wrapping pipes with insulation sleeves. Another option is electric heating tape but follow manufacturers’ instructions carefully to avoid a fire hazard.
• Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations with caulking to keep cold air away from pipes. ow to Prevent Frozen Pipes
• Drain and shut off entirely the water to any unoccupied residence such as a summer or vacation home. A loss of power during a winter storm could cause pipes to freeze.
• Set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees if you’re going out of town. Although you may be able to get away with a lower temperature, this setting is safe for pipes.
• When below-freezing temperatures occur, keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets supplied by pipes that run through unheated or unprotected spaces. This will help prevent the water in them from freezing. Also, keep kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around pipes.
• Make sure you know where your main water shut-off valve is located inside your home so that you can shut off your water quickly in the event of a water pipe leak. This valve is often located in a utility room or closet or in the basement.

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

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

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

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

Council's Public Works Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Friday to discuss water late fees and cut-off policies

The Public Works and Services Committee of the Midway City Council will meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4 at City Hall to discuss late fees and cut-off polices for water customers. All council and committee meetings are open to the public.

At the Sept. 2 council meeting, Council Member Logan Nance said shutting off water for unpaid bills “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.”

Council Member Bruce Southworth, who heads the Public Works and Services Committee, was noncommittal about the idea in an interview after the meeting, and Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher sounded skeptical. She asked, “How far are you going to let them get behind?”

Council Member Stacy Thurman, who like Nance is not on the committee, had another view. “It does seem harsh to shut someone’s water off if they simply cannot afford it,” she said. “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.”

The other committee member, Council Member John Holloway, did not attend the Sept. 2 meeting.

The city sends customers who haven't paid their monthly bill get a delinquency 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," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said. "There is a reconnect fee of $25 for turning water back on."

UPDATE: On the Midway Messenger's Facebook page, Nance and others discuss alternatives.

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.

Supplier says Midway water tastes different because it switched sources, and maybe for seasonal reasons

Midway's water has tasted differently lately because Kentucky American Water switched sources, and perhaps due to seasonal factors, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said in an email today.

"In response to some residents questions about an 'earthy' taste and odor in our water in the last week, Kentucky American Water has advised us that the water is safe to drink, but two issues are causing the difference in taste and smell," Vandegrift writes. "One reason relates to a source change last week when the Owenton plant went down and KAW began pumping to us from a different reservoir. That source apparently is known to have a different taste, but the water is still safe to drink."

Also, KAW told the city in an email, “Changing weather conditions can lead to earthy or musty tastes and odors. This occurs seasonally, typically during the warmer weather from spring thru fall. The perception of tastes or odors in water varies widely between individuals. Some customers are more sensitive and may perceive minor differences in the water. The water remains safe to consume and continues to meet all water quality standards. When variations in our source water occur, we adjust our treatment processes accordingly.”

Vandegrift added, "If you have any questions please feel free to holler as usual."

City plans lower real-estate tax, online water-bill payments; council delays open-carry ordinance

Midway citizens would pay a slightly lower tax on their real estate, and be able to pay their water bills online, under plans laid out at the City Council meeting Monday evening.

The council heard first reading of an ordinance to set the real-estate tax at 7 cents per $100, down from the 7.5 cents levied last year. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the lower rate would generate the same amount of money, because real-estate values are up, including demand for property.

"I don't see why we should punish poorer folks because we don't have enough housing," Vandegrift said. The council has an Affordable Housing Committee looking at the issue.

The tax rate on personal property would remain 7.5 cents per $100, under a separate ordinance. Second readings and passage of both ordinances are scheduled for Sept. 3, a Tuesday because of Labor Day.

Last year the council reduced property-tax rates 25 percent because the city is receiving so much more from its occupational taxes on payrolls and net profits as a result of business expansions, mainly in Midway Station.

Water bills: The mayor can institute optional electronic payment of water bills without council approval, but Vandegrift said he wanted to make sure the members had no objections. The fee for electronic payment is expected to be 3 to 4 percent of a bill. The mayor said he would move forward as long as the change could be smoothly integrated into the city's software.

While there was no dissent about online payments, Council Member Logan Nance said he didn't think the city should assess a penalty for late payment of water bills. Council Member Bruce Southworth said the late fee is an incentive to pay. Council Member John Holloway said he thought more time could be allowed before the penalty is charged.

Vandegrift said he had no objection to giving customers more time to pay. He said the penalty was probably adopted "when the city didn't have any money . . . so the city could pay the water bill" from Kentucky American Water Co., its wholesale supplier.

Open-carry law: The council delayed first reading of an ordinance for an "entertainment destination center," which would allow drinkers to go in and out of licensed premises with alcoholic beverages as long as they stay within the designated boundaries of the EDC.

Vandegrift said he delayed the reading until Sept. 3 because city attorney Phil Moloney didn't think the ordinance should specify the hours, in case the "open carry" ordinance presents a security problem and a quick change is needed without waiting for two readings of a revised ordinance. The council had informally agreed to make the hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"His concern was, we may get into this and realize that we don't have adequate security to truly man this," because at any given time the Versailles Police Department has no more than one officer assigned to the Midway area at any given time, and "We need to have the ability to pull this back quickly," Vandegrift said. The ordinance would allow the mayor to do that without council action.

Second reading and passage of the ordinance would be Sept. 16. Vandegrift said it wouldn't take effect until Oct. 1. "It would be ideal," he said, to start it before the fall meet at Keeneland Race Course, which runs Oct. 5-26.