Mayor says he will use persuasion, 'market forces' to compel compliance in reopening, but not 'three strikes'

Elisha Holt does a Midway Business Association video about the Historic Midway Museum Gift Store, part of a series tied to retail reopenings, as co-owner Leslie Penn watches and Morgan Castle records. The store will reopen on a limited basis.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council heard Mayor Grayson Vandegrift outline the city's game plan as several businesses are set to reopen this week with Kentucky’s covid-19 restrictions gradually being lifted.

Vandegrift also discussed his new “middle ground” budget, and the council approved three zoning-ordinance changes, in another council meeting held online due to the pandemic.

Reopening and enforcement: Vandegrift told the council that he has sent both digital and hard copies of the reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to businesses, and expects workers and customers to follow them closely.

"We're going to be strict about this, as we should be," the mayor said, adding that violations of the guidelines should be reported: "Tipping ain't snitching." However, he said reports should be made to him directly via phone call, text, or email, not to police, who he said are busy enough already.

Vandegrift said “There are some things we can mitigate ourselves, just by talking to business owners,” who are responsible for controlling behavior in their premises. He said after the meeting, “The optics of having a police officer come to a business is not really something we want to do.”

Council Member Sara Hicks said she has had “some kind of scary experiences” in a Lexington grocery of people not wearing masks or keeping six feet apart, and asked Vandegrift “who is responsible for following those rules, besides the customers.”

He replied, "I do consider myself somewhat responsible for making sure the governor's guidelines are being followed. You know, we're not going to create a police state. . . . My approach is going to be this, that no restaurant and no shop wants to permanently damage their brand right now by being the place that created a virus farm."

He said customers will be expected to wear masks indoors, except when eating, but “We as a government can’t force people to wear masks,” so it’s up to business owners.

“Restaurants need to know that right now, their duty is heightened, in a sense,” he said. “They really, I think, need, and I think they will, step up to the plate and help enforce these guidelines, because they don’t want to be the restaurant that gets in trouble; they don’t want to be the restaurant or shop that gets shut down and loses their business license over, you know, infractions. They don’t want to be the restaurant known as the place that started an outbreak in a city that had zero confirmed cases. And I think in that sense, market forces can help keep them in line.”

The mayor, a former restaurateur, said he knows how hard it is to tell independent-minded customers that they have to do thing they don’t want to do, but should think of the mask rule as just the latest addition to the standard sign, “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” He added, “That mask is not to protect you, it’s to protect other people.”

Asked after the meeting what the penalties for violation would be, he said “I don’t think it’s going to come to a point where we have to do something drastic, like pull a business license.” He said he would use “open communication” and “honest dialogue” and give violators an opportunity to comply, but there is “not gonna be three strikes.”

Vandegrift said Midway’s experience would be “a bit of a case study” because it is a small town that attracts many visitors.

“Everyone's got to stay vigilant, using social distance, wearing a mask and using the proper hygiene to keep our numbers as close to zero as possible,” he said. No cases of the virus have been reported in Midway, but “I’m sure it’s been here in one form or another.”

Many visitors come to Midway’s restaurants, which can reopen Friday but with only one-third of their normal indoor seating capacity. Vandegrift said he would issue an executive order letting restaurants put tables in parking spaces that the city has designated for curbside pickup, and waiving fees restaurants normally pay to use their sidewalks to set up outdoor tables

He said the order will also allow alcohol sales at such tables, but he would not reinstate the "entertainment destination center" ordinance that allows patrons to carry open beverage containers between businesses. "I think we need to step slowly into this," he said. "I don't think it's the time to encourage congregation downtown."

Vandegrift said outdoor dining is safer than indoor dining. "Indoors has poorer circulation of air, and ventilation systems can pass covid-19 to others."

Restaurants will still be advised to encourage customers to use their curbside pickup, online ordering and delivery options.

“The restaurants and shops that adapt are the ones that will survive,” Vandegrift said. “No restaurant can survive on just 33 percent occupancy.”

Budget: With reopening on the horizon, Vandegrift discussed his recently revised "middle ground budget" that adds back some expenses he and the council agreed to cut when city revenues were more in doubt.

The “bare bones budget” cut almost $200,000 of spending from the mayor’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

That is now “not necessary,” he said, mainly because the city’s largest employer, Lakeshore Learning Materials, had furloughed 225 of its 300 employees, putting a hole in the city’s largest source of revenue, the occupational tax on wages and net profits.

Now Lakeshore plans to bring back its full workforce in the next few weeks, and “expects to have a profitable year,” which it did not expect last month, Vandegrift said.

The company also expects to receive a certificate of occupancy in September for its second Midway distribution center, with that facility opening officially in March 2021, adding revenue from up 100 new jobs in the last quarter of the fiscal year.

Nevertheless, Vandegrift reduced his estimate of occupational-tax income for the next fiscal year to $737,500, down from his original estimate of $825,000. He said the city also expects less income from restaurants. The mayor proposed restoring these “bare bones budget” cuts, totaling $67,500:

●            $10,000 for training and travel for employees and elected officials

●            $7,500 in donations (including $5,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocates)

●            $25,000 for street paving, for a total of $50,000

●            $20,000 for the sidewalk cost-sharing program

●            $5,000 for a water fountain and refill station on East Main Street

Vandegrift said he would like to see the council find a way to restore the $30,000 originally budgeted for completion of the pavilion in the cemetery, because city employees have told him about older people having a hard time in bad weather at the cemetery, with few family members to help them. Beshear has limited funeral and burial gatherings to 10 people.

The council will work more on the budget during a special budget workshop meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 26.

Zoning: The council gave second reading and final passage to three zoning ordinances that will:

●            Allow fences in the front building setbacks along rights of way to be up to 48 inches high instead of 42; John Holloway voted no.

●            Limit display of banners for charitable activities for up to 14 days, with a 14-day waiting period for reinstallation; Logan Nance voted no, calling it “silly.”

●            Prohibit permanent location of recreational vehicles in flood plains. All council members present voted yes; Kaye Nita Gallagher was absent.

The changes, in the countywide zoning ordinance, are being approved by the Versailles City Council and the county Fiscal Court. Those bodies are also approving another change recommended by the Planning Commission, which allows signs to project up to five feet from fronts of buildings, with nine feet of head clearance.

With the council’s tacit agreement, Vandegrift did not ask for approval of that change. He said at the last meeting, “Our downtown is beautiful and pedestrian-friendly, and I feel that this could only lead to a cluttered and unnecessary look.” He said it is “the first time I can remember when all three bodies didn’t adopt the same amendment” to the countywide ordinance.

Other business: Holloway, the unpaid manager of Walter Bradley Park, said it will “probably have 20 times more visitors than we did this time last year for obvious reasons,” but “most everyone is really considerate of getting out of the way of other people.”

Nance and Vandegrift said they had noticed more dog waste in the park. Holloway said he is placing signs to encourage owners to pick up after their dogs, but “Some people just don’t want to.” He said a dispenser for pet-waste bags is located in the fenced dog park. 

Vandegrift announced that the city’s annual Memorial Day service would be held largely online, with readings of the names of veterans on the monument in the cemetery, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Sat. weather forecast shrinks St. Patrick's Day events

With Saturday's weather forecast calling for rain and a high of only 42, The Midway Business Association is scaling back its St. Patrick's Day activities. The street festival and band have been cancelled, but the Mini Pub Crawl is still scheduled for 2 to 6 p.m. The Pub Crawl cards will be available at the Midway Makers Market.

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

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

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

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

Leaf pickup will end the week of Jan. 6, mayor says

Leaf pickup in Midway will continue through the first week of January because not all leaves have fallen, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced today.

"We are still collecting leaves weekly, but will stop collecting the week of Jan. 6, so please have all leaf piles you want collected out by then," Vandegrift said.

The city asks that leaves be places in the utility strips between sidewalks and streets, not in the street where they can complicate drainage, and that branches not be included in the leaf piles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Google base map

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

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

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

Weisenberger Mill Bridge scheduled to open Dec. 23, contractor says; state not willing to promise that

The new bridge structure was placed Nov. 25. (Image from
video shot by Phil Weisenberger, from Weisenberger Mill )

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced near the end of last night's City Council meeting that the new Weisenberger Mill bridge could open to traffic before Christmas, months earlier than long thought.

Vandegrift said he had heard from "state officials" and Scott County Magistrate Chad Wallace that "unless something just terrible happens, unexpected, Weisenberger Mill bridge will be open by Christmas Day."

That brought cheers in City Hall, because the bridge has been closed for safety reasons since July 1, 2016, and its replacement has been delayed by environmental and historical considerations. The new bridge was expected to open by May, but construction has proceeded quickly.

Asked if the bridge could be open by Christmas, state Transportation Cabinet District 7 spokeswoman Natasha Lacy said in an email this morning, "There is a possibility for this. However, I will not send out an advisory until we receive final word from the contractor." Asked how long before traffic opening  the advisory would go out, she said "We do not know at this time because of the inclement weather."

UPDATES: The state contractor, Louisville Paving Co., has posted signs saying that the bridge will be open to traffic Dec. 23. Lacy said Wednesday morning, "The contractor did set up variable message boards with the date of the 23rd. However, guardrail work has not been completed. I will send a news release when we (the District 7 Office) are confident that the road/bridge will be open to motorists."

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

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

Google base map

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

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

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

Steady rain didn't keep dozens of children and parents from turning out to greet Santa Claus as he arrived in Midway via RJ Corman Railroad right on time at 11 this morning.

Santa waved to the crowd, which had waited in and around Railroad Drug for his arrival.

Mrs. Claus led the way off the train as the crowd awaited eagerly, took pictures and tried to stay dry.

Amarion Reed, 7, of Versailles, was the first in line to meet Santa inside the old bank building. Santa's visit was sponsored by the Midway Business Association. Next week the building will house a model-train display. For a larger version of any photo on the Midway Messenger, click on it.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayor bans open burning in city due to dry conditions

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

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

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

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

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

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

Francisco's Farm Arts Fair gets no rain but some wind

This year, the music area was moved to the amphitheatre. Food booths lined the area next to the McManis Student Center.

One vendor held the frame holding up the roof of his tent as the wind
billowed the cloth on his table at mid-afternoon. (Photos by Al Cross)

The 16th annual Francisco's Farm Arts Fair went off well and windy this weekend at Midway University. Midway Renaissance volunteers said the Saturday crowd was normal, but Sunday's was down a little due to threatening weather,  which wound up being only some moderately high wind. As a result, the fair closed at 4 p.m., an hour early to protect artwork, after 350 cars had entered. Saturday, 545 entered. The average was two to three per car, Renaissance President Debra Shockley said.

Haley and Nathaniel Wyatt of Midway watched woodworker Richard Adams of London turn a maple bowl.

John and Carolyn Malarkey of Lexington talked with weavers Petty Shepard and Mary Otieno of Kingsport, Tenn.

S. Elkhorn Creek at Weisenberger Mill, 11:45 a.m. today

Let's hope that big piece of deadfall makes it over the dam before too long.

Kentucky American Water, Midway's wholesale water supplier, offers tips for protecting pipes from the cold

Kentucky American Water Co. news release

With bitterly cold temperatures forecast for the next couple days in the Bluegrass, Kentucky American Water reminds customers of ways to help prevent their water pipes from freezing and potentially bursting.:

• Make sure you have disconnected garden hoses from all outside spigots. 
• If you are going way, set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees. 
• Keep a slow trickle of water flowing overnight through faucets supplied by pipes that run through unheated or unprotected spaces or along outside walls. This will help prevent the water in them from freezing. 
• Keep kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around these 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 and prevent costly damage. This valve is often located in a utility room or closet or in the basement. 

If your pipes do freeze, take these steps:

• Shut off your water immediately. 
• Thaw pipes with warm air, with a hair dryer or space heater. Do not leave space heaters unattended and do not use kerosene heaters or open flames. 
• Be careful turning water back on. Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for any cracks. 

Visit Kentucky American Water’s website at kentuckyamwater.com for more tips on water-related matters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Council will consider moving trick or treat to Tuesday

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

Council clears up property issue, sets up new garbage rates for passage, hears a member say he's not running

Story and photos by Sarah Ladd

By University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council cleared up a property issue and gave first reading of new garbage rates at its meeting Monday evening. It also heard an update on emergency preparedness and heard a member announce that he won’t be seeking re-election this fall.

The abandoned part of Winter Street next to the Corner Grocery

Property issue: The council declared that the city has no interest in a piece of property called “no man’s land” next to the Midway Corner Grocery, and gave grocer Scott Bradley a quitclaim deed for it and another parcel originally thought to be his. 

Versailles lawyer Phyllis Mattingly spoke to the council on Bradley’s behalf. She said the original deed for the grocer’s property, purchased by Bradley’s parents and grandmother in 1980, was surveyed incorrectly, an error discovered during a recent survey.

The land that Bradley has used for his business and paid taxes on includes two plots that belong to him, a parcel belonging to the city and an old part of North Winter Street, abandoned when the street was re-routed decades ago.

Plat shown to the council outlines the grocery tract in purple, another
tract of Scott Bradley's in orange, the abandoned street in green, and
the property to be covered by the city's quitclaim deed in hashed blue.
For a larger version of the image, click on it.

“When the state abandoned the road, by law that property would typically go back to the property owner,” Mattingly said. “Of course, we don’t quite know who the property owner is for all this.”

The other parcel is a strip between the grocery and North Winter Street that encompasses the fuel pumps in front of the store, which Mattingly said has been used by the grocery for many years.

Mattingly asked the council to declare that the city has no interest in the property and to authorize a quitclaim agreement conveying it to Bradley.

Council Member Bruce Southworth said, “I don’t think we’ve ever had any interest in the property.” The council voted unanimously to enter the agreement.

Garbage rates: The council heard the first reading of an ordinance to raise garbage collection prices to accommodate the council’s July 27 adoption of a new contract with Rumpke Waste & Recycling. The new rates will be:

•             Residential customers: one pickup per week at $14.95 per month, a 15.4 percent increase from the current $12.95

•             Business customers: two pickups per week at $35 per month, a 29.6 percent increase from the current $27

•             Churches: charged as businesses unless the church requests in writing to be charged and served as a residential customer

The new rates will go into effect Sept. 1. The ordinance requires a second reading before the council can vote on passage. The next council meeting is scheduled for August 20 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Steve Simoff

Council election: Council Member Steve Simoff, who has served on the council since January 2017, announced that he will not be running for re-election “for personal and professional reasons.” He said he wanted to bring it up publicly to allow people considering running to know there will be an extra seat available.

Though Simoff said he was not ready to expound on his reasons for not running, he said, “I’ve really enjoyed this. Maybe two years from now, four years from now, I’d like to do it again. … It’s been fun.”

The deadline to file for the six council seats is 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 14. Those who had filed as of 3 p.m. Tuesday are John Holloway, the city’s unpaid park manager, on Feb. 19; Stacy Thurman, on June 14; Logan Nance, on June 28; and Council Member Sara Hicks, on Aug. 2.

Storm cleanup: The council also heard from Drew Chandler, head of Woodford County Disaster and Emergency Management, regarding the cleanup and restoration of the city following the recent storm.

Chandler said the July 20 storm and its aftermath revealed flaws in the department’s communication. Many people could not receive notifications because their phones relied on electricity.

He said the department is trying to become more “tech-savvy” and he introduced a new app, Heads Up Community, which is available in the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. Citizens can sign up for selective notifications that meet their needs such as school closings, police and security and traffic alerts.

Chandler said the app is accessible on tablets and smartphones and “breaks down that barrier that we’ve always had. People don’t want to sign up for another government list.”

 

He also said the department is branching out to Instagram and other social media platforms beside Facebook. He said the app is the “first step in our corrective action,” and he hopes to keep expanding.

Fall Festival: The council approved the event permit for the Midway Fall Festival, which will be held Sept. 15-16. Elisha Ann Holt of the Midway Business Association told the council she has arranged for 214 vendors for the festival, a record number. Last year’s had 160 vendors.

The festival will not feature the bouncy house for children but will have other children’s activities like face painting and children’s vendors, Holt said. She said her goal with the festival is to continue to grow the city as a whole and she said this year’s event will feature a wider variety of music, which she hopes will draw a bigger audience. 

Lexington School bonds: The council voted unanimously to issue $5 million in tax-free revenue bonds for The Lexington School, to help it reduce the cost of a construction project.

Christian Juckett, a lawyer at the Lexington office of the Rubin & Hays law firm, returned to follow up on his July 18 request for the bonds towards a new learning center at the school. The school uses Midway as a financing tool because state law allows such bonds to be issued only by local governments that issue less than $10 million in bonds in that year, and Lexington issues more than that, Juckett said. He also reiterated that the city of Midway would in no way be responsible for the debt issued but would merely serve as a catalyst.

Donations: The council agreed to a request from Lillie Cox for $125 to help finance Woodford County’s display in the Pride of the Counties exhibit at the state fair. The city now has $975 remaining in its donations budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year, which began July 1.