City and Renaissance Committee meets Tue.

The City and Renaissance Committee of the Midway City Council will meet Tuesday, March 23, at 6 p.m. in the Community Room upstairs at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to work on the continued partnership with the City of Midway and Midway Renaissance. The agenda appears to be review of the state auditor's recommendations for public and nonprofit boards.

Wombles named to state records commission

Charlann Wombles, a member of the Midway City Council, has been appointed to the State Archives and Records Commission by Gov. Steve Beshear, the governor's office announced today. She will be a representative of local governments and serve a term ending Sept. 21, 2013.

Council to hear proposal for temporary RV camp at Midway Station during World Equestrian Games

The Midway City Council will hear a presentation Monday night from Nashville recreational-vehicle dealer Raymond Brody to set up a temporary RV campground at Midway Station before and during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park Sept. 25 through Oct. 10.

Brody first made the proposal to the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, which owns the property, and Lexington developer Dennis Anderson, who has a contract to buy the failed industrial park and make it a commercial and residential development. It has a facility for disposal of domestic wastewater into the Midway sewer system. Stephen Burnett wrote in The Woodford Sun (not available online) that Brody offered EDA $30,000 for use of the property and that Mayor Tom Bozarth said the city "will likely charge some usage fees."

Brody told EDA that he would want access to the property in mid-August, to be ready for early arrivals. He indicated that he will run the campground under a contract with the World Equestrian Games and will provide his own 24-hour security and transporation for visitors to downtown Midway. Paraphrasing Brody, the Sun reported that he wanted to set up the campground in Scott County, where the Horse Park is located, but "ran into some obstacles," which he did not explain. He said Midway Station could accommodate 500 to 750 RVs. Click here for a map of the proposed sites.

The city council meets at 5:30 p.m. March 15 at City Hall. The agenda also includes bids for the old sewer plant, delayed from the last meeting, and creation of a Sister Cities program in which Midway would pair with one or more towns in another nation for cultural and other exchanges.

City council wants legislature to raise Midway's official classification by one notch

Midway will ask the Kentucky General Assembly to raise the city's classification by one level, a move that would give it more authority and put it on a par with the county seat of Versailles.

The Midway City Council passed a resolution Monday night to seek the change from fifth class to fourth class. Kentucky has six classes of cities; those in the first four classes have authority over alcohol regulations, such as Sunday sales. When Midway restaurants wanted to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays, the decision was up to the Woodford County Fiscal Court, which delayed action until Versailles decided the question for itself.

City officials cited "increasing population and tourism appeal" as reasons for the change, Stephen Burnett writes in this week's edition of The Woodford Sun (not available online). "City Attorney Phil Moloney, reading the resolution, said the city is also seeking to promote economic development and increase employment," Burnett writes. Moloney cited the hoped-for development of Midway Station and expansion of Midway College. “Midway’s current classification as a city of the fifth class does not provide suitable framework for its continued and future economic growth and development," Moloney said.

The college's residential students are included in Midway's population, which was 1,620 (including 138 students) when the last census was taken almost exactly 10 years ago. The 2010 census figures won't be available for about a year. The population in 2000 was much less than the 3,000 minimum that the state constitution required for a fourth-class city before the General Assembly and the voters relaxed the requirements in 1994. Now, there are no specific population limits and the constitution says the legislature can also consider tax base, geography "or any other reasonable basis" in assigning a classification. However, an earlier statute, still on the books, says a city must submit population data to the legislature before being reclassified.

In a signed statement, Mayor Tom Bozarth and City Clerk Phyllis Hudson said they believe the city's population was undercounted in 2000 because it didn't include "residents living for the majority of the year on campus at Midway College," and that development of Midway Station and adjoining areas, and a nursing home, will give the city "a population in excess of 3,000 residents, and that a strong public purpose exists for reclassification." State Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway, said in an interview that he will try to get the classification changed during the current legislative session, which is scheduled to end March 29.

In other business, the council delayed action on bids for sale of the old sewer plant, because Bozarth and council members Diana Queen and Aaron Hamilton were absent.

Council OKs commitment letter and addendum to keep city in Main Street program via Renaissance

The Midway City Council tonight authorized Mayor Tom Bozarth to sign the letter of commitment required to keep the city in the state Main Street program and employ Midway Renaissance Executive Director Marci Christensen as Main Street director, at no extra pay.

The council also authorized Bozarth to sign the addendum to the letter of commitment, prepared by the city's attorney and the result of a meeting of a committee of city council and Rensissance members last week. (See item below.)

City and Renaissance hash out pressing issue, discuss problems in relationship

By Noha El Maraghi
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

It’s time for Midway Renaissance to be recertified as a state Main Street program. Three city council members and four Renaissance representatives met Monday night to iron out underlying problems between the group and the city and clear the way for the council to vote on the issue Monday, Feb. 15, the deadline for submitting the Main Street application.

In attendance were council members Sharon Turner (presiding in photo), Charlann Wombles (second from right), and Doris Leigh (in front of flag); and Renaissance members Randy Thomas, president (far left); Becky Moore, a former mayor (gesturing); Marci Christensen, executive director (between Thomas and Moore); and Bob Rathbone (far right). Also present was Assistant City Clerk Diane Shepard.

The purpose of the meeting was to get Renaissance and the city on the same page on a few issues, the top two being the Main Street application and the budget called for in the standard letter of commitment that must accompany the application. Council members felt the letter might make them obligated financially to Renaissance.

“We are not asking the city at this point for funding for a Main Street manager,” Thomas said. “Would I like that? Absolutely, and we would encourage the council to consider it.” The city stopped funding the half-time manager’s position about three years ago, and efforts to fund it on a shared basis with other local governments or local businesses have failed.

Thomas said the commitment letter cannot be changed, but a side agreement is possible. Later in the week, the city’s lawyer drafted an addendum to the agreement that specifies Renaissance is responsible for employing Christensen as Main Street manager and following its work plan, and the city will provide space for her during normal working hours if requested. Thomas said Saturday that he and Christensen will sign the addendum Monday morning.

Thomas told Turner, “I hope we can build a better working relationship,” and she replied that the ad hoc city-Renaissance committee appointed to work out the issue should continue. “None of it’s personal,” she said.

Wombles said she and Turner are “both distressed, as is probably the whole council, that there has not been a better working relationship. . . . It’s just a mystery to me why, with all the needs in this community, why we are spending energy not working better as partners.” She said the council represents “every citizen of Midway, and we need your support when we have to make hard decisions that are not popular with you all.”

When Christensen asked what she was referring to, Wombles said one example was “decisions regarding our insurance coverage.”

After the city’s insurance carrier expressed concern about people from Renaissance working on city property, sometimes with machinery, which could make the city liable to volunteers in the case of injury, the council voted to require volunteers to sign a liability release and report to the city every time they worked, including the time, place and machinery used. Renaissance opposed the ordinance, saying it required too much paperwork and would discourage people from volunteering.

Rathbone asked Wombles how Renaissance should manifest the support she was calling for. She hesitated and said, “I don’t think I want to go there.” But soon afterward, she told the rest of the committee, “I think we can make some improvements in this working relationship fairly quick.” She said they all share “deep love for Midway” and “If we keep that in mind we’ll get it done and we’ll do it with the civility and grace and the volunteer spirit that is Midway.”

Midway College announces scholarships for 20 talented female singers

Midway College is starting a scholarship program for talented female singers who enroll beginning this fall. The Midway Choral Scholars Program Scholarship of up to $10,000 will be awarded to up to 20 "accomplished female vocalists per year who wish to continue serious vocal performance as they pursue their college degree," the college says in a news release, which includes qualifications for the scholarship.

Application forms for the scholarship are available here. For application questions and admissions information contact Erika Smith, Director of Admission, at 846-5347 or easmith@midway.edu.