Midway University conducting week-long community survey as part of its strategic planning; online link below

Midway University is conducting a community survey as part of its strategic planning "to set future directions and position the institution for a stronger future," Vice President for Marketing and Communications Ellen Gregory said in an email.

"Your input is an important part of the process," Gregory writes. "We hope that you will provide feedback through an online survey. We anticipate that the survey will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete." The survey will conclude Feb. 14.

Gregory said all survey responses will go directly to Sutherland & Associates, a Lexington firm handling the survey. "Although verbatim responses will be shared with some members of university leadership, under no circumstances will the identity of the respondent be shared," she wrote. "Your responses are confidential."

Council OKs new police contract, hears plans for events; annual Chocolate Stroll scheduled this Saturday

By Lizzy Allen

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council approved a contract Monday with the City of Versailles for five years of police protection at a much higher cost.

Midway will pay Versailles, which patrols all of Woodford County, 4.25 percent of its annual police budget. The current budget is $3.9 million, which would make the first year's payment $165,975.

That would be 66 percent more than the current annual cost of $100,000, but Midway officials have long expected a big increase. The county has already agreed to pay Versailles more -- $1.4 million, or 38 percent of the city's police budget.

Each citizen will end up paying about $100 per year for this service, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said, adding, “That sounds like a fair deal to me.”

Vandegrift said that the Versailles Police Department “serves us very well. They are very responsive to our needs.” He added that Assistant Chief Mike Murray, the department’s point man for Midway, “does an outstanding job.”

Council member Sarah Hicks also said that she has been impressed with the Versailles police.

“In my previous terms on the city council, I did not have as good of an experience as I have been having the last year and a half, and I’m really, really appreciative,” Hicks said.

Vandegrift said a few minor changes were made to the contract from the one approved by a council committee, plus one material change, to let him to “select a representative to participate in meetings with the mayor of Versailles and chief of police of the Versailles Police Department beginning in March each year as the budget recommendation is drafted.”

“That will basically give us a voice in the budget process each March,” Vandegrift said. “Not a vote, but a voice.” For the contract and the rest of the council's meeting packet, click here.

Merchants plan monthly activities: Peggy Angel, who was re-elected as president of the Midway Business Association last month, told the council that the merchants are planning events almost every month this year.

“We have been really actively reflecting back on 2017 to see how we could do more things in 2018 to help bring visitors into the city,” Angel said. “I understand that the city would like us to do an event every month. We are going to try our very best to do that.”

The first event is this Saturday, Feb. 10: the annual Chocolate Stroll, in which visitors and citizens visit businesses on historic Main Street to get their tickets stamped so they can be entered into a raffle, all while enjoying chocolate treats from each business.

“Basically, the idea is to get them into our businesses to see what’s here,” Angel said. “They may not buy, but at least we’re educating them.”

Other events this year include a new St. Patrick’s Day event on Saturday, March 17, for which restaurants will donate food, drinks and gift baskets; and the annual Fall Festival in September, which Angel said will feature around 20 more booths this year, some of them educational.

Angel asked the council to help the merchants keep their interstate signs, which cost $1,200 a year. Vandegrift asked her to write a formal request to be put on the agenda for the next meeting, and said the money is available.

In other business, the council renewed the contract with John Soper, chair of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority. Vandegrift said the contract reads exactly the same as last year’s. Soper is paid $5,720 a month; Midway’s share is $858.

Soper recruits employers for the county, and one of his most active areas has been Midway Station and property adjoining the industrial park, which was largely vacant until recently. “The outlook at Midway Station, honestly, looks a lot better than it ever has,” Vandegrift said. He said the city is in a position “to truly tailor Midway Station more to our liking.”

The council also approved a request by Gary Smith, who recently purchased half an acre just south of the city limits, to hook on to the city water system. Smith and his wife intend to build a home on the property.

The council also voted to accept the final version of the audit for the 2016-17 fiscal year, the preliminary version of which was discussed at a previous meeting.

Council Member Libby Warfield again missed attending due to illness. In calling for the usual moment of silent reflection at the start of the meeting, Vandegrift asked members to remember Warfield.

Midway Renaissance fills board of directors; officer elections and events set; several other events planned

Jeanette Tesmer, the newly hired event coordinator for the Francisco's Farm Arts Festival, spoke to the crowd.

Midway's community spirit looks as vibrant as ever, judging from a strong turnout of volunteers for the board of directors of Midway Renaissance at the group's annual meeting Monday night after the chili cook-off at Midway Christian Church.

When President Debra Shockley announced that the board had 10 directors and seats for 18, at least eight people volunteered. The board will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at the library to elect this year's officers.

Shockley said the group's primary source of income is the Francisco's Farm Arts Festival, held each May at Midway University. She introduced Jeanette Tesmer, new coordinator of the event, and said planning for this year's Midsummer Nights in Midway will begin soon.

The group's first public activity will be staffing City Hall during the Midway merchants' annual Chocolate Stroll on Saturday, Feb. 10. Peter Fisher said a similar event is being planned for St. Patrick's Day, March 17, another Saturday, with the addition of "green"exhibits about electric vehicles, solar energy, recycling, gardening and so on.

DeeDee Roach said the group's Living History Committee will meet Feb. 12 at the Historic Midway Museum Store to gather up photographs of downtown businesses, and is planning a historic homes tour on Winter Street this summer to finance repairs to the Midway Woman's Club building.

Alex Woodruff, 15, wins annual chili cook-off at Midway Christian Church; crowd believed to be largest ever

Jonathan McColl and his father Mike were among the last in a very long line at the annual chili cook-off.

Alex's cookpot was empty, reflecting her dish's popularity.

Alex Woodruff, left, a 15-year-old student at Woodford County High School, won the annual chili cook-off at the Midway Christian Church's monthly community dinner Monday night. Steve Morgan placed second and Teresa Hoppin was third. All are from Midway. For the first time, the selection was made by vote of the crowd, not by judges.

Several observers agreed that the crowd was the largest ever, perhaps reflecting increased turnouts at the other community dinners in recent months. 

Message from the mayor: Sewer rate cuts are coming eventually, but water is another matter due to state law

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

I’m pleased to say that it’s my intention to significantly lower property tax rates when the council sets them in August. We’re able to make such tax decreases because of the influx of new revenue from our recent job creation, especially at Midway Station.

But why not lower water and sewer rates instead? I believe we can do that in the near future as well, but I want to explain why it’ll take a little more time to achieve that feat. Our coffers are essentially separated into three funds: a general fund, a water fund, and a sewer fund. The water and sewer funds are known as enterprise funds, because they are in essence a business the city operates.

According to state law, we can’t use general fund revenue to supplement the water and sewer funds: they must pay for themselves. Kentucky American Water sells their product to the city and we sell it to you, basically at cost. We can’t control the rates they set, but when they increased rates recently, we did not pass that on to you – instead we were able to absorb it.

Sewer rates, however, are something we can control, and they have been higher than normal because for 20 years the city has been paying for a sewer plant which failed and a new one built to replace it. Because we’re still paying off the old debts, we can’t lower those rates just yet. But, fortunately, we are going to pay off our old sewer plant this year, and I believe with the right planning we can pay off the current one in a couple of years as well. When this happens, we will be able to lower sewer rates.

At any rate, it’s very exciting to be talking about lowering taxes, not raising them.

Renaissance annual meeting set after Mon. chili cookoff

Midway Renaissance will hold its annual meeting Monday, Jan. 29, after the annual chili cook-off at Midway Christian Church. The cook-off starts at 6:30 and the meeting is expected to start around 7:30.

Renaissance is looking for interested people to serve three-year terms on its board of directors. More information about the group is on its website, www.MidwayRenaissance.com. Questions can be emailed to info@midwayrenaissance.com, or call 859-227-8993.

Mayor suggests tax incentives for standard store hours; council may allow alcoholic-beverage sales until 1 a.m.

By Lizzy Allen
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift asked the Midway City Council Monday night to consider the possibility of tax incentives to get downtown businesses to "keep longer and more consistent hours."

The council also brought up the idea of allowing bars to remain open until 1 a.m., and took under advisement a new agreement with the City of Versailles to provide police protection.

Vandegrift said he hears "constant frustration" over how early many of the shops in downtown Midway close, before the city's evening restaurant traffic begins. He said surveys have shown that most retail shopping is done after 5 p.m., and downtown would be much more viable with evening shopping. He mentioned Franklin, Tenn., as an example.

There have also been complaints from disappointed tourists about shops being closed on Sundays and Mondays, or not opening early enough.

Vandegrift said the city could not mandate hours for businesses, but could use tax incentives to reward businesses that keep regular or longer hours. He said the unspecified incentives should also go to businesses that already meet whatever standards are set. “If you’re already doing those things, you get those incentives,” he said.

One business that does keep longer hours is Kennydid Gallery, owned by Kenny Smith, who pushed the idea of longer hours when he was president of the Midway Business Association. There was no agreement, and some unhappiness that he kept raising the issue. "We're not a mall," MBA Treasurer Leslie Penn, co-owner of the Midway Museum Store, told him in late 2015.

Vandegrift asked the Events, Outreach and Tourism Committee to work with the MBA on the idea, since the three committee members -- Kaye Nita Gallagher, John McDaniel and Steve Simoff -- have all owned or operated a business downtown. "If it goes nowhere, it's no problem, but I think it is an interesting idea," Vandegrift said.

McDaniel, the chair of the committee, said he had already talked with Debra Shockley of Midway Renaissance about ways to extend business hours, and said if a committee is formed to work on the issues it could evolve into one that coordinates and promotes downtown events. Renaissance sponsors Midsummer Nights in Midway on three nights in the summer.

Bruce Southworth, chair of the Public Works and Services Committee, proposed that the council amend city ordinances two city ordinances to allow alcoholic beverages to be sold an extra hour, until 1 a.m., except on Sunday nights, when the current closing time is 10 p.m. "At 11:30, they're getting ready to close, and people start coming in," he said.

Vandegrift said he would consult city attorney Phil Moloney about procedure to make the change.

Southworth, as chair of the Public Works and Services Committee, also presented the council with the proposed police agreement with Versailles, which calls for Midway to pay 4.25 percent of that city's police budget, or about $166,000 in the fiscal year beginning July 1 -- up from $100,000 this fiscal year, the last year of the latest multi-year contract between the towns.

Southworth's committee endorsed the proposal Jan. 10. He said then that Versailles wants a percentage rather than the current flat fee because it pay have to increase its police budget to fund pensions. Vandegrift said he would schedule the contract for a vote at the next council meeting, Feb. 5.

In other business, the council approved two mayoral reappointments to the Park Board: Liles Taylor and Joanna Smith. “They’re young and energetic and intelligent,” Vandegrift said. The two had completed one-year terms, part of the staggered terms used when a board is created so all the appointments don’t come up at the same time.

The council briefly discussed snow removal on sidewalks, which is generally considered the responsibility of property owners but not done by some. Vandegrift said he would check to see if there is an ordinance; he said the city has never penalized people for not removing snow.