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.

City Council votes unanimously to crack down on blighted property, create Code Enforcement Board

The building at 116 W. Main St. seems likely to be
an early enforcement target, due to its prominence.

After years of off-and-on deliberations, the Midway City Council has passed ordinances to crack down on lack of property maintenance in the city.

The council voted unanimously Monday night for an updated nuisance ordinance and an ordinance creating a Code Enforcement Board, which will hear cases of property owners who don't correct violations. The board's rulings could be appealed to court.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, who has been trying to crack down on blighted properties since he took office five years ago, said he would have board appointments ready for approval at the next meeting, Jan. 21.

Afterward, Vandegrift said he enforcement actions could begin as early as next month, once he decides who to appoint as enforcement officer. He said he will also have that appointment ready for the next meeting.

During discussions of the ordinances, Vandegrift said he would probably appoint Building Inspector Joshua Stevens to enforce the ordinance, but he said Monday night that he is worried that Stevens has "a time crunch," so "I'm looking to get a commitment from someone here in the community." That would be more expensive, but he said, "We're not cash-strapped, so I think we can do it." He said another alternative could be a police officer, because the job is "not a time-consuming position."

Property owners would be given at least 10 days to correct violations. If they don't comply, the case would go to the board, which will have three members and two alternates, who must have been residents of the city for a year upon appointment.

After initially staggered appointments, they would serve three-year terms, be limited to two terms and could be removed by the mayor or a council majority plus one for "misconduct, inefficiency or willful neglect of duty." They could not hold any office with the city or any agency that enforces housing, plumbing, fire, maintenance or related codes.

Vandegrift has said the board is the key to enforcement that will stand up in court. The ordinances follow state laws passed in 2016 to give cities more power to crack down on blight.  The code-enforcement ordinance can be downloaded here, and the nuisance ordinance amendment is here.

Vandegrift said during the council meeting that the ordinances had been "a long time coming" and had "hit some roadblocks," including one he hadn't mentioned publicly, the February 2018 death of council member Libby Warfield.

The mayor said he and Warfield "didn't agree on a lot" but she was "a big proponent" of cracking down on blight. To replace her, the council chose Johnny Wilson, who Vandegrift said was more skeptical, as was then-member John McDaniel. So were members Bruce Southworth and Kaye Nita Gallagher, so the mayor's efforts stalled.

In the 2018 council election, Wilson didn't run (which was the understanding when he was appointed), and McDaniel was defeated. Steve Simoff also didn't seek re-election, so new members Stacy Thurman, John Holloway and Logan Nance joined Gallagher, Southworth and Sara Hicks on the council. Early in their term, Thurman, the top vote-getter, called for action, saying "People have been asking."

Vandegrift said after Monday's meeting, "The two years that went by really showed the demand in the community. I'd say that was the driving force."

Midway Station: The council authorized Vandegrift to sign a guarantee of interest payments on the long-term debt of the Midway Station industrial park, which is being converted to a 36-month, 3.25 percent loan from a 20-year bond that matured Dec. 31. The county will again make a similar guarantee, but the two governments seem unlikely to resume such payments because of land sales and development on and near the property.

"It's a performing loan now," said John Soper, chair of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, which hold title to the land and is the borrower on the loan, which will be held by several local banks, led by Wesbanco. The bond was for more than $6 million and the loan balance is now $2,067,768, according to a cash-flow projection Soper gave the city. It estimated that EDA will have $150,000 available for debt service, which is about 26 months' worth of debt service on projected monthly interest payments of $5,678. The loan principal is being reduced by property sales, at $65,000 per acre for industrial land and more for commercial tracts.

Other business: The council held first reading of a previously discussed budget amendment and approved an event permit for John's Bluegrass Racing Co. to hold the 2020 Iron Horse Half Marathon on the morning of Sept. 20, the Sunday of the Midway Fall Festival. Until this year, the event had been held in October; the route has been adjusted to avoid some problems that arose during this year's race. The route is mapped in the council meeting packet, downloadable here. 

Vandegrift announced that he would call a special meeting for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 to discuss the city's water policies. Nance suggested in September that the city no longer cut off water service to customers who don't pay their bills. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 21, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that Monday. All council meetings are open to the public.

Tomorrow is the deadline to make reservations for Feast of the Epiphany at Midway Christian Church

Saturday, Jan. 4, is the deadline to buy tickets for the 13th annual Feast of the Epiphany, to be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at Midway Christian Church.

After a special Epiphany program is presented in the sanctuary, Chef Ouita Michel and her staff will serve a buffet feast of roast hog stuffed with sausage, roasted onions with balsamic vinegar and honey, honey-roasted chicken, saffron rice pilaf, carrot pudding with currants and dates, and more.

Reservations are required. The cost is $35 for adults, $20 for ages 11-18, free for children 10 and younger. To make a reservation, call the church office at 846-4102 or buy tickets online.

Frozen Rails races and other events on New Year's Day

The Frozen Rails 5K and 10K will be held Wednesday, Jan. 1 in Midway. The $30 registration fee for events is discounted $3 until midnight Sunday, Dec. 29 with a coupon code, RUN2020. The regular fee is $30 for the 5K or 10 K; $25 for the one-mile fun run/walk (which includes a T-shirt) and $15 for the Little Rails 1K Kids Run (Each participating child will receive a medal.) Volunteers and contributors to help with the event can also sign up on the race's signup page or at race-day headquarters, Midway Christian Church, Wednesday from noon to 1:45 p.m. Proceeds from the event benefit the Midway Ministerial Association, which provides support to local residents in need. The event will also accept donations of canned foot and other non-perishable goods for distribution through the local food pantry.

The 10K run will begin at 2 p.m. at the corner of Winter and Main streets, go out Spring Station Road and return to the starting point. The 5K run and the fun run/walk will start at 2:10 p.m. and follow part of the same route. The Little Rails 1K Kids Run will begin at 1:40 p.m. and go down and back up Turner Street.  More information about the event is here. The weather forecast for Wednesday is sunny, with a high of 48.

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.

State Transportation Cabinet confirms Weisenberger Mill bridge is scheduled to open Monday, at 8 a.m.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet photo

The state Transportation Cabinet confirmed this afternoon that the new Weisenberger Mill Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic at 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, five months ahead of schedule. "The bridge, on Weisenberger Mill Road (CR 1015), restores a critical link over South Elkhorn Creek in Scott and Woodford counties," the cabinet's District 7 office said in a news release.

“Restoring this vital connection for motorists and emergency services who depend on the bridge daily was a priority,” said Kelly Baker, chief engineer for District 7. “We listened to the needs of the public, and worked diligently with the contractor to accelerate the opening of the new bridge.”

The old bridge was closed July 1, 2016, after a routine inspection found advanced deterioration was found in the bottom and outermost members that run parallel to the surface of the bridge. The bridge, which had been used by heavy trucks as a shortcut, had been operating under repeatedly lower weight limits, finally at only three tons.

After delays for historical and environmental studies, including citizen input, the state gave up its plans for a two-lane bridge and agreed to install a one-lane structure very much like the old one. "The newly constructed bridge fits within the context of the environment," the release said. "The goal of the project team was to closely match the features of the previous structure. The bridge is a pony truss with galvanized steel, and a concrete deck."

Louisville Paving Co. was the sole bidder on the project and began work Aug. 12. It removed the old bridge in late August and placed the new structure in late November. Crews were working on signs and other final measures today.

The bridge is a popular destination and route for tourists, runners and cyclists, since it overlooks the historic, family-owned Weisenberger Mill, which has been grinding flour in the same location since 1865 and in the same building since 1913. The traffic count on Weisenberger Mill Bridge Road in 2012 was 1,200 vehicles per day, the cabinet said.

Weisenberger Mill bridge about ready for Mon. opening

Bill Jenkins of the Woodford County Road Department walked across the new Weisenberger Mill bridge yesterday morning. The department's Tom Fortenberry said the bridge will be ready for traffic, once state contractor Louisville Paving Co. installs the ends of guardrails.

Louisville Paving posted signs at the Scott County junction of US 62 and 421 saying that the bridge will open Monday, Dec. 23, but the state Transportation Cabinet has been unwilling to guarantee that. Construction went faster than expected largely because of favorable weather, Fortenberry said.

The state is paying for the bridge under a long-ago trade with Woodford County, which is responsible for the bridge under a previous agreement with Scott County. (South Elkhorn Creek is the county line.) The Woodford County Road Department was responsible for blocking traffic and posting signs after the state closed the bridge for safety reasons on July 1, 2016.

Replacement of the bridge was delayed by historical and environmental concerns. In response to concerns by nearby residents who feared a two-lane bridge would lead to more speeding and wrecks, especially in the curve on the Woodford County side, the state contracted for a one-lane pony truss bridge much like the one built in 1935.