Local experts to discuss future of horse industry at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Midway College

The future of the horse industry will be the topic of a panel discussion at Midway College Wednesday evening. Students from the course Economics of the Horse Industry will talk with local experts, beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 112 of the Anne Hart Raymond Center. The experts will be:

• Chris Stafford, an expert in horse media, who will discuss the role of the media in promoting equine activities to a larger audience.

• Deb Balliet, chief executive officer of the Equine Land Conservation Resource, a non-profit organization founded to promote national awareness of the importance of land and conservation for equestrian sports and activity. She will talk about equine access to land and what we need to do to keep it.

• Ginny Grulke, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to protection and development of the Kentucky equine community. She will speak on the role of leadership and organization in the horse industry.

Corman schedules Lexington-to-Frankfort trains for May 10 and 12; no stop in Midway

By Dick Yarmy
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

Passengers aboard two dinner trains making R.J. Corman Railroad Group’s first round trips from Lexington to Frankfort and back on May 10 and 12 will get a glimpse of downtown Midway –– if they look quickly. (Corman photo of dining car)

“A special run is just what it is,” said Noel Rush, Corman vice president of strategic planning and development. “We certainly don’t want to raise speculation about any regular scheduled dinner train ... We run special trains from time to time.”

Rush said the company is running a special train from Clarksville, Tenn., to Louisville on May 11, as a treat for freight customers, and "It just makes sense to use it" for another purpose: "to raise the profile of Gil Logan, our new executive chef" for the dinner train that Corman operates from Bardstown to the main Jim Beam Distillery. For Corman's full press release, click here.

Corman will also be running its annual Kentucky Derby group train from Lexington to Churchill Downs. The train is scheduled to pass through Midway at 9:35 a.m., May 7.

History is repeating itself. According to this week's Woodford Sun, the Blue Grass Clipper reported that a train carrying former president Teddy Roosevelt failed to stop at Midway back in 1912, and the trains still aren’t stopping 99 years later.

City council discusses 2011-12 budget proposal; mayor delays public release

By Clark Brooks
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The Midway City Council discussed Mayor Tom Bozarth’s proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year in an open workshop Monday night but largely in terms of percentage increases or decreases in specific items, not specific dollar figures.

Only the council members and Bozarth had copies of the proposal. The Midway Messenger asked for a copy of the proposed budget immediately after the meeting, but Bozarth required the Messenger to file an open-records request, to which the city has three days to respond. The Messenger obtained a copy of the proposal after the meeting from Council Member Becky Moore, who has said materials provided to council members before meetings should be provided to reporters covering the meetings. (Update: The city responded to the open-records request Wednesday morning.)

Bozarth began the discussion by noting percentage changes in some line items, such as a projected 29 percent increase in net profits taxes from last year. That number reflects an increase to $7,000 from $5,000, and the $2,000 difference is only two-tenths of 1 percent of the general, non-utility budget of $931,428, which is about the same as last year.

Bozarth attributed the increase to “better insight from auditors” and a small growth in local businesses. He said revenue from business license fees is projected to rise 45 percent, largely because the council recently increased the fees, and occupational taxes are expected to go up 14 percent. He said the latter increase stems from more jobs at Midway College.

On the spending side of the ledger, the budget estimates that the city will pay $21,199 less in Social Security taxes, which Bozarth attributed to the recent tax-cut deal between President Obama and congressional Republicans. The largest single increase in the draft budget would boost street maintenance by more than three-fifths, to $24,525 from $15,000 in the current budget.

With the city’s current budget coming to an end at the conclusion of the 2010-11 fiscal year on June 30, the budget is in its preliminary stages. “At this point, nothing in the budget is set in stone,” Bozarth said. “We still have to tinker around with the proposed budget over the next few city council meetings.”

The council received a budget request from the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce to help maintain the chamber website that promotes tourism.

Chamber representative Tami Vater said there has been a lot of interest in Midway businesses, according to the website’s traffic, and requested an unspecified amount to help cover the site’s $3,500 yearly expense. “Nearly a fourth of all web traffic the site had in March was solely because of Midway’s businesses,” she said. “This website helps with communication and allows the chamber to be ambassadors not only for Midway, but also Woodford County as a whole.”

Vater also mentioned the Chamber is developing Facebook and Twitter accounts, and potentially a blog, to help with communication at no cost to the community. “The chamber is trying to get more in sync with tech-savvy consumers,” she said. “Communication is key to promote this area’s businesses and tourism potential.”

There was a brief discussion about the need for a small banquet hall in Midway, and Vater said that a hotel feasibility study is currently in progress to see if Midway is a desirable location for a overnight accommodations.

Monday’s meeting included an update from Midway’s Water and Wastewater Task Force. The report said the current water-main flushing program showed that pipes in some parts of town are worse off than others. For example, pipes on the north side had more rust.

The task force is considering the need for the city to replace its water and sewage lines, perhaps by selling the system. Meanwhile, Bozarth said, Midway will apply for a rural development grant for the work.

“This is a process that is going to take awhile into the fall,” he said. “But, this doesn’t mean the city will make a switch in our water provider.”

Water and Sewer Task Force looks for (1) buyers and (2) cost estimates for repairing systems

Story and photos by Dick Yarmy
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The city of Midway’s Water and Sewer Task Force met Friday, April 8 to share fact-finding studies addressing Midway’s aging water and sewer systems. The committee decided to widen the search for potential purchasers and to expand the effort to quantify the cost of repairing the systems.

The committee is studying two options: Selling the city’s assets to an outside company, such as Kentucky American Water Co., the current supplier, which would own and operate the systems, or having the city refurbish the systems and maintain ownership.

“Whether we do this, or Kentucky American Water does this, it will be costly to the citizens of Midway either way,” Mayor Tom Bozarth said. “We are educating ourselves as to what needs to be done, or has to be done.”

The education began with a presentation by committee member Bob Blankenship of HMB Professional Engineers Inc., left. Blankenship estimated a cost of $1,423,150 to address the “trouble spots” in the water lines of the 70-year old system. The estimate covered replacing the lines in one segment of the city and showed costs based on using today’s technology. As an example, Blankenship mentioned using plastic line to replace the old cast iron sections of the system. To view a map, click here; for a breakdown of costs, here.

“I don’t want to give the false impression that this is all you have to do,” Blankenship said. The report is a good representation of the work that would be needed on the whole water system, he added. Blankenship said the estimate addressed issues like small pipes, dead-ends and hydrants connected to pipes that are too small to provide sufficient water pressure.

Based on the sample covered in the estimate, Blankenship said the cost to do the complete water system could run at least another $900,000. Adding this amount to the “trouble spots” budget yields a total estimate of $2.3 million to refurbish the system.

Blankenship said it would take at least that much, or slightly more, to repair the sewer lines, which are larger and must be laid downhill to drain naturally. A future study will examine costs for refurbishing the sewer lines.

Blankenship offered ideas to increase revenues for the system, mentioning the city’s water hauling station. “It appears you are charging only 5-10 cents more than you pay Kentucky Water,” he said. “Maybe you should raise the price to 40 or 50 cents above your costs.”

Another idea was to ask the Kentucky Rural Water Association to start looking for water loss in the system. “There’s no charge for that,” he said.

“At the end of the day, what we have to deal with is the cost of getting our infrastructure up to speed to compare with what Kentucky American Water might offer us to take the system over,” said Bozarth.

Kentucky American has been supplying water to the city of Midway for the past 25 years, based on a 40-year commitment made in 1985. Residents of Midway received notice last December of a rate hike of $2.69 per 1,000 gal. of water.

“To some people, Kentucky Water is a dirty word,” said James Johnson, task force chairman, left. He asked if there was any other company that might be interested in purchasing Midway’s assets.

Bozarth said the city would have to find someone who would want to buy the assets and be more than just a water re-seller. If an interested party was just a water supplier, he said, a separate agreement would be needed to handle the city’s sewer needs. “How many people would be willing to take over a system that would require more than $2 million to just update?” He asked.

One committee member is in a unique position to evaluate the situation: former Kentucky American president Roy Mundy, vice president of development at Midway College, “Kentucky-American looks at acquisitions like this as a five-year strategic plan,” Mundy said.

“When they are acquiring a system, it’s because of a problem and part of their commitment is to solve the problem.” They can immediately fix the serious liabilities, such as fire hydrants, and spread the cost over 118,000 customers in Central Kentucky, said Mundy, left.

“We tried to buy the system when Becky Moore was mayor,” Mundy recalled, and from recent contacts it appears the company is still interested, he added. “And they won’t do it unless the deal will take the city out of debt –– they understand that.” Mundy said, referring to bond issues and other debts related to a proposed acquisition’s water and sewer system.

Several years ago Kentucky American bought the water system in Owen County, which some members of the task force visited recently.

“When Kentucky-American bought Owenton’s system it eliminated their debt and freed up $900,000 to do other things,” said Johnson.

“Employees were taken care of,” said Aaron Hamilton, right, a member of the task force and city council. Kentucky American hired the city’s workers, who received salary raises and improved benefits, he added.

Danny Smith moved that the committee begin contacting Kentucky-American for more information on their interest to purchase the city’s water and sewer system. After a suggestion by Council Member Joy Arnold, a guest sitting in for Council Member Dan Roller, Smith amended his motion to include Kentucky-American Water and any other prospective prospects.

After the motion passed, Bozarth set goals for more fact finding. He asked Blankenship to “zero in” on cost estimates by extending the initial budget to include the city’s entire water line system. Bozarth expressed interest in arriving at a cost per resident, and exploring any grant money that might be available.

Blankenship suggested that a useable benchmark would be a 30/70 rural development grant/loan mix from the Rural Development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Bozarth reminded the committee of the methodical approach he expects in facing this challenge. “This will take a year to gather all this information,” he said. “We’re going to take small bites, and do it a part at a time.”

The committee will meet again at noon May 10 in the dining hall at Midway College. The task force meetings are open to all citizens.

Water flush is coming; you may taste it tomorrow

The water in Midway may taste different tomorrow because the city will be preparing for its annual water-main flushing program. Mains will be flushed Monday, April 18 through Friday, April 22, but tomorrow the city will start using a different form of chlorination to disinfect water, continuing through Sunday, May 8. The notice from City Hall says this temporary change is common practice and the water will still be safe to drink, though users may notice a more significant smell of chlorine, and people who must dechlorinate their water will not need to change their procedures during this period.

Starting April 18, mains will be flushed between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Workers will open several fire hydrants in an area to create increased water flows and clean the distribution system of mineral deposits and sediment. During flushing it is possible that water may be discolored, but the water will clear up after it has run for a few minutes, the City Hall notice says. If any discoloration occurs, customers should run the faucet until the water is clear before washing clothes and so forth, the city advises.

"We apologize for the inconvenience and assure you it is a necessary part of our operation," the notice says. "If you have any questions, please call City Hall at 859-846-4413."

Water and Sewer Task Force to meet at noon Fri.

The Midway Water and Sewer Task Force will meet at noon on Friday, April 8, at the Piper Dining Hall on the Midway College campus, to discuss water and sewer issues. The meeting is open to the public.

Last week's council meetings: A drama in 2 acts

ANALYSIS By Dick Yarmy
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The March 21 Midway City Council meetings unfolded like a drama in two acts. Act 1 was an example of city government at its best. Act 2 showed the strain and tension of two factions reaching to understand each other.

Act 1: More than a dozen citizens, including downtown merchants, joined council members and Mayor Tom Bozarth as Joe Grider of HMB Professional Engineers (at right in photo below) brought the plans for the downtown railroad improvements and the Midway streetscape to life at a special outdoor meeting.

Grider, looking like the Pied Piper, led the contingent along points he had pre-marked on the cement showing each construction phase planned by the city and R.J. Corman Railroad Group. His crisp narration was occasionally interrupted by questions from merchants, interested citizens and council members. (Photo by Dick Yarmy)

Although the basic plan has been public for some time, Bozarth called the special meeting and walkthrough to highlight the latest changes to the project, such as scrapping the original plan to demolish two walls on the north end of East Main Street.

Public notice of the special meeting was posted and the mayor telephoned merchants, potentially affected by the changes, to avoid possible misunderstandings.

Grider detailed the nine areas where existing walls, curbs and sidewalks would be removed, and described the six construction tasks involving walls and columns. Changes in parking spot dimensions, which could affect storefront businesses, were covered in detail. Accessibility to the area will be improved with the addition of sidewalk ramps allowing wheeled access to the street.

The streetscape diagram is available as JPEG photo file here.

Grider explained the project scheduling in relative terms. The city can begin its construction only after Corman has completed its work, and Corman’s schedule has yet to be announced.

As different construction tasks were detailed, questions came from the crowd, such as: “Who’s paying for that?” Grider said the city will spend $53,000 on streetscape while Corman spends $700,000 on railway improvements.

The project plan was clearly explained, the interested parties were informed and the city government achieved its goal of keeping interested parties up to date.

The curtain dropped on Act 1.

Act 2, the regular council meeting, added some drama. After routine business, the council began a lengthy debate fueled by new council members’ concerns about communication, access to information and citizens’ involvement in government.

Different understandings between the three new members and holdovers (the three other members and Bozarth) surfaced when new member Joy Arnold discussed a proposed meeting designed to share the council’s goals with the public and solicit additional goals.

Holdover member Doris Leigh questioned the need for the meeting, citing the council’s retreat at the Holly Hill Inn Feb. 12, when members and Bozarth met with a facilitator to establish goals for 2011.

“We already decided our goals at the Holly Hill meeting,” said Leigh, who suggested the council accomplish those goals before taking on new ones.

Arnold replied, “I’m not sure the public is aware of our goals.”

“We represent them,” Leigh responded. “They tell us what to do.”

As the discussion continued, the lines of communication appeared to connect, and all members agreed to the purpose, content, format, location and time of the meeting. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 2 at Midway Baptist Church.

But the tension built again, as Council Member Dan Roller introduced a memo with nine suggestions for holding more productive council meetings. Again, the new members and holdovers took opposite positions, and the main point of disagreement was access to information.

Roller asked for more detail to be included in the packet sent to council members to prepare them for council meetings. He also called for a document to track pending projects and proposals that have been acted on in the past year.

Bozarth, left, said any information needed would be provided when requested by a council member. “If you want something specific, just ask,” he said. (Photo, from earlier meeting, by Dick Yarmy)

Roller said information pertaining to the council’s business is “guarded” rather than open. “It’s not our business, it’s the public’s business,” he said. “Most of the suggestions we’re making are for having more productive meetings going forward.”

Roller suggested the packet information should also include the individual committee reports and scheduled meetings. When Bozarth said he saw no need to include detailed schedules and actions of the committees in the packets, Roller asked, “You’re opposed to informing the public?”

Council Member Aaron Hamilton said, “It’s all open. They can come to a committee meeting, if they want to; they don’t have to wait for a report. We send a notice out, and anybody can attend –– anybody.” By law, council committee meetings are public.

New Council Member Becky Moore, who preceded Bozarth as mayor, said a more complete and detailed agenda would serve to inform and engage more citizens, because the agenda is published on the city’s website.

Council Member Sharon Turner expressed support for the current agenda content: “It’s been the same the last four years as it was the two years before that,” she said. “You put on there what you know –– when you know it.” Bozarth was mayor the last four years.

The differing points of view between the new members and holdovers continued during a discussion about providing the news media with the council packets in advance of the meeting.

Bozarth said he saw no need for that, saying that if journalists want something, they can ask. He said the city is following the state open-records law.

Phil Moloney, the city attorney, left, said the city uses the three-day delay the law allows for a response to minimize costs and conserve city clerks’ time. (Photo, from earlier meeting, by Dick Yarmy)

Moore suggested that the reporters present be asked if they needed the packet to do their jobs. Bozarth asked this reporter’s opinion, specifically on receiving an advance copy of the complete packet.

“I would ask for what I needed,” I replied. “We’re not bashful.”

The discussions included other topics, such as operation of the council’s email system, including date stamping; the ability of city clerks to be informed of council decisions to answer citizens’ inquiries; and the possibility of developing a more comprehensive city calendar that would include holidays, city events and anything requiring a permit.

After the meeting, this reporter asked Roller for a copy of the memo he read during the meeting. He suggested I fill out an open-records request, or see the mayor. Bozarth, hearing the conversation, offered to email me one. Roller then handed me his copy, ending Act 2.

In phone interviews the next day and the day after, two council members opined on the meeting.

Moore said part of the problem is the appearance of secrecy: “We’re doing public business in a public place; having people wait for information makes you suspicious.”

Asked what changes she’d like to see, she said, “An elected official should be able to go into City Hall and get what they need immediately. I feel the information is guarded. We should review the current policy.” She added, “The new council members want to know what’s going on because people ask us.”

Turner said their constituents are well informed.

“I can’t get in or out of the grocery store without someone saying ‘What’s going on?’ . . . If you can’t answer to their satisfaction, you can be sure they’ll show up at a council meeting,” she said, adding that communication has improved.

“I’ve worked under both mayors, and I don’t know why some folks think it’s different now. It’s been more open in the last four years than in the previous six.” Moore was mayor for about six years.

“Everything I’ve wanted to know –– when I’ve asked, I’ve been provided with,” Turner said. “Everyone is doing what they can do –– we’re not in it for the money, we’re in it for the love of Midway.”

On that point, Moore agreed. “The information will come, now that we’re asking for it,” she said.