Council to meet on new budget at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday

Mayor Tom Bozarth has called a special meeting of the Midway City Council for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 1, at City Hall located to discuss hos proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. "Possible action will be taken," says the notice from City Hall. All council meetings are open to the public. For last week's story on Bozarth's proposals, click here.

State Rep. Carl Rollins resigns to head state agency; special election to fill vacancy will be June 25

UPDATE, April 30: Democratic Party officials nominated James Kay of Versailles as their candidate for the election. Republicans nominated Lyen Crews, vice president of business and financial affairs at Midway College, who lost to Rollins by about 5 percentage points in 2010. UPDATE, May 8: Independent John-Mark Hack of Versailles, a former state agriculture-policy director, filed an hour before the deadline. For a story on the race from Ryan Alessi of cn|2's "Pure Politics," click here.

State Rep. Carl Rollins of Midway resigned from the General Assembly today in order to accept a new job: chief executive officer of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority and the Kentucky Student Loan Corp.

“For the past seven sessions of the General Assembly I have had the honor of serving the people of the 56th District in the Kentucky House of Representatives,” Rollins told Gov. Steve Beshear in his resignation letter. “In the last five sessions leadership in the House has allowed me to serve as chairman of the House Education Committee, where we proved that by working in a bipartisan manner we could make significant improvements to public education for the children and citizens of the Commonwealth.”

The last session saw passage of at least two bills that Rollins strongly advocated: one that is expected to result in the dropout age being raised to 18, and the "Districts of Innovation" law that allows waivers from state rules to try new ways to improve learning. He also sponsored a bill to abolish the death penalty in Kentucky; it got nowhere but he was promised a hearing in the legislative interim.

Beshear, a Democrat like Rollins, called a special election for June 25 to fill the 20 months remaining in Rollins's term. Party precinct officials in the district will nominate candidates. McDonald's franchisee Joe Graviss of Versailles, who ran for the state Senate several years ago and has remained active in Democratic politics, has been mentioned as a candidate. Rollins told cn|2 Politics (Channel 2 on Insight and Time Warner cable TV) that county party chair James Kay, who was a legislative aide in this year's session, is interested in running, and Kay acknowledged that. Another legislative aide, Versailles City Council Member Brian Traugott, has also been mentioned as a Democratic candidate.

Carol Rogers, chair of the Fayette County Republican Party, "said the nominee is most likely to come from Woodford County, considering it makes up most of the district," cn|2 reports, noting: "The House must redraw the districts with the 2010 Census figures before the 2014 election. And the map the House put out earlier this year, significantly shifted the 56th District precincts in western Fayette County and instead added precincts from southern Scott County." It also includes much of Franklin County.

Mayor Bozarth proposes spending accumulated city funds on several improvements

By Julia Myers and Nini Edwards

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

In a budget workshop Monday, Mayor Tom Bozarth presented to the city council his plans to spend some of the money the city has been accumulating. 

Bozarth wants to put the money toward community improvement projects – particularly making repairs to the wall on Gratz Street, left.  The project, according to his draft budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, will cost around $75,000.

“Each year we put a lot of time and thought into the budget, and we’ve tried to include projects to improve and provide better services for the city of Midway,” Bozarth told the council at the start of the workshop, noting this is his sixth budget he has proposed as mayor. He previously served on the council.

Other projects on the list include sidewalk repairs and removal of hazardous trees.  A $20,000 handicapped ramp on Main Street is also expected to be completed this year, but the project will be funded by the R.J. Corman Railroad.

In the street department of the budget, Bozarth plans to spend almost $14,000 widening Starks Alley and Dudley Street, and adding parking on West Main Street.

After reminding council members that the drafted budget was just a proposal, Bozarth reviewed each line item of the city’s income and expenses, highlighting the areas that he wants to increase or decreasd significantly.

There would be an $11,000 increase in the professional and technical area of the budget, due in part to contracting with HMB, an engineering firm, an auditor to replace the one who will be leaving, and fees to a consultant who helps identify businesses operating in Midway vendors without a city license.

The fire department would get more money for equipment.  Bozarth would grant its request for $5,000 for a thermal imaging camera.  Also on the list a rescue saw kit, six traffic-control flashlights and a gas-leak detector, which the mayor said is needed because of the large gas station that will be built at the Interstate 64 interchange.

“We’ve tried our best to get the fire department everything they need,” Bozarth said of the volunteers.  “Over the past six years, we’ve really upgraded the fire department.”

The cemetery would get more money for maintenance.  The house on the property needs $15,000 in repairs because the cemetery caretaker left it in poor condition, Bozarth said.   

Salaries in all departments except city hall would decrease .  City Clerk Phyllis Hudsonsaid salaries are down due to most overtime costs being eliminated from the budget, as well as retiring employees being replaced with a younger group earning lower salaries.  

From left: Dan Roller, Bruce Southworth, Aaron Hamilton (Julia Myers photo)

New Council Member Bruce Southworth said he would like overtime listed as a line item in the budget, and also wanted employees’ salary ranges listed. Council Member Sharon Turner said the council should only be concerned with staying in the budget, “and if you go over the line you have to give back.”

As the discussion grew more animated, Bozarth smiled and asked Southworth if this was “the way they do it in Versailles,” referring to the new member’s previous position as director of public works in Versailles. He said Southworth could get a salary list from Hudson.

“I think there needs to be more transparency here,” Southworth said in an interview following the meeting.  “I want to come in here and be able to pick up the budget, and see what’s going on.”

Another area of the budget creating lots of discussion among council members was the issue of donations to chairtable causes.  Bozarth listed two requests, $2,000 from the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce and $500 for Repair Affair, a Rotary Club project in which volunteers fix up homes of elderly, disabled and poor people.

Council Member Dan Roller recommended that they create a way for non-profit organizations to ask for donations.  “My desire is that we have a policy in place for donation requests,” said Roller.

But Roller indicated that he wasn’t incluned to favor such requests. “I don’t see how we can take taxes and them give them away,” he said. “I think the best way for council members to help out non-profit is to get out their checkbooks and write a check.”

Bozarth said, “We don’t need to make a decision today. We can get a policy in place the next few months.”

Bozarth passed out a state attorney general’s opinion saying that a city can make donations, but they must be for a public purpose. He said those receiving donations should be party to an agreement “spelling out what they are going to do with the money.”

The chamber’s requested $2,000 “would go straight to the payroll,” Council Member Sharon Turner said.  Council Member Grayson Vandegrift said, “I hate to say this, but I think that $2,000 is going to a huge hole [the Chamber of Commerce] is trying to fill.” He added, “This is one particular donation that is not a good idea.”

Vandegrift heads a committee that has decided not to pursue the idea of a separate chamber for Midway, but is interested in a city tourism commission that would be separate from the county’s. Most of the commission’s limited funds are given to the chamber for tourist promotion, and Midway interests feel they are often slighted in chamber promotions.

Tourism panel drops idea of a Midway chamber of commerce, likes plan to have city tourism agency

By Julia Myers

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The new Midway Tourism Committee has decided not to pursue creating a Midway chamber of commerce, but is still looking into the possibility of starting its own tourism commission. 

While a countywide chamber of commerce does exist, it’s a common feeling in Midway that the town is often under-represented and overlooked in favor of its larger neighbor and county seat, Versailles.

Midway Mayor Tom Bozarth, in an effort to reaffirm the city’s presence in Woodford County, asked City Council Member Grayson Vandegrift to look into the idea of creating a separate Midway tourism commission. 

Vandegrift, general manager of his family’s restaurant, 815 Prime, put together a small tourism committee of himself and two other business owners.  The council member says that they are still very much in the research phase of creating a commission.

According to Vandegrift, a Midway tourism commission would “tax visitors to make our community better, and the expenditures would have to be spent on tourism-related things.”  With the prospect of the county’s first hotel coming to Midway, a Midway tourism commission could collect more room-tax revenue than the county commission.

“Theoretically, if funds were raised down the road, the tourism committee could buy a building downtown and turn it into a community center, which could be used for tourism-related things as well as resident-related things,” said Vandegrift.  “It would benefit everybody, and that’s why we’re looking at it.”

In addition to Vandegrift, members include Merchants Association President Kenny Smith and business owner Clare McCarthy.  Smith says his experience in a variety of businesses gives him “expertise in attracting and serving visitors of our fair city.”

Vandegrift and Smith met last month to discuss their options.  McCarthy wasn’t able to attend, but Vandegrift said they would “fill her in on the details.”

The meeting was “definitely a good starting point,” according to Vandegrift, but they ultimately decided that the idea of a chamber of commerce wasn’t something that they should further pursue. 

“We just kind of concluded that the chamber of commerce was not necessary, and it seemed redundant,” said Vandegrift.  “We already have a county chamber, and we also have a merchants association, which is essentially the same thing.”

Smith agreed, saying that a Midway chamber would be repetitive.  He does, however, believe that creating a tourism commission “could be very beneficial in attracting new visitors to the community.”

Smith said that last month’s meeting was mainly for informational purposes.  They are just beginning to understand the available avenues and the guidelines they would need to follow if they pursued the idea. 

Attracting tourists is one responsibility of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, which gets most of the money that the county tourism commission collects in taxes on room rentals because the income isn’t enough to hire someone to work for the commission, Vandegrift said at Monday’s special council meeting.

The chamber recently hired as its executive director Don Vizi, who previously served as executive director of the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce and the chamber in Gulf Breeze, Fla. 

Vizi says he plans on getting the cities together  and wants to avoid having any conflicts with Midway and Versailles events.  “I’ve heard the rumor about trying to split up these two cities in the county,” Vizi said in a recent interview.  “I totally disagree with it.”

The chamber hopes to have events in Midway, such as a chamber expo.  “We’re looking at a location in Midway to host that,” said Vizi.

Putting together a “taste of Woodford County” is also on the chamber’s to-do list.  Vizi says that because Midway has so many restaurants, it would likely host the event.  “It’s a matter of maybe trying to get the restaurants there to get re-active with the chamber,” he said.  “That’s one of my big priorities is to talk with the merchants of Midway.”

Bozarth says he has yet to hear from Vizi, other than a “request for a $2,000 donation” to the chamber, and he and Vandegrift noted that Vizi didn’t make it to the most recent Midway merchants’ meeting.

Both men said they oppose making the donation, and  Bozarth said, “I wouldn’t even consider giving them a dollar until they did and internal audit on their books.”

 

During the five months prior to Vizi’s hire, the chamber had been inactive.  “I can’t deal with what happened with the chamber before,” he said.  “My plans are that Midway is exactly the same as Versailles; it just happens to be that my office is here.”

Bozarth said, “I don’t think anything will ever change.  “That’s why I think it will be good for us to have a tourism commission.”

Vizi says that would be extremely expensive and time-consuming.  “It is a very extensive proposition to put together a separate tourism commission for Midway, the same if someone were to want to put a separate chamber for Midway,” he said.  “You’d lose out on the community itself – the whole Woodford County.” 

Vandegrift said he could understand why Vizi wouldn’t recommend two chambers of commerce, but that there are several counties that have successfully implemented two tourism commissions. (He said he did not know of any cases in which a city commission exists in a county with a countywide commission. There is at least one: Burnside and Pulaski County, on Lake Cumberland.

“There are a lot of counties that have two cities and each has a tourism commission.  Each one might be able to bring different things to the table,” said Vandegrift.  “And they could still work together in a lot of ways.  Either way, a tourism commission in Midway would also be promoting Woodford County as a whole.”

Vizi acknowledges that he needs to Midway’s faith in the chamber and persuade “everybody to work together.”  He wants Midway to know that it’s part of the community, and that Versailles is not trying to compete with it.

“I have to build up confidence for the chamber in Midway,” he said.  “The only way I can do that is to talk with the members up there, talk with Midway tourism, talk with the Midway Merchants Association, and the mayor, and to let them know that the chamber is not a Versailles chamber. “

Vizi said that he and the chamber are committed to bringing the community together.  “I think it’s just very important,” he said.  “Midway is a very important part of Woodford County.”

Vandegrift said that he has still not spoken with Vizi about the issue.

Although Vandegrift initially wanted to speak to the rest of the city council this month and present a recommendation for a tourism commission, he now says that they’re going to push it back because they need more information and the potential sale of the city water system “needs to be our number one priority.” 

Vandegrift says the committee will continue to meet every month or two to continue researching and planning, but as of now, it’s still a “long term goal.”

Water firm says it needs more data from city to make offer

By Denny Densford

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

Kentucky-American Water Co. says it is still interested in Midway’s water and sewer system and is aiming to have its purchase proposal finished by May. A town hall meeting to hear Kentucky-American's offer was canceled last week when the company said it wasn't ready.

“The town hall meeting date had been set as a time when a proposal could be presented,” said Kentucky American Water external and government affairs manager Susan Lancho.  “But the due diligence process is still being conducted.”

  

Lancho said Kentucky American has told Midway Mayor Tom Bozarth that it is still interested in purchasing the system.

Bozarth said Kentucky American called him to inform him of the delay and because of that, the meeting set for Tuesday, April 16, was canceled.

Kentucky American will continue to research the system, said Lancho, so it can present an appropriate proposal. “We are targeting May but do not have a date set,” she said. “We are seeking some additional information from the city of Midway as part of our analysis.”

Lancho said as soon as they get that information they will be in a “better position to know when the proposal will be ready to present.”

'Meet Me in Midway for First Friday' to be later on May 3

By Katie Ledford

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunciations

Midway Merchants Association President Kenny Smith has announced that "Meet Me in Midway for First Friday" will extend its hours on May 3 due to the Kentucky Oaks.  First Friday is scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. May 3.  Keeneland will host simulcasting of the Churchill Downs races including the Kentucky Oaks on May 3 and the Kentucky Derby on May 4. People who wish to head out to Keeneland or Churchill Downs on May 3 can still "Meet Me in Midway for First Friday" afterward.

"We are hoping that people from Keeneland and Churchill Downs will find their way to Midway for First Friday," Smith said. "This will be the first time we have had First Friday events in May, so we are keeping our fingers crossed and will hope for the best.”

Shops will have music and provide refreshments such as cheese and crackers, cookies, and soft drinks. Participating shops are Midway Boutique, Kennydid Gallery, LeMarche, Eagle’s Nest Antiques, Damselfly Studio and Gallery, Celtic Trends, Fashion Filly, 815 Prime Restaurant, Darlin’ Jean's Apple Cobbler Café and The Grey Goose restaurant. 

Midway Auction Co. set to open Tuesday if council OKs rezoning Monday; city budget talk is also on agenda

Story and photos by Nini Edwards

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

UPDATE, April 22: The City Council unanimously approved the second reading to rezone Clark’s property from industrial to business this morning. His first auction will be tomorrow.

Council Member Grayson Vandegrift said neighbors of Clark’s building are  concerned about parking on auction days. Clark assured Vandegrift that the lot to the left of and behind his building has 32,000 square feet and is ready for parking. He said his people will be out an hour prior to the auction directing traffic and setting out orange cones, and he will hand out a notation flyer to the neighborhood with his cell phone number so people can call him directly if there is a problem.

Clark said he would like residents on the street to park parallel during auctions, because diagonal parking can make the street one lane.  He was firm about protecting his neighbors, saying, “We are going to be onsite and make sure nobody is affected.”

Keith Clark outside the building that is to be his auction house.

Midway's new auction house is one step away from opening after the City Council held first reading this morning of a resolution to change the property’s zoning from industrial to business.

The second reading will be Monday, April 22 at 8:30 a.m. That’s when the council will have another special meeting, mainly to see Mayor Tom Bozarth’s proposed budget, but also just in time for the first auction.

Keith Clark, owner of the business and The Grey Goose restaurant, said he failed to realize the time needed for the required two readings to change the zoning. The council held a brief special meeting this morning on his behalf to give it first reading.

Clark was appreciative of the mayor calling a meeting because he is planning to open Midway Auction Co. for its first auction on Tuesday, April 23 at the corner of Warfield and Gratz streets.

The 24,000-square-foot metal building is already filled with restaurant equipment, furniture and house décor from wall to wall. "There is all kinds of crazy stuff in here," Clark said. "There is a fat belt that makes you shake, and that is in perfect condition."

He is still unsure how often he will hold auctions, but said he would like to hold one every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with inspection starting at noon.

 

Clark said his auctions will create more business for downtown and is hoping to attract at least 100 people to his first auction. He is enthusiastic about his venture, saying it is "low impact, generates traffic for the city, it's 'green' and it is fun."

Clark has been a business owner since 1986. He owns Clark Communications Consultants, where he works on telephone and equipment systems. He was one of the original owners of Cheapside Bar and Grill in Lexington, and now owns The Grey Goose in Lexington and Midway.

Clark said he and his wife Cheri bought the warehouse in Midway a year ago with hopes to quickly turn it into a business. His partner in the auction venture is auctioneer  Tom Biederman of Biederman Real Estate and Auctioneers of Lexington. "He is putting in the auction expertise and I'm providing the real estate and that is our partnership," Clark said.

Clark has his signs ready for the rezoning to go through Monday.

Though he is a restaurateur, Clark does not intend to involve himself with food service at the auction house, but plans to have a food truck to come to the auctions.

He has never owned an auction house, but Clark is familiar with auctions through buying used restaurant equipment, which he said "is notoriously low in value after it is used for about 15 minutes." He said he bought equipment to grow his Grey Goose restaurants and opened his Midway restaurant in fourteen days. This location was formerly The Black Tulip and Duggan's.

The restaurant shares a name with a vodka, the maker of which has been supportive of Clark’s restaurant, he said. As long as he was selling their product and not making his own, he said, they didn’t mind him using the name. Sending him a box of promotional items and umbrellas for his tables was a way to show their support. Clark says he sells a lot of Grey Goose vodka because people associate it with the restaurant name.

Clark has aspirations to partner with the city clean up the land behind his 1.3-acre property along Lee’s Branch behind the warehouse, saying "The more of this you expose to the public the greater attention is paid to its cleanlineess."

Joking about his drive to start new projects, Clark said, "I am definitely a timeless guy; there is no clock on me at this point."