Mayor relates his family's own covid-19 story as he recommends caution on Derby Day-Labor Day weekend

By Taylor Beavers
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift says in his latest covid-19 update that the pandemic has “hit home” now that his parents were affected. He told their story as he asked Midway residents to be careful on a weekend that will include the Kentucky Derby, a good reason for a party in Bluegrass horse country.

“I’m sorry if I seem preachy today, but I think when it hits home for you most is when you get a family member – the people I was most worried about all along, my Mom and Dad, have now gone through it,” Vandegrift said, adding later, “For two weeks, I was scared.”

He said his mother, Sarah Vandegrift, caught the virus at her workplace in Lexington. “My mom is the most careful person in the world,” he said. “She taught us good hygiene from a young age.”

“My mom ended up having a hard time,” but has largely recovered, the mayor said.

His parents live in Ironworks Estates in Scott County, near Midway. Vandegrift said he and his family were only able to contact her through text messages for about two weeks while she recovered in quarantine.

“This is not something you want to get if you don’t have to get it,” says Vandegrift as he recounted many symptoms his mother went through.

He said his father, Bob Vandegrift, tested positive but never developed the disease. “It’s bizarre. . . . Some people who are healthy and take great care of themselves have passed; we don’t know why.”

Vandegrift says his mother felt a sense of “civic duty” when dealing with the virus, and personally contacted every person she had been in contact with to inform them she had been infected so they could take steps to get help if needed.

“She did everything right,” the mayor said. Looking ahead to the weekend, he said, “Let’s do our civic duty, like Sarah Vandegrift.”

He said his weekend has the potential to have a “cascading effect” on Midway, leading to more coronavirus cases. So far, the city has had only two reported infections of the virus.

Saturday’s Kentucky Derby will have no fans, so many people who might have attended may have parties instead.

Vandegrift encouraged those attending Derby parties to host them outdoors and to practice social distancing.

“Be careful this weekend,” said Vandegrift. “Remember that ripple effect.”

He recalled that when his mother told him she might have the virus, he said, “We decided not to take any risks that weekend,” And he said he and his wife Katie wouldn’t be attending and Derby parties this weekend.

He said that with in-person schooling scheduled to begin this month, taking precautions now against the virus is the crucial step in making sure students are able to get back to the classroom in September.

“The key to getting kids back in school on the twenty-eighth is this weekend,” Vandegrift said. “Every other big holiday . . . we’ve had a rise in cases.” 

He said that while there is no need to be scared this weekend, following safety guidelines such as wearing a mask and social distancing will help keep the community safe during the celebration.

Vandegrift also said that citizens of Midway can practice their civic duty by considering how they can help keep the local economy open.

“Midway Station is doing well; downtown is struggling more,” he said, encouraging his audience to get out and shop local.

“We need to keep helping them out,” Vandegrift said. “We need to be ordering food, we need to be dining on their patios, we need to be visiting their shops and buying something.”

He stressed that supporting local business during this time can still be done safely by making considerations such as wearing masks, staying in stores less than 30 minutes and even, if it’s uncomfortable to go inside, doing curbside service.

While Midway’s economy is still doing better than most, Vandegrift said that making efforts to keep the economy open is crucial to getting ahead of the virus.

“Let’s catch up to the virus,” he urged. Being “behind the virus” has affected contact tracers who have been overwhelmed with the task of tracing infected people’s contacts to find those who may have been infected.

“They’re understaffed, they’re underfunded, they’re doing the best they can,” said Vandegrift. “Woodford County Health Department is doing an unbelievable good job, but the virus has gotten ahead of us and we need to try and catch back up.”

He said that while the “vast majority” of people who contract the virus do survive (Kentucky’s death rate is 2%), it is important to continue to be safe because the lasting effect of the virus on individuals and communities is still unknown.

“The book’s not yet written. We are still in the middle of this,” said Vandegrift. “I hope we’re towards the end, but folks, it doesn’t look like we are. . . . We have eighteen hundred of you in the city and not one of you is expendable.”

After the virus is under control, Vandegrift said he hopes everyone can see the pandemic as just a “blip” in their lives as things go back to normal.

“I hope it teaches us all about love, about compassion, about empathy and about when we work together we can overcome difficult odds,” he said. “Because a virus this contagious gives us some difficult odds to contain it.”

EDA to develop strategy for marketing commercial land at interchange; City Council to take up greenspace deal

Zoning map adapted by Midway Messenger shows most of Midway Station; for a larger version, click on it.

With all the industrial-zoned land in Midway Station under some sort of formal process leading to sales, the Woodford County Economic Development Authority will be focusing on how to market the commercially zoned land along Georgetown Road and Interstate 64.

The "sticker price" for the tracts zoned B-5, highway interchange service, is $2 million, so it's "a big deal," EDA Chair Michael Michalisin said. "That's our next real item we need to address . . . how to make that more salable." Sales are needed to retire the debt on the property.

Michalisin said board member Paul Schieffler had suggested that EDA needs to develop a marketing strategy for the property, and would "take a leadership role moving forward" on the topic.

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the City Council would discuss on Sept. 8 acceptance of a deed from EDA giving it 38 acres, more or less, along I-64. The land, which is not platted for development, has been intended to remain a greenspace buffer.

Vandegrift reported that county Planning Director Pattie Wilson recently found 1991 City Council minutes that say the city was supposed to get "a scenic and conservation easement around the perimeter of the property prohibiting construction within 150 feet of I-64," plus additional easements to total 39 acres.

The mayor and EDA have agreed that the city would get ownership of the property in return for forgiving $500,000 to $750,000 of the debt owed to it by the EDA, most of which is for the natural-gas line built to serve Lakeshore Learning Materials, but not all of which is considered collectible. Vandegrift said he intends to ask the council to vote on the deal Sept. 21.

Wilson reported that Creech Inc. has filed a revised development plan for the lot it is planning to buy for a horse-muck processing facility, in time for the Planning Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10, and will submit site construction plans Sept. 8. Tom Creech told the board, "I'm ready to go."

Lucas Witt, EDA's new acting executive director, said he met with Barnhill Chimney, which has optioned 2.49 acres for a facility to manufacture chimney caps but has been off and on about going through with it. Witt said the company "fully intends to exercise the option," but hasn't said when. Michalsin said the company has been making its option payments and would bring "a fair amount of jobs . . . I think it's in the dozens." Barnhill has been quoted as saying that it plans to have seven to 10 employees at opening, 10 to 15 in a year and could have 30 in five years.

In the public comment period, Vandegrift said making the transition from former Chair John Soper, who had also been executive director, was "a tough task" but "everybody really did a good job pulling together." He added, "This was a time we couldn't lose steam, and we haven't. I'm as optimistic as ever about Midway Station's outcome."

Gayland and Mill Road residents to get water test kits

Residents of the Gayland and Mill Road subdivisions will soon be receiving water sample test kits at their front door from city employees, as part of testing required by regulations of the state Division of Water. The city is required to sample for lead and copper sample in DOW-designated parts of the city every three years, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

"We ask that residents in these areas follow the instructions in the kit and place them back on their front stoop for our employees to collect and send off to the lab," the mayor said. "We ask citizens in this area to complete their sample as soon as possible so we can return our results as quickly as possible to the Division of Water." Midway buys water wholesale from Kentucky American Water Co.

Funeral Wed. for Geraldine Woodrum, legendary carrier; great-great-granddaughter calls her 'one of the best'

Geraldine Woodrum

Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning in Casey County for Geraldine Woodrum, who died Saturday at 85. She was well known in Midway, perhaps best as the local carrier of the Lexington Herald-Leader for decades.

"She was an integral part of the community," Sally Kinniard posted in the Midway Musings group on Facebook.

"She was the best newspaper delivering person around," Betty Penn Harrod said on Musings, "She will be missed." Peggy Milam Sharon said, "When she left the paper, no one could hold a candle to her work ethic ever again."

"Geraldine was the nicest person you would ever meet," former mayor Tom Bozarth said. "I still see that smile, the van with the yellow light flashing every morning, and the inserts she put in the paper for events."

The family held visitation this evening at Clark Funeral Home in Versailles. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Clementsville in her native Casey County, with burial in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be Josh Whitaker, Melvin Montgomery, Tyler Woodrum, Joe Woodrum, Scott Woodrum and Archie Woodrum.

She was the widow of Melvin T. Woodrum and is survived by her children, Rita (James) Allen, Frankfort; Freda (Dennis) Whitaker, Versailles; Monica Keeton, Versailles; Marsha Wells, Frankfort; Marie (Richard) Kirk, Frankfort; Archie Woodrum, Harrodsburg; Joe (Becky) Woodrum, Lawrenceburg; Jeff (Trish) Woodrum, Midway; and Angela (Johnie) Tudor, Nicholasville; a sister, Mary Frances Phillips of Ohio; a brother, Phillip Wethington of Georgia; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

UPDATE: A remembrance and tribute by a great-granddaughter, Lisa Howell, has been added as a comment to this story. It begins, "Few people in life get to meet their great grandparents. Even less get to have them for 32+ years of their lives. The Lord blessed me with not only knowing my great grandmother but having one of the best."

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association or Bluegrass Care Navigators.

Property valuations rise 14.4% as payroll-tax revenue is steady, so mayor proposes cutting property-tax rates

UPDATE, Monday, Aug. 24: The council heard first reading of the ordinance.

Property valuations in Midway are up substantially, and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift is recommending that the City Council reduce tax rates so the city will get about the same amount of tax revenue and property owners will collectively pay about the same amount of taxes.

Vandegrift has called a special council meeting for Monday to give first reading to the tax ordinance so the council can give it second reading and enact it at the regular meeting Sept. 8, "to get our tax preparations out on time," he told the council in an email. "The state was behind in sending the compensating rates."

Each year, the Revenue Cabinet looks at assessments made by property valuation administrators and calculates for each taxing authority a compensating rate, one that would give it about the same amount of property-tax revenue as the current year, which Vandegrift has proposed. (It also calculates what rate would raise revenue by 4 percent, the most that a taxing authority can get without being subject to a petition for a referendum on the rate.)

The valuation of real estate in Midway went up 14.7%, to $135 million, from $117.7 million. Personal-property valuations were $5.35 million, up from $5 million. The total valuation rose 14.4%.

Vandegrift was aware of the increases in July, when he named Council Member Logan Nance, Fiscal Court Magistrate Liles Taylor of Midway and Midway Business Association President Cortney Neikirk to a committee to study the possibility of tax rebates due to rising valuations.

He said then that valuations are rising because housing demand exceeds supply, and valuations in the city weren't closely scrutinized for four years before its housing market "really took off." He said Property Valuation Administrator Judy Bobbitt told him she divides the county into quadrants that are reviewed every four years and assessed at fair market value, mainly on comparable sales in the area.

The mayor also said in July that rates could be reduced, “but we’ve already cut them 30% and I don't want to hamstring ourselves or future leaders from being able to raise them if the revenue is needed."

His thinking has changed. He has proposed compensating rates of 6.2 cents per $100 on real property, down from 7 cents, and 6.4 cents on personal property, down from 7.5 cents.

He said in his email that there is an argument that cities shouldn't cut property-tax rates because "you can never get that revenue back," but he said that does not applies to cities like Midway, which rely mainly on occupational taxes on wages and net profits.

He said City Clerk-Treasurer Cindy Foster told him that occupational-tax income in the second quarter was virtually the same as in 2019, though "we expected to take our worst hit due to the pandemic."

Vandegrift said the coronavirus will continue to be unpredictable, but "Our numbers and the new businesses we're bringing in, along with the construction crews building new facilities, gives me great confidence that we will exceed our revenue projections for this fiscal year. Other revenues are holding steady as well, but occupational tax butters our bread."

He added, "I believe these rate cuts are appropriate since individual families and businesses are struggling. Anything we can do to ease their tax burden, not add to it, seems prudent and necessary."

He said his proposal amounts to a 12% tax cut on real estate and a 15% cut on personal property, "but as you can see from the calculations, it will overall still generate the same amount of revenue for the city."

The meeting will be held via Zoom at 5 p.m. and will be on the Facebook page Midway Streaming Government Meetings.

Council accepts mayor's plan to use surplus to finish sewer repairs by replacing main line to treatment plant

Green lines show sewers that are part of the video-and-cleanout project.

By Heston Bates, Taylor Beavers, Jordan Brown and Gage O'Dell

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council went along Monday with Mayor Grayson Vandegrift’s plan to finish repairs to the sewer system though the cost is expected to exceed their original estimate.

Vandegrift noted that the original budget of $200,000 for a project to video and clean out sewers on the east side of town was cut back to $150,000 due to COVID-19’s expected effect on occupational-tax revenue, but he said the revenue picture is better now.

When the pipes were cleaned out, they were in better condition in many areas than was previously thought and since then there have not been any spills, but the main line near the plant has “entire gaps of sewer missing” and is causing backups upstream, he said.

Vandegrift said it is likely that the cost will be closer to the original budget. “I don’t think we can blink at this,” he said. “The project is too big not to move forward with.”

The council agreed. Council Member Logan Nance, often a fiscal conservative, agreed with Vandegrift. “That’s what surpluses are for, to help with projects like this,” he said. “This is only going to make things better down the road.”

Some other council members said likewise, so the project will be advertised for bids and the council may pick a bidder Sept. 8.

The mayor hired Buchanan Contracting to video and clean out the sewer system. He said sewage overflows from manholes during heavy rains have stopped, but the condition of the main line causes blockages upstream.

“This will be the city’s biggest public works project in over 50 years,” Vandegrift said. He estimated that the work will begin in late fall or early winter, depending on approval by the state Division of Water.

University students return: Addressing possible concerns about the influx of Midway University students for the start of the fall semester, Vandegrift went over the school’s plans and voiced confidence in them. “If a university can pull this off, it’s going to be Midway,” he said.

He said capacities in classes are limited and students are required to complete a negative coronavirus screening within one week of returning. He said students cannot be confined to campus because many have jobs, but if tested positive, a dorm is available for quarantine if the student is not able to leave campus.

“We are going to continue to communicate with them whether there’s cases or not, as it certainly is an issue that can affect public health,” said Vandegrift. He noted that Midway only has two of the reported 187 coronavirus cases in Woodford County, but expressed concern because most of the recent cases have been people younger than 40.

Vandegrift said  contact tracing will be the key to preventing covid-19 not only on campus but in the community. He praised the university’s quick response to the virus in the spring, saying the closure of the campus helped it better prepare for this semester.

Rentch property is labeled "private property" on map.

A piece of the park: The mayor told the council that Helen Rentch is willing to donate the part of her property that is being used as part of Walter Bradley Park back to the city, if they can agree that her part will not be developed and if the city ever abandons it, it will revert to Rentch or her estate.

Council Member John Holloway, the unpaid park manager, said “virtually all of that property” is in the floodway of Lee Branch, meaning it can’t be developed.  “Helen has been just extremely gracious to let us use her property the way that we have been,” he said.

In its only official action of the meeting, the council approved a permit for the “Turn the Town Purple” parade scheduled for 11 a.m. Sept. 10 by The Homeplace at Midway to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. Representatives from The Homeplace at Midway will be driving through town with purple-adorned vehicles, purple being the signature color of the Alzheimers’ Association.

The event will not seek public participation due to the pandemic. The caravan will start at the Homeplace, go down Stephens Street to Winter Street, turning around at Main Street to head back to the Homeplace.

In the roundtable at the end of the meeting, Council Member Stacy Thurman asked Vandegrift about the progress of the city's new Code Enforcement Board. The mayor said the board, three members and an alternate, has been meeting via Zoom (as the council does) to develop a list of abandoned properties for the council's consideration after Jan. 1. Property that the council declares abandoned can be taxed at about 10 times the normal real-estate tax rate.

Vandegrift said he is still having difficulty hiring a code enforcement officer, partly because of the pandemic. He said the task is "a little bit more challenging than it was six months ago," when the board was appointed. Jim Starks, whom the council appointed to a three-year term, is the board chair.

Kim Dudgeon named to Historic Properties Commission

Kim Dudgeon

Kim Dudgeon of Midway is one of two new appointees by Gov. Andy Beshear to the state Historic Properties Advisory Commission, which is responsible for management and conservation of the state Capitol, the Executive Mansion and the Old Governor's Mansion.

The commission was in the news recently after Beshear asked it to recommend removal from the Capitol rotunda the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which had been installed in 1936, before the commission was created. The commission voted to recommend removal, and the only "no" vote was cast by Brandon Wilson of Somerset, whom Beshear replaced with Dudgeon, owner of The Milam House.

Another new appointee was Kenny Bishop of Lexington, the legislative liaison for Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. Bishop was a personal aide to Gray when he was mayor of Lexington and previously for then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher. He replaced Jon Park of Lexington, who said his vote to remove the statue was "reluctant." Park and Wilson were appointed by Republican Matt Bevin, whom Beshear beat in last fall's election; their terms had expired.

Beshear reappointed the commission chair, Steve Collins of Shelbyville, the son of former Gov. Martha Layne Collins. He, Bishop and Dudgeon were appointed to terms expiring Aug. 11, 2024.