Judge: As tenant, city responsible for police building sewer repairs

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 11 a.m. — Fixing the sewer line problems at the Bardstown Police Department building is not the responsibility of Nelson Fiscal Court.

Magistrate Keith Metcalfe discusses a matter with Judge-Executive Dean Watts prior to the start of Tuesday’s meeting of Nelson Fiscal Court.

That was the message Judge-Executive Dean Watts had in response to news reports that mentioned the problem during a discussion at last week’s Bardstown City Council safety committee.

The police department building is owned by the county and was leased to the city for use by Bardstown Police in 2006. The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office occupied the northern half of the building for several years while the rest of the building remained vacant until the city police moved in.

The city pays $1 per year in rent for the term of the 40-year lease.

When the city agreed to lease the building, the city was also responsible for finishing its portion of the building, which Watts said included the sewer line. The sewer line was installed by a subcontractor for the city, and its maintenance or replacement is not something the county is responsible for.

“We didn’t have anything to do with that sewer line,” he said.

The lease states that as landlord, the county is responsible for maintenance and repairs on of the structural portions of the building. As tenant, the city is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all non-structural parts of the interior, including the electrical and sewer systems.

Watts told the court he thought having the city police and sheriff’s offices side-by-side has been beneficial to both agencies and the community.

Watts’ comments followed media reports of a discussion regarding of a new city emergency services building that took place last Thursday at the safety committee meeting.

Magistrates Bernard Ice, left, and Sam Hutchins listen during a discussion at Tuesday’s Nelson Fiscal Court meeting.

In that meeting, the committee heard that both the city fire and police departments have run out of room in their current locations. The committee discussed the possibility of a building a combined emergency services building on city-owned land in the future.

BULKY ITEM PICKUP. The county’s bulky item pickup is nearly a week behind schedule due the large increase in items that need to be picked up, Landfill Manager Brad Spalding told the court.

He estimated the pickup is four to five days behind schedule.

The first two weeks pickup netted 304 tons of material and 2,175 tires, compared to 101 tons picked up in the first two weeks last year, and 105 tons picked up the first two weeks in 2014.

LUXCO RESOLUTION. The court unanimously approved an inducement resolution that will precede the sale of industrial bonds to finance Luxco’s planned bourbon distillery project that will be located off Filiatreau Lane.

The resolution is the first step in the sale of revenue bonds to finance the $35 million project.

In other business, the court:

— was advised that Nelson County EMS has started its second accelerated EMT class for first-responders by EMS Director Joe Prewitt.

— entered into executive session to discuss pending litigation, and prospects of a business interested in locating in the county. No action was taken.

— was advised that long-time planning commission member Mike Zoeller has resigned. Watts praised Zoeller for his dedication during his 35 years of service to the county.

— was advised by Watts that he was advised that state officials will be checking establishments that sell liquor for illegal NCAA pools, which are considered gambling. Having brackets public posted is acceptable, but soliciting individuals to join a pool is not.

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