Board discusses historic district enforcement, house number ordinance
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 6 p.m. (UPDATED 9 p.m.) — The City of Bardstown’s new Code Enforcement Board met Thursday, April 7 to discuss the scope of the board’s power and authority and to discuss the latest enforcement actions.
ENFORCEMENT IN HISTORIC DISTRICT. During a discussion of violations in the city’s historic district, RaShae Jennings, the city’s historic preservation coordinator, explained that the Historic Review Board (HRB) has asked the code enforcement board to not levy fines in the historic district.
Exterior repairs and changes are required to go through an approval process governed by the Historic Review Board, and therefore those repairs will take more time. Repair of historic buildings is usually more expensive and takes more time to complete the work, she explained.
If property owners work with the HRB on getting repairs approved and progress is being made, then fines and additional citations can be avoided. The HRB works with property owners to allow them sufficient time to complete their repairs. The HRB approval takes a month on its own, she said.
Royalty said that the city is willing to work with any property owner who is willing to work on their property.
COUNCILWOMAN DISPUTES SECOND CITATION. While reviewing enforcement action, Sims told the board that Councilwoman Kecia Copeland was cited twice for not having a city business license.
Sims said Copeland paid the $50 fine for the first citation and purchased a city business license. However, Sims went on to claim Copeland did not pay a second fine of $75 fine for a second citation. The $75 fine was unpaid at the time of the meeting, Sims said.
However Copeland said Sunday evening there was not a second citation. The first citation she received was not signed by the proper person — Code Enforcement Officer Steve Hatler — and that citation was not valid. She consulted with City Attorney Tim Butler about the citation, then paid the fine for a properly signed citation and purchased the business license.
She said there evidently some miscommunication with the board because as far as she was aware, the issue was settled. She said she was at City Hall last week and was never informed of the existence of second citation or an upaid fine.
HOUSE NUMBERS. Letters were recently mailed to city residents regarding the city ordinance about the proper size and placement of house numbers. House numbers are important for accurate delivery of packages, and crucial for first-responders who may be responding to a 911 call for help.
Mayor John Royalty told the board that the city’s first-responders — firefighters or police officers — are contacting residents and advising them their house numbers are in violation of the city ordinance. They are given time to correct the problem, however if nothing is done a citation will be issued by the city’s code enforcement officer.
Board member Ann Rosalie Ballard said a lot of people did not understand the notice they received about the house numbers ordinance, and they believed they had to remove the numbers from their homes in the city’s historic district.
Residents of the city’s historic district do not have to change their house numbers, Royalty said. The 2005 ordinance excluded the district due to the fact some house numbers are part of the historic character of the home.
Ballard said residents in the historic district also received a letter about the house number ordinance, creating some confusion about who needed to comply.
There was some confusion among the board about where the ordinance allowed house numbers to be located.
Chairman Margaret Sims said she believed she and the other homes in her neighborhood would need to add new house numbers because the existing house numbers are on the brick mailboxes out by the street.
Royalty told the board those were acceptable, there was no need to add numbers to the house.
Board member Jim Dittmeier noted the letter mailed to city residents stated house numbers in front of the residence near the sidewalk, driveway or common entrance were acceptable.
The board voted to have contact her regarding payment of the second citation.
HOWARD JOHNSON. In other business, the board received an update on the former Howard Johnson hotel, 1875 New Haven Road at the Bluegrass Parkway. Mayor John Royalty said the property owner is cleaning up the property and plans to re-open some of the rooms as repairs progress.
The property owner has a deadline to meet, he said.
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