Judge: Career center closure won’t negatively impact county budget

Nelson Fiscal Court met Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. From left, Magistrates Jerry Hahn, Jeff Lear, Bernard Ice, Sam Hutchins, Keith Metcalfe and Judge Executive Dean Watts.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, 7 p.m. — Meeting in regular session Tuesday morning, Nelson Fiscal Court was told that the decision to close 31 of the state’s Career Centers — which likely includes the one on West Stephen Foster in Bardstown — will not have an adverse affect on the county’s budget.

Magistrate Keith Metcalfe asks questions about invoices during Tuesday’s Nelson Fiscal Court meeting.

Nelson Fiscal Court owns the 3,200-square-foot office building at 860 W. Stephen Foster Ave. that has housed the career center for years. The building was formerly part of the old state highway garage complex that includes the county road garage. The county leased part of the building to the state’s Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

Watts confirmed the office will close, but did not have an exact date it will close. The lease is paid through the end of March, he told fiscal court.

The county provides utilities for the offices, and has never made a lot of money on the lease since it was a valuable service to the community, Watts explained. The county has not received formal notice regarding the center’s closing.

The state plan is to consolidate the centers into 12 regional hubs, which will include locations in Elizabethtown and Louisville, as well as eight existing satellite offices.

According to press release, services to help the unemployed will use technology based means rather than in-person office visits.

US31E UPDATE. Watts also updated Nelson Fiscal Court on the status of the new section of US31E, Louisville Road, from the area north of Cox’s Creek to the Salt River Bridge.

Magistrates Jeff Lear, left and Bernard Ice review a map of the new portion of US31E from Whitney Stables to the Salt River Bridge. Judge Executive Dean Watts said the project will be completed by the end of September.

The new road is expected to be completed by the end of September 2017, he said. The state has advised the county it will ask fiscal court to take over maintenance of approximately 2 miles of the old section of Louisville Road once the new portion opens. Before the state hands the old roadway over, it will repair and resurface the road.

The state plans to keep maintenance of the section of old US31E at High Grove, he said.

The request will likely come later this year and required no action at Tuesday’s meeting.

In other action, the court:

— heard that the county road department used approximately 300 tons of salt/sand mixture and 100 tons of salt alone on county roads during last week’s snow event.

— was advised that two replacement doors have been installed at the rear of the Nelson County Clerk’s office.

NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court will next meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.

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