Magistrates review assessment of Wickland estate home damaged by fire
Magistrates Bernard Ice, left, and Sam Hutchins review paperwork prior to the start of Tuesday’s Nelson Fiscal Court meeting.
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 — The historic fire-damaged home that is located behind the Wickland mansion will mostly like be rebuilt.
Nelson County Judge Executive Dean Watts told Nelson Fiscal Court that an engineering assessment of the building indicated that the walls of the original part of the home are sound. The frame-construction addition that was added later to the home suffered extensive damage and will likely be removed, Watts explained.
The blaze damaged the floor joists that support the second floor, and about half of the damaged joists will need to be replaced. All of the roof’s rafters will have to be replaced, Watts told the court.
The structure was insured for $124,000, which was its assessed value, he said. The exact costs to repair the home haven’t been determined, but Watts said insurance should pay for most of the work.
COURTHOUSE REPAIRS. Watts told the court that a contractor has recommended making tuck point repairs to one of the chimneys on the Old Court House before the county moves forward with repairs to the courthouse roof. The discussed the project but took no action.
In other business, the magistrates:
— delayed taking action on a franchise request from Bluegrass Network, a partner with KentuckyWired, the state initiative that will eventually create more than 3,000 miles of fiber optic cable that will serve more than 1,000 network sites.
The planned route through Nelson County indicates that the network will lay fiber along US 62 from the Boston area to Bardstown, then east along US150 to Springfield and then into Marion County.
The KentuckyWired network will provide broadband services to state government agencies and public postsecondary schools.
Watts told the court he will ask that a representative attend an upcoming fiscal court meeting prior to approval of the franchise agreement to provide the court with details of the project.
— approved granting Watts the authority to sign a lease agreement with the City of Bloomfield for the use of their water tower as an antenna site for the E-911 Dispatch radio system.
— heard from Jailer Dorcas Figg that four deputy jailers have received training on the use of Tasers. Figg said the court will need to approve a policy for their use at the jail.
— approve the purchase of a John Deere MY 17 tractor with a bunker and field rake for use on the fields at Dean Watts Park. The court approved a bid of $13,655 from Reynolds Gold and Turf.
NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court next meets on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, in the meeting room on the second floor of the Old Courthouse.
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