Court discusses upgrading road standards; reviews status of US150E improvements
Magistrate Sam Hutchins welcomes newly appointed 5th District Magistrate Eric Shelburne to Tuesday’s meeting of Nelson Fiscal Court. Judge Executive Dean Watts administered the oath of office to Shelburne Monday morning so he could fill the unexpired term of Jerry Hahn, who resigned Nov. 1.
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018 — The project to improve Springfield Road east of the new Bluegrass Parkway overpass will begin in 2019, Judge Executive Dean Watts told Nelson Fiscal Court at its meeting Tuesday morning.
County Engineer Brad Spalding points to the area where the entrance to Leslie Ballard Lane will be relocated. The project will also include realigning the entrance of Maywood subdivision to line up with the intersection of Parkway Drive and US150E.
The state is currently purchasing right-of-way, and has asked the county to take over maintenance of some property left when the Parkway Drive intersection is changed to include the new entrance to the Maywood subdivision. Watt said the project will begin next year.
The project will also relocate the entrance of Leslie Ballard Lane so that it will meet US150E at a right angle.
HOLIDAY GARBAGE, LANDFILL SCHEDULE. Garbage pickup in the county will be delayed one day due to the Thanksgiving holiday, landfill manager John Greenwell told the court. Thursday’s garage will be picked up on Friday, and Friday’s garbage route will be run on Saturday. Customers are asked to have their garbage out by 7 a.m. both days.
The Nelson County Landfill will be closed Thanksgiving Day but open on Friday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Nov. 24.
ROAD STANDARDS. County engineer Brad Spalding presented the magistrates with a review of road construction standards found in other communities and compared them to the county’s existing road construction standards.
Spalding is recommending the county upgrade their standards to those the City of Bardstown recently adopted. The changes would mean more dense grade gravel in the base of the road and a thicker application of asphalt on the surface.
The changes would create roads that last substantially longer than the existing road construction standards.
Spalding also presented the court with estimates of how much the changes would impact the cost of a lot. In his comparison of the extra costs of the higher standards on two existing subdivisions, the changes would mean $1,046 and $1,301 more per subdivision lot.
Raising the road standards would save the county money by requiring less frequent repairs and maintenance.
Watts said fiscal court has to balance the extra costs placed on developers — and passed on to homebuyers — with the need for better quality and longer lasting roads.
Magistrates Sam Hutchins, left, and Keith Metcalfe review handouts during a discussion of the need to upgrade the county’s road construction standards.
STORM DAMAGE. Spalding told the court that on the morning after the recent ice event, 50 county roads were blocked or partly blocked by fallen trees and tree limbs. The road department crews spent the next day clearing the roadways. The county will come back to clean up the limbs and debris on the side of the road. Spalding said that residents who have limbs should contact the Road Department and ask to be put on the list for limb pickup.
In other business, the court:
— approved a motion to advertise for bids for the purchase of two pickup trucks.
— approved raising the hourly pay of the county’s two road foremen to $23.29 per hour. Watts said the pay raises are justified given the extra duties both men have taken on recently.
— heard from Nelson County EMS Director Joe Prewitt that its recent EMT class was completed with 14 new EMTs.
— heard that the fee landfill passes will go out with December utility bills. The passes are good for two free trips to the Nelson County landfill during calendar year 2019.
— heard that the Feeding America program is tomorrow, the third Wednesday of the month, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The December food distribution will also take place on the third Wednesday of the month.
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