Council approves sale of Wilson Industrial Park tract to Bardstown Warehousing
Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton discusses the agreement to sell a tract of more than 30 acres in Wilson Industrial Park to Bardstown Warehousing.
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019 — The Bardstown City Council approved the sale of 30.76 acres in Wilson Industrial Park to Bardstown Warehousing for $499,850. The sale was announced following the council’s executive session at the end of its regular meeting Tuesday evening.
Kim Huston, the president of the Nelson County Economic Development Corporation, explained the importance of the sale and the opportunity for the warehousing company to expand its operations.
Jessica Filiatreau, the city’s civil engineer, told the council about the $1.6 million grant the city will receive to help fund its planned Rowan Creek sewer upgrade project. The project’s total cost is more than $5 million.
Mayor Dick Heaton said that only 20 acres of the tract can be developed. The City of Bardstown has reserved a 60-foot right-of-way through the property for possible future connector road. The right-of-way would fall in an area of the tract not suitable for development, he said.
The demand for warehousing space is growing, Heaton explained.
“If you don’t have this [warehouse] space available, there’s a chance that some of the expansions that are currently in discussion might not happen,” he said. “Our booming bourbon industry is also increasing the demand for storage space for the glass, barrels and other products they use in their business.”
ELECTRICAL PROJECT BIDS. After rejecting the first two bids solicited for electrical work as part of the city’s conversion from 4kV to 12kV electrical transmission lines, the council approved an hourly rate of $471 submitted by the only company that bid — Hamilton Power Line Co. The bid was for a 4 to 5-man crew with equipment and trucks.
Earlier bids the city received were substantially higher than the city’s budget for the planned projects, so Eric Richter, the city’s electrical engineer, said the hourly rate would save the city money.
He said the city will closely monitor the hours the Hamilton crews work, and supplement their work with that of the city electrical crews.
The focus of the conversion work is on the south end of Bardstown, he explained, which includes South First through South Sixth Street and the Edgewood subdivision. Those areas must be converted by September 2019 due to Kentucky Utilities’ plan to upgrade its substation that serves the Barton 1792 Distillery complex.
Councilman Joe Buckman and Councilwoman Betty Hart chat prior to the start of Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Other areas that have electrical upgrades planned will be included as part of the next fiscal year’s budget, Richter said. Those areas include the areas around Reardon Boulevard, Hurstland Drive, and Bourbon Downs.
CITY HALL BACKUP GENERATOR. As previously discussed, the council approved the expenditure of $48,700 to purchase a used 400 kW Whayne Walker CAT diesel generator.
The unit will replace the existing generator used to provide emergency power at Bardstown City Hall. The generator now used as back up is not large enough to power the air conditioning systems required by the cable TV headend equipment, Richer explained.
The generator was a used unit with less than 100 hours operating time. The vendor offered the unit at substantial savings over a new one, and provided the same warranty as a new unit. The original bid specification was for a 300 kW unit, but the larger unit was available at a savings of more than $15,000 over the cost of a new, smaller generator.
In other business, the council:
— approved the bids for the city’s chemicals needed at its water and sewer treatment plants.
— accepted the sole bid for cemetery mowing services by King’s Mowing Service of $1,050 per seven-day mowing cycle for the Bardstown Cemetery, Presbyterian Cemetery and the Pioneer Cemetery.
— approved an agreement offered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to reimburse the city for the cost of relocation a water main needed so the state can replace the bridge over Rowan Creek on Pottershop Loop.
NEXT UP. The Bardstown City Council next meets a 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, in the council meeting room in the City Hall Annex on Xavier Drive next to the Rec. Center gym.
-30-
