Magistrates question state officials on road maintenance program priorities
From right, Judge Executive Dean Watts, District 1 Magistrate Keith Metcalfe; District 2 Magistrate Gary Coulter; District 3 Magistrate Bernard Ice; District 4 Magistrate Jeff Lear; and District 5 Eric Shelburne.
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 — Judge Executive Dean Watts and the magistrates had an opportunity to sound off on the road paving priorities and other issues to management of the state’s Department of Transportation.
GRAY TOMBLYN II
Gray Tomblyn II, commissioner of the office of rural municipal aid, told the court that just like the county governments across Kentucky, his office is faced with critical road repair needs but limited funding.
Magistrate Eric Shelburne said he hears frequent complaints about the conditions of some of the state highways in his district, District 5. He asked specifically if there was money or plans for repaving all or part of US 62.
“Parts of that road are in sad shape,” he explained, “especially when you meet a rock truck coming the other way.”
In comments to WBRT, Watts said he is hearing frequent complaints about the visibility of the road striping since the state eliminated the use of center line reflectors several years ago.
Watts also told the group that he favored General Assembly action to raise the gas tax, a move which will help provide much-needed funding for the repair of state and local roadways.
Tomblyn also told the court about the Bridging Kentucky initiative, which is focused on replacing bridges in all of Kentucky’s 120 counties.
Four bridges are part of the project and slated for repair or replacement. These include:
— rehab of the bridge on KY 52 over Monks Creek.
— replacement of the bridge on KY 509 over Froman Creek.
— replacement of the bridge on KY 48 over the East Fork of Simpson Creek near Bloomfield.
— replacement of the bridge on US 62 over Hinkle Creek in Bloomfield.
Former County Clerk Elaine Filiatreau appeared before Nelson Fiscal Court Tuesday to present a check to the court for excess fees from the office for the final year of her term as clerk.
COUNTY CLERK FEES. Former county clerk Elaine Filiatreau appeared before fiscal court to present the court with excess fees from her last term in office. Filiatreau presented the court with a check for $505,000.
Filiatreau also told the court that the clerk’s office had received $47,300 grant to help pay an outside firm to come in and digitize early county records that are bound in book form and whose pages cannot be removed.
WEATHER SIRENS. The weather sirens in Nelson County will sound tomorrow morning at about 10:07 a.m. as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week across Kentucky between March 1-7, 2019.
E911 Dispatch Director Milt Spalding reminded the public that the county is part of the Smart 911 project, a voluntary program to allow local residents to provide the local 911 service with information that will help first-responders responding to your address.
The information can include detailed instructions on the home’s location, which door first-responders should use, etc. In an emergency, seconds count, and providing the information can help speed a response to your home by firefighters or EMS.
BULKY ITEM PICKUP REPORT. After the first full week of bulky item pickup, county engineer John Greenwell reported that the first week’s material collected was the second-largest amount in the past five years.
Magistrate Eric Shelburne listens during Tuesday’s presentation by state officials regarding the state’s rural secondary road program.
There has been some confusion among residents of Grigsby and Whitesides Road regarding which phase of the pickup they are in. According to Lee Mattingly, the assistant county road engineer, those roads are included in Phase 1, which includes all areas east of the new US31E north of Bardstown to the Nelson County line.
In the first week, the county picked up 134.63 tons of discarded materials and 1,020 tires.
In other business, the court:
— The court approved a request to purchase additional roll-off dumpster containers for commercial customers.
— approved a request from the landfill department to advertise for a contractor to help cover some of the areas with additional fill dirt.
— approved a five-year tax moratorium request from Darrell Hawkins for a home at 208 East Stephen Foster Ave.
— heard an announcement by Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa that the painting of the sheriff’s office has been completed, and that he plans to hold a public open house later in March.
NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court will next meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in the fiscal court meeting room on the second floor of the Old Courthouse on Court Square.
-30-
