City council approves $5k grants for Foster Drama, Spalding Hall bathrooms
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 — The Bardstown City Council voted to approve two requests for community development grants from the City of Bardstown.
Johnny Warren, the Stephen Foster Drama Association’s managing artistic director, told the council that the drama’s request for a $5,000 grant would be used to print and distribute the 2020 season’s brochures.
According to the grant application, the cost to print 150,000 full-color brochures is approximately $3,800. The cost to distribute them $2,430, so the donation will nearly cover the entire cost.
The council also approved a $5,000 grant request from the Bardstown Historic Development Corp. to help cover the cost to renovate the Spalding Hall bathrooms that serve the Oscar Getz Museum.
Executive Director Linda McCloskey said the museum is seeing increased traffic now that the site is listed on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail website. The bathroom fixtures are in poor condition, she said, and called the bathrooms “an embarassment.”
McCloskey provided an estimate of $8,024.50 to refurbish the first-floor bathrooms. After the council approved the grant, McCloskey said she planned to ask other community groups for financial help to cover the full cost of the bathroom renovations.
FIRE STATION CHANGES. The council approved a list of nine changes brought to the council by Charlie Keyes founder and president of Keyes Architects in Louisville.
The approval didn’t come without a series of questions from the council about the timing of the changes.
Three of the requested changes were dated November 2019; four more were dated December 2019.
Councilman David Dones noted hold old the changes were, and asked Keyes why the changes hadn’t been brought to the council in a more timely manner.
A number of the changes were due to inspectors who required the changes. Keyes accepted responsibility for the delay in the changes, attributing them to a communication failure between the contractor and architect.
The total for the six submitted changes was $22,289.
HRB CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS. The council approved the following recommendations from the Historic Review Board regarding applications for exterior changes from businesses or homeowners in Bardstown’s historic district.
COA 20-05. Approved a sign request from Wild Thyme Herbal Apothecary, 224 North Third St.
COA 20-06. Approved the addition of two signs for Community Dental Care, 201 South Fifth St.
COA 20-08. Approved a sign request for Hadorn’s Bakery, 118 West Flaget Ave.
In other business, the council:
— gave final approval of a zoning ordinance change that removed the restriction on the locations for the B-1 PUD zoning classification.
— approved bids for bulk chemicals for the water treatment plant and the sewer treatment plants.
— approved a change order and an amendment regarding the Pottershop pump station upgrade and the Rowan Creek wastewater system improvements. The changes total $46,716.80 in additional costs.
— approved reappointment of Kevin Rogers to the Bardstown Board of Adjustments.
NEXT UP. The Bardstown City Council’s next meeting is tentatively set for a working session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 3. 2020 in the council chambers next to the Rec. Center gym on Xavier Drive.
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