Council fixes missing annexations; OK’s bid for more sewer inspections
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 11:58 p.m. – With a full agenda before them, the Bardstown City Council got down to business at its meeting Tuesday night – some of it dealing with unfinished business from the past.
From left, city clerk Bobbe Blincoe, Assistant City Administrator Larry Green, and Councilman Francis Lydian.
The council was presented seven municipal orders dealing with a variety of annexations that were approved over the years by the council but apparently never recorded on maps in the Kentucky Secretary of the State’s office.
Larry Green, assistant city administrator, said the council didn’t need to vote approvals of the annexations, but only approve municipal orders to resubmit the annexations to Frankfort. He said some of the annexations date back more than 10 years.
“We went through this about two years ago,” Green told the council. The city resubmitted them at that time and believed everything was in order. A city employee recently was examining the maps at the Secretary of State’s website and noticed the missing annexations.
“I don’t know how these weren’t taken care of the first time,” Green said. “I don’t know how they missed them, they acted like we never sent them in.”
The bottom line is that the annexations aren’t on the map in Frankfort and they need to be there, he said.
City engineer Larry Hamilton makes a point during the Sept. 27, 2011 city council meeting.
The council unanimously approved the seven municipal orders that redeclaring the areas previous annexed. Green said he planned to take the approvals to Frankfort personally. “I’ll make sure they get there,” he said. “There won’t be any question about that this time.”
SEWER INSPECTION PHASE II. The council also awarded a bid for the second phase of the inspection and testing of the city’s sewer system to a Minnesota company.
Midwest Treadless Technologies of Belle Plaine, Minn., had the lowest bid of $42,609.31 to inspect and smoke test approximately 28,000 feet of sewer line.
The inspection process sends robots with television cameras into sewers to look for problems; the smoke testing helps locate leaks and other issues dealing with the structural integrity of the sewer lines. City engineer Jessica Filiatreau explained that the previous televising and smoke testing of other parts of the city sewer system helped the utility pinpoint major problems and get them fixed.
Councilmen Fred Hagan, left and Joe Buckman listen to a discussion of the second phase of the city's sewer testing project.
DRAINAGE CONTROL ORDINANCE. The council approved the second and final reading of a revised drainage control ordinance. The changes are required by federal law since Bardstown’s population density means the city now must meet MS-4 requirements.
The changes will mean that commercial and housing developments in the city must develop plans for stormwater that go beyond determining a route for runoff, city engineer Jessica Filieatreau told the council earlier this month.
“It’s not only addressing water quantity, but now we’re looking as water quality,” she said. “And this isn’t just during construction standpoint but for the long term.”
DEDICATED RIGHT OF WAY. The council also vote to accept a dedicated right-of-way for property owned by Creek View Ventures LLC. The property is located on KY 245 east of Granite Drive on the north side of the highway.
Mayor Bill Sheckles
The owners wish to sell the property, but asked the city to accept a dedicated right-of-way to allow the owners to subdivide the property into tracts.
Councilman Fred Hagan suggested the council table the request in order to gather more information on the property and the request. City engineer Larry Hamilton explained the owner are planning to sell the property, and would like to dedicate a right-of-way to the city — a section of paved roadway approximately 50 feet square.
The council voted 5-0 to accept the dedicated right-of-way; Hagan explained he didn’t wish to vote for something that came so quickly without time to study it, and he abstained from participating in the vote.
In other business, the council:
— Approved a request for water and sewer service from Clark & Houghlin Funeral Home The new funeral home owned by Susan Clark and Field Houghlin which will be located at 1475 New Shepherdsville Road;
— Approved a request from Bedrock Manor, developers of the commercial properties on Granite Drive, to substitute a $25,000 performance bond for a current $25,000 line of credit. Both instruments are designed to ensure the final work is done to finish a project or development. Engineer Jessica Filiatreau said an unpaved cul-de-sac and a final layer of pavement on the roadway are most of what’s left to finish in the development.
— Approved a municipal order approving the city’s participation in the public employee’s deferred compensation program;
— Approved a request by the Main Street program to close the usual streets for the Bardstown Arts, Crafts & Antiques Fair set for Oct. 8-9, 2011;
— Approved the recommendations of the Historical Review Board;
— Approved a move to have R.W. Beck create a five-year plan for the city’s electric utility; and,
— Took no action after an hour-long executive session that discussed the possible sale or purchase of real estate.
WHAT’S NEXT: The council will hold a working session 5 p.m. Oct. 4, 2011 in the council chambers at the City Hall Annex building.
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