Meeting in regular session last week, the Lewis County Fiscal Court accepted the second reading of the 2003-04 budget and moved to adopt it. The new budget comes to a grand total of $4,325,086, with $2,198,301 in the General Fund, $1,526,825 in the Road Fund and $599,960 in the Jail Fund.

Magistrates also accepted the second reading of an amendment to the budget that shows unbudgeted receipts that include $129,883.78 from the prior year carryover and state grants.

Judge Executive Steve Applegate informed the court that the Buffalo Trace Area Development District has requested that Lewis County contribute $10,000 to the Buffalo Trace Children's Advocacy Center, Inc.

Magistrate Keith Chapman said that he believes the Children's Advocacy Center is a worthy project and would be a great asset to the area. However, he pointed out that the item was not in the current budget.

The court approved the reappointment of Kathy Dillow to serve another four-year term as Lewis County Treasurer.

The court also authorized Applegate to have the Lou Rayburn property in Brickel's Branch appraised in view of a possible purchase. Rayburn has agreed to sell the land to the county for a right-of-way and has quoted a price of $5,374.

A Memorandum of Understanding on the Tire Amnesty Program with the state was introduced to the magistrates and entered into the minutes. No action was required.

The court moved to renew the annual recycling agreement with the Mason County Fiscal Court at the usual cost of $1,000.

Meeting in regular session last week, the Lewis County Board of Education took steps to launch an addition and renovation project at the Lewis County Middle School.

The board had opened the bids for the project on June 2 and moved to accept the low bid of $2,391,489 from Trace Creek Construction.

The project calls for new dressing rooms and lobbies. The original plan included four alternates, and alternates one and three were selected. Alternate one is for an art room, and number three is for an admin section that includes a new service center, a nursing facility and a special education addition.

Larry Schwering of Lucas/Schwering Architects in Lexington, explained that the project includes a significant amount of site improvement to control traffic so the children won't have to cross traffic lanes to enter the buildings. It also provides new controls for the mechanical systems in the school.

The board then approved a revised BG1 for the project that changes the total construction cost including printing and other fees to $2,791, 899.

Members of the Lewis County Board of Education look on at its regular session Monday, June 9, as Larry Schwering of the Lucas/Schwering Architects in Lexington presents the papers to Superintendent Maurice Reeder Jr. and Board Chairman Joe LeMaster to sign in order to launch the Lewis County Middle School Addition and Renovation Project.

In the interim between the signing of the construction contracts and the sale of the bonds, the contractor can order materials and have them ready when the bond program is completed.

The roadway has been closed several times since the ice storm, which downed numerous trees and limbs, relentless rainfall has saturated the ground causing the steep grade to slide into the roadway.

Those who live on the hill say their homes began to move off their foundation in mid-May.

"Right now, the word rain is bad news to me because each time it rains, the cracks get deeper and wider," said long-time resident Alice Bond.

The Buffalo Trace Area Development District has sent a letter about the situation to the Kentucky Emergency Management Mitigation Office. The latter agency will apply to the Federal Emergency management Agency to buy out the residents of homes on Vanceburg Hill.

"It is a perilous situation and we are moving through the process with FEMA as quickly as we can," said Michael Lynch, who oversees the state's Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program.

Mudslides creep onto the pavement of Vanceburg Hill.

Lewis County Fiscal Court last week approved BTADD as the applicant agent for the buyout project. The project is similar to a buyout project following the flooding of Kinniconick Creek in 2000, in which FEMA provided funding to purchase properties prone to flood damage.