Meeting in regular session last Monday the Lewis County Fiscal Court began the meeting by approving financial support for the Lewis County Conservation District in the amount of $15,000 for the current fiscal year.

Pauline Applegate and Attorney Lloyd Spear appeared before the court to appeal for the annual donation of $7,000 for the Adult Literacy Council.

Both expressed gratitude to the court for its past generosity and help for the council. In the future, however, the Maysville Community and Technical College will run the literacy program.

Spear told the court that the local organization is no longer offering services to the community as of July 1 but still has some closing expenses to pay. The donation would be applied to those wrap up costs.

He said that last year the Adult Literacy Program received $108,000 from the state and $7,000 from the county.

Spear explained that some confusion exists over funding from the state and that has put the local program in a tight spot, but he thinks the problem can eventually be resolved.

The court moved to approve the donation.

Helen Rayburn, treasurer of the local public library board, stood before the court and told them that she had a surprise for the judge executive and the magistrates.

She jokingly said that usually when she comes before them she is asking for money for the library but this time she is inviting the court to a dinner at Noon on the day of its next regular session. The library is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in September.

When she announced to the court that the library has been renamed and is now the Helen H. Rayburn Public Library of Lewis County she was rewarded with a resounding round of applause.

Rayburn thanked the court for its contributions to the library over the years.

She said, "Without the fiscal court we wouldn’t be where we are."

On August 2 the library launched its new automation system, and the entire library catalogue is now on computer.

Lewis County Judge Executive Steve Applegate introduced Katrina O. Bradley to the magistrates and other county officials.

On July 1, 2004, Governor Ernie Fletcher and Secretary Clay Baily appointed Bradley as the new Chief District Engineer for District 9 of the Department of Highways under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The district office is located in Flemingsburg. She replaces Jim Rummage who now holds the same position in Lexington in District 7.

Bradley told the court that she is no stranger to the district since she has worked there for 19 years.

She in turn introduced Randy Stull, P.E., the Transportation Engineering Branch Manager for Operations for District 9.

Bradley informed the court that her office in District 9 maintains over 1,900 miles of highway and of that 240 miles are in Lewis County, and about 100 of those miles are on the rural secondary roads.

Bradley said that four projects have been authorized for resurfacing in Lewis County. She listed KY 1306 from the junction of KY 9 to the junction of KY 8, a distance of 6.9 miles; KY 2523 from KY 9 to the junction of KY 3037; KY 57 from mile point (MP) 14.3 just north of the Pine Grove Church Road to MP 16.5 to the junction of KY 8; and KY 1237 MP 3.1 to the junction of KY 57 to MP 4.4 to the Mason County line.

She also listed the following maintenance activities scheduled: clean the benches on KY 9; T-rails for slips will be placed in five locations: KY 1306 from MP 2 to 3; KY 9 from MP 20 to 21; KY 1149 from MP 7 to 9; KY 344 from MP 5 to 6; and KY 989 at MP 8.

Bradley told the court that beginning this year all requests for road repair based on the county's priority list should be in the Flemingsburg office by November 1.

She said that once her office gets all the requests they would evaluate the roads, compare the estimates and work with the fiscal court to prioritize the request of routes.

Bradley explained that her office prioritizes roads by looking at the volume of traffic, the connectivity of the roadways that provides access to the state roads, the condition of the pavement and the drainage structures. The recommended roads should be 12 feet or greater in width.

She also said that the Transportation Cabinet was looking to give priority help to the counties with long-range plans, and she explained that that meant a minimum six-year plan, and Lewis County does have such a plan already in place. The Cabinet also now requires that a professional engineer or engineering consultant assist the counties in planning their work needs.

After Bradley’s presentation each magistrate asked about one road in his respective district. Milt Stanfield asked about 344 in the First District. Keith Chapman inquired about Straight Fork in the Third District, and Todd Ruckel queried her about Quicks Run Road in the Second District.

Amy Kennedy from the Buffalo Trace Area Development District attended the meeting and was accompanied by the President of the Regional Planning Council and Maysville Zoning Administrator Matt Wallingford. They appeared before the court in order to educate the county judge and the magistrates on forming a Countywide Planning Commission in conjunction with the City of Vanceburg.

Kennedy explained that the City of Vanceburg plans to form a Planning Commission, and the mayor is required by law to invite any other governing entity in the county to join the effort. Therefore, both the Lewis County Fiscal Court and the community of Concord were sent letters inviting them to join the commission.

She said the court has 60 days to respond from the date of July 14, the day letter was received, and if the court does not respond then the city will take it that the county does not want to participate in the activity. If the court does move to participate then after that sixty days the city and county will establish a Joint Planning Commission.

Kennedy told the court that the community could have a Planning Commission without the zoning or vice versa.

Within the context of establishing a commission she defined planning as "an organized way of determining community needs and of setting goals and objectives to address those needs, and is a forward thinking process that bridges the gap from where we are to where we want to go in the future."

She said that the reasons communities plan are to prepare for the future, to accommodate the present, to maximize community strengths, to minimize community weaknesses, to secure a sense of community coordination, to build a sense of community and to provide for the public health, safety and welfare.

Kennedy explained that if the court voted to participate with the city then the next step would be to establish a Planning Commission with a board that could number anywhere between five to 20 members depending on the population. Two thirds of the board must be citizens and the other third could be elected officials. The board would then create and participate in a comprehensive plan that would establish goals and objectives that would have to be authorized by all the planning organizations involved.

She said that after that different elements are looked at within a comprehensive plan. Some of those are transportation needs, land use planning and community facilities.

Kennedy added that after the land use element is completed zoning ordinances could be worked on although zoning is not a requirement.

She said that the City of Vanceburg created a comprehensive plan about two and a half years ago as part of the Renaissance Program. Those comprehensive plans must be revisited every five years and updated.

First District Magistrate Milt Stanfield told the court that he did not want to vote on the issue at the meeting because the whole thing took him by surprise and he didn't want to vote on something he knew so little about.

Magistrates Keith Chapman and Todd Ruckel both said that they had considered planning and zoning for a long time and could both vote to go with the commission right away. However, the court decided to defer a vote until a recessed meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 26, at 9:30 a.m.

The court approved the annual dues for the Buffalo Trace Area Development District of $1,200 for the current fiscal year.

Jailer Tim Underwood explained three changes made in the Lewis County Detention Center Policy and Procedures Manual for the fiscal year 2004-05. The changes include no inmate-to-inmate mail between prisons or jails; no person paroled on a felony conviction will be permitted to visit the jail; and a minimum of $100 worth of property will be permitted in the jail. The court approved the manual with its changes.

The court then entered a closed session regarding threatened litigation. Although no action was taken during the closed session three motions were rapidly made as a result of the session. After 52 minutes the court returned to open session.

Keith Chapman moved to rescind the vote made at the July 12 meeting awarding the blacktop bid to Brown Construction Company.

Todd Ruckel moved to award the bid for initial treatment to Mountain Enterprises based on its bid of $35.25 per ton.

Milt Stanfield moved to award the resurfacing blacktop bid of $36.53 per ton to Brown Construction Company.

Each of those motions carried in order.

The court approved the treasurer’s report and all claims for the General, Road and Bridge and Jail Fund accounts. No transfers of funds were made during the past month.

Upon the request of Third District Magistrate Chapman the court moved to rename a road marked as Bentley Alley back to its original name of Wilburn Lane.

Meeting in a recessed session at noon Monday, August 9, the Vanceburg City Council gave second reading to an ordinance annexing 45.84 acres of property on KY 3037 west of town and adjacent to city property.

The action was taken at the request of the property owners who want to enjoy the benefits of being a part of the city. The ordinance took effect immediately upon enactment.

At the regular session of the City Council on Monday, August 2, Vanceburg/Lewis County Fire Chief James "Bubbles" Switzer announced that ISO has improved the city's fire protection classification from a Class 6 rating to a Class 5 due to the improvements the city and fire department have made to the system in the recent past. Those improvements include a new fire truck and a proposed fire station on Lion's Lane.

Meeting in a brief regular session last week the Electric Plant Board of the City of Vanceburg heard Superintendent Phil Kennedy's monthly report.

Kennedy told the board that he has been at the utility company nine years in September and this is the first time the company hasn't had a project going on since he has been there.

He added, however, that it is the calm before the storm.

Kennedy said that on Monday, August 9, the state called him and said that they had given approval to go ahead and bid the relocation of the electric lines for the connect road from the Industrial Park to the AA Highway.

He told the board that he has not heard anything from Grayson regarding the St. Paul dispute.

The superintendent informed the board that the audit is almost done and should be completed in a couple of weeks. Since that isn't finished he said that he had no financial report for this month but will have a report covering two months at the next regular session.

Kennedy said that he hopes to have the tree trimmers back in about two weeks. The vegetation has really grown this summer and is a mess, especially in the South Portsmouth area and in some places right in Vanceburg.

Vanceburg Police Chief Joe Billman said the accident happened about 3:35 p.m. as a 2005 Mack tanker truck, owned by North American Tank Lines and operated by Michael Hester, 46, of Auburndale, Florida, was turning on the lot.

Billman said Hester had reportedly stopped at the convenience mart to purchase a newspaper and was turning to exit onto Shelton Drive.

Billman said a 2001 Ford Escort, operated by Ronald D. Lewis, 55, of Vanceburg, had entered the lot and somehow became caught under the tanker. The Escort was rolled up onto the passenger side and pinned beneath the tanker.

Members of the Vanceburg Fire and Rescue Squad utilized the Jaws of Life to remove Lewis and his wife, Terri Lewis, from the Escort.

Billman said two children who were passengers in the Escort, Joey Boone, 3, and Paige Boone, 6, were taken to Meadowview Regional Medical Center in Maysville by private vehicle.

Mr. Lewis was taken by Portsmouth Ambulance to Meadowview Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released. The children were also reportedly treated and released.

Mrs. Lewis was taken by helicopter to Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia.

Hester was not injured.

Billman said an exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined due to various reports from those involved in the accident and those who witnessed it.