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Nolin RECC accepting applications for Operation Round-Up grants

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Nolin RECC is accepting applications for grants through their Operation Round-Up program.

“Operation Round-Up is a voluntary program,” said Nolin RECC Communications Manager Sarah Fellows. “Nolin RECC members can choose to round up their bill each month to the nearest dollar. All those nickels and dimes and quarters, really, for an average Nolin member only adds up to about $6 a year, but it makes such a big difference because thousands of Nolin members are choosing to do that.”

The co-op says the average yearly donation for an individual member is about $6, but those donations have provided for more than $415,000 in grants since 2006. Local organizations that have benefited include Project L.E.A.R.N, Wesley Hilltop House, and Knob Creek Conservancy.

Grant applications are accepted and reviewed by the operation round-up board of directors which is made up of local residents. The application can be found at www.nolinrecc.com or can be picked up at the co-op’s office locations.

The deadline to apply is May 1. Contact Nolin RECC at 270-765-6153 for more information.

E-Town council reviews sewer ordinances

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The Elizabethtown City Council met for their first meeting of the month Monday.

The council approved an ordinance on second reading that repeals and replaces the city’s sewer rates ordinance. The residential rate will increase to $14.46 for the first 2,000 gallons beginning July 1 this year, then will increase year-to-year, eventually landing at $19.52 for the first 2,000 gallons in 2028. Reading the ordinance summary, City Attorney Ken Howard said there are also increases to surcharges for extra strength waste, hauled waste, and other services.

“Also, the connection fees are increased,” Howard read. “For a residential connection fee, a single family house, that will be $1,500. For a multi-family housing that will be $2,000 per building plus $300 per unit.”

The council also approved an ordinance for general obligation bonds for the outdoor music venue on its second reading. The bond was approved at an amount not to exceed $47 million on a term not to exceed 30 years, but the debt will be paid using proceeds from the music venue and other available resources.

“As you all will recall at the first reading, RSA Advisors, the city’s financial advisors, spoke and indicated the city has one of the strongest bond ratings in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and it is not anticipated that a bond tax would be necessary,” Howard said.

Three annexation ordinances were approved on their second readings. 204 Jackie Street will be zoned Urban Residential General (R-4), 320 Pear Orchard Road NW will be zoned Suburban Residential (R-2), and 7019 South Wilson Road will be zoned Regional Commercial (C-3).

The first reading was held on an ordinance that amends the city’s sewer use ordinance.

“Primarily, this ordinance amends the rules and regulations to the traps and interceptors section relating to grease trap installation and requirements,” Howard read from the ordinance summary. “Defined structure for the failure to comply with the regulations has been changed from $200 per monthly occurrence to $300 per monthly occurrence per 500-gallon capacity size of interceptor. Modifications were made to adjust truck discharge permits to be in line with industrial discharge permits.”

The first reading was also held on a zoning amendment ordinance for 475 Hodgenville Road, which would change that property from Regional Commercial (C-3) to Multi-Family Residential (R-6) to accommodate construction of an apartment complex. The Elizabethtown Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the change.

Several municipal orders were approved, including Downtown Redevelopment Grants for 201 North Main Street ($87,098.08) and 218 South Mulberry Street (5,019.46), and a $1,180,400 bid from Dirt Works Unlimited for the French Street sanitary sewer upgrade project.

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory praised the efforts of city officials and employees for their work addressing more than 12 inches of rainfall that came down on the city over a four-day period. Gregory said it wasn’t perfect, but the city’s infrastructure did what it is designed to do.

“I’m really proud,” Gregory said. “We learned a lot. We never claim to be perfect. There’s things that you see when you have a rain event or weather event like this that you know that you can improve on. We’ve taken note of a lot of those things and that’s what we’ll do. We’ll improve on them and get better every time.”

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet April 14.

LTADD accepting donations to help feed first responders

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The Lincoln Trail Area Development District is supporting an effort to support first responders that have been working around the clock on search and rescue missions in the Colesburg and Lebanon Junction area.

“They’re tired, weary, they’re hungry, and one of the things that we’re trying to do now is put together hot meals for them to give them some respite,” said LTADD Executive Director Daniel London. “So out at the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, we are funding a food truck to go up to provide hot meals for first responders.”

Russell Tucker with Sonny Boy’s BBQ is organizing the food trucks.

“We’re going to go down there, we’re going to try to give them some pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, just kind of give them something warm to put in their belly while they’re doing what the community needs help with,” Tucker said.

LTADD is also working with Central Kentucky Community Action to provide meals for first responders working in the Shepherdsville area. 

“It’s going to be about a cost of, between us and Community Action, probably $2,500 to $3,000 a day to take care of these first responders,” London said. “They take care of us when we need help. They give up their family, their time, even their treasure, and a lot of circumstances to come to our rescue, and this is the least that we can do.”

If you are interested in supporting the effort, LTADD is accepting donations, which can be delivered to their office at 750 South Provident Way in Elizabethtown.

Health Department advises of risks involving floodwater

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Floodwater poses the risk of drowning, but the Lincoln Trail District Health Department is offering additional recommendations as many area residents continue to see the impacts from recent severe weather.

The health department urges area residents to not drive into flooded areas, and to stay out of standing water. The water may be contaminated by bacteria or contain sharp objects, so don’t let children play in flooded areas.

The health department says anybody that comes into contact with floodwater should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. If it has been more than five years since your last tetanus booster, now may be time to schedule an appointment if you are assisting with any flood clean-up efforts. Contact your healthcare provider or any of the health department’s health centers to schedule an appointment.

WIC recipients who cannot reach the WIC office or have been displaced by flooding may have their benefits issued by telephone, and damaged food items purchased with WIC benefits can be replaced. Infant formula can be issued in a ready-to-feed format if safe drinking water is unavailable. Contact your local WIC office for more information.

Recovery efforts continue as multiple areas hit with widespread flooding

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Multiple roadways and many homes, businesses, and other buildings remain under water as some area counties saw more than 10 inches of rain over the course of the last week.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says more than 500 road closings are still in effect, and two deaths have been reported due to flooding across the state so far, including a 74-year-old in Nelson County whom the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office says was trapped in a submerged vehicle on Nelsonville Road.

Emergency officials implore residents to remember “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.” Hardin County Emergency Management Director Joey Scott says keeping yourself safe ultimately helps keep others safe.

“I think the most common thing I’ve been hearing is, we’ll pull up on one of these sites and we’ll hear somebody pull up and say ‘well, I just came through there an hour ago,’” Scott said. “Well, the water has risen probably 12 inches since an hour ago, so we’re just getting people to understand the seriousness of it. Again, if your car stalls out and you’re not in immediate danger, we’re still tying up a lot of resources coming to you that could possibly be saving someone else’s life.”

The National Water Prediction Service measured the Ohio River at McAlpine Lower at 62.75 feet Sunday evening, with a projected crest of 68.5 feet early Wednesday morning. Other area waterways are also swollen, including the Nolin River which has crested over the bridge in White Mills. Area municipalities are doing their best to use available infrastructure including, as Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory says, Freeman Lake.

“We have the gates completely closed on Freeman Lake, and we have for the last two to three days,” Gregory said. “We emptied it out when we saw that this front was coming as much as we could to get as much water out of there so we’d have a lot of capacity. We have the gates shut down now, and that’s because everything downstream, if you take Willow Creek and Freeman Meadows and those different subdivisions downstream, we want them to be able to empty out, and if that water is coming out of Freeman, then there’s no capacity in Freeman Creek for that water to go into.”

Area counties and cities have posted road closings in their jurisdictions on their Facebook pages. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four has an ongoing list of road closures, including work at Exit 91 of Interstate 65 to clear water that is not receding. 

“With rain finally stopping, late Sunday we started using a high volume pump to get that water to an adjacent interstate drain that would still take the water,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Office Chris Jessie. “We’re working to get that interchange functioning normally as quickly as possible.”

The National Weather Service in Louisville says while rain is out of the forecast Monday and Tuesday, drier air will bring chilly temperatures. A Freeze Watch is in effect for the overnight hours Monday into Tuesday as temperatures are expected to fall into the 20s.

In appreciation of their efforts, Russell Tucker with Sonny Boys BBQ is coordinating lunch and dinner for emergency responders in Lebanon Junction.

“We’re going to go down there, we’re going to try to give them some pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, just to kind of give them something warm to put in their belly while they’re doing what the community needs help with,” Tucker said.

The Lincoln Trail Area Development District is helping to cover the cost of these meals the rest of the week, along with meals for first responders in Shepherdsville. Donations to this effort may be delivered to LTADD at 750 South Provident Way in Elizabethtown.