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HCS Board of Education hears feedback from high school principals

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The Hardin County Board of Education met for a roundtable discussion with the district’s high school principals as part of a special meeting Tuesday.

HCS Superintendent Terry Morgan said during their summer retreat the board proposed meeting with the principals for periodic updates. The principals filled out question forms with topics such as biggest challenges, biggest successes, and what support they need from the board.

The principals said finding and training adequate staff is an ongoing challenge. The principals also expressed concerns for having adequate mental health resources available for students, with John Hardin High School Principal Mark Wells noting the impact on the school day.

“You look at it from a logistical standpoint, we need those students to get the help that they need,” Wells said. “They need that, but when? We’ve got the counselors coming from the outside and they’re pulling kids out of class, and we’re trying to create a schedule so we’re not missing math, but it’s becoming more and more difficult.”

The principals said additional financial support for extracurriculars, sports and otherwise, would be beneficial as it would allow coaches and coordinators to focus on the team or club rather than on fundraising. College View Principal Dr. Robert King and EC3 Principal Dan Robbins said expansion for their buildings is needed. Robbins said more space for EC3 means expansion for the district as a whole.

“I think if we look over the last 10 years and we think about things that have really helped our district, I think that EC3 has to be something that everyone turns to,” Robbins said. “I know it is from the outside community, because we are visited by more school districts than I had ever imagined when I took the position.”

The principals said district initiatives such as the creation of the transition coach position to help graduating students, a faculty mentor program, and technology education have proven beneficial. Each of the principals also said they felt supported by the board, the superintendent’s office, and their fellow principals, something Central Hardin Principal Tim Isaacs said hasn’t always been the case.

“I can pick up the phone and I can call anybody sitting at this table, including you all (the board). and I have a boss that I think if she found out that I picked up the phone and called one of you all wouldn’t eat my lunch over it either, and I appreciate that,” Isaacs said. “For me, that’s what it comes down to. I feel like I’ve earned my spot at the table and I want to be heard.”

The Hardin County Board of Education will next meet October 17.

Post Four troopers recognized at KSP Sworn Awards

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The Kentucky State Police honored 55 troopers from across the commonwealth during their 2023 Sworn Awards.

The KSP says the awards recognize the dedication, bravery, and extraordinary efforts of the more than 1,000 sworn personnel serving in the agency, the highest number of troopers employed since 2017.

Awards presented at the ceremony highlight the efforts of troopers during the year as well as individual acts of service.

From the local post, Detective Casey Keown was named Post Four Detective of the Year, and Trooper Chase Shouse was named Post Four Trooper of the Year.

Post Four Detective Anthony Hardin II was named the West Drug Enforcement and Special Investigations Unit Detective of the Year, as well as the overall KSP Detective of the Year.

Post Four Trooper Dillon Spencer, Detective Issac Atwell, and Sergeant Blake Owens received Citation for Bravery awards, while Trooper Blaine Miller received the Lifesaving Medal.

The KSP says in 2023 personnel responded to more than 407,000 requests for assistance and served other duties such as conducting wellness checks, assisting local law enforcement agencies, and continued to fight against the drug epidemic. 

A full list of award recipients can be found on the KSP website.

Architects provide update on Buffalo Lake concert venue design plans

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The Elizabethtown City Council and the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau met for a joint meeting Monday to hear an update on the 10,000-seat amphitheater to be constructed at Buffalo Lake.

Brad Boaz with CMW Architects and Engineers walked through the design process for the venue to this point including decisions on location to lessen interstate and train noise, rigging to allow for flexibility in acts performing, and the arrangements for seating and facilities. Boaz says his catchphrase for the project is “It’s a walk in the woods.”

“We hope that as we go through this design that you’ll see that that’s really what we pushed, and we’re taking this piece of land out there in this undeveloped portion of E-Town and that even though we’re going to do a lot of construction, we’re going to change it so that at the end of the the day it really feels like you’re walking in the woods and you’re in this park even though it’s a venue that hosts a 10,000 seat concert experience,” Boaz said.

E-Town Tourism Executive Director Janna Clark said Elizabethtown is what the music industry would consider a “suburb venue,” so rather than directly competing with smaller venues in the area the goal is attract big-name talent in between shows at the larger venues in metro areas.

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said he hates to lose the current mountain biking trails at Buffalo Lake, but pursuing the music venue allows the city to allow for likely development while having a say in what is to come, including new trails.

“Eventually, because that land is owned privately, and if we cut that road through there like what needed to be done probably 15, 20 years ago, then we were going to lose those trails regardless, so what this does is it gives us the opportunity to control that somewhat by purchasing the property and putting this facility on that site so we can have some say so of what it turns out to be,” Gregory said.

Hardin-ETown Stampede mountain bike team coach David Haines said he would like for the design team to meet with a national mountain biking expert, and with 4 to 5 miles of new trails incorporated into the design the buffalo lake site could have the potential for national-level competition.

The current design of the venue includes 4,000 seats and space for 6,000 people in the lawn, with restroom and concession facilities that would be available year-round.

Level 1 Drought declared for all of Kentucky

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On the same day that rain arrived in the area, the Office of the State Climatologist and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet issued a Level 1 Drought Declaration for the commonwealth.

According to the energy and environment cabinet, a Level 1 dDought “indicates moderate to severe drought conditions have developed, primarily affecting soil moisture and vegetative health.” The cabinet says western and central Kentucky, along with parts of the Bluegrass region, are the hardest hit areas, with impacts to agricultural water needs and increased wildfire risk prevalent.

Widespread dryness intensified over the later half of the summer, with precipitation over the last two months spotty. These conditions prompted Hardin County last week to declare a burn ban.

“This is due to the dry conditions, the lack of rain that we have experienced in Hardin County,” said Hardin County Emergency Management Director Joey Scott. “We are implementing the burn ban and we’ll carry on until we get some significant rain to help these dry conditions out. Counties around us are going to burn bans. It’s all across the state of Kentucky right now. We’re entering into a really dry season, so we’re just being proactive and trying to get ahead of it.”

The state climatologist’s office expects the drought conditions to continue for at least the near future.