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E-Town Council approves Commerce Drive work, wastewater treatment plant design work

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

The council approved a municipal order approving a change order for the Commerce Drive project to rehabilitate the roadway between Sutton Lane and Executive Drive.

“Due to the anticipated increase in traffic upon completion of the road, particularly during events at the outdoor music venue, it is critical that this portion of Commerce Drive be reconstructed to assure a proper and stable full-depth road base,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order.

The change order was approved for $324,883.48, which is within the approved change order range for the project, but the city wanted to get council approval regardless due to the large sum. A bid from Western Construction Inc. to relocate a gas main on Commerce Drive was also approved for $72,283.

The council also approved the city’s 2026-2027 Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant funding, with a focus on projects in the North Downtown Neighborhood.

“The action plan outlines activities that implement the city’s allocation of $230,656 for the program year,” said Howard, reading from the municipal order.

Representatives from JustServe were on hand to present the city with designation as a JustServe City in recognition of volunteer and community work. Elizabethtown is the second Kentucky city to receive the designation.

A professional services agreement with Prime AE was approved for design work on the Valley Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion project, in an amount not to exceed $7 million.

“These professional services shall include the evaluation of all operations at the facility, the design of new and retrofit of existing buildings and treatment process equipment to ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations for the proper treatment and processing of wastewater in the city,” said Howard, reading from the municipal order.

The council also approved a $50,000 agreement with Prime AE for evaluating dewatering at the plant, which Elizabethtown Wastewater Director Corey Bond said was approved separately in order to not get delayed by required design approvals from the Kentucky Department of Water.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet May 11.

Mail-in absentee ballot request deadline Tuesday; absentee voting starts Wednesday

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If you are planning on applying for a mail-in absentee ballot, Tuesday is your last chance to do so.

“May 5 is the last date to request an absentee ballot,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. “Folks can do it by calling our office at 270-765-6762 or visit govote.ky.gov.”

Voting for the 2026 primary election then gets under way on Wednesday.

“In-person excused absentee voting begins Wednesday, May 6, and runs the 7th, 8th, 11th, 12th and 13th,” Smith said. “These are days that are set aside for any voter who qualifies for an absentee ballot. They can come into the county clerk’s office and cast their vote in person.”

In-person absentee voters must have one of the designated absentee reasons in order to cast a ballot during this period. The in-person no-excuse absentee voting period then follows.

“Early voting begins May 14 and runs through the 15th and 16th,” Smith said. “These three days are available for any voter in Hardin County who wants to come in person to cast their ballot. The hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We have locations at the Hardin County Clerk’s main office in Elizabethtown and at Colvin Community Center in Radcliff.”

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 19. Contact your county clerk’s office or visit govote.ky.gov for more election information.

Multiple road projects under way in the area

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Several local and state road projects under way or set to begin will result in traffic impacts.

Preparation work ahead of the summer closure of Interstate 65 in downtown Louisville continues this week.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Five says from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday nights the ramp from First Street near the Chestnut Street intersection to southbound I-65 will be closed. Lane closures will be in effect on I-65 South between Saint Catherine Street and Arthur Street. Closures of the off-ramp from I-65 South to Saint Catherine Street and the on-ramp from First Street are also now in effect.

Meanwhile, KYTC District Four says lane configuration changes are now in effect along KY 245/New Shepherdsville Road near the intersection of KY 349 and Wilson Parkway in Nelson County as the installation of a roundabout begins. Two lanes of KY 245 in each direction will remain open. Left turns into and out of Wilson Parkway will require southbound motorists to use the left lane of travel to make a left turn. Motorists turning left while exiting Wilson onto New Shepherdsville Road should be aware the center lane will not be available as an acceleration zone.

Finally, the Elizabethtown Police Department says construction of the roundabout at the intersection of Veterans Way and Towne Drive is scheduled to begin Monday, May 18. The EPD says the posted speed limit on Veterans Way will be reduced to 35 miles per hour, then to 25 miles per hour once construction begins. When exiting Towne Drive onto Veterans Way, motorists will be required to turn right only, and only northbound traffic on Veterans Way will be permitted to turn onto Towne Drive. No opposing turns will be allowed during construction.

Motorists should slow down, use caution, stay alert, and obey all signage and flaggers when entering any work zones.

First of three CASA of the Heartland Light the Night 5K events this Friday

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CASA of the Heartland is raising awareness for the most vulnerable children in the community with three Light the Night 5K Superhero Run/Walk events, the first of which is coming up in Hardin County this week.

“Our one here in Elizabethtown is going to be at the Sports Park on Friday, May 8, and kickoff time, it’s always a weird time because it’s sunset, so the kickoff time, air horn time is at 8:42 p.m.,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail.

Food trucks and vendors will be on hand for the event, and glow and superhero items will be available. Participants are encouraged to “go all out” with the superhero theme.

“The reason that we do the Light the Night Superhero edition is because we know that our CASA volunteers are providing a light in some of the darkest times for the kiddos that we serve, and to us, they’re kind of like our real life community superheroes,” Kail said.

CASA of the Heartland recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who advocate on behalf of abused, neglected, and dependent children in Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, and Meade counties.

“It really is just whatever we need to do to step up and make sure that their needs are being met, and then whatever we can do with the courts to help them navigate that situation to make sure that they have everything that they need and that their needs there are met,” Kail said.

Meade County will host a 5K in June and Grayson County will host in August. Participants can register for one event or all three. Find more information and the registration link on the CASA of the Heartland Facebook page or website.

Beshear highlights Ford commitment to Glendale, industrial park development

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Governor Andy Beshear highlighted economic development efforts in Hardin County during his Team Kentucky Update Thursday.

The governor announced the latest projects approved for funding from the Kentucky Product Development Initiative, which aims to “boost investment in site and building upgrades to support future, good-paying jobs and economic growth across the commonwealth.”

“Today, we continued investing in those efforts in 11 projects supporting future job growth and investments across 11 counties,” Beshear said. “Those projects were approved for $12.98 million in state funding to improve available sites.”

Included in the approved projects is $2 million for the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation and the City of Elizabethtown to prepare the Gil Nicely Sr. Industrial Park for future industrial development, with site readiness improvements “including the extension of utilities, roadway access, grading, and other essential infrastructure.”

Beshear also discussed Ford Motor Company’s conversion of the BlueOval SK facility in Glendale to manufacture energy storage systems. Beshear said Ford assumed all of the obligations for the original BlueOval economic development agreement which targeted 5,000 new jobs, but the state and the company agreed on new terms.

“Basically, the changes in the loan agreement itself just gives Ford a little more time, given what happened with the dissolution, but Ford also agrees to put that extra $2 billion in and agrees that it will at least try to reach those 5,000 jobs and pay back a portion of that loan agreement, depending on how many jobs they fall short, on a calendar that has the different timelines for when different thresholds have to be met,” Beshear said.

Ford previously announced a $2 billion investment to convert the Glendale facility, creating at least 2,100 new full-time jobs.