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Hardin County Fiscal Court approves White Mills ambulance lease agreement

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The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday evening.

The court approved a lease agreement with West Hardin Fire and Rescue, which will allow Hardin County EMS to locate a “satellite emergency medical service station” at West Hardin’s Station Two facility located in White Mills. The agreement is for one year with automatic renewal unless one of the parties opts out.

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul said the lease agreement had been “a bit of a work in progress”, but he said hard work went into making the agreement possible.

“All that goes with it, and all the work that went into making this station suitable for a 24-hour ambulance as needed was impressive, and we have some of our West Hardin folks here from Eastview and the White Mills area of the county, the western part of the county, so I just wanted to, before we vote, acknowledge how much work you all put into this and thank you for doing that,” Taul said.

Taul said during the fiscal court’s Town Hall Forum Monday that if the lease was approved he would announce ambulance plans Wednesday.

In other meeting news, the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office reported 181 arrests were made, 335 citations were issued, and 206 warrants were served in August and September. Hardin County Coroner Pat Elmore said his office worked on 90 cases in August and 89 cases in September, and noted drug overdose deaths year to date are down from 42 last year to 25 this year. Hardin County Quick Response Team Director Justin Blair said the QRT was busy making community connections in August and September.

“We went to 67 residential units, and in 27 of those we actually got to engage with the homeowner,” Blair said. “We distributed 18 naloxones and 51 resource guides so that they would know what resources are available to them.”

Learn more on the Quick Response Team – Hardin County Facebook page.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet November 10.

Kentuckians reminded to make Halloween safer by drinking responsibly

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As Halloween approaches, transportation officials are reminding Kentuckians that “Buzzed driving is drunk driving.” 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says Kentuckians should plan a safe ride home if their Halloween festivities will include alcohol. With people heading out to celebrate and children heading out to trick or treat, the KYTC says it is critical to watch your surroundings and keep everybody safe. 

The KYTC’s Office of Highway Safety says last year in Kentucky, in the week leading up to and including Halloween there were 84 alcohol-involved collisions that resulted in two deaths and 43 injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says about one third of all traffic crash fatalities across the country involve drunk driving.

The KYTC says to designate a sober driver, use public transportation, or request a ride share even if you only have one alcoholic drink. Walking while impaired can also be dangerous, so designate a sober friend to walk you home. If you see somebody impaired that is about to drive, take their keys and help them make arrangements to get home safely. If you see a drunk driver, contact the Kentucky State Police or local law enforcement to report the vehicle’s description, location, direction of travel, and license plate if possible.

Visit the NHTSA on the web for more information and statistics.

Area residents voice support for ambulance in White Mills

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More than 100 people were in attendance for the Hardin County Fiscal Court’s Town Hall Forum Monday evening, where the topic of conversation was the possible placement of a Hardin County EMS ambulance unit at the West Hardin Fire and Rescue Station 2 facility in White Mills.

The opinion of those who spoke during the event was largely the same: they believe the county needs to find the money to staff a full-time ambulance unit in White Mills without having to take a unit away from another municipality.

“I understand finances are what they are, and there’s only so much money to go around,” said Cecilia resident Dr. Steven Preston. “I won’t pretend otherwise, but if this committee does not let this happen, you are literally condemning certain people to death. I can’t understand what could be more important in terms of allocating funds than this.”

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul said it would cost the county about $425,000 to bring a ninth full-time unit online, with most of the cost related to staffing. While Taul said other options have been explored such as moving one of the other full-time units or staffing White Mills with a part-time unit, he believes a new full-time unit is the best option.

“There have been 575 runs so far this year in the proposed White Mills redistricted area,” Taul said. “Note that these runs are longer, to reach the hospital and return to the station. Shifting the zone coverage will expand services with a full-time unit in White Mills who will cut response times in half and reallocate equipment and staff to be utilized in a more efficient manner.”

A lease agreement between the county and West Hardin Fire and Rescue will be considered at Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting. Taul said if approved, he plans to announce future EMS plans by Wednesday.

Elizabethtown Fire Department rolls out new vehicles while new station nears completion

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The Elizabethtown City Council met for a work session Monday afternoon.

Elizabethtown Fire Chief Mark Malone provided an update on the city’s fire department. Malone said year-to-date the department has responded to about 1,560 calls. He said the department has a new pumper truck and brush fire truck now in service with another pumper truck to be in service soon.

Malone said Station Four on North Mulberry Street should be occupied by the end of January.

“We had a lot of delays this spring because of wet weather, and that’s pushed us back so they asked us for an extension, so we gave them an extension up until January, so the final completion date should be sometime in December,” Malone said. “The final punch will be after that.”

Deputy Fire Chief David Walters discussed the enhanced training opportunities the department is able to offer, and introduced the six members of the recruit class currently in training. Walters said the city’s investment in fire training, including the department’s live fire training facility, is paying off.

“We’ve probably got the most state of the art facility, and I’m not just saying that, because I’ve been all over the state for training in other facilities, other areas, other districts, and for what we have and for what Chief Malone has went through to think of the stuff that we can do in the training in there and develop that in that plan, I think that’s what’s being seen and we’re being asked if we can utilize it more,” Walters said.

Elizabethtown Planning and Development Director Joe Reverman discussed efforts to develop Roadway Improvement Funding Allocations as a viable option for the city. City Planner Aaron Hawkins discussed progress on the Envision Active Elizabethtown Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan originally commissioned by Greenspace. He said three projects identified for the plan are currently being completed.

“The goal of this plan is to enhance the connectivity, safety, and livability while promoting economic growth in the healthier community, but the overall point of the master plan was to identify a set of projects to improve both the bike and the pedestrian network in the City of Elizabethtown,” Hawkins said.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet November 3.

ECTC celebrates renovations for Occupational Technical Building

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Elizabethtown Community and Technical College celebrated the beginning of phase one of the $60.5 million renovation of the college’s Occupational Technical Building with a beam signing ceremony Monday afternoon.

“The original buildings built for the Occupational Technical Building were constructed in three separate time periods (1966, 1975, and 1985), so even the newest facility is 40 years old, so this two-phase project is really about providing an updated, relevant simulation environment for what students expect in a modern and industrial setting such as we have here in Elizabethtown/Hardin County,” said ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate. 

Pate said the construction project is a milestone for the college as well as workforce development across the region, and students walking into the updated OTB will get “an updated 21st century training environment.”

“We’ve got the best instructors in America,” Pate said. “We have great equipment, but to have a facility that mirrors and mimics what they will see in the workforce and in the workplace here, I think, provides them a more relevant and timely education.”

Pate said the project is a testament to the dedicated staff at the college as well as partners in the community looking to support students and area industry.

“I’m most thankful not just for this project, but I think I’m most thankful that our college and our region work together so well,” Pate said. “This truly is a community project, and so many people from so many facets of our world and life came together to make this happen, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”

The completion of phase one is expected as early as December of 2026. Students attending classes in the OTB receive education and training for a wide range of careers involving specialty degrees and licenses. Visit ECTC’s website for more information.