County ready for road work By CINDY HENNING Meade County Fiscal Court met in a special session on Dec. 21 to tie up loose ends from 2005 business. After months of discussion and research, the Court voted to purchase a Caterpillar road grader from Whayne Supply Company in Louisville at a cost of $137,938 with trade-in. Magistrate Theresa Padgett, the only dissenting vote, stated that she felt it was a bad decision to add more debt to the county when it already had a Champion road grader which was not being used due to a problem with the blade size. Road Supervisor Mark Popham agreed that a blade trade might help, but the Champion grader had mechanical problems whenever it was used for any length of time. His experience is that the Caterpillar graders stand up better to daily use. Magistrate Kent Allen described his district’s huge need for roadwork and expressed his feeling that this would be a good investment. Other magistrates confirmed the need all over the county. The Court went into closed session for 35 minutes to discuss land acquisition but returned with no reported action. Attorney Darren Sipes stated that all of the magistrates had received copies of the Arch land purchase agreement which had an indemnity clause added to insure against any future environmental problems. The agreement is an open record and available for inspection at the judge’s office. Attorney Sipes also gave the second summary readings of ordinances 2005-21 and 2005-22 pertaining to the bridge loan and budget amendments for the property purchase. The ordinances will be printed in next week’s Messenger. The land acquisition closing will be at 2 p.m. on Dec. 27 at the courthouse. The court agreed to the contracts for Enhanced 911 service submitted by Meade County Emergency dispatch representative Mark Bennett last September. The initial start-up costs are $52,045.11 from Brandenburg Telephone Company and $2,432 from BellSouth. The monthly recurring fees will be $155 from Bell South and $148 per 1,000 lines with Brandenburg Telephone Company. Magistrate Allen asked if this would cover cell phones. Bennett replied that would be in Phase II. Magistrate Chism asked for a timeline on completion of the phase, and was told it should be in the spring depending on the success of the readdressing system. Charlotte Lawson was appointed to the Meade County Board of Health. Magistrate Don Callecod suggested that the procedure for appointments needed to be followed. Magistrate Allen said that he felt more people might get involved if they knew about the openings. Magistrate Harold Davidson agreed and recommended that Judge William Haynes notify the boards to make sure they are following the correct process.
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