Story - The Meade County Messenger

Buffer zone work session set by Court for April 22 date

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

An April 22 work session between the Meade County Fiscal Court and the steering committee tasked with creating the county’s comprehensive plan is set.

The meeting, which will craft the language for the buffer zone around Fort Knox, begins at 7 p.m. in the courtroom of the Meade County Courthouse.

Later in the meeting, following nearly 50 minutes of audience commentary, county Judge Executive Harry Craycroft said county officials needed to determine how to accommodate the military reservation.

Craycroft said magistrates needed to determine whether they wanted to create a process whereby property owners would be notified they were locating near a military base.

Magistrates appeared divided on the wording they would recommend.

Magistrate Mark Hubbard took the matter a step further, indicating since Meade County was primarily agricultural, a buffer zone be created throughout.

“But that’s just something to think about,” he cautioned. “Meade County is primarily an agricultural county and the ag community also contributes dirt, noise and odors. I would like to cover both.”

Magistrate Tony Staples, who discussed the matter with some committee members, indicated they felt left out of the buffer zone decision.

“I think we ought to send it back to the steering committee and see what they come up with,” he said. “They spent a lot of time and made a lot of the meetings and apparently they didn’t let them have input in the final say. I think that’s wrong.”

Magistrate Herbie Chism discussed the issue with developers who already put a disclaimer in about the military reservation.

“I kind of agree with Mr. Hubbard,” he said. “We need to look at it, not only in regards to Fort Knox but the county as well.”

Magistrate Tom Goddard sought a definition of high and low density land before proceeding.

“We need to know what’s low density and what’s high density,” he said. “We need to get the definitions and move forward.”

“I think we’re all in agreement,” Craycroft said. “We can send this back to the steering committee and have them come forward again. They can make the revisions and let us know what they are and we can go from there.”

Planning commission director Barbara Campbell sought questions to ensure committee members get them answered.

Craycroft clarified an earlier report indicating he wasn’t in attendance at the recent planning commission meeting.

“At the last meeting it was reported I wasn’t here. The reason I wasn’t was I was in Alexandria, Va., representing the county on the BRAC road show,” Craycroft said.

“I did care about what was going on but it was hard for me to get back from Alexandria,” he said. “I just wanted to clarify that.”

Peter Hill, chief of the Military Law and Ethics Division at Fort Knox and a county resident, addressed specific citizen questions.

Hill didn’t have any prepared remarks, but said officials were concerned with the location of high density zoning enterprises, such as day cares and nursing homes.

“We’re not concerned about the low density, such as the commercial or the residential,” Hill said. “We’re concerned with the high density. You should know what we’re discussing is a comprehensive plan and it paints things in broad strokes.”

Others addressing the Court were Rebecca Richardson, Larry Clardy, Bill Davidson, Mike Padgett, Gene McGehee and Jeff Smith.

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