Fiscal Court Recap: Court Looks At Combining Park Director, Program Director Into One Job With Higher Salary

Darren Doyle, story:
One of the few things discussed on the short agenda at the Edmonson County Fiscal Court meeting today was the possibility of taking two county positions and combining them into one, with a higher salary.

Longtime Parks Director A.B. Webb stepped down on August 31st from his role not long after Park Program Director John Kiernan also stepped down. With very few applicants for Kiernan's position, Judge Executive Scott Lindsey appointed a committee to look at all options available for each position.

District Two Magistrate T.J. Massey, who serves on that committee, said the group is currently leaning toward combining both the park director and the program director's positions, with an adjusted salary for the increased responsibilities.

One of the difficulties in the hiring of either position is the unclear job descriptions described. Both positions are a mixed bag of duties that have each increased annually since they were each created. Overall, the park director is mainly charged with overseeing mowing, maintenance, of all three county parks. The program director oversees the actual programs led by Parks and Rec, including youth sports and their respective boards, and holiday programs that include the Easter egg hunt, Freedom Fest, and Halloween in the Park, as well as others throughout the year.

Massey said the current budget would allow the county to contract all the mowing instead of in-house, which could actually be different mowing contracts for individual parks. This would free up the position for other duties. Judge Lindsey said the next step would be to finalize the full job description so the committee could complete their recommendation to the court, which Massey said would be done soon.


Bee Spring Farm Situation Update:
Judge Lindsey updated the court on the situation with the complaints shared from Bee Spring residents about an odor coming from a farm in the Oklahoma Road area, which is owned by Jonathan Blanton. Lindsey reminded the court that Blanton voluntarily stopped his solid waste operation where egg shells and culled eggs from Perdue Farms were being hauled in on Blanton's farm. Blanton told the Edmonson Voice he was using the material for fertilizer on his property, to which he had obtained a state permit.

Lindsey said all the material had been cleaned up and was no longer in use, except for some remnants that had been spread in a back field. Lindsey said Blanton told him what little odor was left would be gone completely after the next rain.

"I talked with several residents in the area and they said they are only smelling it lightly every now and then, depending on how the wind is blowing," Lindsey said. "I didn't smell anything on the whole farm except a little in the back field. The residents I talked to seemed to be satisfied with the situation."

He also said that the soil and water samples results have been returned, but not yet available to the public. He said he would share that information once available.

Sunfish-Round Hill Road, Willie Webb Road Updates:
District 6 Magistrate James Vincent updated the court about a meeting he has this week with a contracting company interested in rebuilding Sunfish-Round Hill Road. The botched road repair after it partially washed out during flooding over a year ago has rendered the road closed for months. Blame for the closed road has bounced around to and from individuals, departments, and various governments, and a Muhlenberg County man drowned after he drove his vehicle off the end of the closed road earlier this year.

Vincent said the contracting company will lay out their options for repairing the road. Judge Lindsey said he had also been in contact with an individual from Kentucky Emergency Management to determine other solutions for the road. He also said that a similar situation with Willie Webb Road in Brownsville has also caused problems for residents in that area. Repairs are said to be in the hands of the Corps of Engineers, who are also supposed to be solving the Green River intake problem, another local problem that has continued for months with no solution currently in sight.

Bus Route Update:
County Road Supervisor Joe Montgomery said 16 of the 28 roads that were listed at the last fiscal court meeting by Edmonson County Schools Transportation Director Lannie Deweese have been trimmed, mowed, or both. Deweese said the overgrown right-of-ways were forcing buses into oncoming traffic lanes on these roads and that the school system would have to drop them from routes if they weren't maintained.

Montgomery said several of the roads were state roads and would have to be maintained by the state, not the county. He also recommended all bus turnarounds need to be numbered with signage. Judge Lindsey said he would look into resources needed to number the turnarounds. Montgomery also added that in his opinion, all 28 roads were in shape for buses to safely travel. Deweese was also at today's meeting and thanked the court for their help.

The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 25, 2023 at 9AM.