July 2007 Newsletter
WALKING PATH UPDATE
In June I asked the Mayor to call a Special Meeting to delay the building of our walking path until 2008. We need additional time to survey the City property. It’s important to know and be sure where the City property boundary lines are located.
It’s also important that some residents know their property lines and easements bordering the City property.
Brent Hardin
Parks Commissioner
The regular meeting of the City Commission was called to order at 7:30 PM on June 21, 2007 at the meeting room of the Hurstbourne Acres City Hall/Police Department, 1940 S. Hurstbourne Parkway, Louisville, Kentucky, with the following persons present:
Sean Fore, Mayor
Brent O. Hardin, Commissioner
Jim Lynch, Commissioner
Donna Nichols, Commissioner
John Price, Treasurer
Chris Redman, Police Chief
Stephen Emery, City Attorney
Michael Bolten, City Clerk
Doug Rogers, Resident
Danny & Sandy Ashley, Residents
Donnie Logsdon, Resident
Steve Hile
Don Smith, Resident
William & Teresa Renninger, Residents
Sally Price, Resident
Marlene & Michael Hess, Residents
Charles Pennington, Resident
Margaret Carter, Resident
Pearlie Woods, Resident
Jeri Heck, Resident
Treasurer’s Report
John Price read the treasurer’s report for May, 2007 and copies were made available for all people in attendance. Commissioner Hardin then made a motion to approve as read, which was seconded by Commissioner Nichols. The motion passed without opposition.
Warrants
The warrants for May, 2007 were then read by John Price, and copies were made available for all people in attendance. Commissioner Hardin made a motion to approve payment of the warrants, which was seconded by Commissioner Lynch and passed without opposition.
Police Report
Police Chief Redman reported the following:
-245 coverage hours from 5/10/07 to 6/21/07,
-242 police & public contacts,
-No arrests or citations,
-2 reports (1 criminal mischief & 1 car break-in),
-2 non-injury accidents,
-11 traffic stops,
-27 suspicious person complaints,
-An advanced 3-month schedule has been provided to the Mayor & Commissioners,
-Neighbor dispute over a fence was mediated by Police Chief Redman & Commissioner Dunn,
-Donated blood to the Red Cross for wounded officer Deputy White. A prayer request, for the families of the police officer & fire fighters recently lost or wounded, was made,
-Attended the wake for Clay County Police Chief Randy Lacy,
-A safe was recovered behind Taylorhurst,
-Trash pickup by sanitation company trucks in violation of the city ordinance continues to be a problem. In spite of the efforts by a resident who took pictures of the offending company driver as evidence, it was noted that the actual offense must be witnessed by a police officer before action can be taken. The company has been contacted once again to resolve the issue.
-MSD was contacted about the repair to the large sinkhole previously reported. The city was told by one contact that the repair would be completed on or before August 8. Another representative said it would be completed in July.
-Light bulb replaced in the city entrance sign at Hurstbourne Lane,
-A camera will be installed in the police car in July,
-Solicitor from AT&T was asked to leave the city,
-Mileage on the police car is now 7,185 miles,
To deter speeders and other criminal activity, the Commission asked Chief Redman to move the police car periodically to other locations in the city.
Attorney’s Report
In the only item on which to report, Attorney Emery advised that 3 of the 4 delinquent tax bill cases have been cleared.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Police Commissioner
In Commissioner Dunn’s absence, there was nothing specific to report.
Sanitation Commissioner
Commissioner Lynch advised that a resident had requested a lid for their recycling bin, and a request to replace a garbage can. It was also mentioned that Rumpke is in the process of retraining, with several residents reporting missed pickups. The problem with missed ‘backdoor’ service was also discussed and will be addressed with Rumpke. It was noted that Rumpke’s contract does not expire until July, 2008.
Parks
Commissioner Hardin met with ‘StumpBusters’, and the grass cutting is going well. However, it was mentioned that the grass behind some of the houses on Hurstbourne Circle is getting long and has not been cut. ‘StumpBusters’ advised that some roots remaining after the brush was cleared out, this area is difficult to cut. In other news, it was reported that the bees have returned to one end of the playground, but do not sting and are only a nuisance. The boards/railroad ties need to be replaced along with the sand, and Commissioner Hardin is checking into other materials as a substitute for both the railroad ties and the sand. A port-a-let is now installed at the park located behind the shed. The city pays $3.00 per day or $20 per week for this convenience for park users. This upcoming week, the chains on the swing set will be sprayed to stop the squeaks. In a question about adding additional garbage cans in the park and at the end of Hurstbourne Lane, Commissioner Hardin stated that they have not been able to locate the type of garbage cans needed but continue to look.
Roads Commissioner
Commissioner Nichols reported that bids for the repaving of city streets have been received. The first bid opened was from ‘Mack Construction’ for $105,000. It was noted that this bid did not include Hurstbourne Circle, but does include a portion of Blowing Tree Road that does not require repaving. Another bid was from ‘Flynn Brothers’ for $129,794. The final bid was from ‘Kentuckiana Paving’ for $155,000. Commissioner Hardin made a motion to postpone the final decision until the rebid from ‘Mack Construction’ with the changes has been provided and reviewed. The owner of Mack Construction who was at the meeting agreed to provide the corrected bid. The motion was seconded and passed unopposed.
In other news, several residents have complained that many of the light poles need repainting. LG&E continues to say that it is not their responsibility to repaint the poles. Commissioner Nichols promised that the poles would be repainted before winter. Finally, a resident at the meeting mentioned that the current person delivering the newspaper was speeding or driving unsafely through the city, including revving the car engine. It was even noted that he sometimes parks his vehicle in driveways, still running, while the papers are being delivered. Mayor Fore suggested to any resident who sees this, to call the Courier-Journal and complain. Police Chief Redman was also asked to watch for this while patrolling.
OLD BUSINESS
Bids for Walking Path
The city received 2 bids for construction of the walking path. The first bid was from ‘Flynn Brothers’ in the amount of $67,650. The second bid was from ‘Kentuckiana Paving’ in the amount of $56,000. Both bids were given to Commissioner Hardin for further review and recommendation. Further discussion of the Walking Path was delayed until later in the meeting.
CD Rebates
In response to a request from Mayor Fore for a legal opinion of the suggested rebate, Attorney Emery provided the following information. Case law was checked, and it was determined that there is no prior case history, and therefore, no published opinion on the subject. The city attorney then contacted the Attorney General’s office to issue an opinion, if they will. We were told that the proper procedure is to submit the stated issue as to what you believe the analysis to be. The city attorney has submitted the necessary analysis as required, but no opinion has yet been received. We were advised that it normally takes as long as 60 to 90 days to render an opinion, if an opinion is rendered at all. In view of this, Mayor Fore recommended that the Commission wait until an opinion is provided, and that the money from the CD be placed into a money market fund for easy liquidity.
Speed Humps
The decision about the construction of speed humps has been deferred until Commissioner Dunn returns at next month’s meeting.
Walking Path Discussion
Several residents expressed their opposition to the walking path, and in response, Commissioner Hardin outlined his reasons in favor of the construction of the path. It was noted that the construction of the walking path has already been approved by the Commission as duly elected officials. Therefore, in response to a question from one of the residents, a commissioner would have to make another motion to reconsider that decision, which would have to be seconded and passed.
New Business
Resident William Renninger, who was at the meeting, recommended that the Commission give approval to Police Chief Redman to take the police vehicle out of state to attend the funeral of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Denzinger, and represent the City of Hurstbourne Acres. After a discussion, Commissioner Lynch made a motion as stated above. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Nichols and passed without opposition. In a related matter, it was also recommended that the city purchase a police vest immediately for the safety of Police Chief Redman. Since this had already been budgeted, and we have a grant of $648, approval to purchase the vest was granted.
There being no further business or discussion, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Bolten, City Clerk