KYTC announces more than $1 million in funding for county roads
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced $1.02 million in funding to the Henderson County Fiscal Court as part of the Rural Secondary Program last week.
Based on the funding formula of the RS program, 80 percent of the RS funding allocated to Henderson County, or $713,000, will go to two projects recommended by KYTC, and approved by the court, according to a release from KYTC.
This will include asphalt resurfacing of 2.65 miles of Ky. 416 from Ky. 136 to Middle Delaware Road and 4.05 miles of Ky. 1078 from Ky. 416 to Ky. 812, said the release.
RS funds are used to improve rural secondary state-maintained roadways in counties across Kentucky. These are roads that are important to the local community, serving to connect smaller cities to urban areas and functioning as farm-to-market routes for the agriculture community, said the release. The RS Program is funded through Kentucky’s gas tax.
The remaining 20 percent, or $311,000, are called “Flex Funds.” County officials can vote to return those funds to the state to make repairs on other state roads in the county, or they can retain them for their own use. Magistrates voted unanimously to keep those funds for repairs on county-maintained roads.
The $311,000 will be added to Flex Funds that were unused last year for a total of $404,000, said County Engineer Nick Stallings. With the flex funds, crews will pave 4.6 miles on Middle Delaware Road, 1.3 miles on Corydon Greenlick Road and 2 miles on Jones Brothers Road, Stallings said.
County water district system improvements continue
The Henderson County Water District superintendent says continued improvement is being made in fixing a leaky system and it lost 20% of water it bought in its most recent report.
“We’re making good strides on our water loss,” Mark Julian said.
In July, HCWD reported a 41% water loss of the gallons it buys from the Henderson Water Utility and leaks out of the water district’s pipes before it arrives at customer residences and businesses.
Julian said HCWD bought 45.5 million gallons in September and sold 36.4 million.
“Overall, the numbers are looking better but it’s a long process,” he said.
The water district is in the middle of a $3 million rehab process in which leaks all over the county-wide pipe system are being identified and then fixed. In September, 28 leaks were fixed, Julian said.
Taubansee invests more than $12 million in expansion
Whitney Risley, the existing industry specialist with Henderson Economic Development, said that Taubansee Steel & Wire Company will build a 42,000 square foot addition and add 15 new jobs.
Risley said seven of those jobs have already been filled. The total number of jobs at Taubansee in Henderson is 63, Risley said.
It’s a $12.8 million investment in the community, she said.
City commission gives final approval to tiny homes ordinance
The Henderson City Commission last week approved an ordinance for tiny homes.
The vote was unanimous.
The city commission approved regulations that permit tiny homes in the planned unit development district, manufactured home district and the residential subdivided manufactured home district. The ordinance also allows tiny homes within the residential medium- to high-density district and Audubon residential district with a conditional use permit.
And the ordinance includes language defining a tiny home as a single-family living unit with a size of 120 to 800 square feet, built on a permanent foundation, includes independent living facilities for permanent occupancy and is subject to the same utility and permitting requirements as other single-family dwellings.
City Attorney Dawn Kelsey said tiny homes had been allowed in the zoning districts above except manufactured home district. But there had been some confusion about the specifics of what was allowable.
“This makes it clear,” she said in a previous interview. It also allows for tiny homes to be constructed in the manufactured home district, she said.
In other news:
- The city commission also honored Ohio River Crossing Section 1 Project Manager Emily Deason with the community spotlight for October.
- The city commission welcomed new city of Henderson employees Kevin Duncan, a mechanic supervisor at HART; Shae Bridges, city finance manager; and Joshua Barnes and David Lee Thomas, firefighters with Henderson Fire Department.
