New City Hall

As weather continues to snag progress on construction of Danville's new city hall, some design details also are complicating the process. It has taken several weeks to locate the custom bronze colored metal to match the windows to the roof, according to the steering committee that met Wednesday at the construction site. The bronze sample that was sent previously appeared to be a dark, almost black color. Monica Sumner with the architectural firm Brandstetter Carroll said the company working on the windows indicated it could take another six to seven weeks to get another metal that is a closer match.

With the a new city hall in the works, Nicholasville Mayor Russ Meyer and the city commission felt the need to update the city's logo. "The current logo we are using was intended to be a generic logo to get us through to when we could come up with one that we could be identified by throughout the region and throughout the state," Meyer said. Enter Nancy Wiser, of the Nicholasville-based Wiser, Hemlepp & Associates, who presented two choices for the Nicholasville City Commission to choose from at last Thursday's workshop.

Dear Editor, We have to be the most fortunate people in the country. While we read of many areas of the country being stagnant and having decreasing values on homes, we continue to dodge the bullet. Assessments on our homes in Boyle County continue to increase against the trend throughout the country. I have heard of property values increasing from 7 percent to a whopping 33 percent in Boyle County during the last three years. Now that's progress, when we hear from the news media that property values are decreasing in most parts of the country instead of increasing.

Concerning the performance of City Manager Paul Stansbury, there were several issues that were not considered by the commission in its action to dismiss. One highly publicized example is the questionable encouragement of Mr. Stansbury when he asked Ms. Hamner, a commissioner, to bid and ultimately furnish the window blinds for the new city hall without ever bringing the situation before the commission. The commission first learned about the contract after the reimbursement check had been written and was presented for approval.

Church to sell food St. James AME Church, 124 E. Walnut St., Danville, will have a fish fry and food sale beginning at 11 a.m. Friday. Fish and chicken plates include a choice of two sides and are $7. Sandwiches are $4. Baked goods also are available by the slice or whole. For information or delivery, call (859) 236-3241. Meeting Lincoln County/Cedar Creek Planning Commission - 7 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Lincoln County Courthouse, second-floor courtroom. Three public hearings are planned: proposed re-adoption of the Lincoln County Comprehensive Plan, proposed text amendment to the Lincoln County subdivision regulations regarding sidewalks, and proposed text amendment to the subdivision regulations regarding street rights-of-way and grades.

Dear Editor, With a loud voice, we say “Thank you” to Jamey Gay, Terry Crowley and Janet Hamner. We will miss their experienced leadership. They served with diligence, honor and dedication and sought no personal gain or glory. In their campaigns, they answered questions with specifics and minimized the political platitudes. The irony of their losing because of the new city hall and the expanded recycling program will be more evident as time passes. The entire local community will enjoy and benefit from the improved facility for the city government.

Dear Editor, It amazes me that a current commissioner would schedule a public forum in a location that sells alcohol. There are several citizens in our community who do not feel comfortable around alcohol. I realize that Danville is basking in the revenues the sale of alcohol has brought to our community, but the sale of alcohol was not voted on unanimously by the voters of our community. Have you been to a convenience store lately? Many of them don’t even fill their shelves, but they have beer trucks in front of them several times a week.

Dear Editor, The rebuttal of the editorial comment, appearing in the Sunday edition of The Advocate-Messenger, concerning the bulging cost of the new city hall was not surprising. The attempt to explain the approach to this project, the varying costs that might be encountered, and the manner in which future actions might be taken, was a restatement of reports that have already been published. It would not be prudent to analyze this article from some judgmental stance. It would be more logical to assume that elected officials are trying to do a good thing.

Dear Editor, I feel that it is vital that everyone go to the polls this November and vote for themselves. Let me elaborate on that statement. Starting from Washington politics down to Danville politics we are facing exorbitant waste in every level of our government. Everyone feels the squeeze of the prices we are paying - gasoline, food, new taxes, and with winter coming, heating our homes. We must vote people into office who want to put a stop to this excessive spending and help us keep money in our pockets and not the government's.

Oh my gosh! It looks like we have elected another spend and tax Danville City Commission. I guess we will have to vote them out of office at the next election.   I must say, this City Commission is going to out-do the last by about 3 to 1. The new water treatment plant is estimated to cost about $20 million, (what will the nay-sayers say about this?) while the badly needed new city hall/police station was about $7 million. Water rates are going up $5.37 per month for only 4,000 gallons of water.

Nicholasville resident Jesse Kennison said one of his primary reasons for seeking a seat on the city commission is to help wake up the downtown area. “I am interested in Nicholasville and the downtown area, particularly,” he said. “We have a beautiful street and sidewalk setup now, and it's a shame there's so many vacant buildings downtown. I'm interested in trying to preserve the downtown area, and I'm wanting to build hometown pride and spirit that is Nicholasville.” Kennison, 70, is originally form Nicholasville but moved away for his career before coming back home four years ago to enjoy his retirement.

Pete Sutherland says his work ethic for the people of Nicholasville merits him being re-elected for a second term. “I have worked hard to serve the people of Nicholasville, and I feel like I've worked very closely with the electric and meter department, which is my job,” Sutherland said. “And I've kept a great relationship with the employees in those two departments, and I have been available to anybody who has ever needed to talk to me.” Pushing forward with the eastern bypass and I-75 connector is key for Nicholasville's future, Sutherland said.

We are hard-pressed to point to anything significant accomplished during the current Danville City Commission's first 15 months, other than to rid itself of a perfectly good city manager and thereafter alienate any person or group who happens to disagree on virtually any matter. Commission meetings - and there has been a multitude of them - are too frequently reduced to uncomfortable exchanges between the mayor and residents with a beef, and often go on for hours unnecessarily.

Oh my gosh! It looks like we have elected another spend and tax Danville City Commission. I guess we will have to vote them out of office at the next election.   I must say, this City Commission is going to out-do the last by about 3 to 1. The new water treatment plant is estimated to cost about $20 million, (what will the nay-sayers say about this?) while the badly needed new city hall/police station was about $7 million. Water rates are going up $5.37 per month for only 4,000 gallons of water.

Concerning the performance of City Manager Paul Stansbury, there were several issues that were not considered by the commission in its action to dismiss. One highly publicized example is the questionable encouragement of Mr. Stansbury when he asked Ms. Hamner, a commissioner, to bid and ultimately furnish the window blinds for the new city hall without ever bringing the situation before the commission. The commission first learned about the contract after the reimbursement check had been written and was presented for approval.

First of all, thanks to everyone who has complimented me on my letters this year. This helps keep my thoughts straight as we progress from day to day. Gas prices are fluctuating at an enormous rate, especially for those of us who are unemployed, and I think Congress has gone to sleep and has not done enough to help the unemployed. The numbers get higher every day. We have discussed many issues this year, and I have researched my answers before I wrote them.  A new city hall was completed on Main Street, along with newly painted buildings.

Dear Editor, With a loud voice, we say “Thank you” to Jamey Gay, Terry Crowley and Janet Hamner. We will miss their experienced leadership. They served with diligence, honor and dedication and sought no personal gain or glory. In their campaigns, they answered questions with specifics and minimized the political platitudes. The irony of their losing because of the new city hall and the expanded recycling program will be more evident as time passes. The entire local community will enjoy and benefit from the improved facility for the city government.

Dear Editor, Our current city commissioners have accumulated a long record of achievement during their tenure in office. They have exhibited intelligent and thoughtful decision-making. They have kept the welfare of the citizens and the long term future of our city at the forefront of this process. A few of these achievements follow: Our city has stayed abreast with federal mandates for safe drinking water and storm water. Our regional position as a provider of water and sewer has improved so as to be able to sell water and sewer services to Junction City and Perryville.

Dear Editor, What’s the matter with Danville? The naysayers would be quick to begin their lists. The rest of us would be proud of the positive changes over the years. Look around you and see an expanding medical community, a vibrant college, new city hall, an awakening downtown, restaurants, hotels, shopping, varied industry and small businesses, and the list goes on. From the arts to recreation, we have been a city of consistency and growth. The brass band festival, Constitution Square Festival, Pioneer Playhouse, movies in the park, an Oktoberfest and this list goes on. Many people and organizations may be thanked and patted on the back for their tireless efforts, and that list may be too long to even begin.

The first formal meeting between Danville mayoral candidates Jamey Gay and Bernie Hunstad on Monday night was largely civil, even as the race becomes increasingly heated in the final days. The candidates met in a town hall-style setting in front of a crowd of about 150 people at Title Town Bingo, an event that was organized by members of the Boyle County 9/12 Project. Moderated by Bob Martin, emeritus professor of economics at Centre College, the meeting included a couple of questions chosen ahead of time, followed by those submitted by audience members.