BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Picking up where the special meeting March 26 left off, the Commission discussed and quickly approved a motion to sponsor the Appalachian Artist Festival.
Given what the city will be responsible for covering, Daniels estimated the city would provide a sponsorship of around $4,000.
The Appalachian Artist Festival is slated for Aug. 3 this year.
Daniels reported that he had gotten confirmation from Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty that the courthouse bathrooms could be accessible to patrons of the festival.
Daniels recommended the city hire monitors to keep the bathrooms clean and stocked with supplies. Wells suggested talking to ARC about getting some volunteers for the roles.
Harvest Festival
The City of Inez agreed to donate $5,000 to the Kiwanis Club’s Harvest Festival.
Martin County Attorney Melissa Phelps spoke to the Commission during a meeting Thursday to request sponsorship.
Last year, the festival featured carnival rides for the first time. Though it was a crowd favorite, Phelps explained that it was also a major expense. Kiwanis has decided to expand that portion of the festival and has booked even more rides for this year.
The rides alone will cost around $20,000 this year, some of which will be recouped through ticket sales. In hopes of keeping ticket prices low, Kiwanis is seeking new sponsorships for the festival.
The commission discussed how valuable Kiwanis and Melissa Phelps are to the community, applauding their work.
“We try to give back as much as we ask for,” Phelps humbly said.
Mayor Ed Daniels, Commissioners Phyllis Conrad, Nita Collier, Jennifer Wells and Roy Penix were all in favor of helping the Kiwanis Club.
Wells suggested that the city give the same amount to the Harvest Festival as it gives to Christmas in the Mountains.
The commission unanimously approved the sponsorship by roll call vote.
Other business
The city welcomed Facing Hunger Foodbank CEO Cyndi Kirkhart, who is looking for a facility to house a full-time food pantry in Inez. (See the related story.)
Commissioner Penix reported the city’s primary street maintenance contractor is currently servicing some equipment but expects to be back to full capacity soon.
Commissioner Collier proposed doing a cleanup of Coldwater Creek, which was met with a positive response. The board discussed bringing back county or city cleanup days.
While discussing city maintenance, Daniels told the Commission that the county would be evaluating the public pool to see if it could be opened back up.
City clerk Lisa Mollett reported she would be attending the Kentucky League of Cities Summer Summit to get a hands-on look at ABC laws and how to best maintain compliance under the city’s new alcoholic beverage ordinance. Former city clerk Candy Crum, who was in the audience and had attended the conference in the past, strongly encouraged Mollett to take advantage of the networking opportunities the conference presents. The city voted to sponsor a portion of her trip.