BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — In a meeting that moved briskly from flood mitigation to economic development, the Martin County Fiscal Court on Thursday approved a new bank account for federally funded home buyouts, amended a multimillion-dollar sewer contract and set in motion grant applications that include a commercial kitchen in Inez.
The new account, Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty said, will house funds tied to the USDA home buyout program, insulating those dollars from the county’s general accounts as property acquisitions move forward.
“As the court is aware, we will be buying out some properties,” Lafferty said. “What we’ve been advised to do is set up a separate bank account so those monies won’t be mixed with any other money. It’s just an excellent idea.”
The court also approved a $12,000 amendment to its contract with Prime AE for the Davella sewer project, a long-planned extension of sanitary sewer service from Debord to Davella and along Davella Road to KY 3. The project includes construction of an 80-gallon-per-minute lift station, 97 residential grinder pump stations and tens of thousands of linear feet of force main in varying diameters, along with telemetry at the lift station.
Beyond new lines and pumps, the project calls for the development of a Wastewater System Master Plan—a comprehensive review of the county’s collection system and its two existing treatment plants in Inez and Warfield. The final report is to include a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan for the entire system.
The amendment shifts responsibilities related to easements along New Route 3. Prime AE will determine public rights-of-way near anticipated easements and prepare exhibits for up to four properties, but will not research existing easements, negotiate acquisitions, prepare deeds or perform boundary or ALTA/NSPS survey services.
Prime AE’s original contract totals $543,000. With the amendment, that figure rises to $555,000. The overall project budget remains unchanged at $3,107,000, though line items were adjusted: funding for land, appraisals, and easements was reduced from $15,000 to $7,500; engineering design increased from $143,000 to $155,000; and construction rose slightly from $2,394,500 to $2,399,000.
In other business, Solid Waste Coordinator Eric Phelps announced the return of a large-scale tire disposal event in partnership with the state, similar to one held shortly after the current fiscal court took office.
“If you all remember not long after you came into office, with the help of the state, we had a big waste tire event—a three-day event—where we took in almost 15,000 tires,” Phelps said. “This is the same. Every couple of years the state offers its services.”
Residents will be able to dispose of tires free of charge once dates and locations are announced.
The court also authorized advertising for park mowing and roadside mowing services; declared 0.18 acres on Groundhog Hollow in Warfield surplus; and approved an encroachment permit request through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet near the end of Route 645 and the mouth of Coldwater.
The encroachment involves a proposal from the Martin County Beekeepers Association to convert turfgrass into a pollinator habitat featuring native flower species. A mock-up places the habitat near Cheryl’s Florist on Route 645.
Magistrates authorized a request for proposals to update radio console equipment at the 911 dispatch center, a prerequisite for a planned Homeland Security grant application, according to 911 Director Nick Endicott.
They also authorized Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills to apply for a Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation program grant of up to $163,140 through the Cabinet for Economic Development. The funding would match a proposed $816,000 Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant to develop a commercial kitchen in the old courthouse.
Judge Lafferty emphasized that such grants target economic development, not water infrastructure.
“Those types of grants are not available for water projects,” he said. “They’re available to do what we’re talking about—to serve as a business incubator, economic development and that kind of thing.”
The court moved two road and bridge department employees from part-time to full-time positions, raising their hourly pay from $12 to $14.50.
At the request of District 1 Magistrate Cody Slone, officials agreed to seek cost estimates for replacing a culvert on Turkey Creek, which is causing the stream to back up and flood private property.