By Chris Hamilton
The Lebanon Enterprise
State Rep. Jimmy Higdon
is determined to make sure
the Kentucky Department of
Transportation is aware of
Marion County's feelings
about the proposed Heartland
Parkway.
Tonight, Higdon will
host a public meeting to
gather residents' opinions
about the three options for
the road that would extend
from a point on the Martha
Layne Collins Blue Grass
Parkway to the Louie B. Nunn
Cumberland Parkway and pass
through Adair, Green,
Taylor, Marion, Nelson and
Washington counties.
Monday, Higdon asked the
Lebanon City Council for a
resolution stating its
choice for the path of the
parkway.
Option 1 would create a
new road, similar to the
interstate system, nearly
two miles to the west of the
existing route.
Option 2 would widen the
existing KY 55/U.S. 68/KY
555 route into a divided
four-lane road.
Option 3 would keep a
two-lane road but passing
lanes would be added every
three miles on existing KY
55/U.S. 68/KY 555.
"I'd like for the
council to weigh in," Higdon
said.
Councilman Van Gadberry
pressed Higdon for his
personal opinion but Higdon
was hesitant, saying he did
not want to influence the
council's feelings.
Councilman Bill
Pickerill suggested the
council endorse Option 2 but
pointed out that Option 3
would also be acceptable.
Option 1, however,
seemed to be a radical
concept that might not ever
get off the ground, he said.
The council voted
unanimously to draft a
resolution endorsing Option
2.
In other matters:
€A committee charged
with approaching Hampton Inn
investors to ask them to pay
for a new utility easement
to the Crossroads
Development site announced
that it was still not
prepared to make a
recommendation.
After learning the
easement could be paid for
with grant money obtained by
the Marion County Industrial
Foundation, the committee
set out to negotiate the
best price for the easement
needed to build a sewer line
that would cross either the
Gerald Hamilton property or
the Phillip George property.
Hamilton is asking for
$20,000. George and other
members of his family have
not made a decision.
Lebanon Mayor Gary
Crenshaw asked the committee
for a report and Councilman
Dennis George said the
committee was not ready.
There was no further
discussion.
Last week, the council
voted to give Crenshaw
authority to sign a contract
with Charles & Co. for
construction of the line.
Council members Jerry
Abell and Van Gadberry voted
against giving Crenshaw the
authority.
Abell said after the
meeting that he believes a
sewer line built to
Crossroads in 2000 is all
that is needed.
"I'm against the total
(new) project," Abell said.
"The engineers should have
told us what it was going to
take (in 2000). We've got
the service there. The line
that we took the headache
over is there and that
should do it."
Gadberry said he voted
against signing the
construction contract for
another reason.
"Why sign the contract
when you don't have an
easement," Gadberry said. "I
don't see the reason for
giving anyone free reign to
sign something I haven't
seen. If the contract says
something we don't agree
with, what's it matter now.
We've already given the
authority to sign now."