Published: May 13, 2009 08:12 am      

Fiscal court talks cleanup

Road department begins tornado debris pickup

BEREA — Madison County’s efforts in working together during Friday’s deadly tornado was the focus of much discussion Tuesday at a meeting of the Madison Fiscal Court.

The county road department has begun storm cleanup efforts, but Leroy Brock, county road supervisor, told the court Tuesday the tree debris cleanup is only for residents who reside in the tornado’s path. They will not be accepting debris that remains from the January ice storm, Brock said.

Residents of Adams Place in Kirksville have been putting their home debris on a vacant lot in the subdivision, and Brock said the road department would come by and clean up the lot.

Those with tree debris from the tornado should place them alongside the curb for pickup, he said.

The department is now in the process of finding locations for dumpsters along KY 1295 and KY 52.

“We’ve got all points covered,” Brock said.

Duane Curry, county planning and codes administrator, and his employees have been going door-to-door in the subdivisions destroyed by Friday’s tornado, strong wind and heavy rain.

A lot of the homes are past the point of repair, Curry said. Many homes have been knocked off the foundation and walls have caved in.

Curry said any resident who is having trouble getting in touch with their insurance companies or are waiting for someone to assess their damage should call Brad Nelson with the Department of Insurance in Frankfort at (502) 564-6034 or Curry’s cell phone at 661-0414.

Magistrate Larry Combs, along with the other magistrates, thanked all of the county’s emergency response personnel for their work during the tornado.

“We owe all of these people a lot of thanks because they went out of their way,” Combs said.

The Madison County Animal Shelter has been extremely busy because of the tornado, which left several animals lost or without homes.

Keith Crawford, animal shelter director, said residents who are missing animals after Friday’s tornado can call the shelter at 986-9625. They may have been picked up by animal shelter employees, he said.

Many animals remain abandoned because of the tornado, Crawford said. Anyone who sees an abandoned animal is encouraged to call the animal shelter, he added.

In other business:

• Nola Newman, chairperson for the Madison County Relay for Life, spoke to the court Tuesday about the relay, which will be conducted Friday, June 19 from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. on June 20 behind Church on the Rock, 1049 N. Richmond Road.

The first lap of the 12-hour relay is set aside for cancer survivors and their caregivers. Entertainment will be provided throughout the evening and a candlelight vigil will begin at 10 p.m.

Relay for Life began in 1985 and is a non-profit organization geared toward raising money for cancer research and awareness.

Call 200-5235 for more information about participating in the event or to learn how to donate to the organization.

• A resolution was adopted by the court that will allow all volunteer rescue and fire organizations to apply for KOHS (Kentucky Office of Homeland Security) grants.

• The Kentucky Cemetery Preservation Fund Board approved a $1,500 grant for the restoration of College Hill Cemetery.

• The court entered into an agreement with Lexington-based McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland, PLLC, to help the county obtain stimulus package funding (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).

There will be no cost to the county for obtaining the firm’s help, however, if they recover stimulus funding for the county, they are awarded with 15 percent of the overall funding.

“...the expertise of an experienced third party is necessary to assist the county in applying for as many funding opportunities as possible,” the agreement states. “...the provision of said services by MMLK is in the best interests of the county.”

Magistrate Roger Barger was in support of obtaining professional services because “... that’s why some people aren’t applying, because they’re so complicated.”

Obtaining funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has strict requirements, more so than most other grants, he said.

The next meeting of the Madison Fiscal Court will be at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 26 inside the Madison County Courthouse.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.