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BY FRED PETKE

Sun Reporter

Winchester officials agreed to increase their stake in building the Seventh Street truck route by committing to pay another $250,000 for the work.

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner said the city had already allocated $300,000 for the project. In a recent conversation with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray, Burtner said the city was asked to increase its support for the project.

The agreement approved Tuesday by the commission calls for the Cabinet to provide up to $3.95 million along with up to $500,000 in state contingency funds. Any expenses above $4.45 million would then be the responsibility of the city.

The project is estimated to cost $4.99 million.

“This is one more step in getting Seventh Street built,” Burtner said.

The project, when completed, would route truck traffic from two local industries out to the intersection of Maple Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway and parallel to Interstate 64, rather than through a residential neighborhood where the trucks have traveled for decades.

The funding was approved unanimously.

Twenty-four local small businesses were also announced as recipients of funds from the city’s small business COVID-19 relief program. Businesses operating within the city limits that were affected by pandemic-related shutdowns were eligible to apply.

Winchester Interim Finance Director Michelle Lucas said the first round of checks had already been mailed and more were coming.

The commission had authorized up to $50,000 of the city’s CARES funding for the program. Ultimately, $24,700 was paid, Lucas said.

Those authorized payments are:

• Soft Suds Auto Wash

• Court Street Gifts

• Spectrum Photography

• R&S Guitarworks

• Ultimate Tans

• Hammerhead Signs

• LaTrattoria LLC

• Ronnie Jones Hair Design

• Engine House

• Touch of Class Salon

• Wildcat Willy’s Distillery

• Howards Overhead Doors

• Perfect Ten Nails

• Deborah Thorpe (Victorian House)

• Cartwright Designs

• Curls and Clippers Salon

• Created by You

• Kustom Kuts

• Rhonda Flynn (Victorian House)

• Blue Isle Home Style Restaurant

• Team Elite

• Frames on Main

• Sugar Belle’s

• The Barre.

Eight businesses applied initially but did not follow up on requests for additional information or documentation, Lucas said.

In other action, the commission:

• Presented a service award to Ball Homes for implementing best practices for erosion prevention and sediment control.

• Reviewed a consumer price index 1.4% percent rate increase by Winchester Municipal utilities for water, wastewater and solid waste customers. City ordinance allows a maximum 3% increase. A memo from WMU said the 2021 increase follows those of 2.1% in 2018, 1.9% in 2019 and 2.3% in 2020.

• Approved a letter of interest to participate in the national Vacant Property Leadership Institute.

• Accepted a proposal from Palmer Engineering for engineering services to rework the intersection at Frontier Way and Bypass Road.

• Accepted a proposal from Palmer Engineering for engineering services to redesign a handicapped ramp at Main and Broadway streets.

• Accepted a proposal from Palmer Engineering for engineering services for the Seventh Street truck route construction and permitting.

• Appointed Katie Ledford to fill the unexpired term of Meredith Guy on the Main Street Winchester board.

• Accepted the resignation of police officer III Leighton McNabb.

• Reclassified Jared Brown from firefighter I/EMT to single role EMT.

• Heard a presentation from Clark County Health Department Director Becky Kissick about COVID-19 vaccinations.

• Heard a presentation from Jeff Truitt of Benefit Insurance Marketing Group about insurance brokerage services.