Stacy Thurman
Midway City Council passed a resolution proposed by Mayor Grayson Vandegrift to name May 24, 2024, as “Stacy Thurman Day” in Midway in recognition of her service as a city councilperson and former mayor of Midway. The May 20 meeting was held at The Homeplace at Midway.
The resolution said, “Stacy Thurman be honored for her selfless service to her city, even in the face of another full-time occupation serving the citizens of Midway and Woodford County, being a mother of two children and for all of the time she dedicates to improving the community.” Thurman is the Executive Director of the Woodford County Library system.
Among other accomplishments, Vandegrift praised Thurman’s work on the Midway water system and the recent agreement to change the provider from Kentucky American Water Company to the Frankfort Plant Board.
Parks Board Budget
Jeremy Devine, the Midway Parks volunteer manager, and Cecilia Goss, the board president, presented the proposed 2024-2025 budget and 2023-2024 accomplishments to the council.
Devine highlighted the hard work of volunteers and their work on the new dog park within Walter Bradley Park. “For us, it was a massive project,” he said. “We divided it into big and small dogs and moved it from a wet area.”
Devine also highlighted ongoing trail maintenance and the improvements to the newly named Blue Jay Park.
Goss told the City Council that they will be seeking funding for more outside contracting in this year’s budget, noting that nearly all of the work in the parks is performed by volunteers with some assistance from city employee Nelson Wright and his crew. Further, she said this year’s efforts will focus more on “maintaining what we have” given the major work from this past year.
The total budget proposal for 2024-2025 is $31,820. Highlights include $4,000 for water lines and hydrants to service new plantings, water access for other work and water for the dog park; continuation of the EcoGro contract, $9,000; Blue Jay Park maintenance, $5,000; tree pruning and maintenance, $5,500; and, new signs and sign maintenance, $1,100.
In response to a question from Councilmember Logan Nance, Goss said contributions to both Walter Bradley and Blue Jay parks are combined in a single account, but can be segregated if the donor wishes.
Vandegrift commended Goss and Devine and after noting some complaints on social media, said “We don’t have a ‘park department’ like most places. City employees help when they can, but we rely on volunteers and people don’t all realize that. We thank you from the bottom of our heart. We really encourage folks to volunteer and we need to help by getting more volunteers.”
Paving contract
Based on the recommendation of city engineer David Brown, P.E., with HMB Professional Engineers, the council accepted the low bid of Imperial Asphalt, a Kentucky company, for several paving jobs for $134,016.52. Vandegrift said the funds will come from the streets account and not the general fund and the expectation, depending on weather, is all of the work will be completed by June 30, 2024, and remain in this fiscal year.
Museum awards
The Midway Museum is the recipient of two awards for its education and its publication and two books on the history of African Americans in Midway. The Bluegrass Trust will present one of its prestigious preservation and education awards to the museum at a May 19 dinner in Lexington. The other award will be presented at the Ali Center in Louisville in recognition of the two historical books.
Homeplace
Marylynn Spalding, the C.E.O. of Christian Care Communities, a non-profit retirement, assisted living and nursing home company that operates Homeplace at Midway, unveiled plans for the second phase of the community that are still in the early development stages. Spalding said the plan is going to proceed slowly due to the economy, but will provide “a senior living model that revolutionizes care and disrupts the status quo.”
Along with a brief history of Homeplace, she said, they are hoping to “develop cottages for unassisted living so residents can age in place . . . as needs arise from the aging process, Homeplace will be able to provide those services. We know that senior couples do not always age at the same rate . . . so this model will allow spouses to remain on the same campus even if they are residing in a different (care locations) like the memory unit or skilled nursing.”
Using a map, Spalding showed a substantial portion of the Homeplace property is unused and is well situated to add these types of services and homes for seniors. The facility is already Kentucky’s only provider offering “Green House” homes, which are homes intended to look and feel like a real home, build community and friendships including “great porches for relaxing and visiting”, Spalding said.
Councilmember Dee Mason, a former five-year employee of Homeplace, asked, “What I saw was people working hard, can’t you pay people better?” Spalding said, “We have, but the big challenge is that over 50 percent of our licensed beds are Medicaid.” Comparing generating revenue at a nursing home receiving Medicaid payments to a retail store or a fast-food chain, Spalding said “prices go up, wages go up . . . (but) with what we do, these (Medicaid) fees are capped which is something the private sector doesn’t have.” Spalding also said hiring employees willing to work in a senior care facility presents challenges as well.
Spalding said she encourages volunteers, both groups and individuals, to get involved with volunteering time with elders at Homeplace, “We are doing great and going to do even better.”
Leash ordinance
Vandegrift noted there had been two more incidents involving unleashed dogs in the last week – one on Main Street. Grayson said citizens and visitors should report any dog issues to the city. He, along with Nance, said folks should avoid criticizing or attacking possible violators on social media. “That is not who we are, that is not what Midway is about,” said Nance.
Vandegrift said if someone sees an unleashed dog they should take a photograph, let the city know where the person lives if they know and to advise the city but not confront the person. An effort would be made to talk to the person involved, he said. “The ordinance is there for a reason; we have to enforce it.”
Memorial Day
Councilperson Mary Raglin will lead the Memorial Day event to be held on Saturday, May 25, at 10 a.m. at the city cemetery.
Nance also reminded the council to spread the word that the Midway Veterans Memorial is a “living memorial,” and any member of the armed services from Midway should be honored on the memorial.