THE OLD MIDWAY FIRE STATION is being sold, and the well-maintained building has a vibe that could be really cool, according to Mayor Grayson Vandegrift. The Midway Fire Department recently moved into a new station in Midway Station, the industrial park located north of I-64. (File photo by Bob Vlach)
THE TIN MAN, the iconic water tower that rises above Midway, needs to be repainted. However, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said that’s unlikely to happen this year. (File photo by Bob Vlach)
People living in Midway say they can’t buy a nail without driving to Versailles, Frankfort or other cities. That will change when an Ace Hardware store opens on Leestown Road, and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift says it’s “a great deal for Midway.”
Midway hasn’t had a hardware store in decades, so having an Ace in Midway means residents will not have to pay the cost of gas to drive to another city for home improvement needs, Vandegrift said.
He also sees an opportunity to spread the energy along Main Street (commonly known as Railroad Street) to other areas of downtown Midway. The city is currently soliciting bids for the old Midway Fire Station building on East Bruen Street, he said.
While it’s uncertain what will open in that space, Vandegrift said a microbrewery or pub would do well in what he described as a well-maintained building with a vibe that could be really cool.
He said other businesses, including Holly Hill Inn, have been successful outside the heart of downtown Midway. “We want to continue to foster that growth,” he added, noting the building formerly occupied by the relocated Brown Barrel restaurant is now available.
“The more vibrant we make the areas around downtown,” he said, “the more we help support downtown.”
The iconic water tower known as the “Tin Man” high above Midway still needs to be repainted, but Vandegrift said that’s unlikely to happen this year. He also knows that needs to happen at some point in the near future.
Because the tower is no longer in use, it will essentially be an art project, Vandegrift acknowledged. But it’s such an icon of Midway’s downtown and also “a part of who we are,” he said, “it’s worth spending a little extra to keep it up and repaint it.”
Repeating something told to him about the Tin Man recently, Vandegrift said, “It’s been staring down on Midway since the 1940s. It knows all the secrets.”
Traffic issues
Speeding issues continue to plague Winter Street, and the state needs to make improvements to Ky. 341 (Georgetown Road) because of increased traffic, Vandegrift said. Because of the higher traffic volumes on Leestown Road, he said the state also needs to make improvements on that roadway. So he will continue to reach out to state lawmakers in an effort to get those two projects in the state’s six-year road plan, he said.
Vandegrift applauded the lowering of the speed limit to 45 miles per hour on a stretch of Ky. 341, which is most noticeable past Lakeshore Learning towards the Scott County line, he said.
In terms of future industrial and job growth, Vandegrift said a daycare center planned for Midway Station will bring as many as 70 jobs, and an engineering company that plans to locate in the industrial park north of I-64 is expected to add 50-plus high-paying jobs if and when construction moves forward on that project. Also, he said Lakeshore owns about 70 acres where more growth can happen for the company, which is Woodford County’s second-largest employer.
“I don’t see us having the need to open up more industrial land at this time,” said Vandegrift. “I feel like … our cash flow is strong, and it’s going to get stronger just with what we’ve got.”
He also acknowledged if a great opportunity came to the city and there was land available, city leaders would look into it.
He said a lack of residential land remains Midway’s biggest challenge.
“There’s not lot of appetite for more housing,” he said, “but there’s also a need for more housing, which is true everywhere, right?”
Construction is underway on new houses, nine on Northside Drive and four on Old Towne Walk, Vandegrift said, which he described as not a huge number to address the demand. “So that’s the biggest puzzle right now,” he said, “is what do we do about housing? There’s obviously a limited supply (and) there’s a high demand that’s causing property values to increase. That’s good for some people. It’s not good for everybody though.
“So it’s a challenge … (and) we’re going to continue to work on it,” specifically the continued need for more affordable housing for young families wanting to buy their first home, and older Midway residents who want to “age in place.”