commentary from Tanglewood, reposted with permission:

If you missed it in the newspaper, and it was very easy to do as the FPB didn’t even include their logo, the FPB is having a meeting Tuesday, March 21 to vote on the reservoir. The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the library at Western Hills High School.

It appears the FPB has not considered any of the comments or concerns the TNAi and individual neighbors have expressed.

A good showing is needed to show the city commission and the FPB that we care greatly about the reservoir. Please come!

I sent the letter below to the city commissioners, FPB and the State Journal on Sunday. This is our position as a neighborhood.

There are also individual neighbors who are opposed to the reservoir remaining in Tanglewood and they are working on their own on that front.

We will be having a full neighborhood association meeting very soon to discuss the fencing for the headend building. The FPB has thrown a wrench into things on that front again.

However, for the moment, the reservoir is a tremendous concern.

TNAi Letter to FPB & City Commission

I’ve just read the Strand report and I must say I am disappointed. The report is simply a confirmation that everything the FPB wanted to do from the beginning is the best plan. No consideration was given to the way the reservoir plan impacts the residents of the city, who will have a blight on our skyline, or of the Tanglewood neighborhood. The bottom line in this report is cost, as if the cost to the homeowners is irrelevant, and we assure you it is not.

While the FPB indicated it planned to vote on the reservoir in March, we also asked what consideration would be given to the comments from the public. Apparently, the FPB believes that allowing people to give comments is enough. However, it does not appear in this case to include an obligation to incorporate those comments into its plans.

If “accepting the comments” is all the consideration that will be given to the public the FPB has made no progress at all in being responsive to the public. It may be cheaper to put one larger tank in right now or to have the domed roof to save money, but that is not in the best interest of our city’s skyline or of the residents of Tanglewood who have already suffered enough at the hands of the FPB’s “money saving” efforts.

A property on Tanglewood Dr. (two streets away from the headend mess) just sold for $17,000 less than the appraised value and the homeowner believes this was due to the conversion of the park-like setting that we previously enjoyed in our neighborhood into an industrial park. Add the substantial additional losses in value to homes closer to the city-owned property in Tanglewood and consider those values in terms of the approximately 200 homes in the neighborhood and you will have the very definition of an unreasonable cost. A low estimate of the cost of the FPB’s actions in our neighborhood is $3,000,000, or $15,000 per household, with much higher losses to families closer to the city’s property line. Not only does this impact the residents, it affects city schools, and the city’s tax base.

Too many times, we have tried to work with the FPB and then been blindsided by reports just like this one so that the FPB can push through their agenda under the guise of a thoughtful, researched proposal. We can see how well that turned out when it came to the headend building.

If the FPB has given any consideration to public comments mentioned in meetings and the public comments, we would like to hear what they are. As far as we can see, there is nothing, and yet the FPB Board is going to vote on the reservoir this week. As we have learned with the headend building, no amount of landscaping can hide an eyesore and this will be the case with two massive water tanks that will dominate the neighborhood and city views from South Frankfort, downtown, Daniel Boone’s grave, Louisville Road and more.

Furthermore, the City Commission directed the FPB (and the FPB agreed) to go through the planning and zoning commission and we are still waiting for that to occur. When will that happen?

To reiterate, the TNAi will not oppose the reservoir remaining in Tanglewood so long as it is approximately the same size and footprint as the current reservoir. We will vigorously oppose anything larger or more obtrusive than what is there right now. Our understanding of what the Strand Report says, and what the FPB has proposed in its informational meetings, is that the proposed tank will be substantially larger and more visible. If this is the case, we vigorously oppose this project.

The FPB should not take a vote on the reservoir plans until it has satisfied the concerns of the public, especially those who will be most affected. To date, the FPB has not communicated at all with the TNAi with regard to the comments made and how those comments will be incorporated in the final design. This is troubling and adds to the assumption that the FPB does not plan to incorporate the public comments into their plans at all.

We had hoped that the FPB was making strides to become more of a community partner, but if it is to proceed with its original plans on the reservoir and dramatically increase its size, against the wishes of the public, and to the detriment of a neighborhood that has already suffered greatly at the hands of the FPB, we have a major problem on our hands.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Gray
President
Tanglewood Neighborhood Association, Inc.

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SFNA Newsletter March 2017

Quarterly Meeting called – the next SFNA quarterly meeting will take place on Thursday March 23 2017 at South Frankfort Presbyterian.

We will start with a desert / fundraiser & social hour at 6pm and the meeting will commence at 7pm.

If you can bring a dish or drink  to the potluck please let us know so we can fill in the gaps.

All persons are welcome to attend.

Anne Moffett Gibbs died on 2 February 2017.

The South Frankfort Neighborhood Association pays its respects to Anne as a tenacious citizen-advocate for Frankfort and Franklin County.

This description is from:
A Guide to Fairs and Festivals in the United States (1984)
By Frances Shemanski
Greenwood Publishing Group

[excerpt from State press release, 10 Feb 2017]

The City of Frankfort was approved for six loans addressing sanitary sewer and storm water issues throughout the city.  The city is under an agreed order with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Kentucky Division of Enforcement in the Energy and Environment Cabinet.

Frankfort’s wastewater system has about 14,000 customers and treats wastewater for an area of Woodford County that includes 21 customers.

The Authority approved a loan of $2,041,000 to rehabilitate and replace about 41,500 linear feet of old sewer lines with 12 to 24 inch PVC gravity lines to relieve flooding in the Cloverdale and Cougar Lane areas.  The project will also eliminate the recurring sanitary sewer overflow and reduce the inflow/infiltration into sanitary sewers.  

The loan is repayable over 20 years at an interest rate of 1.75 percent.

Bids will be advertised on December 31, 2017 with construction expected to begin a year later and be completed in February 2018.

A loan of $1,853,750 was approved for the Franklin/Meagher Avenue sanitary sewer improvements and the Willow Street storm water management project.

The loan is repayable over 20 years at a 1.75 percent interest rate.

The rehabilitation and replacement of about 4,200 linear feet of old sewer lines with 12 to 24 inch PVC gravity lines will relieve flooding conditions in the Willow Street subdivision.  The project area is included in the Frankfort Sewer Department’s efforts to reduce the infiltration and inflow of storm water entering the sanitary sewer lines in the Thornhill subdivision.

Bid opening is scheduled for December 2017 and construction is to begin in January 2018.  Completion is scheduled for February 2019.

The Board approved Frankfort’s request for $1,954,500 for the Holly Hills and Meadowview storm water management project to relieve flooding conditions for Holly Hills and reduce the inflow/infiltration into the sanitary sewer system in both neighborhoods.

The project will replace or rehabilitate about 43,500 linear feet of old sewer lines with PVC gravity lines that run from six to twelve inches and replace 216 manholes.

At present the Meadowview sewers flow into the West Frankfort pump station which has a recurring sanitary sewer overflow.

The loan was approved at a 1.75 percent interest rate repayable over 20 years.

Bids should be opened in December 2017 and the project completed by January 2019.

Frankfort’s request for a loan for the amount of $1,202.660 repayable over 20 years, was approved by the Authority.  The 1.75 percent loan provides funds for the replacement of the Silverlake subdivision pump station with a new, more reliable submersible pump station, the replacement of three or more manholes and about 100 linear feet of gravity sewer to route existing sewer lines to the new pump station.

The station will include a new valve vault, control building and stand-by generator with a backup power.  It will accommodate maintenance without the need for confined space entry—a concern with the current station.  Though the new pump station will have a smaller capacity overall, a larger wet well will be added.

Bids are expected to be opened in June 2016 and construction completed by August 2017.

The Authority approved a $2,175,965 loan for a project in the upper section of the Two Creeks subdivision and Blanton Acres.  The 20-year loan is repayable at a 1.75 percent interest rate.

The project will replace existing pipe linings, replace service connections and repair broken or fractured pipe lines.  Lines in the Two Creeks area will be increased in size to reduce the risk of sanitary sewer overflow.  The Blanton Acres storm water project will manage localized drainage, flooding and storm water issues and assist with the implementation of a pollution program.  

Bid opening is scheduled for December 2017 and construction completed by August 2019.

The city’s request for a loan of $1.6 million was approved by the Authority. The loan for the East Main interceptor project is repayable over 20 years at a 1.75 percent interest rate.

The project includes the construction of 2,900 linear feet of interceptor lines, a new lateral extension to provide service to downstream properties, as well as tests and repairs on existing lines. The construction site runs from near east Broadway to East Main Street near Martin Luther King Blvd.

Construction is scheduled to begin in July and be completed by August 2017.

The New Leash On Life thrift store seeks volunteers that can “Lend a Paw” or contribute 2-hour shifts (more is wonderful) Tues – Sat.

Store hours are Fri. & Sat. 9 am – 5 pm & open throughout the week for donation drop off.

Volunteer opportunities include: display, sales, item research, donation pick-ups,  cleaning, media contact, graphic design and photography.

New ideas are encouraged and welcome!  We would like the store to be open for shoppers more than Fri. and Sat. — but need new volunteers to achieve that goal.

Jean Unglaub
Volunteer Coordinator
Franklin County Humane Society
shelter: 502/875-7297(PAWS)  cell: 859/340-0160
jeanunglaub.fchs@gmail.com

The following email came from Libby Marshall <libby.marshall211@gmail.com>

Subject: FIS Budgeting Process

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Whether you have children in the Frankfort Independent Schools or not, this school system influences so much about our community that you need to have a direct voice if you wish.  Here is how the budgeting process will go.

The Tentative Working Budget, which is the “almost final budget,” will be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Education by May 31.  The budget may be modified in September, after state and local revenues are more final, but it is the process going on now that will develop school and district staffing and programming.

The board has met with the Second Street School and Frankfort High School school based decision making councils and with the administrator for Rosenwald Empowerment Preparation Academy to discuss the staffing and resources requests for each school.  The board met in a day long retreat to hear the superintendent’s recommendations and  continue budget deliberations.

The board is meeting the second and fourth Mondays of each month. The next meeting will be Monday, February 13, 2017, at 6:00 pm at the central office.  It is best to check the board website for board meeting locations (link attached below).

The central office is on Wilkinson Boulevard in the former PUSH building next to the Wilkinson Street School.

There is a period for public comment at the beginning of each board meeting. You are also welcomed to contact Houston Barber or any of the board members.

Know that your participation in the school system is valued and vital to the progress that we must make together for the future of our historic downtown community.

Link to board meeting information:
http://www.frankfort.k12.ky.us/SchoolBoard.aspx