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Lewisport Council lowers ride costs for Heritage Festival
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By Jennifer Wimmer
The Lewisport City Council met Thursday, April 16, and received an update on the upcoming Heritage Festival. The annual Lewisport Heritage Festival is scheduled for May 28-30.
City Administrator Jason Roberts announced that the majority of the entertainment lineup for this year’s festival had already been secured, as previously reported in The Hancock Clarion. He said the city was still seeking a local act for the traditional Thursday night slot, which organizers prefer to reserve for homegrown talent.
Roberts said they ultimately secured local musician Daniel White, who agreed to perform on Thursday night on the condition that fellow musician Randy Lanham join the lineup, and the two will play together to open the festival.
He said the city typically contributes $10,000 to the Heritage Festival Fund for advertising and entertainment costs, but last year organizers raised enough through donations to cover expenses without city funding, aside from payroll.
Because of those savings, Roberts said the city was able to allocate funds this year to assist the ride company, along with a donation from the Labor Management Federal Credit Union. As a result, armband prices were reduced from $20 to $10 for all three nights.
The classic and contemporary rock band Hall Pass is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 29. On Saturday, May 30, Greg Tate and Company will play at 4 p.m., followed by Bub and Company at 6 p.m., and Josh Mitcham at 8 p.m. All performances will take place at Chapman Park.
The 5K Color Run will be held Saturday during the festival, with the race starting at 8 a.m. at 190 4th St. Registration forms are available at Lewisport City Hall, Hancock County Public Library branches, the Hancock County Senior Center, the Hancock County Career Center, Rehabilitation & Performance Institute and Poole’s Pharmacy. Participants are encouraged to pre-register by May 18 to guarantee a T-shirt. The fee is $20, with proceeds benefiting scholarships and future events. For more information, call Julie Newton at 270-922-7580.
The Antique Tractor Pull will also take place Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Lewisport Community Center. For more information, contact Kevin Emmick at 270-314-4940.
The Lewisport Heritage Festival Tractor Show and Drive is scheduled for Saturday as well. Tractor Show categories include first place through fifth place and fan favorite, with $100 awards and trophies for each place. Awards will be presented at 2 p.m., and T-shirts will be available for all participants. The Tractor Drive will be held downtown at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact Brent Wigginton at 270-922-6665.
The Car and Truck Show and Cruise-In will run from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday downtown. Cash prizes will be awarded at 6:30 p.m., and there is no entry fee. For more information, contact Kevin Emmick at 270-314-4940 or Jerry Emmick at 270-392-9585.
Roberts said several vendors and food trucks are already lined up for the festival.
Road and curb bids
Mayor Chad Gregory presented a proposed list of streets and curbs for this year’s roadwork program and asked the council to authorize seeking bids and to add any that were not included. Council members reviewed the lists and did not request any additions. Members voted to approve advertising for both road and curb bids, with all in favor.
Demolition bid
Gregory told the council that a nuisance property on the river, known as the Alexander property, had reached the demolition stage under the city’s code enforcement process. He said the single-wide mobile home was in poor condition and that, under the ordinance, the matter is brought before the council for a vote once the code enforcement board reaches this point.
City Clerk Carrie Dixon showed council members photos of the property before the vote.
“It was Karen Alexander’s property,” Dixon said.
It was noted that there may have been squatters at the property and utilities have not been on. Lewisport Police Chief Greg Linn told the council no one had lived at the residence for some time.
“It’s a mess,” Gregory said. “We are in the process and are going to demo this property.”
The Lewisport Code Enforcement Board consists of Julie Vogt, Kim Staples and B.J. Cox, and Linn serves as code enforcement officer. Dixon asked council members to provide her with addresses of any other problem properties so she can forward them to Linn for follow-up.
Roberts said a property near the Lewisport Library was recently cleaned up and that five loads of debris were hauled away. The property had been cleaned as of the week of April 3.
“There is so much that we are probably going to start publishing the violators in the newspaper,” Gregory said.
Police department update
Linn reported 100 CAD calls for service for the department from last month to this month.
“Everything is going well,” Linn said. “We finished our first qualification range for firearms last month. The first week of May, I’ll be in in-service.”
Public Works update
Superintendent R.J. Simpson was absent from the meeting, and Roberts delivered the department report on his behalf.
“Everything is going good,” Roberts said. “We have continued to do drainage projects. We have two more. We have pipe four, where we’re covering up an open ditch. We’re going to put a tile in and fill it in with dirt, so this will be the fourth one of the year. They’ve been busy spraying out in the country for pressure stations and fire hydrants, so the mowing crews don’t hit them when the state and county mow. We had two last year that got hit. Andrew just went last week and passed his Class 1 water license in E-town. He’ll be able to take his Class 2 in six months. Troy Roberts is in E-town right now and he’ll be taking his Class 2 water distribution tomorrow. Pam Hubbard is back from retirement and helping with mowing.”
Budget amendment ordinance resolution
City Attorney Charles Kamuf Jr. delivered the second reading of Budget Amendment Ordinance 26-1. Minor changes were made to the original version, including the correction of a few typos in the first line.
The annual budget proposal for the fiscal year July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, will be published in The Hancock Clarion and lists projected revenues for the general fund, road fund, LGA fund, gas fund, water fund, sewer fund, fire department fund, park fund, Heritage Festival fund, municipal fund and American Relief fund.
The annual budget proposal for the fiscal year July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, will be published in The Hancock Clarion and lists projected revenues for the general fund, road fund, LGA fund, gas fund, water fund, sewer fund, fire department fund, park fund, Heritage Festival fund, municipal fund and American Relief fund.
Fire department update
The Lewisport Volunteer Fire Department financial statement was approved by the council.
The department is recruiting new members. Applications are available at the station or can be downloaded from the pinned post on the Lewisport Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page. Completed applications may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to P.O. Box 22, Lewisport, KY 42351. Volunteer firefighters must complete at least 20 hours of training each year.
Junior Firefighter Program
The Junior Firefighter Program is open to youth ages 15 to 17. Program details and the application link are posted on the department’s Facebook page.
Junior Firefighter Program
The Junior Firefighter Program is open to youth ages 15 to 17. Program details and the application link are posted on the department’s Facebook page.
Comments
Councilman Kelly Vanover asked about responsibility for lighting at business entrances, noting it can be difficult to see when turning into locations such as Dollar General at night. Gregory said businesses are responsible for lights on their own property and can add them through their utility provider.
The council also discussed the May meeting date, which falls on May 21, the same night as Hancock County Middle School’s graduation. Because the prior week includes a Code Enforcement Board meeting and the following week is the Heritage Festival, members agreed it may be difficult to reschedule. Gregory said the city will hold the meeting as planned and excuse council members who need to attend family graduation ceremonies.
The council will hold its next regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21, when CPA Jennifer Estes of Alexander & Company is scheduled to present the city’s annual audit. Members attended a budget workshop on Wednesday, April 22.
Posted in Breaking News, Local News 2
