Lexington, KY - It's also hard to believe my first year as your council member has already come and gone. Time sure does fly when you are having fun - and working hard, too.
An issue particularly important to consider during this time of the year is the process of prioritization for snow removal in your neighborhoods. The priority plan for snow removal was developed by identifying a basic system of streets and roads essential to the continuation of traffic movement. Priority routes were developed by considering traffic volume, access to public transportation, access to emergency services, and access to primary school bus routes.
Here is how the priority streets are defined. Priority 1 streets: primary arteries in and out of the city, such as Main Street, Nicholasville Road and Richmond Road; Priority 2 streets: major connecting streets, such as Red Mile Road and Loudon Avenue; Priority 3 streets: school bus routes; Priority 4 streets: primary arteries in subdivisions, which can get residents to the main roads.
Only when all priority streets are totally clear will Streets, Roads and Forestry have the manpower and equipment to plow non-priority streets. Removal efforts do continue until safety hazards caused by a snow or ice emergency have been eliminated. Municipal regulations and public health protection require that the Division of Solid Waste provide garbage, recyclables and yard waste collection regardless of weather conditions. The exception is during an emergency situation such as heavy snow and ice.
I thought it would also be helpful to provide some contact information to you now, prior to our first real winter weather emergency: Division of Streets, Roads and Forestry, 258-3451 (8 a.m. -
5 p.m.), 258-3600 (nights or emergencies); Emergency Operations Center, 258-3970 (when a state of emergency has been declared by the mayor, the EOC opens to provide resources and coordinate the community's needs, such as transportation, medical needs, food, shelter and heat).
Let's hope we can get through the winter months safely and with few, if any, weather conditions that require emergency action.
I wanted to give you a heads up that in January the new Water Quality Fee will start appearing on your monthly Kentucky American Water bill. This fee, passed by the full Council in May 2009, is the result of the EPA's lawsuit against LFUCG resulting in a mandate to Lexington, in the form of a Consent Decree, that our community begins to comply with clean water standards. The new fee will show up as a flat fee of $4.32 on most residential properties. All other zoning categories will be assessed at $4.32 for every 2,500 square feet of impervious surface. As a part of the ordinance establishing the water quality fee, an appeals process has also been created. If you have problems with your bill or want to learn more about the appeals process, you should contact LFUCG by calling 311 to report your problem.
On another note, I would also like to share with you a fascinating history project that one of the 5th District neighborhoods has been working on. The Fairway Neighborhood Association has just completed a new book, "Fairway: A Living History," based on oral histories with many of the original residents, descendants of the early developers and architects of the area. Combined with 18 months of research, the nearly 200-page book is sprinkled generously with old photographs and maps of the neighborhood.
Copies of the book are available from the Fairway Neighborhood Association. For more information, contact the organization at FNA@Fairwayneighborhood.org.