No more nerve gas, lower speed limits, 911 update, and a new assistant fire chief
Council briefs
No more nerve gas
There will be no more nerve gas in Kentucky as of November, according to the man who spearheaded the decommissioning of all chemical weapons previously stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
Craig Williams, Chair of the Governor’s Commission on Chemical Weapons Demilitarization, told Council at the first regularly scheduled meeting of August, that by November all nerve gas contaminated warheads will have been destroyed, and that the demolition of the chemical weapons plant at the Depot will be demolished, beginning next summer.
For more on this story, please visit The Edge’s coverage here.
Resolutions
Resolution 14-2025
This was to curb speed limits on local state roads, thanks to increased traffic in the I-75 Exit 77 vicinity, was passed unanimously by a voice vote, minus the absent Councilmembers Katie Startzman and Teresa Scenters.
Effective immediately, on Walnut Meadow Road (KY 595), between Guynn Road and Mayde Road, and from Mayde to the Bypass (KY 956), the speed limit is now 45 miles per hour instead of 55 mph.
The intersection of the Bypass at Menelaus Road to where it intersects Mayde Road is also no longer 55 mph, but 45 mph. The entire length of Old Peggy Flats Road (KY 2874) is now 35 mph, down from 55 mph, including the unstriped portion of the road that is in the county’s jurisdiction.
The Resolution also includes a request of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to conduct a survey of these roads and report its findings to the Council. Mayor Bruce Fraley said that he would contact KYTC District 7 with the news of the Resolution so the study could commence.
Resolution 15-2025
This was for Council to agree to participate and abide by the requirements of appropriations House Bill 1, passed last year by the state’s General Assembly, in order to receive one million dollars in state funds to construct the Kenway Street extension. Fraley will be the point person with the state. It passed unanimously by a voice vote.
Resolution 16-2025
This was for a statewide first responders’ mutual aid agreement to be ratified and approved by Council, in order to allow the mayor, or city administrator in his absence, of Berea to authorize the City’s first responders to help protect life and property in other localities if called upon by other state municipal governments. The Resolution passed by a unanimous voice vote.
Fraley said the statewide mutual aid agreement evolved out of the Mayfield, Ky., tornadoes of 2022. City Administrator Shawn Sandlin added that the historic Eastern Kentucky floods of that same year were also a factor.
Fraley said this statewide initiative will also improve the City’s ability to be reimbursed by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) when responding to disasters in other areas. Sandlin added that “more importantly”, it also allows our first responders to help support first responders elsewhere as they try to help people.
Department head reports
Municipal Utilities
Kevin Howard, general manager of Berea Municipal Utilities, addressed Council with news about the City’s water, including the reconstruction of the dam at Owsley Fork Reservoir.
Howard said that as part of the federal America’s Water Infrastructure Act, a risk and resilience report, as well as an emergency response plan must be on hand and updated every five years. BMU will begin conducting its 5-year review shortly, and will complete it by year’s end, according to Howard. Also, 370 meters across the Utilities’ distribution area will be checked to assess for copper and lead in the pipes.
Howard said that at B-Lake, one of the City’s four reservoirs, infrastructure and concrete repairs are nearly completed.
As of Monday, the water level this summer at Owsley Fork is down one foot, at Cow Bell Lake, the level is down three feet, and B-Lake is down one foot, according to Howard, who said that the average daily water usage in Berea has totaled 3.2 million gallons a day.
“That gives us 224 days of water supply,” Howard said. “I am very pleased with that number for this time of year. He also said that since 2011, BMU has tracked rain fall on the lakes from January through July each year. The average across the years has been 38.9 inches of rain annually. This year, through July, we’ve received 52.05 inches of rain, he said, noting that if we’d not had so much rain, we might be facing a critical water shortage.
The Owsley Fork Dam project is moving along well, he said. The cemetery that is in the path of the dam’s planned expansion has been approved for relocation by the state, next is to petition the court for the permit to relocate the remains. Howard said the relocation project will begin in October.
Some of the power lines near the dam will be relocated, as well, Howard said. BMU is working with Bluegrass Energy for this. Also, Southern Madison Water District has also been working with BMU to plan water staging while the dam is expanded, he said. The dam’s design has been contingently approved by the state, pending the state’s division of water issuing a contraction permit.
Howard said a new floodplain map from FEMA will also be issued per the expansion of the reservoir. He also said that changes to environmental federal regulations since 2016 when the dam project began means that City might save one million dollars in mitigation fees. All that remains on the project he said is to get construction funding, including for purchasing easements from seven property owners on eight properties.
Councilmember Ronnie Terrill asked Howard why it has been taking so long. Howard mentioned this project first was conceived in 1988, and that this is a combination flood control and water supply, which is why more time is necessary to address the complexity. Councilmember Steve Caudill commented that this is good news because the City will need enough water to accommodate growth.
Fire Department
Fire Chief Charlie Russell announced to Council that Stacy Quinley has been promoted to assistant fire chief. Quinely has been a fire fighter for 32 years, 26 of them within Berea’s fire department. Quinley was roundly applauded by Fraley and Councilmembers, as well as the audience, which included Quinley’s wife and children.
Russell also thanked the Council for supporting the mutual aid resolution, as that allows first responders to help each other.
Police Department
Police Chief Jason Hays addressed Council to ask for an increase in his budget line item for patrol car maintenance and repairs. Hays said there were a few patrol car collisions in the last fiscal year, and that the cars still had not been repaired, so he needs additional money for this fiscal year. The bill to repair one of the cars is $23,380. Repairs on two other cars will put the line item $6,000 over budget. Since it’s only the second month of the new fiscal year, Hays asked to have his line item increased to $45,000, leaving him $9,000 for maintenance and repairs the rest of the budget cycle.
Hays’ request was unanimously passed in a voice vote.
City administrator
Sandlin also asked or additional money for overages in his line item for advertising fees in the amount of $5,920. Caudill explained the overage is due to the amount of legal notices the City has placed in the media, which is required by law. The overage was passed in a unanimous voice vote.
Sandlin gave an update on the status of Berea’s portion of the budget for the countywide 911 services. After the previous interlocal agreement between Berea, Richmond, and the County was fractured when Richmond leaders abandoned the deal, as previously reported. Berea is responsible for 20 percent, 873,120 dollars, of the 4.28 million dollars necessary to maintain the 911 emergency call center.
Sandlin said a team of City staff are currently researching how to fairly distribute the 911 fee across all City users. A resolution will be presented to Council in about a month, Sandlin said. “The mission remains the same: dispatch the right responders to the right location at the right time,” Sandlin said, adding that all three jurisdictions are committed to that.
Councilmember Steve Davis asked for work sessions with Council before the resolution is formally introduced. Sandlin said this is part of the plan. He also said that it’s possible the City might “be behind the eight ball a little bit” as it times the collection with payments.
Terrill asked about the shade structure in the ball fields and the timeline on the pickle ball courts construction. Sandlin said in the next couple of weeks ground will be broken for the pickle ball courts, and that a flaw in the shade structure has meant it is being re-done, per the contract with the City.
Councilmember John Payne asked about the shared use path on Scaffold Cane Road, to which Sandlin replied it was a sore subject because the contractor, the Allen Company, has asked for a later start date than was original agreed upon. Davis also asked about the progress on the pool repairs, which Sandlin said were progressing well, with the slide already having been installed and is going in this week.
Mayor and Council comments
Mayor
Fraley reminded Council that during the July 1 meeting, he reviewed a timeline of the 911 services countywide, and that Sandlin filled in the gaps with his presentation as to what has happened since July. Fraley also said he believes all three jurisdictions are committed to providing strong 911 services, but that how to pay for it is the issue.
He also said that a strong 911 is not only important to citizens, but to responders who depend upon the dispatch call center to guide them on the call out. Fraley said he was looking forward to the work sessions about how the City will pay for its portion. “We can work through this, I am convinced we are up to the task,” he said.
Lastly, Fraley congratulated Quinley and thanked his family for being with him at the meeting.
Council
Payne had no comment.
Davis thanked Priscilla Bloom, Parks Director, and her staff for the level of summer programing in absence of the pool being open.
Councilmember Jerry Little had no comment.
Caudill congratulated Quinley and noted that for so many City employees stay and move up the ranks indicates the excellence in leadership.
Councilmember Cora Jane Wilson thanked Howard and congratulated Quinley.
Terrill reminded folks that school starts next week, and to be vigilant about kids in the streets.
Council meets every first and third Tuesday of the month at the City Hall Annex, 304 Chestnut Street at 6:30 PM. You can also attend remotely by watching the City’s YouTube channel.