The Leitchfield City Council opened its Monday night meeting with a public hearing on a request to have a property on Cave Mill Road rezoned to allow for an event venue.
Property owner Nancy Hack requested the old church at 1000 Cave Mill Road be rezoned from R2 (single-family) to Exclusive Use, as she plans to refurbish the 2,200-square-foot building into an event venue ideally used for weddings, family gatherings, parties, meetings, etc.
Hack’s request, though, stated multiple different potential uses for the property, with the Planning Commission denying the request as the application “does not reach the standard of approval required by Kentucky Revised Statute 100.213,” according to Leitchfield Code Enforcement Officer Tyler Harrell.
The City Council, after hearing from Hack and Harrell, and with knowledge that the Planning Commission turned down the application, voted 4-2 to deny the request. Mayor Harold Miller and others, though, encouraged Hack to resubmit her request with the stated objective of repurposing the old church into an event venue.
There is no waiting period to resubmit a rezoning request.
If the council had approved the request, the city of Leitchfield and individual city council members would have exposed themselves to possible litigation because of their failure to follow Kentucky Revised Statutes, according to City Attorney Earlene Whitaker Wilson.
(Rezoning requests are first heard and voted on by the Planning Commission before being presented to the Leitchfield City Council. The council then votes on the matter.)
New garbage truck
Leitchfield Public Works Director Wesley Shull said three bids were received for a new garbage truck for the city.
One of the bids failed to meet the bid requirements, Shull stated, with the other two bids coming in at $243,657 and $198,933 respectively. Shull noted that the lower bid, from TLG Peterbilt – Louisville, stated that the rear loader garbage truck could not be delivered for approximately 12 months.
Despite the delay in receiving the truck, the council voted unanimously to purchase the vehicle from TLG Peterbilt – Louisville.
The council budgeted $230,000 for a new garbage truck in its 2023 budget.
Leitchfield Aquatic Center news
Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Christy Higdon offered the council an update on the Leitchfield Aquatic Center (LAC).
Higdon said LAC currently has 49 employees – 28 life guards and 21 concession workers. She noted that life guard certification will be held next month, which could impact the number of life guards.
She additionally informed the council that LAC will open on Memorial Day (Monday, May 29) instead of Memorial Day weekend due to previously low attendance numbers on the weekend preceding the holiday.
New Board of Adjustment appointees
Council members approved the placement of Tim Bocock and George Hack on the Board of Adjustment.
Bocock replaces Steve Alvey, as he completes a term that ends on January 1, 2024.
Hack replaces Leon Shaw, with his term ending on January 1, 2025.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
