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Nola Sizemore

Staff Writer

Harlan County Fiscal Court members reiterated at a recent meeting that all county employees should be given a 50 percent discount at any area attraction directly or indirectly owned by the county. Harlan County Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop said a letter will be mailed to all county attractions reminding them of this action approved by fiscal court members.

“We own all these attractions: Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, Benham Inn, Stone Mountain Boat Dock, Portal 31, Benham Coal Museum and the Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area, and we voted to give all county employees a 50 percent discount,” said Magistrate David Kennedy. “I’m having problems on my end of the county with county employees going to, say the golf course, pulling out their county identification, and they are reluctant to recognize them and give them any form of a discount. I’d like the court to send all of these people letters informing them to make all of their employees aware county employees get a 50 percent discount. We own all this stuff and that’s just a little small thing we can give all county employees. Whether they want to go to the boat dock and rent a boat or use the Benham Inn and rent a room. The Portal 31 is the same way.”

Harlan County Solid Waste Administrator Lakis Mavinidis reported to the court there are 25 illegal dumps in the county that he is aware of at this time. He asked magistrates to include on a list presented any other illegal dumps they may be aware of so these dumps may be cleaned up.

“The list I have presented you with is the list the state will have to come and inspect,” said Mavinidis. “We have put dumps in there that will cost more than $50,000 to clean up. The reason is we don’t have to put up matching funds if it costs $50,000 or more to clean these dumps up. There are also dumps in there that will cost $3,000 to $4,000 to clean up and on those dumps we have to come up with 25 percent matching funds. If you have a dump in your district that is not on this list, costing more than $6,000 we need to know about it. I need this information as quickly as possible so I can prepare the application to begin by Nov. 1. This is what the state wants us to do first.”

In other court action:

* Declared a 1996 Ford F-100 vehicle surplus;

* Approved the purchase of 250 tons of salt at a cost of $21,120 and a 18,000 pound capacity lift for the county garage at a cost of $7,699;

* Approved the abandonment of a county easement at the old Skidmore Farm property where the new Tractor Supply business plans to locate;

* Approved Harlan County Sheriff’s official receipts for 2012 property tax bills. Collection will begin Oct. 1;

* Set Halloween Trick or Treat hours in the county for Oct. 31 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.;

* Approved the purchase of a packer, from a Louisville company, at a cost of $116,615.20 through the state bid process;

* Set November meeting date for Nov. 14 at 10 a.m.

* Approved audits of the Harlan County Clerk from Jan. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2011;

* Approved a resolution establishing a procurement policy for the Kentucky Community Development Block Grant Program, a resolution relating to Harlan County Fiscal Court CDBG Cumberland Hope Community-Recover KY, a resolution approving a five-year solid waste plan and a resolution declaring Harlan County is a single-county solid waste management area;

* Approved the application of a non-motorized Recreational Trails Grant.

The court went into executive session per KRS 61.810 (1.c) and returned with no action taken.