Earth Day 2015

2015 Board Member Election Underway

The 2015 board member election is now underway with one (1) position open. The elected member will join four other members of the Board of Directors, each serving three-year terms, to govern and make decisions pertaining to various aspects of the Association’s operations. The Board of Directors assist the Executive Director by making decisions related to policy implementation, finances, capital improvements, and state and federal agency requirements, all in an effort to ensure that the Executive Director has the resources necessary to manage the Association staff and day-to-day operations, as well as maintain the Association’s assets, ultimately leading to reliable and cost efficient rural water service.

For 2015, the Board of Directors nominates and recommends that Mr. Earl Campbell be re-elected for the position. The Board of Directors is also pleased to present Mr. Lee Wilson, Mr. Stephen Bailey and Mr. Frank Huff to be considered for the position. Ms. Lynne P. Coleman, Legal Counsel for the Association, has prepared the ballot, along with information about each candidate. The ballot will be mailed to each member of the Association for voting and should be delivered by April 1, 2015. The ballots must be received to P.O. Box 901, Danville, Kentucky 40423 by April 12, 2015 at 5:00 pm to be included in the election process. Any ballot received after the deadline will not be included.

For more information on the election process or the candidates seeking election, please contact the office of the Association at (859) 748-5642.

PPC Rating for the Mercer County Fire Protection District Improves

In February 2015, the Association was notified that the PPC rating for the Mercer County Fire Protection District was lowered from a 7/10 split to a 5/10 split.  Per a request from the Fire District, the Association compiled detailed flow and infrastructure data for use in the Classification Audit.  The PPC rating is used for a handful of purposes to assess a community’s readiness with regard to extinguishing fires. The PPC rating is also one of a handful of factors that influence property insurance rates for homes and businesses within in a community.

For more information on PPC ratings contact the Mercer County Fire Protection District at 200 Morris Drive in Harrodsburg or at (859) 734-4688.

MCSD City of Burgin Sanitary Sewer Improvements Project Update

Project Basics:

• The project is fully funded, as previously reported. Funding sources include: a grant from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority to MCSD; a Rural Development grant/loan package, also to MCSD; and a CDBG grant to the City of Burgin from the Kentucky Department for Local Government. A $50,000 local match includes pledges from the Burgin City Council, MCSD, Mercer County Fiscal Court, Mercer County Industrial Development Commission, Farmers National Bank, Little Zion Baptist Church, the Village Inn and Burgin Depot. These pledges will not be required to be honored until construction begins.

• As previously discussed, the service area includes essentially all residences and businesses within the city limits, the only exception being in outlying areas which are too sparsely populates to be served economically.

• Up-front costs to residential customers include a $500 tap-on fee, if applicable (1) payable to MCSD, and the cost of constructing the lateral sewer from the house to the public sewer. (The owner hires his own plumber for this.)
(1) Since the project is partially funded by HUD (CDBG), the tap-on fee will be waived for all low-to-moderate income (LMI) households. To receive this waiver, the property owner / resident must complete a form similar to the one which was used to determine that the City was eligible for the grant. It was found that over 60% of those households surveyed are LMI. This form is currently available at the MCSD/LVWA office. Property owners / residents are encouraged to stop by the office and complete the form, and will then be advised if they qualify for the waiver. Anyone who is unable to do so can call 748-9654 and request a home visit.

• Monthly costs to residential customers: $40 minimum for 2,000 gallons and $6.50 per 1,000 gallons above 2,000. These rates were established by Rural Development as a requirement for their participation in the project, and the District has adopted these rates for all existing customers, effective August 1, 2014.

• The project will be constructed, owned and operated by MCSD. The City, as the CDBG grant recipient, will receive periodic (monthly, during construction) payments from DLG, and transfer these receipts to MCSD for payment of invoices from all vendors (engineer, contractor, grant administrator, etc.) for all expenses incurred during project development.

• DLG requires a certified Grant Administrator for its portion of the funding. The City has signed a contract with Bluegrass ADD to provide these services.

• Both DLG and RD require monthly progress meetings during construction. Attendees will include representatives of MCSD, the City of Burgin, Strand Associates, Strand Associates, BGADD, the Sanitation District’s Resident “Inspector and the construction contractor. During these meetings there will be an opportunity to discuss any issues arising during the previous month. All project costs eligible for reimbursement will be reviewed and approved for submittal to the appropriate funding agencies.

• Once the system is in operation, the City’s only obligation will be to provide monthly water usage data to the District. It is anticipated that the District will bill customers direct (i.e.: separate bills for water and sewer).

Project Status:

• Since we last met, the archaeological survey has been completed by the University of Kentucky. This is the next to last step in achieving DLG approval and release of CDBG grant funds. Bob Casher is here tonight, and will address this in more detail.

• About half the +/-200 easement forms have been prepared, and will be ready to be signed within a week to 10 days. Those easements which are ready for signature are generally in the Pleasant Hill and Ash-Dan areas. We expect the remainder to be ready within 2 to 3 weeks. The easement acquisition team will be meeting next Tuesday, October 21st at 4:30 at the District’s office to start this process. We will notify those property owners where easements are needed and either (a) set up an appointment for them to come in to the District office to sign, or (b) have a member of the easement acquisition team make a home visit.

• Three pumping station sites will have to be purchased in fee simple. The main pumping station, which will deliver flow to Danville for treatment, is located on Pat Lear’s farm, along Kennedy Bridge Road. Two smaller stations will be constructed on the Dunn property at Water and Peach Streets, and on the Conover property adjacent to Lake Village.

• About 3 ½ miles of the new sewer lines will be constructed in city streets. Where this is the case, the streets will be repaved, full-width, so any future plans for pavement work on these streets by the City should be delayed, if possible, to avoid unnecessary expense by the City.

• The District needs the City to adopt a resolution authorizing the District to construct within the rights-of-way of city streets, as indicated on the project plans.

• Further progress is now totally dependent on how fast we can complete the easement acquisition process. Once all easements are obtained, it will take 6 weeks to 2 months to advertise and receive bids and award the construction contract. Construction will take 15 to 18 months. Earliest probable date for the system to go on line is late 2016 – early 2017.

• A set of the final plans, showing the location of all sewer lines, is available for viewing at the District’s offices, and the District / Lake Village staff will be happy to answer any questions from council members or the general public.

• The District is in the process of creating a web page on the County’s web site. Once it is in place, information about the District, and progress on current projects, including Burgin, will be posted. It will be accessed by going to mercercounty.ky.gov and clicking on the Sanitation District button in the left hand side of the home page.

For more information regarding any information contained in the herewithin, please contact Mr. Mike D. Sanford, General Manager, MCSD at (859) 748-9654.

Mercer County Community Endowment: Helping to make a difference!

Endowments have been a part of America since Benjamin Franklin began one in the late 1700’s. They gained exceptional value when individuals began to gain immense wealth. Andrew Carnegie, for example, stated that “the rich have a moral obligation to give away their fortunes”, and established seven philanthropic and educational organizations, with the focus on providing educational and health services for those citizens who could better themselves, primarily to universities, libraries, public parks, and cultural centers. Another was John D. Rockefeller, whose funds began the University of Chicago as well as donations for the advancement of science, medicine and public health. Also of note, he was the underlying resource for Colonial Williamsburg.
Locally, the Mercer County Community Endowment (MCCE) began in the Fall of 2010. The Kentucky legislature, to encourage philanthropy, established a tax credit for donors giving to community endowments. With this incentive and the desire to promote a better Mercer County, MCCE was begun. Its goal of providing funds for the arts, education, health and general well being of Mercer County resonated well with citizens, businesses and organizations and the fund has grown 15 times the original donation that began it.

The theme behind the MCCE is-“Our County, Our Responsibility.” One can hope there is a Carnegie or a Rockefeller in our future; one can hope a large donor will bring much needed financial assistance to our needs, e.g. Ralph Anderson; but these are few and far in between. Thus it is up to those of us who love this County; want it to prosper; have an exceptional quality of life, second to none in the Commonwealth; a great place to raise our children; and most importantly, encourage and live by the Christian ideals in everything we do. We believe no one is going to take care of our County like our Citizens.

Thus we appeal to these same Citizens to think of the Endowment as something they want to support. There are so many needs in the County; there are a lot of organizations doing individual projects that enhance the County; the MCCE sees as its role, be an umbrella organization to the County. We are restricted by Federal guidelines to giving only to 501C3’s. Therefore, an entity has to have a “legal” standing to be recipients. Schools, for example, are included in this.

An Endowment is, by definition, an entity that is designed in perpetuity. This means that MCCE will exist as long as there is a Mercer County. We also, by design, limit our yearly payouts to 4-4.5% of our principle. That is another way to assure and ensure donors that the Endowment will not exhaust its funds. The funds are distributed after the Board of Advisors, made up of citizens of the County; determine what the MCCE will support in the coming year.

For example in 2013/2014, Oral Health Education was identified as an underserved health issue in the County. Using funds from the MCCE, support from the Water Districts of the County, the School Superintendents, Health Department, local dentists and interested citizens, some 1800 schools kids and adults received dental kits; watched videos are good oral health habits; participated in learning exercises on the topic. The program was so successful, it will be continued in 2014/2015.

Other worthwhile projects will be evaluated by the MCCE for both their merit and contribution to Mercer County’s general well being.
Donations can be made to the Mercer County Community Endowment and sent to P.O. Box 184, Harrodsburg, KY 40330. Your support is appreciated and will be put to good use.

Lake Village Water Association Staff volunteer at the YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Each year the YMCA hosts Healthy Kids Day for 4th Graders in Mercer County.  The YMCA Healthy Kids Day is a national event that celebrates healthy living.  The event is designed to help kids embrace a more active lifestyle and make healthy choices.  This year’s event was held on May 1st at the Mercer County Intermediate School.  The students visited 10 booths, each with a different aspect of healthy living, hosted by different Community Partners of the YMCA.  The Lake Village Water Association provided water bottles to each student, in partnership with the Mercer County Community Endowment.  Lake Village Water Association staff volunteered their time to provide tap water at stations located throughout the event highlighting the importance of water consumption for overall health and also the benefits of fluoride in tap water to one’s overall health, primarily dental health.  As a drinking water provider for Mercer and Boyle County residents, the Association considers community involvement, such as outreach, education and conservation of water as a resource an important component of our operations. 

For more information about the YMCA Healthy Kids Day or information about volunteering at your local YMCA, contact the Wilderness Trace Family YMCA at (859) 734-9622 or visit them on the web at www.WildernessTraceYMCA.org.

Mercer County Sanitation District moves forward with the Warwick Rd, Bright Leaf South & Bellows Mill Rd Sanitary Sewer Improvements Project

As you may know, the Lake Village Water Association manages the sewer system operations of the Mercer County Sanitation District.  The MCSD currently has sewer customers in the Bright Leaf area of the county, as well as Scenic Drive, just west of Harrodsburg.  The upcoming sanitary sewer improvements project will provide sewer service to approximately 60 properties in the county located on portions of Warwick Road, Bellows Mill Road, Beaumont Avenue and the Bright Leaf South area, including Juniper HIlls, Cold Springs Drive and US 127 South.  The MCSD is currently executing easements with the property owners in the affected areas and anticipate that construction will begin in mid-summer 2014.  The project is funded through a Kentucky Infrastructure Authority grant in the amount of $260,000, a USDA, Rural Development grant in the amount of $242,000, and a USDA, Rural Development low interest loan in the amount of $110,000.  For more information on the project, please contact the MCSD at (859) 748-9654.

Lake Village WA Assumes Ownership of the Northpoint Training Center Water Storage Tank

In January 2014, the Board of Directors of the Lake Village Water Association officially accepted ownership of the elevated water storage tank located on the Northpoint Training Center property.  The 600,000 gallon storage tank was constructed in 1999 and has provided potable water storage to the facility since that time.  Currently, the Lake Village Water Association Executive Director, alongside engineers from Strand Associates, is working to incorporate the NTC elevated tank into the existing Lake Village Water Association distribution system to serve not only NTC, but also residential and commercial customers located in eastern and southeastern Mercer County as well as Northeastern Boyle County.  The project is currently in the design phase and will include a new pump station, 1,500 LF of new 8″ water main and interior and exterior painting of the 600,000 gallon elevated storage tank.  The Association anticipates that the project will be completed in late 2014/early 2015.  The project is being funded with a local loan and no rate adjustment is necessary to complete the project.  For further information please contact the Lake Village Water Association at (859) 748-5642.

Help Us Conserve!

• Avoid unnecessary flushing. Nearly 30% of water use is flushed down the toilet.
• Replace old toilets with new low flow toilets that use less than 2 gallons per flush.
• Fix leaky faucets and appliances. A leaky faucet that fills an 8 oz. container in less than 30 minutes could waste as much as 1,225 gallons per year.
• Consider taking a shower instead of a bath. A full bathtub requires approximately 70 gallons of water, while a shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.
• When running the faucet in your home, run less than full flow. At full flow most faucets will dispense 2 gallons per minute.
• Only run the dishwasher when it is full, same with washing clothes.

Something to Think About…

1. Locate your master valve. Every home, apartment and business has a master valve that controls water service. Locate your master valve so that it can be shut off during an emergency. Also, consider turning it off if you go out of town, so you won’t have any unwanted surprises when you get home. Especially seasonal lake homes!
2. We recommend that each property have a shut off valve just outside the meter box , on the customer property in order to prevent loss due to leaks in the service line from the meter to the house. Call your local plumber to have one installed.
3. It’s about more than just water! According to the American Water Works Association, if one of every 100 homes in the U.S. were retrofitted with water efficient fixtures, approximately 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity could be saved, avoiding the production of 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Do your part. If just one in every 10 U.S. homes upgraded to water efficient fixtures, about 120 billion gallons of water and $800 million would be saved annually.