Jail a month behind schedule

Work on Taylor County's jail is officially behind schedule.

At last week's Fiscal Court meeting, Magistrate James Jones told the Court on behalf of the Law Enforcement and Detention Center Committee that the jail is now 58 percent complete.

However, he said, rain and other weather has caused a month-long delay in finishing construction.

Therefore, Jones said, the jail's opening date is expected to be pushed back from May to the end of June or the beginning of July.

On the financial side, Jones said, the jail is in good shape.

He said a representative from the company through which the County sold bonds to finance the jail project attended the Committee's meeting on Jan. 7.

Jones said the representative praised the way the financial aspect of the jail project is progressing.

Jones said he has been told the project is actually coming in under budget, even though the project suffered a surprise setback in its beginning stages when the County had to address a soil problem on the construction site.

Jones said he has been told that several counties are now wishing they, too, could have built their jails connected to their courthouses by a sally port, as Taylor County's is being built.

Taylor County's jail will be one of few in the state, Jones said, that is physically connected to its judicial center.

On behalf of the Project Development Board, the Board overseeing the construction of Taylor County's new judicial center, Jones told magistrates that work on the project is moving along.

He said a crane has been brought to the construction site and passersby will soon begin to see steel and masonry work completed.

Jones said he has been told that all work completed in the next three months will be done above ground and onlookers will see the site change dramatically in that time period.

He said the project is on schedule and in line with the project's budget.

Also at the meeting:

- Magistrates voted to show their support for renaming the North Bypass as Veterans Parkway.

Taylor County Judge/Executive Eddie Rogers told magistrates he has received several requests for the change from local veterans.

The magistrates' approval gives Rogers the go-ahead to speak with officials at the Kentucky Transportation Department about the process to change the name.

Magistrate Richard Phillips made the motion to allow Rogers to speak with state officials. Jones seconded Phillips' motion, which was unanimously approved.

- Rogers told magistrates that he has received several requests for a taxi service in Taylor County.

Rogers said he has researched the possibility and found that it's not feasible. He said he has contacted Frankfort and asked other officials to look into the possibility of offering such a service. He also said other counties that do offer a taxi service could be contacted to see if they would be willing to also operate in Taylor County.

- Magistrates discussed a maintenance contract for the new judicial and detention centers. Rogers told magistrates that Danny Rose from the Administrative Office of the Courts is researching what the AOC will contribute to the contract. Rogers said he would like for the same person to provide maintenance for the current courthouse in addition to the new judicial and detention centers.

He said the Department of Corrections personnel involved in the jail project are recommending that a maintenance person be on the jail site as soon as possible.

- Magistrates approved payment of about $145,000 in bills to Codell Construction Co., CMW Inc. and various contractors for work completed on the Taylor County Judicial Center. They also approved payment of nearly $173,000 in bills for work on the Taylor County Detention Center.

- Magistrates had first reading of ordinances setting 15 mph speed limits on Barnett Road and Appleby Road.

- Carl Watson and Gary Richards were re-appointed to the Taylor County Airport Board. Rogers said Watson and Richards were both eligible for another two-year term on the board.

- Andrea Cash was hired as a 12-month temporary hire at the Taylor County Animal Shelter. Rogers said animal shelter employee Jannifer Allen recently took a leave from her position and the shelter needed to hire someone to temporarily fill that position.

- Magistrates gave Rogers approval to apply for a $50,000 micro-enterprise grant and a $75,000 land and water conservation fund grant from the Kentucky Governor's Office of Local Development.

- On behalf of Team Taylor County Executive Director Ron McMahan, who was out of town and could not attend the meeting, Rogers told magistrates that McMahan has been working with a few businesses to locate in Campbellsville. He also said workers are ready to begin on the Heartland Parkway but he did not know when actual construction would begin.

- Magistrates approved Taylor County Clerk Mark Carney's 2008 budget totaling about $4.8 million. Carney told magistrates that he estimates he will have about $150,000 in excess fees to turn over to the Court.

- More than $1.2 million in occupational taxes have been collected this fiscal year. About $13,700 has been collected since the Court's December meeting.

- Staff Writer Calen McKinney can be reached at 465-8111 Ext. 235 or by e-mail at reporter@cknj.com.