Thursday, July 01, 2004

The discovery of a sinkhole near Highway 100 east of Franklin forced work to stop last week on the city’s sewer extension project that will mainly service businesses and industries at the I-65 interchange and Sanders Industrial Park.

Mayor Jim Brown displayed a photograph and discussed ideas about resolving the problem during Monday night’s Franklin City Commission meeting.

“We are simply shut down,” Brown said.

The ground fell in last Thursday. The city immediately called the project’s engineering firm, which sent a team that included a geologist. Brown said he thought the proposals were based on “extreme circumstances” because they were done quickly in order to be available for the already scheduled commission meeting.

The repair estimates ranged from $47,000 to more than $60,000. Based on the mayor’s input, commissioners authorized Brown to negotiate up to $30,000 for a change order on the Exit 6 sewer extension project.

Brown said that steel-reinforced concrete could be attached to exposed limestone around the lip of the sinkhole. After the concrete had time to harden, crushed stone and other appropriate fill could be put in place. Brown further said that portion of the sewer line could be placed in a steel casing to protect it from other future soil shifts.

In the meantime, a security fence has been erected around the sinkhole for the public’s protection.

In other business at Monday’s meeting:

•The commission revised previous action awarded its workers’ compensation insurance coverage. The cost of the Kentucky League of Cities coverage increased because the city did not qualify for a multi-policy discount. After negotiations, a new price of $101,068 was reached, which is approximately $5,000 more than the previous bid. The city can save an additional $2,021, however, by taking advantage of a 2 percent early payment discount.

•Commissioners agreed to close portions of College and West Kentucky streets on Saturday for the annual July Jam celebration. In addition to those holiday activities, the mayor mentioned the Friday night fireworks program at Community Park, which is staged by the Parks and Recreation Department.

• The city will serve as a conduit for a state grant of $9,450, which will go to Franklin-Simpson Renaissance for facade improvements downtown. The city has no cost related to this grant. According to documents from the Department for Local Government, the money was approved for renovation work at Sullivan’s Department Store.

•Ortwin Moeckel was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Human Rights Commission.

•The mayor closed the meeting by commending Police Chief Jamie Powell, Capt. Bob Huber and others on the city police department for diligence in investigating a letter distributed in the community that made several racially offensive remarks. Local authorities have called it a “hate crime.” A woman was arrested last week and charged with harassing communications.

“This community is not going to tolerate any actions taken against any people along these lines,” Brown said.