Louisa council approves ordinances, discusses property swap

Louisa City Attorney Bud Adams talked to an attorney for Addiction Recovery Care at last Tuesday night’s city council meeting. BSN photo/Brenda Hardwick

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

LOUISA — Finalizing ordinances and making plans to trade property were the main items on the agenda at a special Louisa City Council meeting last Tuesday, June 21.

The council opened the meeting by revisiting an issue discussed in April concerning the closing of a portion of Franklin Street.

At that meeting, City Attorney Bud Adams told council members that an Ashland attorney who represents the new owner of the Riverview Clinic property, where the street crosses the parking lot and goes to the river. The attorney’s client wants the street closed off in that area, Adams said.

The attorney, who represents Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), attended last Tuesday’ meeting and said plans were to give the city access to the road down to the river.

When questioned by Adams, the attorney said ARC would give the city an easement through the parking lot and a fee transfer for actual acreage on the riverfront.

“This gives us full access to the river and deeds us the river property,” Mayor Harold Slone said.

The attorney said he would have the plans ready to present to the city council at its meeting in July.

In action during the meeting, council members gave final approval to several ordinances, including the city’s 2022-2023 budget, compensation of city employees, the Louisa utility budget and compensation of utility employees.

Council also approved a resolution supporting a National Heritage Area designation for the Kentucky Wildlands, a regional tourism marketing initiative in 41 counties, including Lawrence, of Eastern and Southern Kentucky.

National Heritage Areas are places where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form cohesive, nationally important landscapes,” according to its website.

“Unlike national parks, National Heritage Areas are large lived-in landscapes,” the website says. “Consequently, National Heritage Area entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.”

Slone said U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers requested that all cities and counties in the Kentucky Wildlands to support the effort to achieve National Heritage Area distinction.

The designation would get “national recognition, access to federal funding and technical support from the National Park Service” for the Kentucky Wildlands, Slone said.

The council approved a resolution supporting the effort.

Council also approved Saturday, July 2, as the date for the city’s annual fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day. Slone said fireworks would begin at dusk.