Bardstown is Frozen

Waiting for the ice to thaw out ...

January Meeting Recap

Membership
Ten people were in attendance at Bardstown Mills for the Bardstown Boaters meeting. Of those in attendance we had 6 members renew or join the club for 2009. If you would like to pay your 2009 membership dues click here. We currently have 8 total paid members. Join the Bardstown Boaters in 2009 and receive for free the official club t-shirt.

Whitewater Park
The City Council will be discussing the whitewater park and possibly about whether to begin work on the park this year. The meeting is this Tuesday at 7 p.m. We encourage anyone who has interest in the park to attend the meeting to show your support. The meetings are held in the Council Chambers at the City Hall Annex Building, 220 North Fifth Street - Xavier Dr.

Paddle Pickup
May 30th will most likely be the date for the 5th annual Paddle Pickup. Justin Janes will be speaking with the local Boy Scout troop to see if this date works for them as well. We are looking into cleaning a different stream besides the Beech Fork, but if water levels are low, we will clean the Beech Fork again.

Club Trips
The Bardstown Boaters would like to organize a few club trips this year. We can provide canoes, a raft and a duckie for those who may not have their own boat. We are open to all suggestions about where to go and what class of whitewater to do. Please provide feedback on this in the forum.

Future Meetings
The Bardstown Boaters will now hold regular meetings every 2 months on the 4th Saturday. The next meeting will be on Saturday, March 28th at 105 East Broadway, Bardstown, KY. Check the calendar for the dates on all upcoming events.

Downtown piping, Rubble Dam at project forefront

From the Kentucky Standard

By Jenny Blandford

Replacing water pipes downtown and restoring Rubble Dam are the two main projects Bardstown’s water and sewer committee wants to tackle in 2009.

City Engineer Larry Hamilton said the cast-iron water line downtown has been in place since 1930 and is old and outdated. The cost to replace the pipes would be about $120,000, and the project would be constructed in three phases. He said this year would be a good time to do such a project since it would coincide with the proposed downtown streetscape project. The sidewalks will be reconstructed as part of the streetscape project.

The three phases for replacing old pipes would consist of several thousand feet for new pipe. Phase I would be from Broadway to Court Square. Phase II would be replacing pipes around Court Square. The final phase would continue down West Stephen Foster Avenue to the front of St. Joseph School.

The Rubble Dam project, which also includes a potential whitewater park, is a joint effort between the city and the Bardstown Boaters. RiverRestoration.org’s Jason Carey completed Phase I in November and is ready to begin Phase II, Mayor Dick Heaton said, per City Council’s approval.

The project on the Beech Fork River is not just about the whitewater park, Hamilton said, as it would help with the erosion at the dam and its restoration. It would also help Bardstown’s water supply since water is pumped from the river into Sympson Lake.

Heaton said the city hopes to get money from the economic stimulus plan to help fund these projects. Both projects will be discussed at the next City Council meeting Jan. 27.

Two other projects the committee discussed as important projects to consider in 2009 were a raw water study to find a potential back-up water supply and a sewer rate study to help the city stay in compliance with state law.

A raw water study would cost $20,000. It was last updated in 2002. Sewer rates have not been raised in about five years.

Senate Passes Huge River Protection Bill

Yesterday the US Senate passed a bill that, if also passed by the House of Representatives, will protect millions of acres of public land and designate dozens of rivers as Wild and Scenic. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22) is a collection of bipartisan and locally developed land and river protection bills that have been in the works for years. Swift passage in the House is expected, and President Obama may sign the bill into law as early as Tuesday.

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Club Meeting

Saturday, January 24, 2009
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Bardstown Mills
204 West Muir
Bardstown, KY

Some items of discussion:

WW Park fundraising
• Art auction
• Elkhorn race

2009 goals

New club shirts

Paddle Pickup 2009