National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day: The city of Taylor Mill wishes to express our appreciation for our own TMPD as well as all other police officers and express our continued support of law enforcement. A special recognition day of January 9th is set aside for citizens and organizations to show their support for this vital community service and the brave men and women who so proudly serve its ranks.    You can show your support in a number of ways:• Wear blue clothing in support of law enforcement.• Send a card of support to your local police department or state agency.• Share a story about a positive law enforcement experience on social media.• Ask children in your community to write letters in support of law enforcement.• Participate in Project Blue Light - Proudly display your blue light in support of law enforcement. Most importantly, if you see a police officer, thank a police officer.

Posted on by Brian Haney

What’s the Status of the Taylor Mill Road Sidewalk Project: I’m glad you asked….

The third and final phase of Taylor Mill Road’s sidewalk proejct has been a very long and protracted undertaking.  It all began in the spring of 2018 when the city made an application for SNK (Surface Transportation Planning (NKY)) funding through OKI (Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments).  OKI agreed to fund the Taylor Mill Sidewalk Phase III Project.  The original timeline was for funding to be available for ROW (right-of-way) easement acquisitions to occur in FY22 and construction to be funded in FY23. Prior to that, all the design and primary work was to be completed.  The city’s engineering firm, CT Consultants, worked with the city and residents and designed the project that will run from Saddlebrook Drive on its southern end, all the way to Walnut Drive on its furthest northern end.  Then, COVID hit.

During the pandemic, many of the state agencies’ non-essential offices were closed and many projects, Taylor Mill’s sidewalk project being one of them, were left to linger unfinished.  Once the pandemic eased, many of the state workers who had been a part of the various agencies involved in the project, just didn’t return.  The city’s project lingered even longer, unfinished.  To attempt to kickstart momentum, the city agreed to pay for a portion of the project that normally the state performed, but because they were understaffed, they could not get to it in a timely manner.  That Cultural-Historic (C-H) survey was outsourced and paid for by the city to see the project move again.  That was at a cost of $36,984.  The C-H work began in May of 2023 and was completed by June of that year.  Now the city’s right-of-way (ROW) acquisition approval was stuck in Frankfort, waiting on review by the various necessary agencies. As with any bureaucratic project, even when all parts are moving in conjunction, it takes a seemingly long time to make any forward advancement.  The preliminary plans the city had prepared for the design and placement of the sidewalk were now going through their review.  It was a lot of back and forth to make all parties happy.  Finally, in June of 2024, with all parties satisfied with the product, the city requested KYTC (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) to authorize the ROW phase.  In July of 2024, preliminary authorization was received but work was not permitted to begin until a new supplemental MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) for the ROW funds was executed. That agreement was received on August 7, 2024, and approved by the city commission on August 14.  The fully executed agreement was received back from the state on August 28th.  However, the city is not allowed to proceed with the ROW phase until KYTC Central Offices issues the “Notice to Proceed”. 

That is the status of the project as of now.  Our expected timeline from this point forward is for “Notice to Proceed” to be received in the next 30-45 days.  That would put us into early November 2024.  The contractor responsible for acquiring the ROW and easements is expected to be able to complete their work in six to seven months.  That would put the project timeline into mid-May of 2025.  In June of 2025 bids should go out for construction of the project.  If the bids are awarded by mid-August of 2025, construction should be able to begin in September and with any luck, completed by late November-early December of 2025.  All these dates are guestimates as they are not set in stone and from experience, we are aware of the unpredictability factor and how it can upend all good intentions.

If we can meet these mileposts, we will be able to stroll along a very impressive walkway sometime early next winter.   Watch our meetings to stay informed.