Tag: JJ

Source: SMcGarnigle (flickr)

Nicholasville’s chicken keeping ordinance has been ruled too vague and a rewrite of the law is coming.

As it stands, “the keeping of any yard or pen for … chickens … in the city in such manner as to become offensive to any person residing in the vicinity, or annoying to the public, shall constitute a nuisance and is hereby prohibited.”

OK, I can see how this may be lacking in specifics.

So, too, does Jeremy Porter. He is the programs director of Seedleaf and an organizer with CLUCK!

Lexington. Porter owns a flock of 13 hens at his home in Lexington’s Castlewood neighborhood. Through both Seedleaf and CLUCK!, he helps educate others about urban farming and creating über-local food options.

Nothing is more local than your own backyard.

That is why urban chicken keeping is a good idea — it provides fresh eggs to families and educational opportunities for sustainability for our children (and adults, too). Done right, chicken keeping can help improve neighborliness if the practice is done responsibly.

Neighborliness and responsibility. Those are two words which Porter focused on and the concepts are inseparable. Porter describes the ordinances addressing chicken keeping as being “good neighbor” ordinances.

Lexington ordinances prohibit the dying of chickens, regulate the number of baby chicks which may be sold in a transaction, and focus on the noise, odor, disturbance, and general care of fowl.

Lexington’s laws provide for the animal’s safety and health, an immediate concern for anyone who owns and cares for their pets. A well-maintained coop, appropriately sized for the number of birds, will not create odor issues. And not keeping roosters generally resolves any noise issues.

Porter believes that “if people can be good neighbors by being responsible chicken keepers, then they don’t have to worry about disturbing their neighbors.” It all sort of goes back to being a good neighbor and following the Golden Rule.

In Nicholasville, neighbors and even annoyed members of the public can complain to law enforcement under the existing chicken ordinance. Fortunately, this vague ordinance hasn’t become burdensome for those charged with enforcing it.

But as we examine a replacement scheme, we should be careful in the process. Nashville, Tenn. recently overhauled its laws establishing a series of ordinances that is too restrictive; overly complicated, their ordinances would seem ill-suite for a town of Nicholasville’s size.

Frankfort is contemplating a change to loosen its ordinances, currently viewed as being too restrictive for urban chicken keepers.

It would appear that Lexington’s set of ordinances would be a good template for Nicholasville as they establish an enforcement mechanism while allowing vibrant, healthy chicken keeping at home.

Perhaps adoption of Lexington’s system of incrementally increasing fines for violations of the chicken keeping ordinances would be appropriate for Lexington. From the perspective of Porter and other responsible urban chicken farmers, Lexington’s ordinances are very workable.

Ultimately, it is critical is that we do not eliminate the opportunity to have a backyard chicken.

The production of food at-home is a terrific educational tool for the family and community, improves our land and the environment while improving our diets and fighting obesity.

Responsible chicken farming accomplishes these goals and should not be prohibited.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

“If you build it, they will come.”

The old adage was to apply to Nicholasville’s streetscape revitalization project.

The streetscape project, which began in September 2010, affected Main Street from Oak to Chestnut streets. It was completed two years after it began, having exceeded both the budget and the timeline.

The empty storefronts, however, remain. We’d hoped these would be filled in a post-streetscape downtown revitalization.

A gem was Main & Maple, a coffee shop and café located in the old Hemphill Pharmacy building. A decent meal and a good cup of coffee made this a destination. A few nights a week, live music would beckon a crowd to the business. The location and character gave Nicholasvillians a gathering place. Though it experienced other issues (all businesses do, especially in the overall economic climate of the day), it was the streetscape improvement project that seemed to sound the death knell for Main & Maple.

Today, that storefront remains vacant.

In fact, it would seem that too much of our community’s “heart” bears either a “for rent” or a “for sale” sign.

What happened to “if you build it, they will come?”

Finish reading my column from last week’s Jessamine Journal by clicking here.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

Cave at Marble Creek – Jessamine Co., Ky.

According to I-75Connector.com, the project connecting Nicholasville’s proposed eastern bypass to I-75 in Madison County would improve connectivity, travel time and vehicle safety, reduce traffic congestion, spur economic growth, improve truck access, and the nebulous addition to every post-9/11 project need list, homeland security safeguards.

Admittedly, this is an impressive list. Let’s build it, right?

Well, not so fast.

Remember the old lesson, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”?

One would think from reading it that every ill in Jessamine County would be resolved if only the connector were built. As is often the case, “the devil is in the details.”

You may recall that last week, I wrote of the historic and natural beauty in the area around Marble Creek in northern Jessamine County.

The area is a target for preservationists seeking to protect the land and her resources from the proposed I-75 connector.

As someone fascinated by history and as an advocate of preservation, I am swayed by these arguments alone.

The benefits of the I-75 connector simply do not outweigh the potential losses to our natural and historic resources.

But what about the economic costs? Let’s look at the numbers.

The proposed I-75 connector is projected to cost about $400 million.

The proposed path is approximately 13 miles in length; average the sum to about $30 million per mile.

By comparison, the project that widened 6 miles of U.S. 68 in Jessamine County cost about $5 million per mile.

It would seem that the fiscally responsible decision is to improve our existing roadways rather than build new ones.

(Improvements to U.S. 27 and U.S. 150, already begun in several places, would connect Nicholasville to I-75 while simultaneously improving access for Harrodsburg, Lancaster, Danville, and other central Kentucky communities — talk about bang for your buck).

Improving our existing roadways is critical.

Our national infrastructure is aging and, in many places, is in poor condition. Eleven percent of bridges across the country are “structurally deficient.” Our collective memory recalls the collapse of interstate bridges in recent years in both Minnesota and Washington.

While Kentucky fares better than the national average (9.5 percent of bridges are structurally deficient), our state’s transportation focus should be on improving our existing pathways and not creating new ones (and with them, increased maintenance expense).

I have heard it said — even by some of our elected leaders — that they want to leave behind the connector as a “legacy” for the children and grandchildren.

I believe that this sentiment, while well-intended, may be short-sighted.

So what kind kind of legacy do we want to leave behind?

One option simply cannot be on the table: do nothing and leave our national infrastructure to continue its deterioration.

A second option is to leave behind a link to the interstate in the form of a new road which cuts through our precious, irreplaceable countryside and leaves behind a significant debt.

The final option is to improve and maintain our existing roadways while preserving that which makes our community unique.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

Cave Over Marble Creek – Jessamine Co., Kentucky

Saturday last, a friend, Liz Hobson and I trekked alongside the beautiful Marble Creek. Hobson helped to organize the I-75 Disconnectors organization and is the owner of a 50-acre tract nestled along Marble Creek.

The proposed 13-mile, $400 million connector between I-75 and the to-be-built eastern bypass around Nicholasville would slice through the Marble Creek watershed and would forever alter Jessamine County’s historic and natural resources.

Our beautiful hike revealed to me an impressive cave, a pristine creek nestled in an at-times deep gorge, and an environment surrounded by native species of both flora and fauna. Natural beauty was everywhere.

Price, along with his neighbors in the Marble Creek neighborhood, disagreed with Fayette County leadership. From this dispute arose the establishment of Jessamine County from Fayette in 1798. Price would then serve for many years in Frankfort as a legislator from Jessamine.

Dry laid limestone wall near Marble Creek

An 1861 map identifies James Soper as the property owner of the land which today includes Hobson’s 50 acres.. In 1871, James’ son, John Soper began selling off 19 acre parcels to African Americans. Following these transactions and throughout the post-Civil War era, a significant African American settlement was established. Though only archaeological evidence remains, vestiges of the settlement can be easily recognized in the form of cemeteries, foundations, and dry laid limestone walls so ubiquitous to central Kentucky.

Marble Creek – Jessamine Co., Kentucky

At one spot on our hike, our group noted a mighty oak tree standing adjacent to the intersection of two of these dry laid limestone walls. Daniel Boone, the legendary pioneer, temporarily settled near Marble Creek. For a time, Boone was hired by the Fayette County Surveyor to survey land in the region.

One can easily imagine Boone calling the property boundary here with something like “… beginning with the intersection of two stone walls near the great oak tree north for 150 rods, thence west ….” Though today we often scoff at the old system of metes and bounds and its use of trees or man made objects to create legal surveys, the utility seems timeless in the unchanged Marble Creek.

A survey conducted for the Kentucky Heritage Council revealed no fewer than three distinct historic districts eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places as having a significant historic sense of time and place contributing to the fabric of our Nation’s history.

Once lost, these natural and historic resources cannot be recreated. This is the why The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation included the Historic Resources in the I-75 Connector Corridor on its 2013 list of endangered properties worthy of preservation.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

Kentucky Wine & Vine Festival – Nicholasville, Ky.

Though I’ve lived in Nicholasville since 2004, I’ve never experienced one of her grandest events because a scheduling conflict has always found a way to keep me from Nicholasville and the Kentucky Wine & Vine Fest. That is, until this year.

Last Saturday, I cycled from home to the large white tents at York and Oak streets where a significant crowd had already gathered. Judging from the license plates, many locals were joined by citizens of several Kentucky counties and even those from a handful of states. This festival has truly become a destination for many.

And it is clear why. Throughout the day, live music filled the air. As I listened to people in the crowd, words like tannins and bouquets or dry and semi-sweet punctuated conversations. The festival-goers certainly were appreciating some good grape juice.

Ten Kentucky wineries (plus two vineyards from Indiana) proved how Kentucky’s fertile soil can produce not only fast horses and good bourbon, but also fine wines. Jessamine County even boasts one of these Kentucky vineyards with First Vineyard. The grapes at First Vineyard grow from the same land where America’s first commercial winery operated in the late 1700s. A host of wines from around the country and around the globe were also available to be tasted.

A number of vendors — food and craft — showcased their products. Most bore the “Kentucky Proud” label. So this festival is a celebration not only of wine, but also a celebration of Kentucky.

It is no wonder, then, that the General Assembly designated this event Kentucky’s official wine festival in 2005.

The event, sponsored by Nicholasville Now!, is now in its tenth year. I can assume that during my nine year absence, the festival saw some bumps along the way. But I can say with confidence that this is a festival well done. We can and should be proud that this festival is right here in Nicholasville.

So although I’ve missed too many past Kentucky Wine & Vine Fests, I will endeavour to not again miss out. The festival is held annually on the first Saturday after Mother’s Day. It is already on my calendar for 2014 and I’d suggest that you add it to yours.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.