Fall Cleanup in Falmouth, KY

There are more fire hydrants on order to reduce the number of inoperable ones, and I believe the current count is at three, possibly four, that have been fixed. I don’t yet know the exact addresses, but I’ll try to reach out and find out. I do know that one of the hydrants on Main Street was fixed last month.

Part of Shelby Street and Woodson Lane have been blacktopped, and that’s a big relief. For several years now, the potholes had gotten really bad. It’s good to know that vehicle maintenance might go down for those who drive that stretch every day.

I want to thank the council and mayor for making some hard choices and doing what they can at this time. I know I’m often hammering on the bad, and it can seem like that’s all I care about but it’s not that at all. It’s just really easy to fall into the black hole of everything that’s been neglected.

I’ll also acknowledge that many on the council are new as of this year, and this is the first time the mayor has served in her current role. I do recognize the importance of trying to build a bridge between the positive and the negative.

That said, some things have been neglected for so long that the minute someone is elected, it becomes their responsibility, even if those issues predate their term.

Major issues need critical discussions, yesterday.

Grants for hydrant infrastructure and pressure pipe systems need to be explored, and someone needs to write the grant. There’s still more work to be done on sidewalks and streets. What we’ve seen so far is a good start but I can’t, in good faith, stop applying pressure in these articles.

There are critical issues that could have been fixed, but aren’t getting done. And there’s still a large number of people who feel that if $20,000 hadn’t been wasted on impeaching the elected mayor things would be different., the police department budget wouldn’t have swollen to $1.1 million. Just to be clear, in just a few years it went from $450,000 to $1.1 million. Even from the cheap seats, that’s a $650,000 increase. And let’s not forget: last year under the prior administration, any surplus that could’ve gone toward infrastructure, schools, or other community improvements was rerouted into the police budget.

Just a couple of weeks ago, parts of town were losing power due to fuse overload and other issues, another reminder that our electric infrastructure is also going to need serious attention.

I don’t have time today to list everything that might need attention sooner rather than later. That’s why I can’t let up. That’s why I can’t always focus on the good, because blacktopping roads and replacing broken fire hydrants are supposed to be business as usual. Not only something we all find relief in because what had been neglected and fixed.

Let me be blunt: more effort and money is being spent denying records requests than fixing most of these problems.

And when things move at the speed of traffic, dragging through multiple meetings and assessments just to make a plan, we’ll never get these major issues resolved.

I’ve been super busy, overwhelmed, and dealing with some pretty serious life events. I’m a little behind on the Whispers, and replies have been slower than usual. I appreciate your patience, and I do apologize. The pace I’ve set for myself isn’t very forgiving and I’m still the only one doing the writing, answering, design, research, and implementation.

If any of you are looking to intern with a growing media organization, we’d be delighted to talk to you. Real positions will hopefully open up later this year.

In the meantime, don’t let my being busy discourage your whispers. Please keep sending them. I’m almost caught up.

Lastly, I’d like to throw an idea out to the city:

Why not host a Town Cleanup Festival?

Bring in some food trucks and booths. With fall around the corner and cooler weather, it’d be a great time for people to come out and help tidy up sidewalks, pick up litter, do some light trimming. Even folks who like to analyze could walk around and make lists of small fixes or things that should be planned for. Just a thought but one that might also help the community feel more involved.

Whisper One Out