Perry County court approves utility projects, demolition contract, tourism land plans

Perry County moved multiple projects forward Tuesday, approving nearly $500,000 in utility draws, a $17,900 demolition job at 299 Ladder Branch Rd, and a resolution that lets the county judge executive spend up to $56,000 on a parcel tied to future tourism plans.

The biggest money went to water and sewer work. The Fiscal Court approved Draw Request 13 for the Sky View Water & Sewer Infrastructure project, totaling $229,702.49. That payment was split across ARC 23A-051 for $60,186.00, 22EKS002 for $38,331.00, 21CWS148 for $61,135.99, 22EKW002 for $35,010.00 and 21CWW355 for $35,039.50. The court also approved draw requests for the Upper Second Creek Sanitary Sewer Phase 1 project totaling $79,304.65, funded by KIA 22CWS087, ARC KY20919 and CDBG 22-020, and approved Draw 1 for the CDBG 21D-046 Perry County Chavies Sewer Extension Project for $131,875.00. Together, those approvals show utility construction moving in more than one part of the county at once, with work centered on Sky View, Upper Second Creek and Chavies.

The county also kept pushing its tourism buildout. It approved payment for Draw #2 for the Rowdy Trailhead & Campground Project in the amount of $40,487.10. The project is part of Perry County’s broader effort to use ATV and trail-based visitation to bring more overnight stays into the area, building on a regional trail network that officials have tied to a 75-mile loop. The court also approved a two-year lease agreement with Leatherwood Off Rhodes Rentals LLC for $12,000 and another lease agreement involving David and Donna Costello, adding another layer to the county’s off-road and property arrangements.

Another approval dealt with land and cleanup. The Fiscal Court approved contracting Demolition & Clearance Services for the NRCS EWP 5075 Buyout Program at 299 Ladder Branch Rd to Campbell Deign LLC for $17,900, awarding the work to the next available lowest bidder. The court also signed off on a resolution authorizing the county judge executive to buy a parcel of real estate in Perry County for no more than $56,000 under KRS 67.080(1)(b)(1), giving the county a firm spending limit rather than open-ended authority.

The special-called meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m. and posted on the county’s fiscal court meetings page, part of the public record system the judge executive’s office uses to show regular and special agendas. The decisions also fit a longer pattern: Perry County officials say the county and the City of Hazard have secured more than $100 million in grant funds since 2015 for water and sewer improvements, waste cleanup, transportation alternatives and recreation. Tuesday’s approvals showed those priorities still driving county government, from pipework and demolition to trail tourism and strategic land purchases.