SALYERSVILLE – The Magoffin County Fiscal Court met in regular session on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, discussing a possible South Magoffin Community Center and an ambulance grant.
Under fund transfers, the court approved the following fund transfers from the general fund: $45,000 to the jail fund and $22,000 to the LGEA fund.
The fiscal court approved a contract with Patriot Management and Investments Company, LLC, for ambulance services in Magoffin County, with the stipulations that they operate exclusively on the county’s license and they maintain at least one advanced life and one basic life care unit in Magoffin County at all times. This is the same company that has been providing the services for some time now, having bought Net Care, which the county contracted to provide ambulance services in 2021 after Magoffin was awarded a certificate of need in 2021.
They also approved an application for the Kentucky Ambulance Grant Program, which, if awarded would go straight to Patriot for equipment upgrades for the county.
The court approved acquiring a property from the South Magoffin Community Activists, Inc., and approved a leasing agreement for the property with the SMCA group.
Judge/Executive Matthew Wireman explained they have been in talks with the group for a long time, and they decided the county would have more access to grant funding to improve the old John T. Arnett Elementary site into a community center for South Magoffin. Wireman said the non-profit group has been trying to improve the property, but they don’t have the resources needed to get it to where it needs to be.
A current plan estimates the project at $4 million, but by the county taking over ownership of the property, that allows them to apply for more grants for the project, which the county’s grant writers have already identified multiple grants that could cover the project if awarded.
With the agreement, the South Magoffin Community Activists will have a 99-year lease for exclusive rights to using the building.
“I think that community, once the school closed, it lost its identity,” Wireman said. “Typically, the schools out in rural areas, that’s their only connection to government, is the school. When that left, that’s tried to happen with fire departments, because we see those pop up after the schools close, but I think this will give us an opportunity to have something in that end of the county where they’re not under-served, they’re unserved. They don’t have anything up there. They have to drive to Floyd County or all the way to Royalton to get gas. I think if we can get those grants and get this community center up there, I think that will help that end of the county possibly get some kind of businesses, gas stations, and those things. Medical services will have clinics up there.”
Wireman said the South Community Activists can have as much control over the activities they want, but this will be the first step to getting a community center up there, which he said is a need, not a want, for that community.
For more on the plans for a community center in the southern end of the county, see page A6.
As required by the Department for Local Government, the court approved incentive pay for elected county officials upon completion of hours.
They also approved a resolution with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to transfer maintenance and ownership the segment of Old US 460 going to the Gardner Farm to the county now that the new alignment bypasses that section of road.
Judge Wireman recommended the following appointments to boards, which were all accepted by the fiscal court:
– Salyersville Housing Authority (county has four seats, two republicans and two democrats)
– David Vanhoose (D) for a 4-year term
– John Sharp (R) for a four-year term (reappointed)
– Jeremiah Cody Prater (R) to fill an unfinished term through 2026
– Affirming Manuel Howard (D) was already appointed in a term through 2026
– Ramey Park Board
– Reappoint Jimmy Salyer to a 4-year term
– Appoint Brad Estep to finish a term ending in 2025
– Affirming Chuck Ward for remainder of his term ending in 2025
– Ethics Board (all reappointments)
– Grover Arnett through 2028
– Lucinda Cornett through 2027
– Health Department
– Terri Lovely through 2026 (reappointment)
Judge Wireman also said before closing the meeting, “It’s definitely sad news to hear of former Sheriff Carson Montgomery passing. He was a three-term sheriff and you never like to hear of things like that, but given the short amount of time, and fiscal courts typically pass resolutions honoring them, and we will do that next meeting. A three-term sheriff – that’s only happened once before in the county. That’s a hard beat. You step on a lot of toes being sheriff. All our thoughts and prayers go to the family.”
As far as the weather, Judge Wireman said they’ve had three trucks out all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with a lot roads gone over at least twice. As far as salting goes, he said a lot of roads are very old and salt would eat them up, but he said they are salting banks and hills where needed, while trying to keep as much blacktop intact as possible. Another round of snow is coming, so plowing roads and salting are their priorities this week and over the weekend.
The fiscal court members commended the state and county road crews for their hard work and asked the public to yield to the trucks and to stay home when possible during bad weather.
