Recycling Can Resume In Harrodsburg After 100 People Sign Up
City Sells Property For Bronze Statue Of James Harrod
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Robert Moore
Herald Staff
rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com
Recycling is coming back to Harrodsburg. Republic Services is looking at resuming picking up recycling, which was put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the City of Harrodsburg Board of Commissioners regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 24, officials from the city and Republic discussed recycling in the city limits. Amy Kays-Huffman said Republic needs 100 customers to sign up. Anyone who wants to start can call the city hall at 859-734-4971 extension 100 and provide their name and address. Recycling will cost $7.60, but only for people who sign up.
“That’s the only that makes it feasible for them,” Kays-Huffman said.
Republic will accept glass bottles and jars, cardboard, any paper, aluminum cans and plastic bottles and jugs.
Everything can go in the same container, which can be picked up bi-weekly.
“At that point we can justify sending the driver and the truck,” said Greg Butler of Republic Services. “We’d love nothing more than for the whole community to recycle.”
Republic will set up in downtown Harrodsburg for the Night of the Great Pumpkin on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 5–8 p.m.
“Hopefully we’ll get our first hundred from that,”
On Monday, the city commission also voted to sell a vacant parcel of property situated between College and Lexington Streets to Joseph’s Dream for $1,000. The nonprofit group plan to erect a bronze statue James Harrod on the lot, which measures at .07 acre. Commissioner Jennifer Kazimer said the lot is not currently in use and the project would beautify the area. Kazimer moved to sell the property, which was seconded by Mayor Billy Whitenack. The motion passed unanimously.
Kazimer also moved to authorize Mayor Whitenack and City Attorney Norrie Currens to take any steps necessary to make the sale.
Kazimer said the city has been working on the sale for over a year.
Ken Prevett of Joseph’s Dream said the statue—a, life-sized bronze figure of James Harrod as a surveyor with his dog and a plaque—was designed by the Friends of Fort Harrod. They hope to have the statue up by 250th anniversary. Prevett said it would cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars and they were look at ways to raise funds.
The city commission gave second reading to ordinance 2022-18, which amends the restaurant tax ordinance.
The Harrodsburg–Mercer County Tourist Commission will resume collecting the tax on Jan. 1, 2023.
In 2020, the city took over collecting the tax, handing the revenue over to the tourist commission, who paid the city administrative costs. Prior to that, the tourist commission handled the tax collection duties, splitting the revenue evenly with the city.
However, since 2020, the tourist commission has been responsible for distributing 100 percent of the money collected. The restaurant tax remains three-percent on retail sales.
Harrodsburg City Attorney Norrie Currens said they are giving the tourist commission time to prepare to take over tax collection.
Mayor Whitenack moved, with Commissioner Kazimer seconding. The motion passed unanimously.
I would like to know if Republic Service will indeed recycle the materials they collect. I hear so many stories that
items collected for recycling, specifically plastics are not recycled but end up in our land fills, etc. Where will they
go to separate and utilize these materials for other uses?