Fiscal Court Covers Anderson-Dean’s Budget Hole
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Robert Moore
Herald Staff
rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com
The Mercer County Fiscal Court voted to pay $8,643 to cover year end expenses for Anderson-Dean Community Park.
At the last regular meeting of the 2023 fiscal year on Thursday, June 29, Park Director Jeremy Turpin said Anderson-Dean has no revenue coming from the pool, which was shut down in June after losing more than one million gallons of water in its first week open, and from ballgames and concessions, which have been hurt by rain and inclement weather.
Park officials were worried they wouldn’t have enough funds for payroll and contract labor. Turpin said they had to refund season passes and pool reservations, which amounted to approximately $12,000.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this,” Turpin said. He said he felt people needed to get their money back.
Turpin said the Harrodsburg City Commission asked them to get a second opinion on the pool, which means they will have to restart the process for bidding. He said it may push them back another 30 days. Park officials previously said it could cost as much as $700,000 and take up to seven months to repair the issues at the pool. Stephen Ransdell Jr., the assistant manager at the park, said the contractor is reluctant to provide information unless they get the bid.
“He doesn’t want us to use his stuff to get quotes,” Ransdell said.
Turpin said they park is also in the process of getting bids to tear down the white barn which was damaged during the storms earlier this year.
Turpin said the park is looking into possibly doing movie nights at park in the fall “just to give the kids something.”
Magistrate Dennis Holiday moved to cover the $8,643 budget deficit. The motion passed unanimously. The county will deduct the money over four quarters.
