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JUNCTION CITY — With a list of concerns, Junction City resident and business owner Leeroy Hardin, among others, came before the City Council during Tuesday’s meeting.
Hardin owns the QuickStop in Junction City and alleged that the city is failing to properly handle the overgrowth in an adjoining field owned by Brent Woodrum.
Mayor Jim Douglas said the city has a lien against the property and has attempted to clean it up but has experienced difficulty.
Councilman Kenny Baldwin said people brought in to give the city a bid for mowing the property generally left quickly, saying they would not be able to work due to the rocks and other obstacles in the field.
Hardin, a former Boyle County sheriff, also alleged his business was being singled out by officers, citing a drunken-driving arrest of a customer in his parking lot after a passenger in the man’s car purchased alcohol in the store.
The customer was later arrested on Sept. 11 by Danville police after he allegedly called in a bomb threat at the Boyle County Courthouse the day he was to appear in court.
According to Hardin, there was a failure on the part of police, not only in the instance of that arrest, but also with an incident involving his son’s truck, which was damaged in the station’s parking lot. He said, while his son did not file an accident report immediately following the incident, an attempt was made in the days afterward to find the person responsible, which he claimed went ignored by Junction City police.
“That concerns me,” said Chief Merl Baldwin, asking Hardin which officer his son had spoken to. Hardin could not recall. Baldwin stressed that he had not been made aware of the situation, which Hardin explained had occurred several months ago.
“If someone’s not doing their job, I want to know,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin said he will look into the matter and let Hardin know something within the next few days.
In other business:
Hardin owns the QuickStop in Junction City and alleged that the city is failing to properly handle the overgrowth in an adjoining field owned by Brent Woodrum.
Mayor Jim Douglas said the city has a lien against the property and has attempted to clean it up but has experienced difficulty.
Councilman Kenny Baldwin said people brought in to give the city a bid for mowing the property generally left quickly, saying they would not be able to work due to the rocks and other obstacles in the field.
Hardin, a former Boyle County sheriff, also alleged his business was being singled out by officers, citing a drunken-driving arrest of a customer in his parking lot after a passenger in the man’s car purchased alcohol in the store.
The customer was later arrested on Sept. 11 by Danville police after he allegedly called in a bomb threat at the Boyle County Courthouse the day he was to appear in court.
According to Hardin, there was a failure on the part of police, not only in the instance of that arrest, but also with an incident involving his son’s truck, which was damaged in the station’s parking lot. He said, while his son did not file an accident report immediately following the incident, an attempt was made in the days afterward to find the person responsible, which he claimed went ignored by Junction City police.
“That concerns me,” said Chief Merl Baldwin, asking Hardin which officer his son had spoken to. Hardin could not recall. Baldwin stressed that he had not been made aware of the situation, which Hardin explained had occurred several months ago.
“If someone’s not doing their job, I want to know,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin said he will look into the matter and let Hardin know something within the next few days.
In other business:
- The council received three sealed bids for a surplus truck but rejected all three. Councilman Dewayne Taylor asked if it would be possible to repair the truck and maintain it for city purposes, before moving the bids be rejected.
- Junction City’s membership in the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is past due. Councilman Kenny Baldwin questioned if not renewing the membership could hamper the city in some way, such as keeping Junction City from potential grants. He offered to call the chamber to ask, and the decision was tabled until the next meeting.
- Mayor Douglas introduced a building permit request. While the mayor said he was not required to bring such requests before the council, he felt it would be better if members were included in the decision on the property at 135 Bells Lane.
