By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Grayson has a homeless population. No one is sure exactly what the number is – the homeless are notoriously hard to survey and some may find themselves “couch surfing” or otherwise temporarily homed – but they’re out there. In fact, the increased visibility of individuals sleeping in city parks and other public locations prompted councilman Bradley Cotten to request discussion of warming centers be added to the agenda for the regular meeting of Grayson city council last week.
EM Director Roger Dunfee said the city didn’t open a warming center in the previous week because they were only experiencing an overnight storm. The logistics of a warming center, which must include COVID isolation rooms, among other requirements, meant that the health department did not recommend opening a center for recent storms. If there had been widespread electrical outages or other emergencies, however, he said the city did have a plan in place – including an agreement with Kentucky Christian University to provide meals.
“We were ready to move if they said go,” Dunfee said.
Cotten, however, clarified that he wasn’t asking simply because of the recent snow storms and low temperatures, but because he had been approached by at least one local business owner who has noticed folks waiting to enter his business and warm up in the mornings. Cotten said the unidentified business owner had no problem with the individuals using his store to stay warm while they had a cup of coffee, and wasn’t complaining about them waiting. On the contrary, he said, he expressed concern over how they were staying warm while they were waiting for his business to open.
“It’s needed on a regular basis, not just during storms,” Cotten said.
Since the city doesn’t have a homeless shelter, he said, it
would be nice for them to have someplace to warm.
Dunfee said the homeless population does appear to be increasing, and they have discussed the possibility of soup kitchens or other places the homeless could receive services. But, as Joanne Dunfee pointed out, a portion of the homeless population includes addicts, the mentally ill, and convicted felons with no place to go. It doesn’t mean they don’t deserve help, she said, but, “you have to be aware of the risks and be prepared.”
She and Roger said they would like to see local churches help with the implementation of any plan to feed and minister to the needs of the homeless population.
“It’s something we’ve struggled with for several years now,” Roger Dunfee said.
In other news Dunfee noted that several community members and organizations have stepped up to help the Heron family and others displaced by the recent apartment fire in Grayson.
While fire chief Greg Felty said there is no official word on the fire investigation yet, it is wrapping up and the building will be demolished when that investigation is complete.
In other department reports Willis Johnson noted several license inquiries with alcohol beverage control, with one recent approval for the new Dollar General store on US 60.
Felty noted there were some injuries on the day of the apartment fire, including a fire fighter who fell off a ladder while helping a boy out of the burning building. A total of three people were removed from the building by ladder. Felty noted that the day crew at the station made a significant difference in the department’s response time, and probably saved lives that day.
Councilman Jerry Yates noted that he could hear the department responding within moments, and while callers were still on the line with 911.
The street department reported some road issues noticed when plowing roads, with one section of road dropping off due to oversaturation of the road bed. That is an area that will need attention, department head Bub Messer noted.
The mayor also gave an update on the public meeting related to the Robert & Mary sidewalk project (see “Grayson reveals sidewalk plans,” on the front page).
In old business the city approved the closing of a public alleyway on second reading, with councilperson Pearl Crumb abstaining and all others voting aye, and moved to approve a bid on a generator for the fire and police station. That bid, from a company whose initial bid was rejected, went up by several thousand dollars since the previous bid. This is due to increases in demand and prices across the aboard. However the city noted that the price will decrease significantly once taxes are deducted if the city purchases supplies and equipment for the project. Council voted unanimously to accept the bid from Mueller Electric for $87,221.68.
In new business council voted to table discussion of the city nuisance ordinance until the next regular meeting before adjourning.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
