WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — Not every ribbon cutting is a cause for celebration for everyone involved. As the city of Winchester completed its Fulton Road project to connect these neighborhoods to the city’s bypass, some living nearby are not happy with any part of the process.
“I just have a lot of questions if they are going to make things right in regard to the property damage. Yesterday they had to dig up the sidewalks because they were not compliant to ADA, Americans with Disabilities,” said Holly Lovings Gillaspie.
Mrs. Gillaspie has notified the city of her intention to pursue legal action. She’s been a vocal critic of this project since work began. Damage to her home includes cracks in the ceiling, driveway, and brick, which she said were not there before contractors began blasting and leveling this once wooded area.
Mayor JoEllen Reed cut the ribbon here, then left in a procession of vehicles that ceremoniously used Fulton Road for the first time. City Manager, Bruce Manley did address some of the issues Holly and others have expressed.
“We take all of those claims seriously,” he said. “We filed those with insurance and there's a process for that and they're more than welcome to investigate that and we let the insurance claims take care of that."
The Fulton Road addition does make practical sense. As Manley explained, it’ll alleviate some of the congestion on the very busy Lexington Avenue, while allowing the nearby firehouse to access these homes faster. It took a half century of negotiating and planning before they could break ground on this project.
“I think a lot of projects are out there, but there’s a lot of challenges. It could’ve been funding, I don’t know, but this is a project our current mayor and former city manager said, ‘this is a project we didn’t complete, and we want to start completing things,’” Manley stated.
“This is a project that’s caused a lot of damage. The other day these electrical lines were torn off and there was no communication to that resident,” Lovings Gillaspie said while pointing to the home of a neighbor, before noting that traffic on and around her street will undoubtedly increase now, which she believes will also present a risk to children playing in the neighborhood.
“We’re worried about traffic speed,” she said.
