LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said in a press release on Friday that the city "did not refuse state help clearing its roads" and "believes it was a misunderstanding."
This press release comes a day after Governor Andy Beshear said during his weekly Team Kentucky press conference that he was disappointed with Lexington's response to the recent winter weather events.
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“I would never instruct any employee to refuse any kind of help from the state, especially help with clearing our roads,” Gorton said.
The release states that Gorton spoke with Beshear, and after talking with city employees involved in communicating with the Kentucky Department of Transportation, she "believes it was a misunderstanding," and the city did receive help from the state last week and this week.
In addition, the release notes that the city "did pre-treat its roads, beginning 72 hours before the snow event."
“Pre-treating is a regular part of the way we operate. We did extensive pre-treating for this storm," Gorton said. “Even though we took several steps and invested in improving our response this year, including new equipment and hiring additional contractors, we were still not prepared to handle the thick coating of ice Lexington received, especially when it was coupled with extended cold."
In the release, Gorton noted that the cold weather was also a challenge and that, over the past two weeks, "Lexington has had one day above freezing."
According to the release, roads are being cleared by "state crews, construction contractors, and city crews."
“We appreciate the state’s assistance. Work is progressing into the neighborhoods on school bus routes,” Gorton said.
Further, Gorton added that the city is beginning to plan ahead by moving to hire "the kind of contractor who can handle an ice storm" during a long stretch of severe winter weather.
“Clearly, under these conditions, we don’t have the tools we need to get the ice off the streets, so we’re going to hire the right kind of help,” Gorton said. “Ice is becoming a more frequent visitor during our winters. It is a formidable foe. We need to be better prepared to handle it.”
The release noted that the city is planning an extensive, "military-style after action review" regarding the response to the latest winter storm.
"We want to take a look at what we did right and where we went wrong,” Gorton said. “I will be looking at the full time-line of our preparations for the storm and response to it, organizational structure, including communication and the need for a detailed map of which streets have received treatment; accountability; impact of the $3.5 million investment made last year after the 2025 storm; and more.”
Gorton also invited residents that have experienced a number of ice storms in the city to contribute their ideas on ways to improve Lexington's response.
