Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Manchester Enterprise - 8.28.26

Transcript

Manchester Enterprise - 8.28.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Manchester Enterprise to read news
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: from and around Manchester. Your reader today is Bill Sally.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: We'll begin with the edition, the e-edition, dated August 26, 2026.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. From the front
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: page of this edition, we have this article. Entitled, Rebuilding Downtown,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: One Clay County's Vision Taking Shape for Town. Renovation underway
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: at Old Tepper's Department Store. This is a staff report
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: from the Enterprise News. The transformation of downtown Manchester continues
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: to take shape as One Clay County moves forward with
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: several major redevelopment projects aimed at breathing new life into
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: the heart of the city. Work is progressing on the
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: Jockey Street project, while the organization has most recently turned
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: its attention to another familiar downtown landmark, the former Teppers
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Department Store building. Renovation work has begun on the old
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Teppers property, continuing an effort that has already resulted in
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: significant changes throughout downtown Manchester. The work is part of
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: a much larger vision spearheaded by Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: who helped launch One Clay County, as a vehicle to
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: bring community development, tourism, entrepreneurship, and new investment to Manchester
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: and Clay County. Quote, we are changing the narrative, Stivers
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: has said of the effort. What began several years ago
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: as conversations about how Manchester could capitalize on its history
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: and location has grown into a broad redevelopment initiative involving
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: millions of dollars in public and private investment. Stivers has
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: previously described Manchester's revitalization as one of the most exciting
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: examples of an eastern Kentucky community working together to change
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: its future. He has repeatedly credited cooperation among local government,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: community organizations, businesses, and residents for making the projects possible.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: One of the most visible pieces of that transformation is
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Jockey Street, formerly known as Bridge Street. Plans for the
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: quarter have included a downtown marketplace, local vendors, entertainment, and
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: other attractions designed to increase foot traffic and once again
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: make the area a center of activity. The Jockey Street
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: name also reconnects the area with Manchester's history and its
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: association with horse trading and racing. One Clay County Executive Director,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Mike White, has said the goal is not simply to
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: renovate buildings, but to change how residents and visitors view
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: downtown Manchester. Quote, this project is about celebrating who we
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: are and where we're headed, White said previously. White has
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: also said the goal for Jockey Street is to make
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: the area, quote, the bustling, vibrant part of town that
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: it used to be. That philosophy has extended beyond Jockey Street.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: One Clay County has acquired and worked to preserve downtown
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: properties while finding new uses for buildings that had either
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: become vacant or fallen into disrepair. The renovation of the
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: former Tepper's department store building is the latest example. Rather
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: than allowing another piece of Manchester's commercial history to disappear,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: the organization is working to return the building to productive
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: use as part of the continuing downtown renovation. Other One
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Clay County efforts have included the development of the Clay
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: County Welcome Center, Goose Creek kayak launch, and projects promoting
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: outdoor recreation, tourism, and economic development. For Stivers, the individual
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: projects are pieces of a much larger objective, changing the
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: perception of Manchester and creating opportunities that did not previously exist.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: White said preserving Manchester's past and developing its future do
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: not have to be competing goals. Historic properties can become
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: assets that attract visitors, encourage investment, and create economic opportunities
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: while retaining the character that makes Manchester unique. With construction
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: continuing on Jockey Street and work now underway at the
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: former Teppers building, the physical appearance of downtown Manchester continues
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: to change. The next article also appears on the front
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: page of today's edition and it's entitled, 50 years behind
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: the counter. Gray celebrates 50 years at dry cleaners. This
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: article is written by Kaylee Roberts. She's a Manchester native
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: and incoming sophomore at Dartmouth College, and she's spending her
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: summer back home while looking to gain additional experience in journalism.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Roberts currently writes about the arts for the Dartmouth Student
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Newspaper and also has experience in photography, social media, and marketing. And,
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: no surprise, Dino Gray stands behind the counter at Manchester
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Dry Cleaners, where he's worked for more than 50 years.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: His picture is right over this article. If you've ever
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: needed a piece of clothing altered, whether it be as
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: common as a pair of pants or as special as
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: your wedding dress, Manchester Dry Cleaners is available, located right
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: in the heart of Manchester. The business is owned and
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: operated by Dino Gray. The services offered at the establishment
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: are expansive, with Dino saying, quote, We do all types
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: of dry cleaning and we do all types of alterations.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Dino emphasizes the importance of alterations, stating that it's a, quote,
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: big part of our business right now. The business is
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: referred to customers by the Loft of London for wedding
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: dresses and the Copper Penny for prom dresses. In addition
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: to these professional referrals, Dino receives a lot of business
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: from customers who hear about his services through word of
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: mouth and social media. Quote, I've got a girl last
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: week came in and she's from Jellicoe, Tennessee. And I said,
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: where did you come up with this? How did you
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: find out about this? She said, I put it on Facebook.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: Everybody recommended it, said Dino. From Ohio to Tennessee, people
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: come from far and wide to receive Dino's clothing services. Quote,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: a girl was in yesterday and picked up a wedding
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: dress from Williamsburg. We've got them from Jellicoe. We've got
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: them from Whitesburg. We've got them from Nicholasville. and I
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: did have a friend that bought their dress from Ohio
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: for his daughter's wedding, said Dino. Dino describes his busiest
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: season as lasting from March to November, with all the
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: festivities of prom and wedding season. Quote, the biggest season
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: starts in usually the first of March. We start with prom.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: We go through prom, and then we also have weddings
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: in there, and then we go into wedding season, usually
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: June and July. But the fall, the last few years,
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: fall has been busier with wedding seasons, said Dino. Within
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: a wedding, Dino has worked on many articles of clothing
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: over the years, and his services even extend to the
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: decorations of the party. Quote, so we do a lot
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: of wedding seasons, and that's from doing the wedding dress,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: doing the mother's dress, to doing the tuxedos, to doing
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: the tablecloths. So whatever needs to be done for a wedding,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: we can do it, said Dino. Although his business hours
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: are Monday through Friday, 7.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., he
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: will help the occasional customers outside of the scheduled time. Quote,
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: sometimes we meet people after work or we'll come in
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: on Saturday morning for just a specific wedding party to
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: measure stuff, Dino said. He's worked at the establishment since
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: his junior year of high school in August of 1975.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: When he started with the dry cleaning business over 50
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: years ago, he was just a kid idling by. Quote,
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: I was loafing here one day for something and the
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: owner back then asked me, What are you doing? I said,
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: I'm loafing. He asked me if I would want a job,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: and I started with the Clay County High School band uniforms,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: said Dino. Grover and Elmer Spurlock owned the business establishment
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: for almost 30 years when Dino and his wife, Deborah Gray,
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: bought the business on June 29, 2006. Now looking back
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: on 20 years of ownership and 50 years of employment,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: Dino shares his favorite part of the work. Quote, My
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: favorite part is doing the alterations and meeting people getting
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: to talk to people, said Dino. By talking with people,
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: he has the opportunity to pray over people right in
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: the store and even gives out prayer cloths to interested customers.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: He's also had the opportunity to watch people grow up
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: within the community during his years of work. Quote, I
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: altered a girl's prom dress a while back and she
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: came back to get her wedding dress and bridal party
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: dresses fixed by me as well, said Dino. However, the
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: growth is not one-sided. As he serves the community, People
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: also get to watch him evolve over time. Quote, I
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: tell everybody I say I used to be a little
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: black-headed boy at work here. Now I'm the old gray-headed man,
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Dino said. The next article is entitled, Woman Accused of
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Escaping Federal Custody in Manchester. A woman serving the remainder
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: of a federal prison sentence on home incarceration in Manchester said,
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: is accused of removing or tampering with her electronic monitoring
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: device and disappearing, according to a federal court affidavit. Destiny White, 32,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: of Eubank, has been charged federally with escape from federal
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: custody under 18 U.S.C. 75.1a. according to an affidavit filed
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: by Deputy U.S. Marshal Collier S. Phillips. White was living
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: with a family friend while participating in a home confinement
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: program administered through Dismiss Charities, a residential re-entry center in Manchester.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: White has been serving a 151-month federal sentence stemming from
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: a heroin conspiracy conviction. U.S. District Judge Clara Horn, boom,
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: sentenced White on January 15, 2019 to 151 months in prison,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin,
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: the use of which resulted in serious bodily injury to
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: another person, according to the affidavit. White was nearing the
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: end of her prison term after receiving credits through the
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: First Step Act and other programs. On July 1st, she
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: was transferred from Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth,
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: Texas to Dismiss Charities in Manchester. Residential reentry centers, commonly
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: referred to as halfway houses, can supervise federal inmates serving
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: portions of their sentences through home confinement programs. White has
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: been authorized by Dismas to participate in such a program.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: As of August 14th, White was living with a family
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: friend and was on home incarceration with electronic monitoring. Her
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: scheduled release date was June 15th, 2027. According to the affidavit,
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: the Bureau of Prisons duty officer was notified August 14th
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: after Dismas' employees received a tether alert from White's electronic
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: monitoring device. The alert indicated the device had either been
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: tampered with or removed. Dismas employees contacted the man with
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: whom White had been staying and asked him to check
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: the residence. The man searched the home and reported that
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: White was gone, along with her belongings, the affidavit states.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: White had been scheduled to transfer from Manchester to a
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: residential reentry center in Lexington later that same day. Dismas
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: employees attempted to reach White on her personal cell phone.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: but she did not answer. At the time the federal
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: affidavit was filed, authorities said White had not been located.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Phillips said the circumstances established probable cause to believe White
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: escaped federal custody by absconding from home incarceration while she
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: was still serving a lawful federal sentence. Although White was
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: living at a private residence, she remained in the legal
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: custody of the federal government, and was required to comply
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: with the electronic monitoring and home incarceration requirements of the
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Bureau of Prisons program. The federal charge alleges White violated
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: the federal statute covering escape from the custody of the
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Attorney General or an institution or facility where a person
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: is confined under federal authority. The allegations contained in the
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: affidavit represent the government's claims in the case. White is
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: presumed innocent until proven guilty. in court. And now we'll
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: turn to the obituaries in this edition of the Manchester Enterprise,
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: beginning with Beatrice Markham, 78, from Manchester. Rollin Roberts, 81,
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: from Hima, Kentucky. Roy Jarvis, 94, from Horse Creek. And
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: Billy Bennington, of Indianapolis, Indiana, formerly of Clay County. If
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: you'd like any more information about any of those listed
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: in today's obituaries, there is a location that you can
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: go for additional information. It is legacy.com slash Kentucky. Again,
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: that site for more information on these obituaries is legacy.com
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: slash Kentucky. Gilbert enshrined at Georgetown. Former Clay County Legatee
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: Tiger basketball standout Jane Gilbert has added another honor to
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: an already impressive career, earning induction into the Georgetown College
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: Athletics Hall of Fame. Gilbert, who starred on the basketball
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: court at Clay County before continuing her career at Georgetown College,
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: was a prolific four-year player for the Tigers during the
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: late 2000s. During her collegiate career, Gilbert established herself as
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: one of Georgetown's most consistent offensive threats and earned NAIA
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: All-American Honor Roll Mention recognition in consecutive seasons in 2008
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: and 2009. Gilbert finished her Georgetown career with 1,370 points,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: tying her for 13th on the program's all-time scoring list.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: Her place in the Georgetown record book, however, goes well
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: beyond total points. Gilbert was an efficient scorer from virtually
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: every area of the floor. She sought 50.1% from the
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: field during her career, which ranks 10th all-time at Georgetown.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Her career 35.6% shooting from three-point range also ranks 10th
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: in program history. At the free throw line, Gilbert was
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: even better, connecting on 80.2% of her attempts, the 8th
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: best career percentage in Georgetown history. One of her best
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: seasons came during the 2007-2008 campaign when Gilbert made 129
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: free throws, a total that continues to rank 10th for
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: a single season at Georgetown. Her performance also earned recognition
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: throughout the Mid-South Conference. Gilbert was named to the All-Mid-South
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: Conference team in consecutive seasons in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. Those accomplishments,
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: combined with her back-to-back All-American honors, made Gilbert one of
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: Georgetown's top players of her era and ultimately earned her
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: a place among the school's all-time greats. For Clay County
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: basketball fans, Gilbert's induction also adds another chapter to the
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: rich tradition of Lady Tiger basketball. The next item is entitled,
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: Vengeance is Not Mine, But Is. This comes from the
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: publisher's desk of Mark Hoskins. and it appears on the
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: forum page of this edition of the Manchester Enterprise. Quote,
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: Dearly Beloved, Avenge yourselves, for it is written, Vengeance is mine,
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: I will repay, saith the Lord. This is Romans, chapter 12,
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: verse 19. That verse appeared while I was scrolling TikTok
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: one night last week. The timing could not have been better.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: During the final months of my dad's life in 2023,
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: a man took around $ 2, 000 from him. I discovered it
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: after someone called me about several checks dad had written.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: When I confronted dad, he became furious and told me
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: that what he did with his money was none of
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: my business. A week later, I rushed him to the hospital.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: 31 days later, he died from cancer we didn't even
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: know he had. After dad died, every time I saw
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: that man walking past our house, Anger consumed me, and
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: I confronted him harshly. I had pure hatred in my heart.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: I wanted revenge. I wanted Dad's money back. And I
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: wanted this man to pay. As the years passed, I
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: stopped confronting him. If we made eye contact, I'd even
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: call him by name and speak. But inside, the resentment remained.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: Then last week, something changed. Driving home, I passed him
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: walking along the road carrying various things. He looked dirty
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: and worn down. His eyes were sunken. I don't know
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: his circumstances, and I won't label him as an addict,
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: but it was obvious he was struggling. For the first time,
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: I didn't see the man who took my father's money.
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: I saw a suffering human being. It was almost as
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: if the Lord said, quote, look at him. For years,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: I wanted to make him pay. Suddenly, I realized I
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: didn't need to. Whatever battles this man is fighting, his
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: life appeared filled with pain and torment. I had been
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: so blinded by anger that I couldn't see it. And honestly,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: I felt sorry for him. That night, Romans 12, 19
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: appeared on my phone. I watched it over and over,
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: thinking about what I had seen. It took me three
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: years to understand something Scripture had already told me. Revenge
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: was never my responsibility. When someone hurts us, particularly someone
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: we love, Our first instinct may be to react. Mine
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: certainly is. But anger can keep us from seeing another
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: person as a human being. Sometimes we need help. Think.
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: And most importantly, pray for guidance. I'm sharing this because
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: maybe you're hearing something inside. Similar. Someone wronged you. Someone
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: hurt your family. Maybe you've imagined the day they finally
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: get what they deserve. Let it go. We don't have
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: to seek revenge. We don't have to become mean or
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: vile because someone treated us badly. We can choose patience, compassion,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: and forgiveness. Not because what happened was acceptable, but because
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: hatred shouldn't control the rest of our lives. Jesus gave
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: us an even harder instruction. Love your enemies, bless them
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: that curse you, do good for them that hate you,
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: and pray for them, which despitefully you use. Matthew 5,
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: verse 44 I can't change what happened to Dad, but
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: I can change what I carry in my heart. And
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: may forgiveness, and maybe forgiveness, sets down a burden we
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: were never meant to carry. Again, this is from the
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: publisher's desk of Mark Hoskins, entitled Vengeance is Mine, Not His.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: Also from the forum, we have the question of the week.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: Should more county roads be open to ATVs and side-by-sides?
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: We have a point and counterpoint. The point. Open more
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: roads to ATVs and side-by-sides. Clay County has spent years
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: talking about tourism and finding new ways to bring people
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: in our community. One opportunity is already literally sitting in
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: our backyard. ATV and side-by-side tourism. Anyone who travels around
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: eastern Kentucky knows how popular recreational riding has become. Families
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: spend thousands of dollars on side-by-sides, trailers, and equipment, and
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: many are willing to travel several hours for a weekend
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: of riding. When they arrive, they need gasoline, food, lodging,
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: and supplies. Why shouldn't more of those dollars be spent
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: in Clay County? We already have what riders are looking for, mountains,
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: back roads, and some of the most beautiful scenery in Kentucky.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: What we're missing is a better connected system, that allows
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: riders to travel from trails into communities and businesses without
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: loading their machines onto trailers. Opening select county roads to
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: ATVs and side-by-sides could help change that. This doesn't mean
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: turning every highway into an ATV trail. Nobody is suggesting
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: side-by-sides should compete with automobiles on heavily traveled roads. It
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: means identifying appropriate Clay County roads and connectors where recreational
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: vehicles can safely travel from one riding area to another.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: Other eastern Kentucky communities have recognized the potential of adventure tourism.
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: Clay County shouldn't sit on the sidelines while visitors drive
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: through our county to spend their money somewhere else. Imagine
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: riders spending Saturday in our mountains before traveling into Manchester
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: or another community for supper. They fill their machines with gasoline,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: buy supplies at a local store, and perhaps spend the
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: night before riding again Sunday. Multiply that by hundreds or
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: thousands of visitors during the year. It also creates opportunities
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: for local entrepreneurs. Someone might open a campground. Another person
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: could offer cabin rentals. Existing businesses could cater to riders.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: New repair shops, restaurants, or equipment businesses could follow. Certainly,
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: rules would be necessary. Speed limits should be enforced. Riders
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: should obey traffic laws, carry required safety equipment, and respect
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: private property. Roads that simply aren't safe for ATV traffic
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: shouldn't be included. But, These challenges aren't reasons to dismiss
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: the idea. They're reasons to develop a responsible plan. For generations,
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: our mountains were viewed primarily through the resources underneath them. Today,
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: perhaps we should place greater value on what's above ground.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: People will pay to experience the scenery and outdoor lifestyle
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: we sometimes take for granted. Clay County doesn't need to
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: manufacture mountains or build them with taxpayer dollars. God already
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: gave us those. Our job is to find responsible ways
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: to turn those natural assets into opportunities. Opening selected county
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: roads to ATVs and side-by-sides could be one more step
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: toward doing exactly that. Again, that was the point, to
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: open more roads to ATVs and side-by-sides. Now here's the counterpoint.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: Public roads shouldn't become recreational trails. And here's that side-by-side
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: in the form. There's no question ATV and side-by-side riding
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: has become enormously popular throughout eastern Kentucky. There's also little
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: doubt recreational riding can bring tourism dollars into rural communities.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: But neither fact means Clay County should begin opening more
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: public roads to recreational vehicles. County roads exist first and
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: foremost for transportation. People use them to get to work,
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: take children to school, visit family, and reach their homes.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: Before changing how these roads are used, we should carefully
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: consider the people who live along them every day. Safety
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: should be the biggest concern. A side-by-side and a pickup
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: truck meeting around a narrow curve are not an equal match.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: Many Clay County roads weren't designed for two automobiles to
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: comfortably pass, much less a mixture of automobiles and recreational vehicles.
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: Then there is enforcement. If we open more roads, who
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: makes sure riders obey speed limits and traffic laws? Who
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: handles complaints about reckless driving? trespassing, or machines operating late
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: at night. Our law enforcement officers already have plenty to do.
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: Noise is another legitimate concern. Someone who purchased property on
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: a quiet rural road shouldn't suddenly find dozens of recreational
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: vehicles traveling past their home every weekend because that road
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: has become part of an unofficial tourism route. Private property
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: must also be protected. Opening a public road doesn't give
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: anyone permission to leave it and ride across someone's farm, timberland,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: or property. Unfortunately, a small percentage of irresponsible riders can
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: create problems for everyone. There's also the question of liability
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: and road maintenance. Increased recreational traffic can contribute to wear
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: on roads and shoulders. If tourism creates additional maintenance or
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: enforcement expenses, taxpayers shouldn't be left paying the bill while
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: only a handful of businesses receive the financial benefits. None
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: of this means Clay County should ignore ATV tourism. We
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: should encourage responsible riding on designated trails and private properties
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: where owners welcome it. We can promote campgrounds, organized rides,
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: and businesses catering to outdoor recreation. We can even examine
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: carefully selected road connections when they're truly necessary. But there
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: is a difference between supporting ATV tourism and broadly opening
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: county roads. Economic development matters. Tourism matters. So does the
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: quality of life for people who already live here. Before
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: changing the rules, government should be able to demonstrate that
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: a road is safe, residents' concerns have been heard, enforcement
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: can be provided, and private property will be respected. Sometimes
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: the best tourism policy isn't opening up every possible door.
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: It's making sure we don't create bigger problems while trying
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: to create an opportunity. Again, that's the counterpoint entitled Public
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: roads shouldn't become recreational trails. And here's the editor's note.
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: Point counterpoint is the opinion of the writer, and it
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the enterprise. This
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: concludes the reading of the Manchester Enterprise. Your reader today
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: has been Bill Sally. Now please stay tuned for continued
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: programming And on behalf of everyone here at Radio Eye,
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: thank you for listening, and we hope you have a
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: wonderful day.