CATCH A STAR
B1 Your Community Recorder newspaper serving the communities of southern Campbell County E-mail:kynews@communitypress.com
Doug Lonneman
Volume 4, Number 34 © 2009 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Everybody in
Newport Vet’s Pool opened with a free admission day for the 2009 season Tuesday, June 9 as people crowded in to jump, splash and dive in for relief from a hot and sunny day. The pool is open from noon to 6 p.m. daily through Aug. 15. For photos see inside. LIFE, B1
T h u r s d a y, J u n e 1 8 , 2 0 0 9
RECORDER
Web site: NKY.com
B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
Bank renovation uses ‘green’ tech By Chris Mayhew cmayhew@nky.com
Farmers National Bank’s new branch in Alexandria will be as much about being green as using greenbacks by incorporating technologies like geothermal heating and cooling. It will be the bank’s first branch in Campbell County. Other branches are in Independence, Walton, Falmouth and Butler – where the bank opened in 1933. Work has begun to recondition a vacant building at 7553 Alexandria Pike that has been used as a bank before. The planned opening is scheduled for either late August or September. The biggest job is the replacement of an inefficient gas boiler, said Mark Aulick, president and CEO of Farmer’s National Bank. A truck-mounted tower rig has been on-site drilling eight wells, each 150 feet deep, for the pipes for the new geothermal system. Because the earth is a constant 55 degrees, water in a series of pipes will help cool the building in the summer and warm it in the winter, Aulick said. The cost of the geothermal system is about $45,000, but over time it’s hoped the bank will save on utilities, he said. “It’s a bit more expensive, but we feel like it’s worth it,” he said. The branch will recycle materials including shredded paper from the office, and new multiple-pane windows and sets of double doors will improve energy efficiency, Aulick said. The replacement of the building’s flat roof with a pitched roof will allow space for more energysaving insulation too, he said. Being green can save money in the long run, but what is more
CHRIS MAYHEW/STAFF
Farmers National Bank President Mark Aulick, left and Ken Rechtin, vice president and commercial loan officer, who is also a commissioner on Campbell County Fiscal Court, stand next to a rig for drilling eight 150-foot holes for the installation of an energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling system at a branch opening by September in Alexandria. important is that being responsible for the kind of world everyone lives in is just the right thing to do, Aulick said. “It’s something that we all share – I think is the need to conserve and recycle,” he said. Opening a branch in Alexandria is a demand-driven move, Aulick said. The news of the new Campbell County branch has already brought in some commercial loans and people opening accounts anticipate they can bank in Alexandria, said Ken Rechtin, vice
president of the bank and commercial loan officer. Rechtin is also a commissioner of the Campbell County Fiscal Court. The opening of the Alexandria branch will bring six jobs to the city, Rechtin said. There will be a drive-thru and drive-up Automated Teller Machine at the new branch, he said. A new sign with a message board will also be built. The overhang on the front of the building facing U.S. 27 will be removed and more parking and landscaping installed, he said.
The bank relies on good customer service to keep its customers, Aulick said. And although the bank is known as a home to the “little guy,” with many small account holders and loans made to farmers and small businesses, there are also big account holders too. “Find out for yourself why our customers drive right by the big bank and the bank next door,” Aulick said. For information call the bank at 635-1234.
‘Waving Guy’ elicits smiles, honks By Chris Mayhew cmayhew@nky.com
Collection time
In the next few days your Community Press carrier will be stopping by to collect $2.50 for delivery of this month’s Alexandria Recorder. Verst This month, we’re featuring Katelyn Verst who attends St. Mary School and is a member of 4-H. She likes to play volleyball, softball, track and basketball.
CHRIS MAYHEW/STAFF
To place an ad, call 283-7290.
50¢
Brent “Karma” Rooney waves to a motorist traveling south along U.S. 27 in Alexandria.
Brent Rooney of Alexandria, who calls himself Karma Jen Soulace instead of his given name, is becoming known to many as simply the “Waving Guy.” Rooney walks U.S. 27 daily, waving at drivers and often shouting “You're Awesome” when a driver honks or waves back at him. Rooney said all he’s trying to do is make people happy. It’s part of his life philosophy to fight evil with a smile and wave. As part of his life philosophy, Rooney has also chosen the name of Karma Jen Soulace for himself. Life is short, and people should focus on being happy despite rough times economically, he said. Making people smile is his mission, Rooney said. Rooney’s daily walk takes him from Alexandria through Cold Spring. He often wears a shirt with the message “Waving brings out positive energy.” Annie Waymeyer, 10, of Alexandria, wrote a letter to The Alexandria
Recorder saying she thinks everyone should know about him and that he makes everyone happy. Waymeyer said she waves back when she sees Rooney, and that he must be a nice guy because he’s really happy all the time. “I think he’s very cool, and he makes me very happy,” she said. Waymeyer’s mother, Shelly, said they first saw Rooney waving at people along U.S. 27 in Cold Spring about a month ago when the weather warmed up. “He was waving at everyone coming out of the Crossroads Kroger, and very enthusiastically,” Shelly said. Shelly said she has been impressed because he made their family smile each time they’ve seen him in Alexandria or Cold Spring. “It just made us happy to see him,” she said. Other people seem to be happy to see Rooney too because they’re always waving and honking back at him, she said. “It just seemed like there was a lot of positive energy floating around him,” Shelly said.
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