LIVING THE MUSICAL DREAM B1
B OONE COUNTY RECORDER 50¢
The journey from small town musician to Nashville recording artist is typically a long road. Walton native Troy Brooks, however, is poised to make that leap.
TANK: Bus ridership is up 9 percent Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky general manager Andrew Aiello told Boone Fiscal Court the transit agency is focused on the economy. Primarily 75 percent of passengers are going to or from work, he said. Full story, A7
Lady Bearcats win district title Courtney Sandlin took what the defense gave her in the second half and made sure the whole team was involved. The result was an 80-66 win for her Walton-Verona girls basketball team over Simon Kenton in the 32nd District final. Sports, A15
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving all of Boone County THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Mild winter helping local budgets By Justin B. Duke and Stephanie Salmons kynews@communitypress.com
The mild winter weather is working wonders locally, reducing costs within local budgets. Florence Public Services Director Bob Townsend doesn’t want to jinx anything, but so far the city has only spent about 20 percent of this year’s budget for snow and ice removal. A mild winter like this one proves how difficult it is to predict how much money to budget for snow removal. This year, Florence set aside $120,000, Townsend said. “It’s not an exact science trying to determine that fund,” he said. Keeping the plows parked for most of the winter makes some workers happy and some sad in Florence, Townsend said. Many are glad they aren’t having to put in the overtime needed
Loader operator Derek Cobb parks his equipment in front of the Boone County salt dome in Burlington. Salt use is down because of the mild winter. STEPHANIE SALMONS/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER
to keep roads clean. However, many enjoy the boosted paychecks that come from snow removal, he said. A lot of workers really enjoy getting to go around the city and Florence has earned a strong reputation for its clean roads during
snowy weather, Townsend said. “It’s a job they take pride in,” he said. Boone County Administrator Jeff Earlywine touched on the topic during a second quarter budget report Feb. 21. The mild winter helps with overtime, salt, fuel and “with a lot of costly repairs on 39 sets of snow vehicles and plows,” Earlywine said. The not-so-winterlike conditions have also helped the county save on utility bills and energy, he said. “The energy saving project this county did a year or two ago, we’re starting to see dividends even in a mild year,” Earlywine said. “We’re seeing lower utility bills and that should just compound itself in years to come.” In a phone interview, Earlywine said last year the county had more than 20 snow events where See MILD, Page A2
Only three years old, the Cooper High School boys basketball team is not only in the Ninth Region Tournament for the first time, but they are district champions as well after beating Boone 50-42 in the final Feb. 24. Sports, A15
By Chris Mayhew cmayhew@nky.com
Buca di Beppo coming to mall
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News .........................283-0404 Retail advertising .......513-768-8196 Classified advertising ........283-7290 Delivery .......................781-4421 See page A2 for additional information
Tony Lamb, founder of Kona Ice. The company now has more than 200 franchises in 41 states. PROVIDED
KONA ICE CONTINUES TO SEE GROWTH By Stephanie Salmons
Vol. 136 No. 20 © 2012 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED For the Postmaster
Published weekly every Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, KY 41042 ISSN 201108 ● USPS 060-780 Postmaster: Send address change to The Boone County Recorder 3635 O’Hara Rd., Erlanger, KY 41018 Annual subscription: Weekly Recorder In-County $18.02; All other in-state $23.32; Out-of-state $27.56; Kentucky sales tax included
Local governments aren’t the only ones benefiting from the above-average temperatures. Jeanni Reusch, business manager of the Boone County golf courses, said there’s usually one winter month where the golf courses will get “some playable days,” but this year, they’ve had play every single month. Last year, there were zero rounds played in December and January, compared to several days of 100-plus rounds. The warmer weather has also helped boost memberships, which are on a calendar year. “The more rounds they can get in earlier the year, the better the value of the membership,” Reusch said.
Threat of library lawsuit still looms
Jaguars enjoy 1st district title
Family style Italian meals are coming to the Florence Mall. The mall announced on Facebook that Buca di Beppo is opening in the mall this summer. Full story, A10
WARM WINTER BENEFITS MORE THAN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
ssalmons@nky.com
FLORENCE — A Florencebased business that began because of a chance encounter with a seemingly seedy ice cream truck, has now grown into more than 200 franchises across 41 states. Kona Ice founder Tony Lamb of Walton began “thinking about” it in 2006 – after his young daughter was frightened by their local ice cream truck. “I was just fed up with the ice
cream truck guy,” said Tony Lamb of Walton. “It was not part of the community that you wanted it to be ... it was the guy driving around that you were scared to death of.” His kids flew to the front yard when they heard the tell-tale ice cream truck music “and this old nasty truck pulls around the corner and this guy, he doesn’t have a shirt on, he sticks his head out the window,” Lamb said. Lamb’s daughter screamed – then ordered a Popcicle, he said. In 2007, he “quit everything I
was doing and decided to go for it.” “I don’t think I have the ego to say ‘oh yes, I predicted I would be in 40 states,’” Lamb said. “Did you dream that? Yes. Was it a great idea from the very beginning? Yes.” The company is hosting its “Kona Konvention” Feb. 24-26, bringing in more than 300 existing, new and prospective franchise owners to share ideas and learn about new products. See KONA, Page A2
Attorney Brandon Voelker says he will follow through on his promise to file a lawsuit against the Boone County Public Library after filing class action suits against the library systems of Campbell and Kenton counties in January. Voelker, whose office is in Cold Spring, said on Feb. 21 he hasn’t had time yet to file suit against the Boone County Public Library. The suit is still going to happen, but there is no timetable for when it will be filed, he said. Voelker filed class action lawsuits in January on behalf of several property owners in state circuit court seeking to invalidate previous library property tax increases made since 1978. Voelker has said the lawsuits, if successful, could generate up to $30 million in refunds for property owners from Campbell and Kenton counties. Becky Kempf, public relations coordinator for the Boone County Public Library, said it’s premature to comment on the matter at this time. Both the Campbell and Kenton suits have been moved to federal court at the request of the library systems.
Attention Teachers & Principals
Come visit the TRI-STATE WARBIRD MUSEUM on your next FIELD TRIP! TRIP! View the largest collection of flyable WWII aircraft in the region and many exciting exhibits at the Tri-State Warbird Museum. Admission is free!!
We will reimburse your school for bus driver costs and bus rental • We offer free field trips for junior high and high school students! Please call us at 513-735-4500 to schedule your tour. CE-0000492795
4021 Borman Drive, Batavia, Ohio 45103 • www.tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org