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Smooth sailing for split schools By Justin B. Duke jbduke@nky.com
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The schools that used to be together made it through their first year apart. Walton-Verona Elementary School, which formerly housed kindergarten through sixth grade, sent some of its students to the newly opened Walton-Verona Middle School this year. The middle school moved into the old Walton-Verona High School and holds fifth through eighth grades while the elementary school kept the younger grades. For both schools, the year went smoothly. “It was a lot less bumpy than I thought it would be,” said Elementary School Principal Robert Hartman. The school’s enrollment dropped from around 760 last year to roughly 560 this year, which allowed teachers and administrators to get to know students on a more individual level. That personal involvement should show up on testing, Hartman said. “We’re expecting to really knock it dead on the CATS test,” he said. For the middle school, this was
a year of establishing an identity, said Assistant Principal Troy Ridener. “We are Walton-Verona Middle School” was the theme throughout the year, and staff regularly reminded students they were the first class of the school and
encouraged them to set a strong standard, Ridener said. “Our students jumped right into it,” he said. The staff were just as willing to get the school started off right, Ridener said. “They absolutely gelled right
pmckibben@nky.com
Billijo Piper is a collector. She has bobbleheads, post cards and Barbies just to name a few. But among those collections sits her impressive matchbook collection. The collection has more than 100,000 matchbooks. A wall of shelves is fully stocked with binders. – LIFE, PAGE B1 For the Postmaster
Published weekly every Thursday. Periodical postage paid at Florence, KY 41042 USPS 0060780 Postmaster: Send address change to The Boone County Recorder 3635 O’Hara Rd., Erlanger, KY 41018 Annual Subscription: Weekly Recorder & Sunday Enquirer In-County $18.02; Weekly Recorder only all other in-state $23.32 Out-of - state $27.56; Kentucky Sales Tax Included
Residents were able to get a glimpse of a long-range plan being developed for greenways in Boone County. The Boone County Planning Commission conducted a public workshop June 16 at the Boone County Administration Building in Burlington. The planning commission has produced a 95-page draft plan. Another public session was scheduled for June 18 at the Union Emergency Services Alliance in Union. “The recommended projects contained in this greenways plan are proposed to be accomplished through cooperative partnerships and existing resources,” the plan said. “They are not intended to encourage new or additional taxes on the citizens or businesses of Boone County, however, the plan encourages an increased volunteer role of citizens and businesses in fundraising to help support greenway and trail facilities that directly benefit them.” The plan doesn’t recommend using eminent domain to acquire
FILE PHOTO
Jan Johnson of Florence walks with her dog, Mister, Wednesday, April 29 at the Boone County Arboretum at Central Park in Union. She says that she walks there almost everyday, around four miles. property for greenways. It instead includes various viewpoints from the Stakeholders Advisory Committee for the Greenways Plan. One view wanted the plan to say eminent domain will never be used for greenways and trails. Another concern was local governments in the county will never be able to implement any significant trail unless local government has the ability to condemn property as a last resort for these purposes. The plan envisions several trail systems in the county. Some of
the systems would have multiple trails. Some areas already have trails. Those trail systems are: • Belleview/Union Trail that would connect developing areas in Florence and Union to the Ohio River corridor; • Big Bone/Union Trail that would tie in the developing Union area with Big Bone Lick State Park; • CVG/Airport Trail around and near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; • Burlington/Union Trail connecting homeowners association
maintained areas along Fowler’s and Gunpowder creeks; • Equestrian Trail near England-Idlewild Park; • Florence Trail in various locations in and near the city; • Hebron/Burlington trail along Ky. 237 and areas near it; • Middle Creek/Rabbit Hash Trail in Belleview and Rabbit Hash areas; • Richwood/Mud Lick Trail that would tie in developing subdivisions with business districts and natural areas in Mud Lick Creek valley; • Walton/Verona trail along Mary Grubbs Highway, Beaver Road and other areas. Gary White, who lives in the Rabbit Hash area, said the concept of having a countywide network of trails is “fine as long as the facilities are there, available to handle the people that want to use those,” noting parking. Burlington resident Julie Gallenstein said a countywide network of trails is good, saying people would use them. “I think we all need to get out and exercise more than just drive everyplace,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful plan.”
Four-way stop intersection to get traffic lights By Paul McKibben pmckibben@nky.com
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away,” he said. Before the school year started, the staff did several training sessions together to get to know each other and start working together. “The expectations were high, and the pre-planning paid off,” Ridener said.
Plans calls for trails throughout Boone By Paul McKibben
Matchbooks strike collector’s fancy
JUSTIN B. DUKE/STAFF
Formerly Walton-Verona High School, the middle school houses fifth through eighth grades.
The state plans to put traffic signals at Mount Zion and Gunpowder roads in Union, making it a four-way lighted intersection. Nancy Wood, spokeswoman
for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 6, said the state is in the process of doing the surveying and will be installing signals at this area. She said it should be done before the end of summer if not before then.
Both streets are state roads and currently the intersection is a fourway stop. City Commissioner Bob Kelly said he thinks the lights will move traffic better. He said there’s been a lot of requests because even though
those stop signs are appropriate in some places, there’s so much traffic there that people are hesitant as to whose turn it is to go. He said the lights will help explain that a lot better.
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