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Children play at Skidaddles.
Volume 134 Number 4 © 2009 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Looking for great Halloween scenes
The Recorder wants to share photos of outstanding or unusual Halloween decorations. We’re inviting Boone County readers to send digital photos of your display for possible publication. In addition to your JPG photo, send your name, address and phone number. If any people are in the photo (not required), please identify. Send your photos, with Halloween in the subject line, to ndaly@nky.com. For questions, call Nancy Daly at (859) 5781059.
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Boone trail study draws debate By Paul McKibben
pmckibben@nky.com
Residents and home builders are among those who have serious concerns about Boone County’s trails and greenways study. Approximately 30 people attended a lengthy hearing Oct. 7 before the Boone County Planning Commission. Planning commission member Jim Carmichael said “people see this as kind of a gateway to getting back to the parks plan that everybody just turned down,” referring to the parks property tax ballot question that voters soundly rejected in last year’s general election. The meeting even attracted Boone County Commissioner Cathy Flaig to speak. Flaig is run-
ning for judge-executive next year and opposed the parks tax. She asked the planning commission what started the study and why it was implemented. Kevin Costello, the planning’s commission’s executive director, said the study was being conducted regardless of the parks tax and the planning commission had nothing to do with the parks tax. He said the planning commission has had a lot of interest in greenways, mentioning developers. He said he was in a meeting recently on a future development and there was quite a bit of discussion about trails. “We didn’t bank on the tax whatsoever,” he said. Brian Miller, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky,
said, “our industry has serious misgivings about this study as it’s presented today.” He said the group is concerned about the implications the study might have upon the planning and approval process. The group is also against the study being referenced in the county’s comprehensive plan and subdivision regulations. Walton resident Brett Gaspard of the League of Kentucky Property Owners said the group isn’t opposed to the study but is concerned with the process of acquiring the land and the cost of construction and maintenance. Judge-Executive Gary Moore has said the study would be a tool that would be used as future zone changes come before the Boone County Fiscal Court. Gaspard said the standard for zone changes
should be whether the proposed use is appropriately suited for the neighborhood. Another issue is the county using eminent domain to build trails. The study recommends alternatives to eminent domain. Carmichael said the words eminent domain shouldn’t be considered in the plan. The planning commission’s long-range planning/comprehensive plan committee will discuss the study when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Boone County Administration Building, Burlington. The full commission could consider it when it meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the same location. A draft of the study can be viewed at http://www.boonecountyky.org/pc/ .
Junior newspaper carriers needed
Hey kids! Become a Community Recorder carrier and earn your own spending money and still have time for other fun activities since delivery is just once a week on Thursday. It’s your own business where your neighbors rely on you to deliver information about their community. You’ll learn valuable business skills and gain experience in customer service and money management. You’ll also be able to earn bonuses, win prizes and participate in special carrier events. Call 781-4421. Find out more about the junior carrier program at NKY.com/carrier.
Protesting at rally
PAUL MCKIBBEN/STAFF
Tom and Joyce Dooley of Florence hold signs Oct. 10 at the Northern Kentucky Tea Party’s Take Back America Rally at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Burlington.
D-Day veteran remembers
Jim Brown might be 90 years old, but with the right encouragement and his son Bart to prompt him, he can remember what happened on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, commonly known as D-Day. – LIFE, PAGE B1 For the Postmaster
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Sheriff, police use new message service By Paul McKibben pmckibben@nky.com
The Boone County Sheriff’s and Florence Police departments have a new way to send out information. Citizens can receive electronic messages via Nixle (www.nixle.com) at no cost. Users need to sign up for a free account. Sheriff’s department spokesman Tom Scheben described Nixle “is essentially Twitter on steroids,” referring to the popular Web site Twitter.com where users can send out short messages called “tweets” to friends and anyone else who wants to receive posts. He said communication platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Nixle
and the like are the communication platforms of today and probably tomorrow. “And the younger people ... that’s how a lot of them are communicating and that’s how a lot of them prefer to communicate,” he said. “And there are those out there that I believe are interested in what’s going on in their neighborhoods.” Nixle allows officials such as Scheben to send out short and long messages. For example, a Nixle message on Sept. 29 from the sheriff’s department read “multi veh accident w/ injuries SB I-75 @ 173.4 mm Left 3 lanes blocked.” Another short message followed later when the accident scene was cleared. Florence Police Capt. John
McDermond said the department would send out messages that would be of interest to the public such as traffic accidents on the interstate where they would advise people to take an alternate route. Missing persons is another example. He said detectives would probably use it for a particular case they’re working on such as providing a description of someone. He said Nixle is “just another tool that we can use to reach the public (and) take advantage of technology,” noting it just seemed to be a logical step to reaching out and getting information out to the community. But unlike Twitter where anyone can create an account and pose as someone, Nixle verifies a potential user such as the sheriff’s
department. Not only is the service free for the general public, agencies aren’t charged either. Nixle allows users such as Scheben to target their audience to a specific area so not all of his subscribers receive the message. Scheben said on Nixle he can send out: • alerts (an escaped jail inmate or an Alzheimer’s patient who has walked away) • advisories (an area is experiencing burglaries or car break-ins and the public is reminded to remove valuables and lock their car doors) • traffic (accidents) • community information (the sheriff is hosting a citizens academy).