Road, roads and Rhoads

The Spin Doctor is sure a lot of local politicians would like to get their hands on the magic wand state Sen. Jerry Rhoads used in order to get College Drive on the state’s six-year road plan.

The project to widen the road leading to Madisonville Community College wasn’t on any priority lists and had no local support, but when the state budget was finalized during the 2008 legislative session — abracadabra —  Kentucky 3052 was on the plan.

Local officials recognized that 3052 was College Drive. However, being on the list is one thing, getting funded is another. They were surprised when it received initial funding earlier this year.

That it was listed as Kentucky 3052 is also interesting. Why not College Drive? The Doc was told that it was because that is the road’s state designation and it was, after all, on a state road plan. However, a little further up the list of road projects was the widening of North Main Street in Madisonville from Hospital Drive to the traffic light at McDonald’s. Why not U.S. 41?

A little history here. In 2006, Rhoad’s wife, Dr. Judy Rhoads, MCC’s president, presented the project to a gathering of influential folks at a Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce meeting to develop a prioritized listing of projects for local state legislators.

College Drive received no support at the meeting.

Further, when the Pennyrile Area Development District put together a prioritized road project list in 2007 for the 2008 legislative session, it did not receive priority status.

The PADD list was developed with input from county, city, the local Department of Transportation district office and PADD officials.

The senator apparently took exception with the way two stories the Messenger produced in July concerning the College Drive residents’ opposition to the project were presented.

In an op-ed piece in July, Rhoads wrote that we had provided some “inaccurate information.” That there “is no ‘plan’ to widen College Drive.”

That’s parsing words. While true in the strictest sense that there is no “plan” on paper, residents were told by local DOT officials that is what they are looking at doing.

The state road plan describes the project as constructing “a turn lane by providing a three-lane curve on Kentucky 3052.”

Unless the Doc is badly mistaken, a turn lane can’t be added without widening the road.

Rhoads went on to say that no funds for construction have been authorized, and he is right. However, why spend $250,000 for design and another $100,000 for rights-of-way for a project that may not reach construction phase?

The senator points to other projects that he has worked to get on the state plan, and he should be applauded for those efforts.

However, his assertion that the College Drive project does not take funds away from “important projects,” misses the mark. The judge-executive and the mayor cited several projects they and PADD deemed more important that aren’t on the plan. That College Drive is would indicate that money is being spent on a project that could be better spent elsewhere.

The Doc doesn’t know if the project is necessary or not. I don’t live there and don’t travel out there enough to make a personal judgment.

But the people who live there don’t want it. The mayor doesn’t want it. The judge-executive doesn’t want it.

That’s good enough for the Doc. It should have been good enough for Sen. Rhoads.

Of haggis, red beans and rice and Buzzard Rock

Scotland is receiving a touch of Madisonville flair this week. Local attorney Gerald Burns and friends Melvin Hicklin, Raymond Hicklin and Brad Hauck are walking the links that are St. Andrews at the British Open. Burns says the course is beautiful and that he was from here to there from Phil Mickelson during a practice round on Monday. The Spin Doctor says enjoy it guys, but stay away from the haggis. If you do partake, you’ll need an industrial sized bottle of Maalox.

If you were down around Buzzard Rock Resort and Marina or Lake Barkley last weekend, the two tall young men on jet skis were Madisonville’s own Jon Hood and UK recruit Enes Kanter. The Doc wonders if Hood explained to Kanter what the Governor’s Mansion is.

Can’t wait for the Oasis to open. The red beans and rice are primo.

If  you haven’t read anything written by new Messenger sportswriter Dave O’Connell,  you should. He’s good. Dave will be joined within the next couple of weeks by Shane Lucas, who is coming to us from Iowa State University.

Michael Todd has notified the county clerk’s office that he is pulling out of the 1st District magisterial race. Todd, a Republican, would have taken on longtime incumbent Magistrate Karol Welch in the November general election. In non-partisan races, Mortons Gap Mayor Frank Stafford and Dawson Springs Mayor Ross Workman are seeking reelection. Linus N. Schwagel is running for Mortons Gap City Council, Harold Gregory will be on the ballot for the Hanson City Commission and former Mayor and City Commissioner Carl Lyell is running for White Plains City Commission.

CNBC released a 1-50 ranking of America’s Top States for Business 2010. Kentucky comes in at No. 40. The state gets high rankings in the cost of living category (3rd) and in transportation (4th). It is ranked 12th in cost of business, 25th in workforce, 35th in technology and innovation, 37th in education, 38th in access to capital, 39th in business friendliness, 44th in economy and 46th in quality of life. Neighboring states’ rankings are Tennessee (16th), Missouri (17th), Indiana (21st), Illinois (30th), Ohio (34th) and West Virginia (46th).

The Doc always had mixed feelings about George Steinbrenner. As a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation, I was obliged to dislike most things wearing pinstripes (whether a baseball uniform or business suit). There is a deep-rooted hatred for all things Yankees in New England. Following the Patriots  Super Bowl win in 2004, an estimated 1.5 million fans broke into a “Yankees suck” cheer at the victory rally in downtown Boston. However, it was difficult not to begrudgingly respect what Steinbrenner accomplished with the team. He wasn’t afraid to spend to win, and he wasn’t afraid to say what was on his mind. Neither is Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jimmy Breslin. The night of Steinbrenner’s death, the 80-year-old Breslin appeared on ESPN and had this to say about The Boss. “We need to stop deifying this man. He never played first base. He was the owner of the Yankees, and he was a good guy, but that’s it.”

Happy birthday to Woody Guthrie (July 14). Woody died in 1967 at the age of 54. He gave us Tom Joad before moving on.

The Governor, The Lost and the Lame

The Doc is back. I’ve stretched, put on an Ace bandage and in honor of the Hanson brothers, I’m breaking out the foil. Here goes.

Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed $1.3 million earmarked for the Hopkins County fairgrounds before signing the state budget. Shame on him. Right? Maybe not. An insider tells the Doc that the governor had little choice. Seems that some folks in Frankfort (Senate President David Williams?) were unhappy that Beshear keeps bringing up those pesky slot machines for horse racing tracks. So, the fairgrounds and a number other projects were intentionally put in the Department of Local Government operating budget. The idea was to embarrass Beshear by forcing him to veto the projects, particularly one from his home county. The projects totaled 30 percent of the DLG budget and would have “gutted” it, if they were approved, the insider said.

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Political headline of the week — Rand of the Lost. It topped a story about a few missteps GOP Senate hopeful Rand Paul made following his primary win.

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Reports say that former eBay CEO Meg Whitman spent $70 million of her own money in winning the California Republican Party primary for governor. MSNBC reported it averaged out to about $80 per vote. Whitman had a cash bar at her victory celebration.

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University of Tennessee football fans — yeah there are a few around these parts — are laughing it up today in light of the NCAA sanctions against Southern Cal. Lots of luck Lane Kiffin. The Doc thinks it couldn’t have  happened to a nicer guy. Just in case you didn’t know, Kiffin and his good buddy, Ed Orgeron, were assistant coaches at the House of Ill Repute when the shenanigans were going down. Two years probation, no bowl games and the loss of 20 scholarships will put USC in a football wasteland for a while. Dream job, indeed.

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While on the subject of college football, methinks the Golden Domers may run into a scheduling problem when the dust finally settles if they don’t jump into a conference. The Big 12 is about to become extinct, the ACC and Big East could be next. With the Big 10 (Big 14?), the PAC 10 (PAC 16) and SEC cherry picking schools, the in-conference schedules will be increased to more games,  leaving fewer opportunities for out-of-conference match-ups. Teams will be looking for cupcakes to fill out their schedules instead of the guys who give confession to Touchdown Jesus. BTW, that NBC TV contract Notre Dame is apparently not the end all most thought it was. SEC and Big 10 colleges received $15 million each from their conferences’ TV contracts last year. NBC paid Notre Dame $9 million.

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Even if you don’t care about or understand the game, be in front of a TV Saturday afternoon and cheer on the U.S. against England in the World Cup.

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Happy 39th to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (June 10). He and his constituents need something to celebrate about.