Burnside Island getting ramp shuttle service

Local News

May 24, 2007

By CHRIS HARRIS CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Thu May 24, 2007, 08:44 AM EDT

Need a lift to the lake? Thanks to Burnside, the wheels are already in motion.

At a special meeting of the Burnside City Council Tuesday afternoon, councilors approved utilizing a shuttle van service at General Burnside Island State Park to help transport lakegoers from the boat ramp to the parking lot — or almost anywhere around the island — that would be funded by the Burnside Tourism Commission.

Mayor Chuck Fourman reported that the Pulaski County Fiscal Court was to have addressed donating a van to serve as the mode of transportation earlier in the day (the county would keep the van’s license and maintenance responsibilities), and that the Tourism Commission would provide the money to pay part-time employees to run the shuttle out of the approximately $25,000 the group would be giving the city’s Parks Fund. The city would actually be paying the employees.

“When they announced they were going to keep the lake lower, that was going to mean a longer walk from the ramp up to the parking lot,” said Fourman, “and when they said some of the other ramps in the county weren’t going to be extended, (that meant) the island was going to be used double-time.”

Hence Fourman put into motion the plan to operate shuttles, which he said “didn’t really get going until the last couple of weeks,” working in conjunction with the state and county.

Although the shuttle will not use any roads off of Burnside Island, it will go to all parking lots — including a third lot which the state is in the process of making available — and will have the ability to transport individuals to the campgrounds on the island as well. It will likely hold five to six people, Fourman estimated.

When the shuttle will operate is still in question. It is expected to start by Friday — the boat ramp will reportedly be accessible by this weekend — and go through the Labor Day holiday. However, the state will operate its own shuttle service at Burnside Island on Saturdays and Sundays, which means the Burnside van won’t have to be available every day — which means, said Fourman, it may stay operational through September. Councilor Jim Rasnick suggest city officials will “learn as we go along” as to what will be the best schedule for service.

The shuttle will be free to users, but that doesn’t mean it can’t generate a little additional revenue. Following Rasnick’s suggestion to put markings on the bus, possibly easily-removable vinyl letters, it was speculated that possibly sponsors could be obtained for the service. Advertising could potentially be placed on the outside of the van — which, Rasnick pointed out, might make the vehicle look a bit like a race car. Fourman said he didn’t see the county having any problem with putting identifying labels on the van.

All five city council members available voted in favor of the shuttle service. Councilor Dic Gaskin was absent.

Said Fourman, “I think (the shuttle) will be a good tool for the people who visit the lake, and will help enhance their experience.”

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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