On November 22^nd, I decided to attend the Kenton County Fiscal Court Meeting to learn how the Sanitation District #1 (SD1) would spin my previous comments before the court. SD1’s presence was requested by Judge-executive Steve Arlinghaus to respond to facts presented by Garth Kuhnhein and I at the November 8^th Fiscal Court Meeting. I was curious to hear how SD1 would defend itself.

SD1’s presentation could have been done in less than one minute. The essence of their remarks was that Kuhnhein and Wurtz’s factual data was right. SD1 did imply that all those trees planted in their I-75 Rain Forest Project in the cut-in the hill were “fully paid for” by stimulus money and the EPA is not happy with Team SD1’s efforts. The truth was revealed that local taxpayers were on the line for $635,000 and the EPA may seek expensive lawsuits against SD1. Continue reading →

I always thought David Copperfield was the best illusionist in the world. I thought wrong! The new king of illusion resides right here in Northern Kentucky – Sanitation District #1 (SD1).

Several weeks ago I wrote an article called, “I-75 Rain Forest May Collapse B.S. Bridge.” It spoke of all the dead trees that needed to be replaced by SD1 in their cut-in-the-hill “Terraced Reforestation Project.” Of the 280 trees initially planted, 126 had to be replaced. I wanted to know if the taxpayers had to pay for all the new trees. SD1 has informed me that the landscaping contractor on the job is responsible for the entire replanting costs.

But during our conversation, I learned something quite disturbing. One could even call it an incredible illusion. SD1’s website stated, “The total construction and engineering costs of $850,000 are fully funded by ARRA stimulus funds.” The words “fully funded” started to bother me. I’ve learned that politicians take great pride in manipulating words. What does “fully funded” mean? Do the words “fully funded” mean the same as “fully paid?” I decided to ask. Here’s where it gets interesting. Continue reading →