By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
The city of Florence invited any and all residents of Florence to come to the city building Thursday morning and have a cup of cider and a chat with Mayor Julie Aubuchon.
This is the third event this year where the mayor is able to sit down with residents and talk about what is going on in their city. The first was in April, with coffee, and the second in July, with cookies. The initial event was last year, at Biggby’s.
“At first we didn’t have a whole lot of people, but then the word spread, and typically now we have anywhere from 15 to 18 people,’ said Mayor Aubuchon. “Sometimes people come just to see what it is all about, but other times they have something particular to talk about. I know I have to be prepared for anything.”
A resident who actually lives near the mayor, George Sulecki, came to talk about congestion on US 42, in light of the new project of a WAWA store at the corner of Hopeful Church and US 42, and he said he didn’t know how much more traffic the highway can take.
Speaking of congestion, Mayor Aubuchon said there is a rumor that Dixie Highway might have its four lanes reduced to three – one north, one south and one turn lane – from about the clock tower where US 42 splits from Main Street all the way down to Hallam in Erlanger. Public Services Director Eric Hall said he heard it is on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s radar, but he has had no official word on the project. He acknowledged that because Dixie Highway is the alternate route for the expressway when it is clogged, and it is increasingly more clogged, the highway will then take the brunt of the traffic.
Other people praised the mayor for thec ity’s involvement in the Rotary club, but they also talked about the library on US 42, and the possibility of expanding the senior center parking lot.
One person talked about the fact that some people are creating a short cut through Orleans park, and they didn’t know if the city knew there were some ATV’s on that new path.
Two people came from Oakbrook just to see how things worked, and one resident told the mayor about a Micro Urban Center in New Jersey that has a lot of businesses and attracts people to come to it. She thought it might be a good alternative plan for the Florence Mall, although the city doesn’t own the mall. She said they had an outdoor walking track with a fountain in the center.
A few members of the Army National Guard came to talk about the Veteran programs that the city is involved with, and another resident was on the Early Childhood board, and talked about getting children interested in reading.
“I always try to bring other employees from different departments, because I can’t be an authority on everything,” Aubuchon said. “We always have someone from police and fire, preferably the chiefs, and then some other department heads to answer questions and to just be seen. I think people like to come to these sessions because it is more informal. If they come to council meetings, they have to come up to the microphone, and the meeting is televised, so that is sometimes a little more spotlight than some people want.”
If people would like something other than cider, the city offers coffee and water, and a selection of donuts, but sitting and having a little breakfast while they talk to the mayor or anyone else makes the time more enjoyable.
Next year the city wants to hold four events, beginning in January with cocoa with the mayor, and then again coffee in April, cookies in July and cider in the fall.
“I believe strongly in transparency,” said the Mayor, “and I want people to understand that their city government is for them, and they can come up and talk to us about everything and anything. We want to be approachable. This job is 24/7, 365 days of the year. We want people to know that we do good work for them.’