Beautification Project Makes the Most of a Slow Situation

Mike Eakins is a building inspector. It’s what he was educated for and what he likes to do. So why is he spending his days supervising Class D felons on the streets of Nicholasville?

Mayor Meyer is happy to answer that question.

“City Commissioner Andy Williams found a solution to a couple of challenges we were facing, and, thanks to Mike Eakins’ flexibility as a city employee, we were able to follow through with the idea,” said Mayor Meyer. “It’s a great result from what could have been a difficult situation.”

The first challenge began last winter. Like other communities, the city was experiencing a lull in residential property development requiring inspections. This meant the housing inspector, who used to have to hustle to keep up, suddenly didn’t have enough work to do. But, with the growth Nicholasville has been experiencing, the slowdown was not expected to last.

That put city officials and managers in a quandary.

“Mike is a good employee and a good building inspector. He’s fair and honest and has a good work ethic,” Dean Anness, Planning and Zoning supervisor, said. “We didn’t have enough inspection work to keep him busy, but knew eliminating the position would be the wrong thing to do because we’d need him again soon and he’d be hard to replace.”

Additionally, the mayor and city commissioners were concerned that some public properties within the city limits were not receiving the attention they needed, for one reason or another. In some places, weeds were taking over, bushes and trees were growing out of control along fence rows, and trash was piling up along with other eyesores that were detracting from Nicholasville’s small-town beauty.

“We realized both problems could be addressed by one solution: the Nicholasville Beautification Project. By putting two men to work through the state Class D Felons program with Mike as the supervisor last spring, we took advantage of one good worker and added two more free ones,” Meyer said. “And it’s having a positive impact.” Class D Felon programs enable people convicted of certain non-violent crimes to work on government projects such as cleaning up public land. Qualified inmates, referred to as workers, are housed in county facilities, such as Jessamine County’s Restrictive Custody facility next to the Detention Center, and their work days are supervised by certified supervisors.

The Nicholasville Cemetery has been tapping into the program for more than 16 years, making it the county’s first. Cemetery superintendent

James Hubbard said the three workers per day have saved the community a lot of tax money over the years. They would have to be replaced by salaried employees to mow, dig graves and help with burials if the Felon program was not available. The county also has capitalized on this opportunity for many years and currently uses about 30 workers.

But Eakins didn’t know exactly what to expect when he first was approached with the prospective assignment.

“I didn’t know if I’d enjoy it, but now it’s going well,” Eakins said. “When you get new workers you don’t know to expect. But once you get to know them, you find they are good guys who have made mistakes. I’ve found they have a good work ethic.”

The program is cost effective for several reasons. The city does not to pay the workers. They earn a small stipend from the state and are motivated by what they refer to as “working good time,” which takes one day off their sentence for every 40 hours of work they do.
Eakins, who works right along with the other two men, said grants have paid for the equipment they use, such as weed eaters and trimmers, and their lunches.

And the results speak for themselves. Take a look at the areas that have been the focus of the Nicholasville Beautification Project and you’ll see a cleaner, neater community.

Fence rows in city parks have been cleaned out, such as those in Rock Fence Park where locust trees had nearly taken over. Right of way weeds and shrubs were removed from a number of areas, such as along Elmer Stevenson Drive. And bags and bags of trash were collected (42 large bags from Main Street the first time it was done).
Other projects have included helping the city’s electric department and building an office within a city building.

In addition, Mayor Meyer said the project is further proof of the good things that can happen when a community works together.

“You’ll be hearing me say this a lot, I believe, but we could not have done this without a cooperative effort. We had the support of city and county leaders, especially Jailer Cecil Moss and Mike Winchester, who oversees the Class D program, and a dedicated employee who was willing to serve his city in a new way,” Meyer said. “It’s that kind of attitude that makes it possible for our community to continue to improve and do the most with what we have.”

Program Supervisors:
The Class D Felon worker program managed by the county has enabled the city of Nicholasville to get more work done with fewer employess. Among those who have made the program work are (from left) Mike Winchester, Jessamine County Detention Center; James Hubbard, Nicholasville Cemetery; Mike Eakins, Nicholasville Planning & Zoning; Dean Anness, Nicholasville Planning & Zoning; and Cecil Moss, Jailer.


517 North Main Street
Nicholasville, KY 40356

Phone: 859.885.1121
Fax: 859.881.0750
Email: info@nicholasville.org