Efforts are continuing to repair two swinging bridges that connect Wayne County and McCreary County at Ritner and Freedom.

Wayne County Fiscal Court was updated regarding the joint effort to fund the repair work during their meeting on Thursday, January 9.

District Three Magistrate Dale Vaughn reported that the McCreary County Fiscal Court approved the interlocal agreement with Wayne County.

The agreement states that the county will share the costs of repair work to the two historic bridges.

Vaughn said that he and two McCreary County magistrates, Roger Phillips and Stan Cox, visited the bridges recently to access their condition.

Vaughn voiced concern about the condition of the bridges during December’s fiscal court meeting, noting that the bridge at Freedom is in dire need of repair since a cable is broken.

Vaughn indicated that this would be the best time to do repairs, before the river rises in the spring.

Vaughn has also expressed concern about the swinging bridge at Green Ford, which does not share a boundary with another county.

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Wayne County is among 24 Kentucky counties awarded grant funding for the cleanup of illegal dumps.

The announcement was made recently by the Energy and Environment Cabinet. A total of $1.36 million in grants were awarded by the Kentucky Pride Fund for cleanup of 129 illegal dumps in the 24 counties that received awards.

One dumpsite in Wayne County was awarded funding for cleanup, according to local officials.

As part of the grant funding, counties provide a 25 percent match when it costs less than $50,000 to clean up an individual, illegal open dump. The Energy and Environment Cabinet may waive the 25 percent match on any individual illegal open dump costing more than $50,000 to remediate.

The Division of Waste Management administers the Kentucky Pride Fund to clean up county dump sites. Funding for the program comes from a $1.75 environmental remediation fee for each ton of garbage disposed of at Kentucky municipal solid waste facilities. This “tipping fee,” authorized by the 2002 General Assembly under House Bill 174, is collected quarterly and placed in the Kentucky Pride Fund.