A clean city is the priority for Crawford Mayor Alan Erwin in 2026.
“We just want to get our city back up to par, cleaned up, and well maintained to where people that live in the city of Crawford are proud of their surroundings, as well as myself,” he said.
In addition, water superintendent Donny Faust and another employee have begun to evaluate every street sign and fire hydrant in the city. They plan to have all updates completed in the next two months.
Erwin said the city is evaluating the water plant to ensure it’s in compliance with how many water operators they have. He has asked the contractor for a list of all the equipment and systems that need to be maintained.
“We’re going to get everything on a preventive maintenance program to where we can stay on top of it and don’t have to spend all the money when something breaks down from being neglected,” Erwin said.
Erwin is looking for another qualified individual to assist Faust in running the water plant.
Additional goals include ensuring the grass is properly maintained, repainting facilities where needed, keeping roadsides clear and updating building signage.
Maxeys Mayor Edward Toledano is also prioritizing cleanup.
“It’s a clean up of junk,” Toledano said. “It’s been years and years of things stuck in the closet, i.e., so there’s just a lot of things that need to be cleaned up in all the buildings.”
With local cleanup also comes continued renovations to the community center, beginning with moving the power pole from the center of the parking lot to the side of the building.
The city also plans to add mulch to the forested side of the property and pine bark chips around the playground.
Another focus is updating the water system.
“The water system just has been neglected over the past eight years,” Toledano said. “So, we’ve been replacing meters as we need. We’re doing (work) on the communication between the pump and the tower so that the pump doesn’t overfill the tower and release water.”
Toledano also plans to work with the county to review all city policies, as well as the service delivery strategy to ensure the city and county are on the same page.
A personal goal for Toledano is to get together with the county’s other three mayors once a quarter to talk about ideas and ways they can help each other.
Reece aims for involvement
Lexington Mayor Evelyn Reece hopes to go “back to the basics” in her first term.
“I want a more detailed understanding of our water and fire departments so they function optimally and have the needed support from the mayor and council,” she said.
Reece not only wants to create a more transparent relationship between Lexington and the local government, she also wants the entire community to be involved and volunteer throughout the year.
“I see my role as establishing a ‘clarity of purpose’ because if people know they have a specific talent that will be appreciated and can help make a difference, many things can be accomplished,” Reece said.
Among other goals for the year, she plans to make improvements to the water systems, infrastructure and pedestrian safety in downtown Lexington. She also hopes to grant funding for the city’s historic properties and focus on heritage tourism.
Arnoldsville focuses on water issues
Arnoldsville Mayor Danny Morcom plans to add a new well and pump house behind the post office in 2026.
The city has $100,000 carved out in the budget for implementation. Also, the city has two sites picked out, which are located just 400 feet from each other, in case the first option doesn’t have enough water.
“You know there’s water, but you don’t know how much until you drill or the quality of it,” Morcom said. “And the quality is very important.”
The city is waiting on a third quote before moving forward with the project.
Morcom also plans to preserve the city’s history by creating a remembrance wall in city hall of past Arnoldsville mayors.
He is working on compiling a list with each mayor’s name and the years of their term in order to create plaques.