The Corbin City Commission approved three promotions at the Corbin Fire Department during its regular monthly meeting Monday.
Phillip Martin was promoted to battalion chief and will receive a $1 per hour raise. Thomas McDaniel was promoted to captain and will receive a $0.75 per hour raise. Larry Daniels was promoted to lieutenant and will receive a $0.50 per hour raise.
Corbin Fire Chief Barry McDonald told the city commission during Monday’s meeting that his department is also working on a project to build a “burn trailer” in the parking lot adjacent to old city hall for training purposes.
Commissioner John Baker thanked the fire department, which did some AED training for the Corbin Public Library recently.
The fire department also announced that during the month of July, they responded to 104 calls for service.
Commissioner Brandon Shepherd inquired about how many of those calls involved responding to the Exit 29 area in southern Laurel County.
McDonald said that estimated about one-third of his department’s calls were to that area.
Corbin Police Chief Rusty Hedrick said that his department responded to 808 calls during the month of July including 71 automobile collisions. He estimated that about one-quarter of his department’s calls were to the Exit 29 area.
Last August, the Corbin City Commission approved the second reading of an ordinance annexing the right-of-way along I-75 from the Whitley County-Laurel County line up to Exit 29, and right-of-way along US25E, or the Cumberland Gap Parkway, starting at the KY-770 bridge to “malfunction junction,” which is technically the junction of US25E and US25W.
“Hopefully we will get some businesses brought in. We are working on it,” Mayor Suzie Razmus said about annexing potential businesses in Laurel County along the Exit 29 corridor.
Hedrick also noted that 15 applicants passed the police department’s recent exam giving the city a good size group of qualified applicants.
The Corbin City Commission gave approval Monday to retire police K-9 Jazz. Jazz recently had surgery and may need another surgery to get back up 100 percent.
The commission also voted to give Jazz, a three-year veteran of the police department, to K-9 handler Estes Rhodes.
“Tell Jazz we thank her for her service,” Razmus added.
In addition, the commission heard a report from Corbin Recycling Director Tom Jackson, who noted that the bottom has fallen out of the plastic market, but cardboard is stable, and the recycling bins are staying full.
Razmus said that she is happy that people have to break their cardboard boxes down now so that the boxes aren’t laying all around the recycling bins.
