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Jeffersontown resident raises safety, property-damage concerns over nearby blasting
Summary
A Jeffersontown resident told the City Council he received notice he lives within 500 feet of a planned blasting zone for nearby residential development and asked what protections exist for his house; staff and council discussed insurance, photographic documentation and police checks but no formal city action was taken.
Tim Cain, a Jeffersontown resident, told the City Council during the public-comment period that he received a notice placing his home at 4426 Lockridge Parkway “within 500 feet of a blasting zone” connected to new construction nearby and said he feared structural damage and sinkholes.
Cain said the property across the street is the site of a new 10‑house and 55‑patio‑home development. He told council members he had photographed his home’s interior and exterior and planned to document its condition before blasting begins.
Council members and staff advised Cain to get independent, time‑stamped documentation in addition to any photographs developers send. A staff member said the developer had arranged for an independent third party to photograph conditions for insurance purposes, but “you definitely should have your own” documentation and “get every crack, every crevice, every corner” documented.
Developer Brian Whimson was named in the discussion as the developer of the site. Cain said Whimson told him ‘‘it's cheaper for me to do it that way than try to...’’ referring to blasting rather than other excavation methods.
City staff and the council also discussed liability and monitoring. A council member and staff said state blasting regulations apply and that the blasting contractor’s insurance would be responsible for damage, but emphasized the need for pre‑blast documentation to support any claims. The police department offered to run extra exterior checks and provide written reports if Cain asked, though officers would not enter private homes for such checks.
No formal motion or city directive was taken at the meeting. Cain was told staff could attempt to contact the developer and that he should secure independent photographic documentation and timestamping before blasting begins.
