Martin County approves $76,000 ARPA purchase in Warfield; OKs $32,000 MOA to pave Crumb Branch Road

Magistrate Kurt Howe said the court approved a resolution authorizing payment of $76,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to buy a property at 9245 Beauty Road in Warfield for future economic development. "This is your quarterly payment," he said while presenting the item to senior center representatives; the court voted in favor by voice vote.

Howe described the Warfield acquisition as part of a broader push to revitalize towns along the Tug River and to support access and redevelopment near river infrastructure. He said regional partners are pursuing a larger Tug River grant package that could total about $20 million, with an additional $3 million earmarked for a watershed study. "A watershed study has to be done first," Howe said, adding that the county lacks unilateral authority to perform stream cleanup without that study.

Separately, the court approved a resolution to adopt and execute a memorandum of agreement with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for $32,000 to begin paving Crumb Branch Road. The resolution also authorized the judge to sign all necessary documents to move the project forward. The court approved the Crumb Branch MOA and then separately authorized the judge to sign the agreement.

Court members discussed expected economic benefits and the limitations of county authority over waterways, noting the watershed study as a prerequisite to certain remediation efforts. The resolutions passed by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript.

The court did not specify an implementation timeline for the Warfield property purchase or the Crumb Branch paving work; the judge was authorized to execute documents to proceed.