These extraordinary times led to some extraordinary measures by Warren Fiscal Court during a meeting Monday using a Zoom video conference.

To help communicate information about the coronavirus pandemic and resulting state of emergency, the magistrates approved Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon’s emergency order to enter into a contract with Bowling Green’s CrowdSouth marketing and web design agency.

In a document outlining the contract, Buchanon said the outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus has created “an urgent need to better provide public communication and education to address the health care crisis.”

The document said the contract with CrowdSouth will be less than $30,000 annually and qualifies for emergency procurement under the county’s small purchase procedures.

CrowdSouth partner Jason Heflin indicated in the contract document that the company’s management fee will be $3,700 a month. The work will include managing and running social media as well as producing videos, graphics and other content.

“We have been hired to partner with Warren County on communications work while this COVID-19 crisis is happening,” Heflin said in an email. “The contract includes helping develop messaging, releasing information on social media, and a video series that will highlight our elected and appointed officials.

“The goal is to take these messages online, where we are seeing a spike in usage right now. Ultimately, we need to keep the public informed as much as possible about this continually evolving health crisis.”

In another coronavirus-related item, magistrates approved an agreement between the Barren River District Health Department and all emergency dispatch centers in Warren County for disclosure of protected health information during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

The agreement gives emergency responders access to information about the addresses of lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Such information is needed, the agreement said, because first responders can be “called upon to enter … the premises of persons who may be infected with the virus.”

Magistrates also approved the county’s 2020-21 rural secondary road program presented by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 3 office in Bowling Green.

The rural road program includes a total allotment of $2,138,412 for the fiscal year. The biggest chunk of that – $644,200 – will go for routine maintenance on 155 miles of rural secondary roads in the county.

Another $454,050 is earmarked for resurfacing and repairs to a seven-mile stretch of Ky. 1435 (Barren River Road), and $414,155 is to be spent for resurfacing and repairs to a six-mile section of Ky. 240 (Woodburn-Allen Springs Road).

A final big project included in the rural secondary roads program is resurfacing a 4.1-mile stretch of Richardsville Road at a cost of $355,000.

In other items from Monday’s meeting, the magistrates:

• voted to spend $8,764 for Miracle Recreation to provide 12 replacement picnic tables at Ed Spear Park.
• approved spending $18,700 from Securus capital improvement funds for Shop at Home Carpets to install new flooring in the Class D community room, front lobby and administrative offices at the Warren County Regional Jail.
• approved spending $1,004.21 to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts for filters for all tractors at the county road department.

The next meeting of fiscal court, also a virtual meeting, is scheduled for 8 a.m. April 22. It may be viewed on Spectrum Cable’s local access Channel 195.

– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.