Local officials fielded several questions from people at a community meeting Thursday evening at the Old Alvaton High School Gym.

Organized by Sixth District Magistrate Ron Cummings and hosted by Cummings and Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower, the Alvaton meeting was the second in a series of three weekly town hall meetings scheduled this month within the district.

Questions from attendees focused on topics such as traffic and road conditions, upcoming early voting schedules and inconsiderate neighbors.

Multiple Alvaton residents complained of hearing gunshots at night from nearby properties.

Attendees tended to chalk up the gunfire to neighbors shooting targets on their properties, but at least one person at Thursday’s meeting complained of finding a projectile on their porch.

Hightower said his office has fielded a number of calls complaining about the noise the gunfire produces, recalling one report from a farmer who was in his barn when bullets started coming through the roof.

“We go out there and talk to the person shooting, we talk about liability and we talk about the fact that even though that barn was a half-mile away, bullets travel a great distance,” Hightower said.

The sheriff said the county has no noise ordinance on the books to deal with discharged firearms on private property, comparing the matter to an increase in animal nuisance calls as more residential developments are built in formerly rural areas.

“A good neighbor is not going to be out there shooting at 2 in the morning, a bad neighbor who might be drinking a little too much would be, but if you worry about hearing something and you don’t know where it’s coming from, always call us and we’ll send somebody out,” Hightower said. “We’ll find out whether they’re just shooting some rounds or something more nefarious is going on.”

An audience member identifying himself as a farmer praised the recently installed Restricted Crossing U-Turns at six intersections along a two-mile stretch of Scottsville Road, saying they helped him more safely cross the road while hauling loads.

An RCUT intersection prohibits direct left turns from the side street and creates a two-stage process for left turns and straight-through movements from the side street, with motorists turning right to proceed to a left turn lane provided to make a U-turn.

Residents were frustrated during construction at the intersections, offering complaints that the presence of striped barrels and construction workers and equipment along with a perceived lack of adequate signage made for disorienting, dangerous drives.

Joe Plunk, chief engineer for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3, said the construction did create a temporary inconvenience, but the finished intersections will make for safer traveling.

“Once the construction barrels go away, you can see it works and complaints tend to go away,” Plunk said. “I do believe it will make this whole corridor safer. Instead of having seven traffic signals from here to Nashville, you’re going to have the ability to keep traffic moving and make turns much more safely.”

While fielding a question about growth, Cummings said a reapportionment of the county’s magisterial districts is scheduled for next year.

By law, the largest district in a county cannot be more than 5% greater in population than the smallest district.

Cummings said that, after the 2010 census, the six magisterial districts were split so that each had a population of around 18,500, but his district now has more than 34,000 residents.

“The lines will have to be redrawn, and this will probably be put into effect late next year,” Cummings said.

Responding to a question about drivers on Mount Lebanon Church Road traveling quickly while using the road as a cut-through between larger roads, Warren County Public Works Director Josh Moore said there had been recommendations several years ago for additional signage on the road, but the road was too narrow for it to be striped.

Moore added that the road has been discussed as a target for resurfacing, and future improvements may lead to widening at some point.

“Growth is happening fast and we are definitely looking at things as proactively as possible,” Moore said.

Warren County Clerk Lynette Yates fielded a question about the early voting schedule, reminding attendees that early voting in this year’s primary election takes place May 12-14 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at five voting centers – Ephraim White Park, Phil Moore Park, Mike Buchanon Park, Living Hope Baptist Church and Sugar Maple Square.

Three voting centers will go online for the May 17 primary election at Cumberland Trace Elementary School, Warren Central High School and the Warren County Co-operative Extension Office on Russellville Road.

Toward the end of the 90-minute meeting, Cummings noted that many of the questions focused on “unintended consequences” of growth and development in the county.

“I’d rather have these challenges than, say, we’re not growing and we need to raise taxes to sustain the services we’re giving,” Cummings said.

The next community meeting is set to take place at 5:30 p.m. April 21 at Woodburn Volunteer Fire Department Station No. 2.