The City of Ashland’s public services director updated the Board of Commissioners on storm cleanup, an annual waste-tire collection program, ongoing tree work in Central Park and preparations for Pogue Landing Days.

City officials say crews are actively working all five storm zones to clear drains and respond to downed trees and outages following heavy rains. "We're in all 5 of our storm zones right now, with our streets maintenance program, and we are actively hitting all the drains," Director Sean Murray said, describing the department’s response and pre‑event cleanup.

The update also covered the city’s annual waste‑tire collection, run in partnership with Boyd County. Director Murray said the county grant and partnership allowed the city to remove "nine full dump truck loads" of tires this year at no cost to the city. He said the program runs through Sept. 20 at the Kentucky State Highway garage and accepts all tire types.

Murray said crews have been doing tree health analysis and limb removal in Central Park and Ashland Cemetery to improve public safety and police sight lines. "We had a contractor come in and do some analysis on how safe our limbs, our branches, our trees, what their health is at this point," he said, adding that the work included canopy raising to improve visibility and security.

On events, Murray told the commission the 35th Pogue Landing Days will include the Southern Fried Cone Fest skateboard competition and about 80 vendors. He said the festival historically draws a large crowd and the city expects attendance in the tens of thousands. Officials discussed posting event maps and closure information online; staff agreed to share the map and closure details on the city website and social media.

During public participation, resident William Reeves suggested clearer public messaging that the municipal parking garage is free during certain events to ease downtown parking pressure. The suggestion drew brief discussion about posting additional signage for large events.

Why it matters: The report covers operational steps the city is taking to reduce storm hazards, keep parks and rights‑of‑way safe, and manage a major downtown event that affects traffic, parking and public safety.

Details: The waste‑tire removal was described as funded through a Boyd County grant and operated in partnership with the city; the Pogue Landing Days vendor count and programming were presented as event facts. Staff said they will finalize and publish closure maps and parking information before the festival.

What’s next: Staff said they will post event maps and parking guidance online and provide a written tire‑collection guidance to the public within about a week. The director said he will follow up on a separate, earlier discussion about bollards along Geiger Lane to prevent unauthorized parking, and report back to the commission.