Fletcher disappointed with House’s indecision on Wolf Creek Dam crisis

Local News

April 13, 2007

By SHARON DODSON CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Fri Apr 13, 2007, 08:48 AM EDT

The governor’s office is looking into funding options to help counties in the Lake Cumberland region scrambling to get out-of-water boat ramps ready for the tourist season and water intake pipes extended in case additional drawdowns are necessary.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who was in town earlier this week for the grand opening of Somerset Rail Park, said after the ceremony his staff is evaluating the situation and trying to come up with possible solutions.

Major repairs at Wolf Creek Dam have caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to lower the lake to 680 feet above sea level — 43 feet below the tree line — for the summer tourist season. The lower water level is intended to ease the pressure on the earthen section of the dam, which has been classified at a “high risk” of failure.

Fletcher said he was “disappointed” when the General Assembly adjourned earlier this year without funding projects associated with Wolf Creek Dam repairs.

“The House didn’t do anything ... and that was disappointing,” he said.

The Republican governor promised to help, but said his immediate priorities are making sure residents who live below the dam are safe and communities have adequate water supplies. Recreational needs are next on his list.

Water treatment systems in Somerset and Burnside have been notified by the Corps to extend their water intake pipes by the end of the calendar year. This is a precautionary measure in the event the Corps has to draw down the lake an additional 30 feet, to 650 feet, which is not in their immediate plans.

The recommended summer pool level is 680 feet, to be maintained at least through the summer months, until the situation can be reviewed in the fall.

Normal pool levels are 723 feet in the summer and 690 feet in the winter.

Mark York, chief of staff for the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, said Somerset Water Service has made a request to GOLD (Governor’s Office for Local Development) for $565,000 of a $1.17 million project to extend its water intake pipe at Waitsboro.

Somerset is the first local water system to file a funding request with GOLD, but York expects additional requests from other agencies will be made in the future.

A delegation from Pulaski County government has met with representatives from GOLD and the state Transportation Cabinet to ask about possible funding to extend county-leased boat ramps.

The Corps already has awarded contracts to extend several of its boat ramps and is making rapid process to getting the work done well in advance of Memorial Day, the first holiday weekend of the season.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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