Fletcher offers $25 million to Wolf Creek Dam communities

Local News

April 14, 2007

By TRICIA NEAL, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Sat Apr 14, 2007, 01:31 PM EDT

Governor Ernie Fletcher is being praised in Pulaski and nearby counties for his quick action in funneling $25 million toward areas affected by the lowering of Lake Cumberland.

On Friday, Fletcher signed an executive order establishing a funding framework to address immediate public safety concerns and other harmful effects caused by the lowering of Lake Cumberland and safety concerns with Wolf Creek Dam.

“This order is about preparedness, not panic,” said Fletcher.

“We must make sure Kentuckians in these counties are safe, and have reliable, clean drinking water and utility services. We are working to minimize the impact the lowering of the lake has on residents in the affected areas and prepare for any possible problem involving the dam.”

Details including what portion of the funding each county is expected to receive have not yet become available.

Counties impacted by the lowering of the lake and the safety hazards of the dam include Caldwell, Christian, Clinton, Cumberland, Logan, Lyon, McCreary, Monroe, Pulaski, Russell, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, and Wayne.

“Repeated calls for emergency funding and a unanimous, bi-partisan 37-0 vote in the State Senate to appropriate $25 million for emergency needs in the Lake Cumberland area were ignored by the House of Representatives,” said Fletcher.

“Because of the failure of the House to act, we must take this action now.”

Affected communities can apply to the Governor’s Office for Local Development for financial assistance.

Governor Fletcher has authorized up to $25 million in emergency funding and has directed all agencies of state government with potential existing programs that could aid the affected communities to provide assistance to the Governor’s Office of Local Development in the evaluation of community needs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has described the dam as “one of the highest risk dams in the Corps’ inventory.”

In January 2007, the Corps decided to lower Lake Cumberland to 680 feet above sea level to make structural repairs to Wolf Creek Dam.

Two letters from the Corps dated Feb. 9 and March 23 of this year have instructed local officials in the affected area to be ready for the possibility of the lake being lowered to 650 feet above sea level by December.

These steps have been taken in part to allow several utilities to start work that will allow them to continue to draw water from Lake Cumberland if the Corps decides to lower the lake below the 680-foot level.

At least three municipalities that draw raw water from Lake Cumberland — including Somerset — may not be able to provide safe drinking water if the lake level dropped to 650 or 675 feet. Drought conditions alone could cause the lake to fall to that level.

“Governor Fletcher appropriately recognized the Wolf Creek Dam structural issues as a true natural disaster,” said Senate President David L. Williams (R-Burkesville).

“His attention to this crisis is appreciated.”

KRS Chapter 39A allows the Governor to declare an emergency and exercise emergency powers for the protection of the citizens of the Commonwealth. Specifically included within the definition of “emergency” is any situation which poses a major threat to public safety so as to cause harm to public health or the environment. The law’s stated intent also includes references to responses to the threats to public safety and the harmful effects of dam failure, major utility system failure, or other infrastructure failures.

KRS Chapter 39A also provides that the Governor may authorize use of funds during a threatened or impending emergency.

“Our first priority is the safety and well being of the communities of Wolf Creek Dam,” said Sen. Vernie McGaha (R-Russell Springs).

“Governor Fletcher’s actions today show his Administration’s dedication to this goal.”

“We’re excited about this emergency order because it means help is on the way,” said Pulaski County Judge-executive Barty Bullock.

“Governor Fletcher has always been very receptive to us and our situation on the lake. The Governor's office and GOLD and Transportation and the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet have always responded to Pulaski County and the special needs we have because of the lake situation. The signing of this executive order is just an extension of the great work Governor Fletcher has done for the people of the lake and his concern for us.”

In a separate action, Governor Fletcher has also directed the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to evaluate and provide appropriate assistance for the needs of the affected communities in providing access to Lake Cumberland resulting from the lowering of the lake.

Ramp extension work has already been authorized at Lake Cumberland State Park and General Burnside Island State Park.

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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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