Top Corps official visits Lake Cumberland

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John Paul Woodley Jr., center, assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Gen. Bruce Berwick, second from left, commander of the Great Lakes-Ohio River District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, toured Lake Cumberland Wednesday in a helicopter supplied by Gov. Ernie Fletcher. With Woodley and Berwick at a news conference after the tour are Mark York, left, chief of staff for the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet; and Lt. Col. Steven J. Roemhildt, right, commander of the Corps’ Nashville District. Bill Mardis photo

July 19, 2007

Stresses high priority of dam, local economy

By BILL MARDIS Editor Emeritus The Commonwealth Journal Thu Jul 19, 2007, 08:59 AM EDT

An assistant secretary of the Army and a top official of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers toured Lake Cumberland Wednesday to emphasize the Corps’ commitment to repair Wolf Creek Dam and its awareness of the adverse economic impact because of low water levels.

John Paul Woodley Jr., assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Gen. Bruce Berwick, commander of the Great Lakes-Ohio River District of the Corps, viewed the lake from a state helicopter supplied by Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

“I’m the kind of guy who has a hard time understanding something I haven’t seen,” said Woodley. He said the helicopter tour was his first chance to view Lake Cumberland.

Woodley emphasized that rehabilitation of Wolf Creek Dam is “ ... one of the Corps’ very highest priorities.”

The 56-year-old dam has been classified by an outside panel of experts as being in high risk of failure. A $309 million, seven-year rehabilitation program is currently under way.

Berwick promised to speed up the repair timetable if possible.

“We would ask for (additional) money if we find we can expedite the project,” he observed. Congress up to now has given the Corps all the money it has requested. More than $30 million is in the current budget and $54.1 million is in the budget for fiscal year 2008.

“Whatever happens on the ground (at the dam) is not because they (Corps) don’t have the resources,” Wooley remarked.

“I’m really impressed with the efforts of the state, particularly to step up to the plate to ensure lake access and make sure the marinas can continue to serve,” Woodley continued.

He said he is amazed at the amount of water in Lake Cumberland, even at the current level, some 40 feet below normal. “This is the largest impounded body of water east of the Mississippi,” he reminded.

“It still is an enormous body of water,” he emphasized. “Whoever thinks about coming to Kentucky and spending time on Lake Cumberland should not be discouraged about what is going on at the dam. Even at this (low) level, there’s no reason for anyone to look elsewhere (for a vacation site),” said Woodley.

“This may be a good time to visit. You will probably never see it this low again. People who see the lake this year observe a unique situation,” he noted, apparently referring to expansive banks and rock formations uncovered by the falling waters.

Woodley and Berwick also met with officials of the John Sherman Cooper Power Plant at Burnside to discuss the water level and power generation.

“We’re not in doubt (about) the enormous impact of this situation,” Woodley concluded.

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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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