Rogers: Lake to rise up to 10 feet by summer

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September 28, 2007

By JEFF NEAL, News Editor The Commonwealth Journal Fri Sep 28, 2007, 06:15 PM EDT

Somerset — Congressman Hal Rogers had some good news for all of the Lake Cumberland area yesterday — especially those who count on tourism dollars to get by.

Rogers announced that Lake Cumberland will be raised by as much as 10 feet above current levels in advance of next summer’s tourism season.

“I met with the Corps of Engineers leadership yesterday, and I'm pleased to announce that the largest lake east of the Mississippi is on its way to normal water levels,” said Rogers. “Our tourism community pulled together and exceeded visitor expectations this summer, and their jobs will be a little easier next summer.

Rogers said the Army Corps of Engineers decision “comes as structural repairs on Wolf Creek Dam are on track to support incrementally higher water levels.”

“I’ve been pressuring the Corps hard ... and they’ve been working hard,” Rogers added. “Everyone knows how we’ve been impacted here above the dam. Of course, we’re not the only folks impacted — the safety of those beneath the dam have to be considered first and foremost.”

The Corps is working on a $309 million, five-year construction project that will address dam leakage problems that go back four decades. Lake Cumberland is at 680 feet — a drop of 43 feet from normal levels. Repairs include installing a new concrete diaphragm that will alleviate the porous foundation the dam was originally built on.

“The Corps will make a final determination of the exact water level in early 2008 as Wolf Creek Dam repairs continue and structural test data is analyzed,” Rogers said. “Based on current progress, indications are that the lake will be raised up to 10 feet this spring. I’d like it to be more — but it’s definitely a start.”

Rogers has secured $98 million for dam repairs this year. The Somerset congressman said he is monitoring the situation “at the top levels of the Corps of Engineers to ensure they have all the resources needed to complete the project as soon as possible.”

Rogers also said yesterday that there may be a “silver lining” to the lowered lake levels. His office is working with the Corps of Engineers to dispose of the debris that dots the Lake Cumberland shoreline.

“This would be an ideal time to clean up the shoreline, and there are several different ways we could do it,” Rogers said. “Burning the debris is an option in the fall, after we get past the fire season. We have to get permission from the state, but I think (the Corps) is working on a plan for a major cleanup.”

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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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