Posted on September 22, 2020
PADUCAH — The city of Paducah has spent about a year trying to figure out how to get rid of the growing landmass forming by the transient boat dock. It’s so large now that it’s affecting the dock’s usability.
In May, Paducah City Engineer Rick Murphy said the city had received a grant from FEMA to pay for part of the removal of the landmass. Murphy had said the city had hoped to begin dredging the silt by the end of the summer. But nothing has started yet, because the Kentucky Division of Water denied the application for a permit to dredge.
The Division of Water had some concerns about the cities proposal for the dredging. Murphy says the division didn’t like the city’s proposal for disposal for the silt, and had concerns about what might happen downstream. That’s really all we know about the denial.
Murphy and City Manager Jim Arndt declined Local 6’s request for on-camera interviews on this issue on Thursday. Murphy said he didn’t have time, and Arndt said he isn’t available for the next two days.
Earlier this year, Local 6 obtained contract documents concerning the landmass through an open records request. One of the contracts is with HDR Engineering. The city entered into the agreement with HDR in February. The cost of the contract is $29,950. More than $17,000 of the contract is labeled as permit application package.
The city will only have to pay 13% of the total cost of the dredging project. The FEMA grant will pay for 75% of the dredging, and the state will pay 12%.
The next step in the project is resubmitting the application for the permit. It’s unclear how long that will take, or how much it will cost.
Local 6 reached out to both Paducah mayoral candidates on the issue. Commissioner Richard Abraham says he didn’t learn about the permit denial until WPSD called him about the issue.
“Most folks agree that we should be up to speed on exactly what’s happening prior to being contacted by the media. The landmass is not getting any smaller,” Abraham said.
Abraham’s opponent, local businessman George Bray, says he wants to learn more about the issue before commenting. Coincidentally, one of the meetings Murphy had Thursday was a briefing for Bray on Paducah’s stormwater problem at the candidate’s campaign headquarters.
Paducah spokeswoman Pam Spencer says she is working to set up an interview with Murphy on the issue for sometime next week.
Source: wpsdlocal6
