Posted on May 22, 2019
An ambitious flood control project along the Levisa Fork River in Pike County may have to proceed without a key player in the plan.
At Monday’s meeting of the Pikeville City Commission, commissioners expressed no support for being a part of a $1.2 billion flood control project which would be executed under the authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and would be a collaborative effort with the Pike County government and the City of Coal Run Village. Pikeville’s participation is key in the flood control plan, and the city would have to contribute some funding for the project in order to make more funding become available. At Monday’s meeting, however, the commission expressed no interest in taking part. Pikeville City Attorney Rusty Davis said it would be difficult for the city to invest in the project, given that 80 percent of the total project lies outside of the Pikeville city limits.
“It would be very difficult for us to pay for a project that benefits outside of our jurisdictional limits,” Davis said.
The flood control project was first proposed in in 2003, but fell to the wayside due to a lack of funding. As part of the project, flood walls would be constructed in Coal Run and in portions of Pikeville, along with other locations. Other flood control structures would also be constructed, and other flood abatement work, including the raising of structures and the purchase of others, would also be performed. According to documents from the City of Pikeville, both Pikeville’s and Coal Run’s estimated cost would be between $115 million and $125 million each. Pike County’s estimated cost, according to the documents, would be $850 million. The entities taking part in the project would be required to pay 5 percent of their estimated cost toward matching funds for the project, with the remainder of the cost of the project being funded through Department for Local Government funding.
The total plan would affect an estimated 2,000 structures.
During a Pike Fiscal Court meeting in April, the project was again discussed, and county officials indicated the Corps of Engineers is ready to move forward. At Monday’s city commission meeting, Pikeville City Manager Philip Elswick said the Corp of Engineers has already spent nearly $8.5 million on the project, and that nearly $12.5 million in funding for the project had been received as of Jan. 31.
As part of the project, the three entities involved would have to contribute combined funds of nearly $657,000 in order to see the remaining $4 million of that initial $12.5 million be made available.
The Pikeville City Commission, given the delays in the project thus far, expressed little confidence that the project would be fully-funded throughout its duration. The commission also expressed concern about the timeline for the project and when Pikeville’s portion of the project would get underway.
Source: news-expressky.com
