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Fletcher awards road funds for Robertson County
Friday, October 26, 2007 12:59 AM EDT
On Oct. 24, Gov. Ernie Fletcher approved an award of $142,000 in County Road Aid emergency funds for Robertson County to make repairs to the failing road.
Grause, who depends on the road to access his property, as do at least two other property owners, has repeatedly attended fiscal court meeting requesting action.
Often referred to in fiscal court meetings over the last three years, as dangerous, bordering on treacherous, New Hieatt Bottom Road, a replacement for the old Hieatt Bottom Road which was destroyed in the 1997 flood of the Licking River, developed slippage almost immediately after being built and fell into poor condition with in a year or so.
According to reports, FEMA funding paid for the new road to be built instead of repairing the old one.
Present Judge-Executive Hammer Allison has been unable to locate information on the original amount the county received through FEMA to have the new road built.
"I have been looking back into the records, but we are talking about almost 10 years ago. All I know is that it apparently was not built right so now we are fixing it," said Allison, who took office in 2007.
The $142,000 represents 80 percent of the estimated project cost with Robertson County responsible for administering to all phases of the work.
"We are providing manpower and our people can do all of the work except driving pilings, the final blacktopping and the guard rails. We have to hire out that work," said Allison.
Work will hopefully begin before the weather turns bad, said Allison.
"We want it done soon. It is a miracle someone has not been hurt or that a vehicle has not gotten loose on that road. It is dangerous in the condition it is in," said Allison.
Need for New Hieatt Bottom Road repairs has been a frequent fiscal court topic and Kentucky transportation officials often attended the meetings.
In 2004, then magistrate Terry Norris said years ago it was agreed in fiscal court to fix the old Hieatt Road. Norris said that plan was changed and the new road was built.
In 2005, the court discussed seeking emergency funds to repair an embankment slide on New Hieatt Bottom Road. Transportation Cabinet Branch Manager for Operations Rob Hans attended the meeting and said that project would cost about $176,380.
In early 2007, Magistrate Diane Poe brought photographs to two meetings to help the court visualize the enormity of the problem. In several photographs a guard rail appears to be disappearing well below the grade where a slip has continued to devour the road. Waves of fill and gravel have developed, creating a washboard effect that made traveling the road frightening, "even at 15 miles per hour," said Poe.
At another 2007 fiscal court meeting, Tom Schomaker, executive director of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet was in attendance. He explained that a geo-technical investigation of the slide area was conducted and the report is in the hands of Ginger Wells.
Allison said he had spoken with Wells and was told a new policy required the county to take pictures of the area and get two estimates from two contractors.
Unfamiliar with such a policy, Schomaker did say his office had received a communication from Wells requesting an estimate on slide correction.
According to Allison, road department supervisor David Carmack has already begun trying to make contact with someone to do the pile driving.
"He was making calls today," said Allison.
New Hieatt Bottom Road is located off U.S. 62, west of Kentontown.
For more area news, go to http://www.maysville-online.com.
Contact Wendy Mitchell at wendy.mitchell@lee.net or call 564-9091, ext. 276.
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