News from October
14, 2004 issue
Money released for 641
relocation
Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown and state Rep. Mike
Cherry say the Transportation Department's release of money to
appraise property along the proposed new U.S. 641 route is the
latest sign that the project is moving forward.
Highway department and local county officials met last week with
a few of the residents who will be affected by the road construction.
Brown said three houses will have to be taken down and the owners
of those homes have been notified and were at last week's meeting.
The three that will be affected belong to Curt and Sharon Phelps
near Crayne and two homes just out of Marion near Weldon Road
owned by Keith and Chris Davis and Harold and Joy Hunt.
Those homeowners and other residents who will be impacted by the
road met at the Crittenden County Courthouse last Thursday. Transportation
officials were there to answer questions about the relocation
of U.S. 641 between Marion and Fredonia. According to District
Highway Engineer Ted Merryman, planning on the project has advanced
sufficiently since the November 2002 public information meeting
to provide property owners with a timely update.
"Funding has been approved to begin property appraisals along
the proposed route, allowing us to begin the right-of-way process.
Actual on-site appraisals are expected to begin in the next four
to six months," Merryman said.
In the appraisal process, a professionally certified appraiser
determines the fair market value of the affect pieces of real
estate. A value is attached to each parcel and the landowners
are made aware of the amount. If the landowner does not think
the appraisal is fair which the amount the state will pay
for the property he may appeal it. Upon appeal, if the landowner
still does not receive what he thinks is a fair price, the issue
will have to be settled in court.
Judge Brown, who set up the meeting, said it appears that despite
a shortfall the state transportation funds, this project continues
to move ahead.
"This highway is a Kentucky Transportation Department priority,"
Brown said.
Cherry, who was in Frankfort last week and unable to attend the
meeting here, echoed that sentiment.
"By releasing the appraisal money, the state has signaled
that this remains a viable project that is going to get done,"
said the Democrat from Princeton. Cherry said the fact that money
is being released for this project is a clear indication that
the project is not going to be stalled like many others across
the state.
"This signals that the program is not being ignored or unnecessarily
delayed," said Cherry.
There are $3 million in the transportation department's Six-Year
Highways Plan for property appraisal and land acquisition for
this project. Of that total, just over $100,000 has been released
to complete the appraisals process.
Following the appraisal process, the state should release the
rest of the budgeted funds to complete the land acquisition, perhaps
early next year, Brown said.
"If there are any other residents who would like to meet
in small groups with transportation officials about this project,
we will schedule a meeting," Brown said. "We like to
keep these to small groups because that way the people can ask
the questions they need answered and have some one-on-one time
with state transportation officials."
The U.S. 641 project's northern section which will be from
Marion to Fredonia will involve about 5.6 miles of construction
and will affect 68 parcels of property. Plans are already complete
for the route for the northern section and the southern section
from Fredonia to Eddyville or Princeton will be approved
sometime in the next year, according to highway department officials
who held recent public meetings in the area.
Brown and Cherry both stressed that local officials must remain
vigilant in pursing the project so that it doesn't get lost in
the shuffle.
"It's going to continue to take every ounce of political
pressure we can muster to keep this going," Brown said.
"We're going to have to use all the political pressure we
can to make sure that once the appraisal process is completed,
the remainder of the acquisition money is released. And I am optimistic
that it will be," Cherry said in a phone interview Monday
from Frankfort.
Local
man drawn for elk hunt
For the better part of seven years, Donnie Beavers has dreamed
of hunting elk in his native state.
He's always been on the cutting edge of conservation. In the early
1990s, Beavers helped form the National Wild Turkey Federation
chapter in Crittenden County. He was partly responsbile for the
NWTF giving $10,000 to the elk project at Land Between the Lakes
and has always been attracted to the newest, innovative types
of outdoor adventures.
Now, he's living an adventure that thousands across Kentucky will
covet. Beavers left Wednesday morning on an elk hunting trip to
the mountains of eastern Kentucky.
"It's the hunt of a lifetime. I really don't know how to
explain it," said Beavers Tuesday before packing his gear
and heading to Breathitt, Perry, Leslie and Knott counties.
"I've made several contacts in those counties and we're going
to narrow it down to the best spot," he said.
Beavers was drawn as one of just 38 individuals for a quota hunt
in open counties. He must hunt with the weapon that's legal during
the corresponding deer season.
"I will bow hunt Thursday and Friday and try to be on a heard
by the weekend when I can hunt with a muzzleloader," he said.
Hunting companion Morris Lee of Owensboro, a two-time Pope &
Young recordbook deer hunter, will be making the trip to help
call and dress the elk.
"These animals weigh hundreds of pounds and we're going to
need a four-wheeler, maybe even a front-end loader to get it out
of the mountains," he added.
Beavers drew a cow tag, but that doesn't dampen his spirits. Just
being on the hunt is a great experience.
"The bulls are bugeling now and I understand that's a spine-tingling
thing to hear in the wild," said the 47-year-old manager
of the local water district.
Kentucky began the elk
restoration project in 1997. Free-ranging, wild elk had been
extinct in Kentucky since before the Civil War.
Parent
upset over bad middle school book
Beverly Guess was shocked when she picked up a book her son was
reading for the middle school's Accelerated Reader program.
Within the first five pages of the book, "Damage," Guess
encountered issues she didn't want her child to read, and she
said the content got worse.
Guess said her son, a seventh grader, chose the book based on
a description on the back cover. It's a book about a high school
football standout who, on the book's jacket, is described as "a
likable guy, good with the ladies. Lately, though, he doesn't
like his life or anything else so much."
A review printed on the book's back cover calls it "seductive,
chilling and ultimately satisfying."
Guess says the book describes adult situations and is very dark
and depressing.
"It's not good from start to finish," Guess says. "(The
character) is thinking about suicide and there are no good morals
that come out of it."
She said the book is listed as a 4.9 reading level which
is the reading level of many elementary students and she
fears the book could be in elementary schools elsewhere.
Guess met with Crittenden County Middle School Principal Vince
Clark, who says the book was ordered by the school but based on
recommendations by Perma-Bound, a national company that provides
abstracts thousands of books.
Crittenden Middle School, like other schools across the country,
uses Perma-Bound's recommendation for books to make purchases
for the library and the Accelerated Reader program.
"As soon as I met with Mrs. Guess, we pulled all of the books
by that author and about 500 books we had ordered this year,"
Clark said. "It is a totally inappropriate book."
Clark said the school has contacted Perma-Bound. He suggests the
book may have been contained on the company's suggested reading
list because its author, A.M. Jenkins, has the same last name
as another reputable author.
The principal said he will discuss implementing a screening process
for AR books with the school council at its October meeting.
Until now, there has not been a process for screening books. Instead,
Clark said the school has relied on the suggestions made by Perma-Bound.
"We expect more from them," Clark said.
Guess plans to speak to the Crittenden County Board of Education
at its meeting next Tuesday night about the book.