0205 news

Two locations under consideration for power plant

Two Lewis County locations along the Ohio River are under consideration for a $1.6 billion power plant by American Electric Power (AEP) to locate a "clean coal" electric generating station.

One location, according to Vanceburg Utilities Superintendent Phil Kennedy, is at Carrs on Ky. Rt. 8 west of Vanceburg, and the second is at St. Paul on Ky. Rt. 8.

Kennedy said that Vanceburg Mayor W.T. Cooper and he had been in negotiations with AEP for several months to try to lure the company to locate in Lewis County.

"This would be great for Lewis County, not only during the construction phase but for those long term jobs that will have excellent pay and benefits," Kennedy said.

Vanceburg Utilities purchases electricity from AEP now but that contract will be up soon. AEP supplies electricity to companies which, in turn, supply electricity to some 175,000 customers in Eastern Kentucky.

The mayor said that SEP has been a good neighbor and judging from their previous record, he felt sure the preferred site would be the one at Carrs.

"The lines are already there and they already own the property," he said, echoing the sentiments of Kennedy.

"We're looking at some jobs, including out-of-county workers along with in-county workers and then the long term jobs," he said. "This is a tremendous opportunity for us."

"Things are looking up for us," he added. "We're looking at access roads and line connections along with the local jobs we'll have."

State Representative Robin Webb said Kentucky has given a competitive offer to AEP and is confident that the Lewis County locations are high on the list of those locations being considered for the location of the "clean" plant.

Locations in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana and Virginia are also vying to locate the plant in their respective states.

A decision is expected to be made by Fall. AEP purchased properties in the 70s and primary distribution lines have already been constructed at the Carrs location.

Kennedy said the proximity to Dravo Lime, just downriver in Mason County, and coal suppliers makes the Carrs location lucrative. AEP, he said, is considering a plant to produce somewhere between 500 megawatts and 1,000 megawatts.

He said the plant would have less airborne emissions than existing plants and would be in compliance with clean air laws for several years to come.

Ohio River crested Monday morning

The National Weather Service at Wilmington, Ohio, has said the Ohio River crested at Vanceburg early Monday morning.

The NWS spokesman said that the river had exceeded the flood stage slightly and resulted in some flooding in low-lying areas along with minor flooding in river tributaries including Kinniconick and Salt Lick.

Recent rains and melting snow have contributed to the situation although water levels did not threaten Vanceburg businesses or homes. Some areas prone to flooding have seen some flooding of homes along the river and Kinniconick.

Early Monday, water was reported over Main Street in Vanceburg between the railroad tracks and Rt. 8, Quicks Run, Briary Road at Quincy, Everman's Dreamview, Skidmore Drive, Flag Point and entrances to Lewis County Central Elementary off Lexington Avenue.

Paula FrankeLewis County Herald

Main Street between the Commercial Hotel and Ky. Rt. 8 was one of several roads closed due to high water when the Ohio River exceeded flood stage over the weekend. As a result of widespread flooding, Lewis County schools were closed Monday and Tuesday.

City Council considers ownership of access road

By Al Owens

Meeting in regular session last week the Vanceburg City Council tabled a request to take over ownership of the access road at Bee-Mart to the AA Highway, site of the Farmers Market and the new Human Resources Building.

Yancey Clark and Bill Fowler of Fowler-Clark Realty LLC, Danville, own the Human Resource Building and lease it to the state. They attended the meeting along with R.B. Kirk, owner of Bee-Mart.

The council approved the motion made by Councilman Tim Bowden to table the issue until the city can investigate all the matters relevant to ownership of the access road..

Mayor William T. "Bill Tom" Cooper said that paving and maintaining the streets in Vanceburg usually costs about $100,000 annually. He estimated that maintaining the access road could possibly add $60,000 to $70,000 to that expense, and he wasn't sure the city had the finances to handle that obligation.

In the absence of City Attorney E.V. Holder Jr., the Cooper swore in two new firefighters. They are Ronnie Lewis and Benny Johnson.

He then administered the oath of office to all the city council members for their current term that will expire in two years.

Kennard and Jolly achieve professional development marks

Just like Lewis County's students, two members of the Lewis County Board of Education did their homework in 2005, completing the training required to attain special recognition from the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA).

Robert Kennard has achieved Level Two and Bonnie Jolly has achieved Level One Certification in KSBA's Academy of Studies. Earning higher Academy of Studies certification means that Kentucky board members have completed a series of specific of courses and/or participation in association leadership training. Level One is the initial certification degree and Level Five is the most advanced.

Under state law, elected school board members must participate in approved professional development training annually. The number of hours vary depending on each board member's length of service.

In a normal year, just one in 10 local school board members reaches a new level of certification. KSBA President William Lovell said that achievement shows a special attention to new ideas by Kennard and Jolly.

"We now have annual sessions of the legislature and that means new state laws every year. There are changes proposed in the federal No Child Left Behind law. A board member can't just go to monthly meetings and let his or her service end at that. We have to find out who else is putting practical solutions in place for problems common to all levels of public schools," said Lovell.

"These local school board members have demonstrated that they are willing to commit the extra hours to find better ways to educate our children and use tax dollars more efficiently," he said.

KSBA Academy of Studies training covers areas such as use of student achievement data, budget development, education law, legislative advocacy, superintendent selection and evaluation, school construction and safety, long-range planning, policy development and community involvement.

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