By Dennis Brown

While damage to the church building on Ky. Rt. 377 may not be evident to those passing by, the damage to the foundation of the structure was extensive enough to relocate services to the adjacent fellowship hall.

Thacker’s Chapel Church Pastor Ronnie Riggs said when flood waters receded on July 21, he and some others stopped by the church to check things out. They noticed the carpeting in the building was dry and thought all was OK, excepting some displaced gravel and underpinning.

A couple of days later the damage became more evident.

Riggs said cracks began to appear in the walls and the original part of the sanctuary, built in 1937, began to separate from later additions.

Riggs said the original structure was constructed on stacks of large rocks, following the building methods of the time. The rushing water ran beneath the building and apparently washed away soil beneath some of the stacks of rocks.

He said the building has been settling down in the locations where the water appeared to have caused the most erosion under the foundation stones.

The fellowship hall, located directly behind the sanctuary, is located closer to ground level. Flood water got inside that separate building to a depth of about one foot and left a layer of mud on the concrete floor.

Riggs said church members jumped in to clean the building and when it was determined that services could not be conducted in the sanctuary, they began to prepare the fellowship hall for the congregational setting.

He said drinking water for workers and cleaning supplies brought in by the Red Cross were picked up from the Kinniconick Fire Department.

Floors were scrubbed and walls were repainted, the pulpit, some pews and the altar were relocated to the fellowship hall. The services, which average about 20 in attendance, were temporarily moved until more long-term plans are made and implemented.

Riggs said there are about 12 children who attend Sunday School at the church. Classrooms had been added to the rear of the church building in the 1960s but the only access was through the sanctuary.

Since that portion of the building was not apparently damaged, members removed a window and replaced it with a door, then added a porch to allow access to the classrooms without having to go through the damaged sanctuary.

Riggs said he is afraid the structure can’t be saved.

He said as the building continues to settle the wall cracks are 

expanding. “Rafters and joists are broken,” he said. “The floor is pulled away from the pulpit area and everything below the floor is ruined. We’ll probably need a new structure.”

“This is a time of healing for the congregation,” Riggs said. “We just have to get over it first and we’ll move on.”

Riggs said this is the first time that he knows of the water has been that deep in the area. He said there was no water near the church building during May flooding around the county. “There was never anything like this,” he said.

Several members have been working as they can since the flood hit. Riggs said most of the members have jobs with various shifts and with school preparing to start, he said, it’s been tough to get workers there at the same time.

And many of the members also have flood damage of their own to deal with.

Riggs, who works at Carmeuse Lime in Mason County, said he has no idea of the dollar value of the damage, but the church will continue. “We’ll do something,” he said. “I don’t know when or how big, but we’ll do something.”

He said while there is insurance on the building, it doesn’t cover flood damage. He’s been in contact with FEMA representatives and is dealing with paperwork now to try and get some assistance.

“There was a lot of damage across the county,” Riggs said. “People lost their homes, their crops, their businesses. We were very fortunate there was no loss of life.”

The structure is much more than just a building to Riggs, his family and the congregation. “Roots run deep in this church,” he said.

Riggs met his wife, Sharon, there when his father, Charlie, was preaching a revival. They were later married there.

“There are five generations here now,” he said. One baby was born to a member the day before the flood.

He said the small church is in need of monetary donations to do some of the major work but understands the economy is tough and money is tight.

“When you go to building something, it adds up,” he said. “The cost of a board or two may not be too much, but when you put a lot of them together . . .”

The offering was $123 on the previous Sunday. “With the regular bills and trying to help people in need, there isn’t much left over,” he said.

Riggs said any donations to assist with repairs or rebuilding would be appreciated. “We’ll take what we can,” he said. “We’ll get it. We’re going to stay.”

Donations to Thacker’s Chapel Church may be sent in care of Fredia Plank, 498 Thurman Branch, Vanceburg KY 41179.

By Dennis Brown

Vanceburg City Council last week adopted ordinances which will allow the Vanceburg Electric Plant Board to save a projected $300,000 in interest payments over the next 20 years.

The $5 million bond issue was made in 2000 for electric improvements. The ordinances will allow for the bonds to be refinanced at a lower interest rate.

Council also approved a legal services agreement with John Holder to handle issues related to a rural development grant/loan for the construction of a new fire station/community center for the city.

The agreement allows for Holder to be paid $100 per hour for his services with an $800 cap unless approved by council in advance.

People’s Self-Help Housing presented their annual report on the Green Street Apartments to the city.

PSHH manages the city owned property and since the apartments were constructed in 1998, $1,000 of the profits has been turned over to the city each year. The report also noted total payments to

Kentucky Housing Corporation of just over $77,000 of the $427,000 original loan on the project.

The final payment on the zero percent interest loan is due to KHC in 2024.

Mayor Angie Patton reported that a $25,000 grant applied for by the city to make repairs at the boat dock recreation area was turned down.

Patton said she hopes to work with the carpentry class at the Career and Technical Center to provide labor to renovate the shelter and picnic tables if the city purchases the materials.

Council Member Denver Moore presented an update on the Plant Board to council members. Moore said the utility company is preparing to map the natural gas lines as part of a recent mandate from the Department of Transportation.

Before adjourning, council voted to go into closed session to discuss the possible sale of property and proposed or pending litigation.