Carey Johnson, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Coordinator from the Division of Water of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection explained the insurance program to City Council members last week. He was assisted by Pamela Moore and Tom Miller from FEMA.

Johnson told the council that he was at the meeting to talk about safe flood plain management where people can live in flood prone areas safely so they won’t lose everything they own and/or their lives.

Johnson informed the council that flooding is the greatest major disaster problem in Kentucky. He said that the chance of people living in a floodplain being flooded is one in four compared to a five percent chance or less of having a home destroyed by fire.

Since 1978 Kentucky has incurred almost 160 million dollars in flood losses.

He continued by saying that Kentucky has over 89,000 miles of rivers and streams. In the nation, that is second only to Alaska. Every one of those rivers and streams has a floodplain area associated with it.

Johnson shared the goals of the NFIP with the council.

1) To reduce the loss of life and property associated with flooding.

2) To reduce the cost of disaster relief associated with any kind of Presidentially declared disaster.

3) To make flood insurance available to anybody who lives in a community that participates in the NFIP.

Johnson pointed out that the NFIP is a voluntary program initiated by Congress that trickles down through the states to local governments. However, communities notified as flood prone that do not apply for participation in the program within one year of notification are not eligible for federal or federally related financial assistance for acquisition, construction or reconstruction of insurable buildings in any area designated as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Conventional loans may be acquired in the SFHA of nonparticipating communities but at the lender’s risk.

Basically the program requires that local governments adopt a flood damage prevention ordinance and enforce it. The ordinance requires residents that live in a floodplain to obtain a permit for construction or major repair to buildings in the floodplain. The permit will not be granted unless the resident obtains flood insurance, and banks cannot lend federal money to citizens that do not have flood insurance.

Johnson explained that the NFIP is designed to guide development and building away from high-flood-risk areas. Whenever construction occurs in flood prone areas more water runs off onto neighboring properties and that can increase an already frustrating problem.

The program also sets construction guidelines designed to prevent or reduce flood damage. They include elevation of the structure, flood proofing and properly constructed foundations. Information on flood proofing structures may be obtained from the Mayor’s office.

In other business, council approved the second reading of the annual ordinance setting the real estate tax rate for the city. The rate remains unchanged at .14 for every $100 of assessed property value.

The council moved to set Thursday, October 30, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. as the date and time for Trick or Treating in Vanceburg.

City Attorney E.V. Holder Jr. swore in Michael Hartley and Kenny Switzer as firefighters for the city. Switzer is the son of Fire Chief James "Bubbles" Switzer.

The council entered closed session to discuss litigation. Upon returning to open session council members elected to give Mayor William T. "Bill Tom" Cooper and City Attorney E.V. Holder, Jr., authorization to take appropriate procedural action to enforce the collection of mortgages due the city on property located in the south end of Vanceburg. No further elaborations were given.

Mayor Cooper announced that the city received a medallion commemorating its participation in the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial 2003-2006. He said that very few of those medallions will be awarded and Vanceburg received one of them.

Bob Wilson granted the city a second medallion recognizing the Corps of Discovery Expedition. The medallions will be put on display in the city.

Mayor Cooper told the council that the recycling program is going well so far. He said that very few people have opted out of the program and most of those that have are elderly citizens that live alone and don’t have much trash of any kind to begin with.

The Mayor noted that the recycling Rosies do not have to be taken to the curb every week but only when they are full of recycled materials.

He also announced that the old shoe factory on Rt. 8 has been leased for 15 years and machinery is being moved in. The company leasing the property will issue an official announcement in the near future.

The "From the Heart Foundation" presented the first AED to James "Bubbles" Switzer, chief of the Vanceburg Fire Department. He along with 36 other firefighters in the county's five fire departments received the training, AED and portable suction unit, paid for by the Morehead-based "From the Heart Foundation".

Pictured, back row, left to right, Lewis County Primary Care CEO Jerry Ugrin, Lewis County Judge Executive Steve Applegate, VFD Chief James "Bubbles" Switzer, Lewis County Primary Care Medical Director Dr. Jeff Parker, Lewis County Emergency Management Director Carl Chaney and Lewis County Primary Care COO David Bolt; middle row, ARNP Lewis County Primary Care Bill Poczatek, Dr. Jose Yongco and Matthew Callahan; seated, From the Heart Foundation treasurer David Eldridge, Community Liaison and spokesperson Sarah Howard and From the Heart Foundation secretary Annabelle Moore, RN.

The site of this year's Blitz Build is located across from Bolander's sawmill on Garrison Lane (last house on the right before crossing the railroad tracks, watch for signs).

A dedication ceremony and open house is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Friday 24.

Named in the lawsuit were Sanford Howard; Trace Creek Construction Inc.; Trace Creek LLC; Commonwealth of Kentucky, Finance and Administration Cabinet, Division of Real Property and Jack Morris as Director; and John and Jane Does, unknown individuals.

Stanley said he would soon add the names of the now unknown individuals as defendants to the suit.

Stanley's suit alleges a conspiracy by Howard, Trace Creek Construction Inc., Trace Creek LLC and unnamed others "to accomplish the wrongful termination of the real property lease".

Howard said, after being served a copy of the paperwork, that the suit came as a complete surprise to him. He said he had no knowledge of any alleged wrongdoing against him or his company and added that he would respond to the charges in the proper format.

On Feb. 27, Stanley was officially notified by the State that the lease agreement was being cancelled for the Department of Human Services office in Stanley's building on Second Street in Vanceburg. The notification stated that "the using agency determined that the subject facility was untenantable" following allegations of health and building code violations.

Local employees had vacated the building on Feb. 14, finding temporary locations in the Lewis County Courthouse and the Housing Authority building on Fairlane Drive.

In April, the City of Vanceburg announced that it would submit a bid to the state to construct a new building to house the local Department office. That spurred a number of local businessmen, including Stanley, to voice opposition to the proposal at special city meeting in April. He and others questioned whether the city should enter a venture that competes with local residents for rental business.