Don't you just hate the crowded parking lot at our local McDonalds. It is hard to park a truck there. Limited space. I would love to see the car wash torn down and room made for additional parking. The gas station in front of Stop and Shop has reduced the parking space. McDonalds would get more business from me if the lot wasn't so congested. School buses from out of town schools visiting for a ball game would have a hard time finding a parking spot. Ditto to large semis.
If I was McDonalds, I would build a new location on the Richmond Road near Roses Cash and Carry. Or tear down the car wash!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Estill County's funeral homes need websites!
Most funeral homes today have websites listing services, obituaries with pictures of the deceased, directions to the home etc.. Neither funeral home in Estill County offers such services which probably drives out of town people crazy!
Our 2 funeral homes are throwbacks to the past. You won't see a photo display/video of the deceased person.
Why should a funeral home be so cold and uncaring? These funeral homes need places for the family to escape and grieve.
I ecnourage Lewis and Toler homes to look at websites for Turpin funeral home or Oldham Roberts Powell in Richmond. It isn't like the local funeral homes aren't getting enough money!! I wished the owners of Lewis Funeral Home would consider a new home somewhere away from town where there is more parking. Or purchase a parking lot off court street.
Our 2 funeral homes are throwbacks to the past. You won't see a photo display/video of the deceased person.
Why should a funeral home be so cold and uncaring? These funeral homes need places for the family to escape and grieve.
I ecnourage Lewis and Toler homes to look at websites for Turpin funeral home or Oldham Roberts Powell in Richmond. It isn't like the local funeral homes aren't getting enough money!! I wished the owners of Lewis Funeral Home would consider a new home somewhere away from town where there is more parking. Or purchase a parking lot off court street.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Ideas for the old Food World/Save A Lot building
1. Dollar Tree
2. Pamida
3. Big Lots
4. Cinema
5. Peddler's Mall
6. Wal-Greens
7. Small Wal Mart similar to the ones in Manchester, Jackson or Whitesburg
8. UK off campus classes
2. Pamida
3. Big Lots
4. Cinema
5. Peddler's Mall
6. Wal-Greens
7. Small Wal Mart similar to the ones in Manchester, Jackson or Whitesburg
8. UK off campus classes
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Irvine Food Court renovation
Looks like a food mart will be located in the former playground area of the Irvine Food Mart on Richmond Road. The central seating area has been replaced by a food mart. Long Johns and Burger King will have seating just outside the central area. Gas tanks will remove several parking spaces in front of the food court.
I am sure a food mart will be more profitable to the owners than a playground or arcade games. Maybe the food mart will keep Long Johns and Arby's open. I miss Taco Bell and Burger King.
It will be nice to see another gasoline station on Richmond Road. More competition keeps prices under control.
When the new Save A Lot opens in the old Maloney's/Hecks/LA Joes/Liquadators building across the road, the turning lanes will see more traffic. A stop light would be nice. Given that a stop light is located at the intersection of Richmond Road and Dark Hollow Road, it is unlikely that a new stop light will be installed.
Estill Countians should support the food court. Jobs would be lost and Estill Countians would have fewer eating choices if the food court were to close again. Maybe the new gas tanks will mean more people will use to food court. I would love to see a shopping center built behind the food court to help anchor the food court. More people shopping there would benefit everyone including property owners, franchisees, employees etc. Couldn't you envision a new Wal Mart building located behind the food court. Messrs Williams and Gross could make money by the transaction and local jobs could be created.
I am sure a food mart will be more profitable to the owners than a playground or arcade games. Maybe the food mart will keep Long Johns and Arby's open. I miss Taco Bell and Burger King.
It will be nice to see another gasoline station on Richmond Road. More competition keeps prices under control.
When the new Save A Lot opens in the old Maloney's/Hecks/LA Joes/Liquadators building across the road, the turning lanes will see more traffic. A stop light would be nice. Given that a stop light is located at the intersection of Richmond Road and Dark Hollow Road, it is unlikely that a new stop light will be installed.
Estill Countians should support the food court. Jobs would be lost and Estill Countians would have fewer eating choices if the food court were to close again. Maybe the new gas tanks will mean more people will use to food court. I would love to see a shopping center built behind the food court to help anchor the food court. More people shopping there would benefit everyone including property owners, franchisees, employees etc. Couldn't you envision a new Wal Mart building located behind the food court. Messrs Williams and Gross could make money by the transaction and local jobs could be created.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Improving education in Estill County
Here are some ideas off the top of my head:
1. Hire high quality educators and avoid hiring someone based solely upon their surname. One shouldn't inherit teaching jobs in Estill County.
2. Develop sports at Estill High School that might involve some of the lower income students such as archery, swimming, wrestling, etc.
3. Estill seniors need to be able to connect to distant learning for courses not offered at the high school.
4. As stated earlier, Estill needs a vocational school and they need to stop hauling our young people to Richmond...it is costly and time consuming.
5. Special education classes should take more field trips...get the kids out of Irvine and into the rest of the area. Spend less gas on the daily commute to KY Tech and more money on field trips.
6. Build a new cafeteria/gymnasium and office space at West Irvine. Convert gym/caferia into a library and music room. Convert the current kitchen into a classroom or maybe computer lab. Tear down the outside addition and create a 5th grade pod connected to the main building.
7. South Irvine elementary should become a k-5 school again. Build a new pod so some West Irvine students from Wisemantown and Red Lick could attend South Irvine Elementary.
8. End 90 minute block scheduling at the Estill County High School.
9. Time Out Rooms are needed for the grade schools. Something like In-school suspension would be great.
10. Limit parents from going all over the school to pick up their children. A real safety issue. Parents shouldn't be allowed past the office without a visitor's pass. The safety of students and faculty is very important.
11. Adopt 2 hour delays to cut down on missed snow days.
12. Connect the old Irvine High School into the Estill Springs elementary so students won't freeze and get wet walking to and from the main building.
13. Finally have administrators from the local school take a trip to schools in neighboring school districts.
14. Encourage clubs at Estill County High school to accept lower income students.
1. Hire high quality educators and avoid hiring someone based solely upon their surname. One shouldn't inherit teaching jobs in Estill County.
2. Develop sports at Estill High School that might involve some of the lower income students such as archery, swimming, wrestling, etc.
3. Estill seniors need to be able to connect to distant learning for courses not offered at the high school.
4. As stated earlier, Estill needs a vocational school and they need to stop hauling our young people to Richmond...it is costly and time consuming.
5. Special education classes should take more field trips...get the kids out of Irvine and into the rest of the area. Spend less gas on the daily commute to KY Tech and more money on field trips.
6. Build a new cafeteria/gymnasium and office space at West Irvine. Convert gym/caferia into a library and music room. Convert the current kitchen into a classroom or maybe computer lab. Tear down the outside addition and create a 5th grade pod connected to the main building.
7. South Irvine elementary should become a k-5 school again. Build a new pod so some West Irvine students from Wisemantown and Red Lick could attend South Irvine Elementary.
8. End 90 minute block scheduling at the Estill County High School.
9. Time Out Rooms are needed for the grade schools. Something like In-school suspension would be great.
10. Limit parents from going all over the school to pick up their children. A real safety issue. Parents shouldn't be allowed past the office without a visitor's pass. The safety of students and faculty is very important.
11. Adopt 2 hour delays to cut down on missed snow days.
12. Connect the old Irvine High School into the Estill Springs elementary so students won't freeze and get wet walking to and from the main building.
13. Finally have administrators from the local school take a trip to schools in neighboring school districts.
14. Encourage clubs at Estill County High school to accept lower income students.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Lots of gasoline stations in Clay City KY
Think of the gas stations and Food Marts in Clay City between the Mt. Parkway and downtown Clay City. Two near the Mt. Parkway. Not to mention about 4 past the Mt. Parkway into downtown.
Then consider the fact that there are NO food marts or gas stations between Hargett and KY 499/Proctor Bypass. Imagine if a new road would be built between Irvine and Hargett! You would think there would be a food mart near the schools and industrial park on KY 89 North.
River Drive doesn't have a food mart. Only one gasoline station between Irvine and Ravenna. Only one place in Ravenna to buy gasoline. Broadway doesn't have gasoline stations either. Only 3 places to buy gasoline on the Richmond Road between the bridge and the Stacy Lane Road.
Better roads mean more business growth and more jobs. Just compare the number of gasloine stations in Clay City to those in Ravenna. I don't need to say anything more!
Then consider the fact that there are NO food marts or gas stations between Hargett and KY 499/Proctor Bypass. Imagine if a new road would be built between Irvine and Hargett! You would think there would be a food mart near the schools and industrial park on KY 89 North.
River Drive doesn't have a food mart. Only one gasoline station between Irvine and Ravenna. Only one place in Ravenna to buy gasoline. Broadway doesn't have gasoline stations either. Only 3 places to buy gasoline on the Richmond Road between the bridge and the Stacy Lane Road.
Better roads mean more business growth and more jobs. Just compare the number of gasloine stations in Clay City to those in Ravenna. I don't need to say anything more!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Way to go ESTILL COUNTY ENGINEERS FOOTBALL TEAM!
10-1. How sweet it is! Our community needs the positive news. A good athletics program helps draw out of town buisnessmen into our community. Good job! Keep it up! Let the rest of the state know that Estill County has football talent capable of competing with the best in the state!! Thank you for your hard work! I credit the hard work of the coaches, players and the new improved facilities for this welcome news. KEEP IT UP!! GO ESTILL!!!
Irvine Ky needs a new shopping center
Estill County has 15,000 people and no department store. Think of the jobs that would be created if we had more places to shop! Nearly a decade after the completion of the Joseph Proctor bypass, not one new business has opened along this 1 1/2 bypass. Nada. Nothing. Estill County needs a Pamida department store. Local landowners need to be in contact with out of town businesses who might like to expand here. Estill County doesn't have a dairy queen while Powell County has 2. Both Jackson and Lee Counties have Dairy Queens.
It would be nice to see a little more commercial development along KY 52 and 89. At the moment, there are FOR SALE signs along the Richmond and Winchester Roads. But I wonder how many out of town businesses are aware of the property for sale?
Given the traffic congestion on the Eastern bypass in Richmond, many of our elderly drivers would prefer to shop here at home.
I disagree that Estill County couldn't support another shopping center. Think of the money that Estill Countians spend in other counties and imagine this money being spent at a local shopping center.
Property owners should explore out of town business opportunities. Other counties in Kentucky with about 15 K people have seen new commercial development in recent years. If only more people in Estill County had vision. If only more people here WANTED growth. If more people in Estill County would travel outside the boundaries of Estill County and see how growth is good for a community.
Commercial development would create many jobs. And easier jobs than factory work. If only Estill Countians would pressure Frankfort to build a new road from Irvine north to the Mountain Parkway.
It would be nice to see a little more commercial development along KY 52 and 89. At the moment, there are FOR SALE signs along the Richmond and Winchester Roads. But I wonder how many out of town businesses are aware of the property for sale?
Given the traffic congestion on the Eastern bypass in Richmond, many of our elderly drivers would prefer to shop here at home.
I disagree that Estill County couldn't support another shopping center. Think of the money that Estill Countians spend in other counties and imagine this money being spent at a local shopping center.
Property owners should explore out of town business opportunities. Other counties in Kentucky with about 15 K people have seen new commercial development in recent years. If only more people in Estill County had vision. If only more people here WANTED growth. If more people in Estill County would travel outside the boundaries of Estill County and see how growth is good for a community.
Commercial development would create many jobs. And easier jobs than factory work. If only Estill Countians would pressure Frankfort to build a new road from Irvine north to the Mountain Parkway.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Complaints about Estill County Landfill VEOLIA
Why do the people in Estill County have to pay so much for garbage disposal at the local landfill. This landfill is owned by a large international company that doesn't need to rob Estill Countians! Maybe if the rates were cheaper, more people would dispose their trash there instead of in some illegal dump on Tipton Ridge or Barnes Mountain. A truck load of garbage (100 pounds) cost about 13.00!
We often complain about trash along the roadsides. But why doesn't the local landfill lower their rates? People don't have to clean up the roadsides and a high rate for garbage disposal sure isn't encouraging people to clean up Estill County.
They have one free dumping day per year. But the landfill is clogged with traffic. You can't hardly back up or turn around. How about more free cleanup days? The traffic congestion is such a mess that I no longer bother. Why can't we have 3 or 4 free clean up days annually?
Here is another grip of mine. In the early 1990s, you could put a pile of trash along the side of the road and garbage trucks would pick up the trash. Now you have to bring garbage in bags to the landfill. Folks, if you make it too difficult for people to clean up the county, they might just stop trying to clean it up.
People should be allowed to pile up garbage along the roadsides while trucks work the county roads until the trash has been taken away.
It is time to clean up Estill County. Go back to the early 1990s when you didn't have to bring your trash up to the landfill and wait 3 or 4 hours in line to dispose of your garbage.
Let people make stacks in front of their property and have county trucks remove it in a few days. If you REALLY WANT TO CLEAN UP THE COUNTY, don't make it too difficult. Remember people aren't forced to clean up their property. Make is easy and enticing for locals to clean up the mess.
We often complain about trash along the roadsides. But why doesn't the local landfill lower their rates? People don't have to clean up the roadsides and a high rate for garbage disposal sure isn't encouraging people to clean up Estill County.
They have one free dumping day per year. But the landfill is clogged with traffic. You can't hardly back up or turn around. How about more free cleanup days? The traffic congestion is such a mess that I no longer bother. Why can't we have 3 or 4 free clean up days annually?
Here is another grip of mine. In the early 1990s, you could put a pile of trash along the side of the road and garbage trucks would pick up the trash. Now you have to bring garbage in bags to the landfill. Folks, if you make it too difficult for people to clean up the county, they might just stop trying to clean it up.
People should be allowed to pile up garbage along the roadsides while trucks work the county roads until the trash has been taken away.
It is time to clean up Estill County. Go back to the early 1990s when you didn't have to bring your trash up to the landfill and wait 3 or 4 hours in line to dispose of your garbage.
Let people make stacks in front of their property and have county trucks remove it in a few days. If you REALLY WANT TO CLEAN UP THE COUNTY, don't make it too difficult. Remember people aren't forced to clean up their property. Make is easy and enticing for locals to clean up the mess.
Glad downtown Irvine is free of pool rooms and billiards
I remember the pool rooms of the 1970s and 1980s. Pool rooms are often locations for drug dealing, bootlegging and assaults. People have been murdered in pool rooms over the years.
I encourage the city council to ban allow any more pool rooms. A man was shot by police in front of a pool room in 1984. In 2003, a man was murdered in a pool room in Ravenna. Fights and assaults often occur in these seedy places. A pool room owner downtown shot and crippled his girlfriend in the late 1990s. I could go on. But the behavior at our pool rooms over the decade has been disgraceful and embarassing.
It is time for some clean entertainment. A youth center. A skating rink. A bowling alley. An operation that would be operated by respectable people. A venture by someone with the money to provide a safe atmosphere for those attending the business.
If the only entertainment we are allowed to have here is these seedy pool rooms, then let's go to Richmond for entertainment. We don't need someone murdered or injured in a billiard!!
I encourage the city council to ban allow any more pool rooms. A man was shot by police in front of a pool room in 1984. In 2003, a man was murdered in a pool room in Ravenna. Fights and assaults often occur in these seedy places. A pool room owner downtown shot and crippled his girlfriend in the late 1990s. I could go on. But the behavior at our pool rooms over the decade has been disgraceful and embarassing.
It is time for some clean entertainment. A youth center. A skating rink. A bowling alley. An operation that would be operated by respectable people. A venture by someone with the money to provide a safe atmosphere for those attending the business.
If the only entertainment we are allowed to have here is these seedy pool rooms, then let's go to Richmond for entertainment. We don't need someone murdered or injured in a billiard!!
Only one car dealership in Estill County KY
Irvine no longer has a Ford or GM dealership. Once upon a time, Roy Royalty had a Pontiac dealership at the corner of main and River Drive. Elliott and Witt had a Ford and Buick garage on Broadway. Bunt Gross had Chevy and Olds dealerships on Main Street and Richmond Road. Now there is only one dealership: Cornett Chrysler dealership.
I don't know why Ford or GM thinks the Estill County market isn't big enough for a dealership. I do know that both companies had more market share back when they had dealerships in every little town in KY.
I don't know why Ford or GM thinks the Estill County market isn't big enough for a dealership. I do know that both companies had more market share back when they had dealerships in every little town in KY.
access road: Joseph Proctor bypass to industrial park
As you travel along KY 499 aka Joseph Proctor bypass, you notice turning lanes that were built with the plans to build an access road from the bypass to the new industrial park. Yet for years, no construction has occured on the road. Will this road be built? Has state highway funds been allocated for this project? Is this project dead? Too many projects that are planned for Estill County never see construction.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Trying to shop in Irvine/Estill County KY
I wished Irvine had better shopping facilities. I try to shop locally but I do resent higher prices. And if someone isn't nice to be at the front counter, I am less likely to come back. Some of our local merchants need to have a friendly smile and a helping hand to new customers. We need local youths with the business acumen to start businesses that could provided needed employment to local people.
I hope local people won't oppose any out of town business seeking to expand to our community.I miss Maloneys/Hecks/LA Joes. I miss the Sundry Store. I miss the Kroger Store located on Broadway where Johnny Booger used to play his shovels.
I am glad Ravenna KY has a new Dollar General Store downtown.
What are some businesses needed in Estill County? A pet store, computer store, photo center to process film, a food mart along River Drive and Winchester Road, feed store, bakery, taxi service, shoe store, sports store etc.. It is difficult to shop in Estill County KY!
I hope local people won't oppose any out of town business seeking to expand to our community.I miss Maloneys/Hecks/LA Joes. I miss the Sundry Store. I miss the Kroger Store located on Broadway where Johnny Booger used to play his shovels.
I am glad Ravenna KY has a new Dollar General Store downtown.
What are some businesses needed in Estill County? A pet store, computer store, photo center to process film, a food mart along River Drive and Winchester Road, feed store, bakery, taxi service, shoe store, sports store etc.. It is difficult to shop in Estill County KY!
Estill County natives who reside in Madison County
Madison County is full of Estill County natives. Some of these exiles from Estill County live in more remote parts of Madison County. The lower end of Doylesville Road is about as far from Richmond as downtown Irvine yet some Estill Countians are living there instead.
Why aren't more people moving into Estill County? I don't know. Possible reasons might include Estill County's image as a drug producing redneck county. Other reasons might include poor locations for house sites, absence of sewage, limited cell phone coverage in the eastern part, limited cable in some parts, and wanting to be away from certain kinship clans who inhabit some of the rural parts of the county.
Estill County lacks adequate shopping centers and entertainment. One has to travel elsewhere to enjoy some luxuries.
I still don't understand why the population is mostly elderly and declining in number. Powell, Rockcastle, Garrard or Bath Counties are about the same distance to Lexington as Estill and yet these counties have shown population growth since 2000. (source Rand McNally atlas population section).
Why don't younger couples want to reside there? How could we the people of Estill County make our community a more attractive place for others to relocate here? How could we attract Eastern Kentuckians who want to be close to Lexington and yet live in a more peaceful surroundings?
Fact: Estill County (as well as the city of Irvine KY) are the ONLY places within a 50 mile radius of downtown Lexington KY where the population is declining.
Why aren't more people moving into Estill County? I don't know. Possible reasons might include Estill County's image as a drug producing redneck county. Other reasons might include poor locations for house sites, absence of sewage, limited cell phone coverage in the eastern part, limited cable in some parts, and wanting to be away from certain kinship clans who inhabit some of the rural parts of the county.
Estill County lacks adequate shopping centers and entertainment. One has to travel elsewhere to enjoy some luxuries.
I still don't understand why the population is mostly elderly and declining in number. Powell, Rockcastle, Garrard or Bath Counties are about the same distance to Lexington as Estill and yet these counties have shown population growth since 2000. (source Rand McNally atlas population section).
Why don't younger couples want to reside there? How could we the people of Estill County make our community a more attractive place for others to relocate here? How could we attract Eastern Kentuckians who want to be close to Lexington and yet live in a more peaceful surroundings?
Fact: Estill County (as well as the city of Irvine KY) are the ONLY places within a 50 mile radius of downtown Lexington KY where the population is declining.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Little Hardwick's Creek section of Estill County KY
Why give the northern part of Estill County to Powell County? Why not connect about 2 or 3 miles of road from White Oak. Then Hardwick Creek folks would be as close to Irvine as Stanton. White Oak Road is good enough to handle more thru traffic. I am not calling for a wide super highway. Just a narrow 2 lane road so Little Hardwick's Creek Road can be connected to White Oak Road. I don't know if the terrain is too rough to build such a road. But we are only talking about 2 or 3 miles of additional road construction.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Homicide in Estill County and Eastern KY
Homicide in Eastern KY
The literacy rate in the counties mentioned in the artilce is as low as 25-40%. Whites are the primary residents.
Although the article is nearly 16 years old, murder rates continued to climb due to the explosion of drugs (cocaine/crack/marijuana) in the early nineties and onwards.
Now meth is taking a huge toll across the state.
Blacks only make up 7.33% of KY's population, and very low numbers in the counties mentioned in the article.
John L.
HOMICIDE RATES IN SOME COUNTIES RIVAL BIG CITIES'
Published: Sunday, May 19, 1991
Lexington Herald Leader
Section: MAIN NEWS
age: Al
By Frank Langfitt Southeastern Kentucky bureau
HYDEN -- People wave when they pass each other along the mountain roads of Leslie County. Cars usually stop in front of the courthouse in Hyden to let people cross the street.
Folks here are among the friendliest and most courteous around. And like many in Eastern Kentucky, they think they act a little more civilized than people in big cities.
They are right - except when it comes to killing each other.
From 1980 to 1989, Leslie County had a per-capita homicide rate higher than New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles.
A review by the Herald-Leader found that Leslie and nine neighboring Appalachian counties in southeastern Kentucky had higher homicide rates than many major U.S. cities.
Wolfe and Perry counties had homicide rates of 24.2 and 21.6 for every 100,000 people -- both higher than Philadelphia, Boston or San Francisco.
Clay, Breathitt and Owsley had rates ranging from 2l.1 to 18.6 for every 100,000 - higher than Seattle or Nashville.
And Harlan, Estlll, Knox and Lee had rates of at least 15 for every 100,000 -- twice the state average and greater than Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix, Ariz.; or San Diego.
Leslie County's homicide rate -- 28 for every 100,000 -- was the highest in Kentucky. It was also more than three and four times that of the state's two most urban counties, Jefferson and Fayette.
The 10 Appalachian counties listed above were among the 14 highest in the state.
In some cases, the rates of Appalachian counties were not much higher than those of U.S. cities. But in others, the difference was substantial.
If people in Perry County had killed each other at the rate of people in San Francisco, 25 fewer would have died between 1980 and 1989, data show.
During that period, 69 people were killed in Perry County. Perry's average population for the decade was 31,992, according to census figures.
In determining the city and county rates, the newspaper considered all murders and non-negligent manslaughters compiled in crime reports from 1980 through 1989 by the Kentucky State Police and the FBI. Vehicular and other negligent homicides were not included.
During the decade, the average populations of the 10 Appalachian counties ranged from 5,368 to 39,337, according to census figures. Homicides for each of the 10 counties were distributed evenly throughout the decade, suggesting that the high rates were not due to chance.
"None of this is surprising," said Ronald D. Eller, a professor of history at the University of Kentucky and a leading Appalachian scholar.
**Eastern Kentucky may be rural, but many of its problems -- high unemployment, poor schools and, in some narrow hollows, crowded living conditions - are similar to those in urban areas. **
John L: my emphasis)
The region bas a long tradition of violence fueled by the pressures of its boom-and-bust coal economy, Eller said. Scholars also see links between current levels of violence and the region's turbulent history, including the Civil War and industrialization.
State police and prosecutors think chronic joblessness and high dropout rates have left some people with little patience and few skills to resolve their differences peacefully.
People in Eastern Kentucky "will be nice to you, and if that doesn't work, they will go to the other extreme," said Capt. Douglas Asher, commander of the state police post in London.
Strangers and kin
Outsiders often associate the Kentucky mountains with violence. The famous Hatfield-McCoy Feud is a part of American folklore. The Harlan County mine wars made national headlines in the 1930s, earning it the nickname "Bloody Harlan."
Before heading into the mountains, strangers often ask whether they should be concerned about their safety.
"Only if you are related to somebody," says Jane Bagby, assistant director of the Appalachian Center at UK.
Contrary to popular films like 1972's Deliverance, which portrayed Appalachian people randomly attacking outsiders, the majority of mountain killings occur among friends, neighbors and kin.
The close relationship between killers and victims is a product of the region's economy and landscape. Traveling the twisting mountain roads takes time and money, so people often limit their social life to family and small circles of friends. Many killings occur in homes and neighborhoods as a result of domestic arguments.
In a period of five weeks last winter in Knott County (population 17,906), two husbands were charged with killing their wives and a wife charged with shooting her husband.
'1People kill people they know," said Capt. Tim Hazlette, commander of the state police post in Hazard. "It is a very rare thing for a stranger to kill a stranger in this part of the state.”
When it does happen, it is usually front-page news.
One of the most publicized cases involved the execution-style slayings of two prominent Leslie County men in the summer of 1989. Businessman Eddie J. Moore and merchant John M. Lewis were found at Lewis' grocery store outside Hyden.
Lewis had been shot three times, including once in the head from close range. Moore had been handcuffed and shot in the back of the head. No money was taken from either man or the store.
The random nature of the crime deeply disturbed Leslie Countians, who associate cold-blooded killing with big cities. Police eventually charged two Cincinnati bank robbers who had no apparent connection to the area.
People feel a little less threatened by murder in the mountains because they can often see it coming, Hazlette says. Personal disputes, whether over a property line or a romance, are usually well known in the community.
When Zack Caldwell fired up to seven bullets into Elhannon Jones on a Perry County strip mine in 1989, a lot of people had a notion why. Caldwell had recently beaten Jones out of a lucrative coal-hauling contract. Jones, who had been charged with murder in the past, was bitter and had apparently threatened Caldwell's life.
A local jury acquitted Caldwell last month after he claimed that Jones had fired first. Fanning the flames.
Some people in Eastern Kentucky might be less prone to kill one another if they did not drink so much. State police say most mountain killings involve drugs or alcohol. Like gasoline on a fire, the substances often turn minor disputes into fatal confrontations.
"I can count on one hand the number of homicides I've seen that have not involved drugs or drinking" said Alva A. Hollon Jr., Perry commonwealth's attorney since 1982.
In some instances, assailants are so intoxicated that they later have trouble recalling why they killed. The story of Teddy Joe Davidson is a case in point, Hollon said.
In the winter of 1985, Davidson was 23 years old and worked as a heavy equipment operator on a Perry County strip mine. One day in early February, snow fell across the county, so Davidson took the day off and shot some pool.
Davidson, who had a history of substance abuse and blackouts, drank a half- liter of whiskey, according to court records. He also took some phencyclidine, or Angel Dust, which induces a psychiatric state similar to schizophrenia.
Early that evening near the family home at Tribbey, Davidson got into a fight with his little brother, Larry. When Teddy Joe pulled a 9mm pistol, Larry and his father, Theodore, tried to disarm him.
Teddy Joe killed Larry with three shots, wounded his father in the shoulder and stomach, and winged a bystander in the knee.
"I went into a blackout and the next thing I remember I was in the house," Davidson said in court records. "There were police all around and I walked out and gave them the gun."
When police told Davidson he had killed his brother, he was distraught. He said he did not know why he had done it.
"It just happened," he said. "We argued like brothers, but we loved each other."
Davidson pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault. He was sentenced to nine years.
Beyond the borders
Clay County Sheriff Edd Jordon thinks employment and violence work like a seesaw in the mountains. When jobs go down, killings go up. Many people get depressed about the future, start arguments and kill each other over nothing, the sheriff says. “I could set up a factory in Clay County and cut the crime rate in half,” Jordon said.
Eastern Kentucky has been one of the poorest parts of rural America for decades. Not surprisingly, many of the mountain counties with the highest per- capita murder rates also have the lowest per-capita incomes.
In 1989, Clay and Leslie had per-capita incomes of $7,869 and $8,148-- the seventh and tenth lowest of the state's 120 counties, according to census figures.
The connection between violence and joblessness appears to stretch well beyond state boundaries. Across the border in West Virginia, the impoverished coal-producing counties of Mingo and McDowell have the highest homicide rates in that state.
The two counties with the highest homicide rates in Mississippi -- Tunica and Jefferson -- are in the Lower Mississippi Delta, arguably the poorest rural area in the nation. Tunica and Jefferson have the fifth- and sixth- lowest per-capita incomes in the United States.
Eastern Kentucky's school systems have traditionally been the state's poorest by most standards, including funding, test scores and dropout rates.
Hollon thinks that some people have not learned basic skills in resolving simple disagreements. In an area that places a high value on personal honor, insults can quickly lead to bloodshed.
"Some slight to me or you might hurt our feelings, but we would be able to talk it out," Hollon said. "But some people perceive it as a major problem and the result often is violence."
'Killings'
When William Lynwood Montell began to study the history of homicide in south-central Kentucky, he found that the people he interviewed did not use the word "murder."
They thought "murder," a legal term for premeditated homicide, was far too harsh and implied a viciousness not usually present in the conflicts, said Montell, a retired professor of folk studies at Western Kentucky University.
Instead, they preferred the word "killing."
"Killing" covered a variety of types of homicide, including premeditated ones that the community considered justified under the right set of circumstances, Montell said.
Many people in the mountains use the word today. When a dangerous character comes to a violent end, state police say, some respond philosophically with the expression, "Well, some people just needs killing."
Prosecutors say the phrase reflects a greater acceptance of violence as a means of resolving differences. It also represents a broader concept of justifiable homicide.
Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Campbell says attitudes toward homicide vary between the two mountain counties he handles, Knott and Magoffin.
"Magoffin County jurors have been much quicker to say that deadly force is justifiable, especially in situations that involve the home and ... property," Campbell said. Land "is sacred and once you come into that area in a threatening manner, to a lot of the jurors you risk deadly force being used against you even in situations where you may not be armed."
From farming to mining
Revisionist historians do not see murder as a native characteristic of the mountains, but more of a response to political and economic changes from outside.
As a border state, Kentucky found itself in the middle of the Civil War with mountain families fighting on both sides. Guerrilla raids and postwar political power struggles led to feuds in a number of southeastern counties, according to Harry M. Caudill, the late Appalachian historian.
For most of the 19th century, the mountains remained a relatively isolated area of self-sufficient farming communities. But the discovery of coal, land speculation and the coming of the railroads brought conflict.
The Hatfield-McCoy Feud may have started over a hog, but historian Altina L Waller argues that an attempt to grab land near a proposed rail line sparked the feud's most violent period.
A sociological study of Harlan County in the opening decades of the 20th century found that the rapid transition from farming communities to company-run coal towns led to an increase in vice and homicide. In the early 1920s, Harlan County's murder rate was 78 for every 100,000, reportedly the highest for any county in the nation.
Deaths in underground coal mines and, more recently, strip mining have continued to harden many mountain people to violence and widespread destruction, said historian Eller.
But if the seeds of violence have been sown from without, most agree that the solutions, including a diversified economy and better schools, must come from within.
"Every generation inherits a whole chest full of cultural goods," said Herb E. Smith, a filmmaker and co-founder of Appalshop, an Appalachian arts and education center in Whitesburg. "Inside that chest are good things and bad. Some will help us shape our future and some we must discard."
A gun in every house
In the mountains of Perry County sits a roadhouse called The Big I. Next to the front door hangs a sign warning customers that guns and knives are not allowed inside.
Firearms are a part of daily life in Eastern Kentucky, so sometimes people need to be reminded.
Eastern Kentuckians use guns for hunting and self-protection, and many mountain households have more weapons than people. In Magoffin County, Campbell says, jurors of all kinds display an impressive knowledge of firearms.
"Almost down to the little old ladies, they can tell you the caliber of guns and the type of ammunition and the type of result particular ammunition has when fired in a particular weapon," Campbell said.
Firearms account for about 60 percent of the homicides in Kentucky and across the nation, according to crime reports. In Eastern Kentucky, guns are used in up to 90 percent of killings, state police say.
However, it is hard to find anyone in the mountains who thinks that stricter handgun laws would reduce the homicide rate. Unlicensed dealers sell scores of weapons at roadside flea markets, and most in the region consider gun ownership a right of the mountains.
When asked about the Brady bill, which calls for a seven-day waiting period to buy a handgun and was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month, state police shake their heads.
“There are so many firearms, it would take 200 years to use them up," said Capt. Asher.
Herald-Leader staff members Robin Luger and Reba Roberts contributed to this article.
.411 content © 1991 The Lexington Herald-Leader
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The literacy rate in the counties mentioned in the artilce is as low as 25-40%. Whites are the primary residents.
Although the article is nearly 16 years old, murder rates continued to climb due to the explosion of drugs (cocaine/crack/marijuana) in the early nineties and onwards.
Now meth is taking a huge toll across the state.
Blacks only make up 7.33% of KY's population, and very low numbers in the counties mentioned in the article.
John L.
HOMICIDE RATES IN SOME COUNTIES RIVAL BIG CITIES'
Published: Sunday, May 19, 1991
Lexington Herald Leader
Section: MAIN NEWS
age: Al
By Frank Langfitt Southeastern Kentucky bureau
HYDEN -- People wave when they pass each other along the mountain roads of Leslie County. Cars usually stop in front of the courthouse in Hyden to let people cross the street.
Folks here are among the friendliest and most courteous around. And like many in Eastern Kentucky, they think they act a little more civilized than people in big cities.
They are right - except when it comes to killing each other.
From 1980 to 1989, Leslie County had a per-capita homicide rate higher than New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles.
A review by the Herald-Leader found that Leslie and nine neighboring Appalachian counties in southeastern Kentucky had higher homicide rates than many major U.S. cities.
Wolfe and Perry counties had homicide rates of 24.2 and 21.6 for every 100,000 people -- both higher than Philadelphia, Boston or San Francisco.
Clay, Breathitt and Owsley had rates ranging from 2l.1 to 18.6 for every 100,000 - higher than Seattle or Nashville.
And Harlan, Estlll, Knox and Lee had rates of at least 15 for every 100,000 -- twice the state average and greater than Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix, Ariz.; or San Diego.
Leslie County's homicide rate -- 28 for every 100,000 -- was the highest in Kentucky. It was also more than three and four times that of the state's two most urban counties, Jefferson and Fayette.
The 10 Appalachian counties listed above were among the 14 highest in the state.
In some cases, the rates of Appalachian counties were not much higher than those of U.S. cities. But in others, the difference was substantial.
If people in Perry County had killed each other at the rate of people in San Francisco, 25 fewer would have died between 1980 and 1989, data show.
During that period, 69 people were killed in Perry County. Perry's average population for the decade was 31,992, according to census figures.
In determining the city and county rates, the newspaper considered all murders and non-negligent manslaughters compiled in crime reports from 1980 through 1989 by the Kentucky State Police and the FBI. Vehicular and other negligent homicides were not included.
During the decade, the average populations of the 10 Appalachian counties ranged from 5,368 to 39,337, according to census figures. Homicides for each of the 10 counties were distributed evenly throughout the decade, suggesting that the high rates were not due to chance.
"None of this is surprising," said Ronald D. Eller, a professor of history at the University of Kentucky and a leading Appalachian scholar.
**Eastern Kentucky may be rural, but many of its problems -- high unemployment, poor schools and, in some narrow hollows, crowded living conditions - are similar to those in urban areas. **
John L: my emphasis)
The region bas a long tradition of violence fueled by the pressures of its boom-and-bust coal economy, Eller said. Scholars also see links between current levels of violence and the region's turbulent history, including the Civil War and industrialization.
State police and prosecutors think chronic joblessness and high dropout rates have left some people with little patience and few skills to resolve their differences peacefully.
People in Eastern Kentucky "will be nice to you, and if that doesn't work, they will go to the other extreme," said Capt. Douglas Asher, commander of the state police post in London.
Strangers and kin
Outsiders often associate the Kentucky mountains with violence. The famous Hatfield-McCoy Feud is a part of American folklore. The Harlan County mine wars made national headlines in the 1930s, earning it the nickname "Bloody Harlan."
Before heading into the mountains, strangers often ask whether they should be concerned about their safety.
"Only if you are related to somebody," says Jane Bagby, assistant director of the Appalachian Center at UK.
Contrary to popular films like 1972's Deliverance, which portrayed Appalachian people randomly attacking outsiders, the majority of mountain killings occur among friends, neighbors and kin.
The close relationship between killers and victims is a product of the region's economy and landscape. Traveling the twisting mountain roads takes time and money, so people often limit their social life to family and small circles of friends. Many killings occur in homes and neighborhoods as a result of domestic arguments.
In a period of five weeks last winter in Knott County (population 17,906), two husbands were charged with killing their wives and a wife charged with shooting her husband.
'1People kill people they know," said Capt. Tim Hazlette, commander of the state police post in Hazard. "It is a very rare thing for a stranger to kill a stranger in this part of the state.”
When it does happen, it is usually front-page news.
One of the most publicized cases involved the execution-style slayings of two prominent Leslie County men in the summer of 1989. Businessman Eddie J. Moore and merchant John M. Lewis were found at Lewis' grocery store outside Hyden.
Lewis had been shot three times, including once in the head from close range. Moore had been handcuffed and shot in the back of the head. No money was taken from either man or the store.
The random nature of the crime deeply disturbed Leslie Countians, who associate cold-blooded killing with big cities. Police eventually charged two Cincinnati bank robbers who had no apparent connection to the area.
People feel a little less threatened by murder in the mountains because they can often see it coming, Hazlette says. Personal disputes, whether over a property line or a romance, are usually well known in the community.
When Zack Caldwell fired up to seven bullets into Elhannon Jones on a Perry County strip mine in 1989, a lot of people had a notion why. Caldwell had recently beaten Jones out of a lucrative coal-hauling contract. Jones, who had been charged with murder in the past, was bitter and had apparently threatened Caldwell's life.
A local jury acquitted Caldwell last month after he claimed that Jones had fired first. Fanning the flames.
Some people in Eastern Kentucky might be less prone to kill one another if they did not drink so much. State police say most mountain killings involve drugs or alcohol. Like gasoline on a fire, the substances often turn minor disputes into fatal confrontations.
"I can count on one hand the number of homicides I've seen that have not involved drugs or drinking" said Alva A. Hollon Jr., Perry commonwealth's attorney since 1982.
In some instances, assailants are so intoxicated that they later have trouble recalling why they killed. The story of Teddy Joe Davidson is a case in point, Hollon said.
In the winter of 1985, Davidson was 23 years old and worked as a heavy equipment operator on a Perry County strip mine. One day in early February, snow fell across the county, so Davidson took the day off and shot some pool.
Davidson, who had a history of substance abuse and blackouts, drank a half- liter of whiskey, according to court records. He also took some phencyclidine, or Angel Dust, which induces a psychiatric state similar to schizophrenia.
Early that evening near the family home at Tribbey, Davidson got into a fight with his little brother, Larry. When Teddy Joe pulled a 9mm pistol, Larry and his father, Theodore, tried to disarm him.
Teddy Joe killed Larry with three shots, wounded his father in the shoulder and stomach, and winged a bystander in the knee.
"I went into a blackout and the next thing I remember I was in the house," Davidson said in court records. "There were police all around and I walked out and gave them the gun."
When police told Davidson he had killed his brother, he was distraught. He said he did not know why he had done it.
"It just happened," he said. "We argued like brothers, but we loved each other."
Davidson pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault. He was sentenced to nine years.
Beyond the borders
Clay County Sheriff Edd Jordon thinks employment and violence work like a seesaw in the mountains. When jobs go down, killings go up. Many people get depressed about the future, start arguments and kill each other over nothing, the sheriff says. “I could set up a factory in Clay County and cut the crime rate in half,” Jordon said.
Eastern Kentucky has been one of the poorest parts of rural America for decades. Not surprisingly, many of the mountain counties with the highest per- capita murder rates also have the lowest per-capita incomes.
In 1989, Clay and Leslie had per-capita incomes of $7,869 and $8,148-- the seventh and tenth lowest of the state's 120 counties, according to census figures.
The connection between violence and joblessness appears to stretch well beyond state boundaries. Across the border in West Virginia, the impoverished coal-producing counties of Mingo and McDowell have the highest homicide rates in that state.
The two counties with the highest homicide rates in Mississippi -- Tunica and Jefferson -- are in the Lower Mississippi Delta, arguably the poorest rural area in the nation. Tunica and Jefferson have the fifth- and sixth- lowest per-capita incomes in the United States.
Eastern Kentucky's school systems have traditionally been the state's poorest by most standards, including funding, test scores and dropout rates.
Hollon thinks that some people have not learned basic skills in resolving simple disagreements. In an area that places a high value on personal honor, insults can quickly lead to bloodshed.
"Some slight to me or you might hurt our feelings, but we would be able to talk it out," Hollon said. "But some people perceive it as a major problem and the result often is violence."
'Killings'
When William Lynwood Montell began to study the history of homicide in south-central Kentucky, he found that the people he interviewed did not use the word "murder."
They thought "murder," a legal term for premeditated homicide, was far too harsh and implied a viciousness not usually present in the conflicts, said Montell, a retired professor of folk studies at Western Kentucky University.
Instead, they preferred the word "killing."
"Killing" covered a variety of types of homicide, including premeditated ones that the community considered justified under the right set of circumstances, Montell said.
Many people in the mountains use the word today. When a dangerous character comes to a violent end, state police say, some respond philosophically with the expression, "Well, some people just needs killing."
Prosecutors say the phrase reflects a greater acceptance of violence as a means of resolving differences. It also represents a broader concept of justifiable homicide.
Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Campbell says attitudes toward homicide vary between the two mountain counties he handles, Knott and Magoffin.
"Magoffin County jurors have been much quicker to say that deadly force is justifiable, especially in situations that involve the home and ... property," Campbell said. Land "is sacred and once you come into that area in a threatening manner, to a lot of the jurors you risk deadly force being used against you even in situations where you may not be armed."
From farming to mining
Revisionist historians do not see murder as a native characteristic of the mountains, but more of a response to political and economic changes from outside.
As a border state, Kentucky found itself in the middle of the Civil War with mountain families fighting on both sides. Guerrilla raids and postwar political power struggles led to feuds in a number of southeastern counties, according to Harry M. Caudill, the late Appalachian historian.
For most of the 19th century, the mountains remained a relatively isolated area of self-sufficient farming communities. But the discovery of coal, land speculation and the coming of the railroads brought conflict.
The Hatfield-McCoy Feud may have started over a hog, but historian Altina L Waller argues that an attempt to grab land near a proposed rail line sparked the feud's most violent period.
A sociological study of Harlan County in the opening decades of the 20th century found that the rapid transition from farming communities to company-run coal towns led to an increase in vice and homicide. In the early 1920s, Harlan County's murder rate was 78 for every 100,000, reportedly the highest for any county in the nation.
Deaths in underground coal mines and, more recently, strip mining have continued to harden many mountain people to violence and widespread destruction, said historian Eller.
But if the seeds of violence have been sown from without, most agree that the solutions, including a diversified economy and better schools, must come from within.
"Every generation inherits a whole chest full of cultural goods," said Herb E. Smith, a filmmaker and co-founder of Appalshop, an Appalachian arts and education center in Whitesburg. "Inside that chest are good things and bad. Some will help us shape our future and some we must discard."
A gun in every house
In the mountains of Perry County sits a roadhouse called The Big I. Next to the front door hangs a sign warning customers that guns and knives are not allowed inside.
Firearms are a part of daily life in Eastern Kentucky, so sometimes people need to be reminded.
Eastern Kentuckians use guns for hunting and self-protection, and many mountain households have more weapons than people. In Magoffin County, Campbell says, jurors of all kinds display an impressive knowledge of firearms.
"Almost down to the little old ladies, they can tell you the caliber of guns and the type of ammunition and the type of result particular ammunition has when fired in a particular weapon," Campbell said.
Firearms account for about 60 percent of the homicides in Kentucky and across the nation, according to crime reports. In Eastern Kentucky, guns are used in up to 90 percent of killings, state police say.
However, it is hard to find anyone in the mountains who thinks that stricter handgun laws would reduce the homicide rate. Unlicensed dealers sell scores of weapons at roadside flea markets, and most in the region consider gun ownership a right of the mountains.
When asked about the Brady bill, which calls for a seven-day waiting period to buy a handgun and was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month, state police shake their heads.
“There are so many firearms, it would take 200 years to use them up," said Capt. Asher.
Herald-Leader staff members Robin Luger and Reba Roberts contributed to this article.
.411 content © 1991 The Lexington Herald-Leader
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Friday, October 3, 2008
better roads, more small businesses and jobs
The MAIN reason there is no growth in Estill County, Irvine and Ravenna is a direct result of little thru traffic into town. Our established businesses can survive on local traffic. But a new road to neighboring towns increases the thru traffic into Irvine from places such as Lee, Owsley, Powell or Wolfe counties. We the people of Estill County need the vision to work together to increase out of town traffic so we can see more business growth. Small businesses could create hundreds of local jobs. Once you improve the infrastructure, there is no need to form groups to grow and develop the county. It just happens. Small businesses are the heart and soul of America's small town economy.
There are no businesses along KY 89 from the Joseph Proctor bypass north toward Hargett. Why? We don't have a good enough road that brings people from other towns into Central KY so they go through Winchester. It is that simple. Imagine some food marts in front of the high school and close to the industrial park.
Small businesses create jobs and offer consumers more choice. We need more people from neighboring towns to come here. Think of the through traffic from Campton or Beattyville who shop in Stanton on route to Lexington.
Until we get better roads from neighboring towns, efforts to create jobs locally will fail. It is roads, roads and more roads. Get more out of town folks shopping here. As long as we continue to have the same roads we had say 45 years ago, our community cannot be competative and improve the lives of its people.
There are no businesses along KY 89 from the Joseph Proctor bypass north toward Hargett. Why? We don't have a good enough road that brings people from other towns into Central KY so they go through Winchester. It is that simple. Imagine some food marts in front of the high school and close to the industrial park.
Small businesses create jobs and offer consumers more choice. We need more people from neighboring towns to come here. Think of the through traffic from Campton or Beattyville who shop in Stanton on route to Lexington.
Until we get better roads from neighboring towns, efforts to create jobs locally will fail. It is roads, roads and more roads. Get more out of town folks shopping here. As long as we continue to have the same roads we had say 45 years ago, our community cannot be competative and improve the lives of its people.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Estill County has some dangerous main roads
KY 52 west towards Richmond has lots of traffic and it is hard to enter the road from driveways and side roads.
KY 89-82 need to be rebuilt. I have another blog that attempts to awaken Estill Countians to the need of a new road from Irvine north to the Mountain Parkway. Our community won't progress until this road is reconstructed.
KY 1571 and 52 East to Beattyville is unsafe. Telephone poles are close to the road on Miller's Creek Road. If you lose control of your car on Miller's Creek Road, you could run into the river on one side and the railroad or telephone polls on the other side. Lee and Owsley County ambulences often lose patients because of the slow pace of travel along this crooked road that breaks off into the river.
A trip from Irvine to Winchester, Clay City or Beattyville could end up in disaster or death. These roads are ancient and dangerous. Estill County loses lots of through traffic from Richmond to eastern KY because of the unsafe conditions of these roads.
Be safe and cautious on these roads. You could end up as a casualty.
KY 89-82 need to be rebuilt. I have another blog that attempts to awaken Estill Countians to the need of a new road from Irvine north to the Mountain Parkway. Our community won't progress until this road is reconstructed.
KY 1571 and 52 East to Beattyville is unsafe. Telephone poles are close to the road on Miller's Creek Road. If you lose control of your car on Miller's Creek Road, you could run into the river on one side and the railroad or telephone polls on the other side. Lee and Owsley County ambulences often lose patients because of the slow pace of travel along this crooked road that breaks off into the river.
A trip from Irvine to Winchester, Clay City or Beattyville could end up in disaster or death. These roads are ancient and dangerous. Estill County loses lots of through traffic from Richmond to eastern KY because of the unsafe conditions of these roads.
Be safe and cautious on these roads. You could end up as a casualty.
One lane underpass and bridge east of Ravenna KY
Unless you want to cross Tipton Ridge Mountain, you go from Ravenna to Beattyville via KY 1571 (Millers Creek Road). On the eastern side of Ravenna on KY 1571, you go through a one lane underpass. Turn left and you cross Cow Creek on KY 1571. Why was the Cow Creek Bridge built for only ONE lane of traffic? The Cow Creek Bridge near the KY River was built in 1970. How can any trucking occur from Irvine to Beattyville, Jackson or Hazard?
How much money would it cost to build a 2 lane bridge at Cow Creek? Is there not enough room there to do so? I know the current from the river and vibration from the railroad puts pressure on this bridge.
How much money would it cost to build a 2 lane bridge at Cow Creek? Is there not enough room there to do so? I know the current from the river and vibration from the railroad puts pressure on this bridge.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Adventure tourism..hiking in Estill County KY
Estill County has beautiful scenery. Yet we haven't advertised it. We hear much about adventure tourism and hiking trails these days. Many eastern KY counties are bringing visitors to their community. Look at Pilot Knob in Powell County or Indian Fort Mountain near Berea KY.
There are NO public walking trails in Estill County. How about creating some trails near the Fitchburg Furnace, Cottage Furnace, Sweet Lick Knob, Henry Mountain or Rockhouse Mountain. Lee, Jackson or Rockcastle counties have the Sheltowee Trace trails running through them.
Let get Estill County to the forefront of the adventure tourism. Property owners of the mountains behind Broadway should consider selling land for adventure tourism. Think of the out of county ATV riders and cyclists, not to mention hikers, who would come here and spend money. This money would help local businessmen. This money would keep local businesses afloat.
Remind our local officials about adventure tourism. Estill Countians need to change their attitude toward growth, tourism, and look to encourage visitors to the community.
There are NO public walking trails in Estill County. How about creating some trails near the Fitchburg Furnace, Cottage Furnace, Sweet Lick Knob, Henry Mountain or Rockhouse Mountain. Lee, Jackson or Rockcastle counties have the Sheltowee Trace trails running through them.
Let get Estill County to the forefront of the adventure tourism. Property owners of the mountains behind Broadway should consider selling land for adventure tourism. Think of the out of county ATV riders and cyclists, not to mention hikers, who would come here and spend money. This money would help local businessmen. This money would keep local businesses afloat.
Remind our local officials about adventure tourism. Estill Countians need to change their attitude toward growth, tourism, and look to encourage visitors to the community.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
walking across the old Irvine bridge (downtown)
I wished a separate walking bridge had been built. It is so easy for a walker to fall off the side of the green bridge and into the traffic.
How about a separate walking bridge to the left of the current bridge? People downtown would love to be able to walk safely across the bridge and towards the Richmond Road resturants.
We need to make the community more friendly to pedestrians and bikers.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Estill County needs a vocational school
The following counties have local vocational schools. Why isn't Estill County included in the list?
****
This list comes from the Kentucky Tech website. Amazing that we bus our youth to Richmond where they don't know their classmates. Ridiculous.
|
For School Information, Select the School Link Below:
[Barren County ATC]
[Belfry ATC]
[Bell County ATC]
[Boone County ATC]
[Breathitt County ATC]
[Breckinridge County ATC]
[Bullitt County ATC]
[Butler County ATC]
[C.E. McCormick ATC]
[Caldwell County ATC]
[Carroll County ATC]
[Casey County ATC]
[Clark County ATC]
[Clay County ATC]
[Clinton County ATC]
[Corbin ATC]
[Floyd County ATC]
[Fulton County ATC]
[Garrard County ATC]
[Green County ATC]
[Greenup County ATC]
[Harrison County ATC]
[Hughes-Jones Harrodsburg ATC]
[J. D. Patton ATC]
[Jackson County ATC]
[Knott County ATC]
[Knox County ATC]
[Lake Cumberland ATC]
[Lee County ATC]
[Leslie County ATC]
[Letcher County ATC]
[Lincoln County ATC]
[Madison County ATC]
[Marion County ATC]
[Martin County ATC]
[Mason County ATC]
[Mayfield/Graves County ATC] [Meade County ATC]
[Millard ATC]
[Monroe County ATC]
[Montgomery County ATC]
[Morgan County ATC]
[Muhlenberg County ATC]
[Murray-Calloway County ATC]
[Nelson County ATC]
[Ohio County ATC]
[Paducah ATC]
[Pulaski ATC]
[Rockcastle County ATC]
[Russell ATC]
[Russellville ATC]
[Shelby County ATC]
[Warren County ATC]
[Wayne County ATC]
[Webster County ATC]
****
This list comes from the Kentucky Tech website. Amazing that we bus our youth to Richmond where they don't know their classmates. Ridiculous.
|
For School Information, Select the School Link Below:
[Barren County ATC]
[Belfry ATC]
[Bell County ATC]
[Boone County ATC]
[Breathitt County ATC]
[Breckinridge County ATC]
[Bullitt County ATC]
[Butler County ATC]
[C.E. McCormick ATC]
[Caldwell County ATC]
[Carroll County ATC]
[Casey County ATC]
[Clark County ATC]
[Clay County ATC]
[Clinton County ATC]
[Corbin ATC]
[Floyd County ATC]
[Fulton County ATC]
[Garrard County ATC]
[Green County ATC]
[Greenup County ATC]
[Harrison County ATC]
[Hughes-Jones Harrodsburg ATC]
[J. D. Patton ATC]
[Jackson County ATC]
[Knott County ATC]
[Knox County ATC]
[Lake Cumberland ATC]
[Lee County ATC]
[Leslie County ATC]
[Letcher County ATC]
[Lincoln County ATC]
[Madison County ATC]
[Marion County ATC]
[Martin County ATC]
[Mason County ATC]
[Mayfield/Graves County ATC] [Meade County ATC]
[Millard ATC]
[Monroe County ATC]
[Montgomery County ATC]
[Morgan County ATC]
[Muhlenberg County ATC]
[Murray-Calloway County ATC]
[Nelson County ATC]
[Ohio County ATC]
[Paducah ATC]
[Pulaski ATC]
[Rockcastle County ATC]
[Russell ATC]
[Russellville ATC]
[Shelby County ATC]
[Warren County ATC]
[Wayne County ATC]
[Webster County ATC]
Estill County needs a vocational school!
Every day, a bus or two from the Estill County High School will transport students from Irvine to the Kentucky Tech vocational school near the campus of Madison Central High School.
I don't know how many miles per gallon those school buses get but these yellow dogs aren't very economical.
Lots of money is spent and students spend way too much time on the road.
Why can't a vocational school be built behind the Estill County High School? Or maybe convert the old Service Motor Company on Broadway into a nicer facility where auto mechanics, electricity and woodworking classes are taught.
Lee and Jackson counties have vocational schools in their home counties.
Our youth need to be able to enroll in classes that will help them in the working world. Some local educators want to make all local youth college graduates but it isn't going to happen.
Stop those school buses from crossing Drowning Creek each day. We need a vocational school in Estill County. If possible, we need a vocational school on the campus of the Estill County High School. This is more needed than a new elementary school.
I don't know how many miles per gallon those school buses get but these yellow dogs aren't very economical.
Lots of money is spent and students spend way too much time on the road.
Why can't a vocational school be built behind the Estill County High School? Or maybe convert the old Service Motor Company on Broadway into a nicer facility where auto mechanics, electricity and woodworking classes are taught.
Lee and Jackson counties have vocational schools in their home counties.
Our youth need to be able to enroll in classes that will help them in the working world. Some local educators want to make all local youth college graduates but it isn't going to happen.
Stop those school buses from crossing Drowning Creek each day. We need a vocational school in Estill County. If possible, we need a vocational school on the campus of the Estill County High School. This is more needed than a new elementary school.
How I could create several hundred jobs in Estill County
A property owner along KY 89, 82 or 499 could offer some land for sale to Wal Mart. Dozens of jobs would be created.
A better road from Irvine to Hargett (and beyond) would help usher in a new food mart or fast food resturant close to the Estill County Middle & High Schools, industrial park, and new park.
A new prison around Barnes Mountain or Pryse would help provide jobs. This one will be controversial.
A youth center in Ravenna Elementary School.
A vocational school (next topic for this blog).
A community college.
The business climate in Estill County must improve. Local people aren't doing any new building and out of town chain businesses aren't pushing to expand here. So something is wrong. Something must be done. We must keep our best and brightest youth here.
A better road from Irvine to Hargett (and beyond) would help usher in a new food mart or fast food resturant close to the Estill County Middle & High Schools, industrial park, and new park.
A new prison around Barnes Mountain or Pryse would help provide jobs. This one will be controversial.
A youth center in Ravenna Elementary School.
A vocational school (next topic for this blog).
A community college.
The business climate in Estill County must improve. Local people aren't doing any new building and out of town chain businesses aren't pushing to expand here. So something is wrong. Something must be done. We must keep our best and brightest youth here.
Why "out of town" businesses might spurn Estill County
Why might an out of town business avoid locating in Estill County?
1. Poor roads from Irvine to neighboring towns such as Beattyville, Winchester or Clay City.
2. Anti-growth activists who want to stop any growth or progress from taking place.
3. High rates or welfare dependency.
4. They simply don't know much about the county in general.
5. Rough terrain in eastern and southern county and bottom land prone to flooding.
6. Limited technological advancements such as cell phone coverage, DSL, high speed internet etc..
7. Apathy of the people...lack of highly skilled and trained employees.
8. No decent airport in Estill or even surrounding counties.
Some of these problems cannot be corrected. And you could add other problems to the list. But numbers 1,2, 3, 4, and 6-8 could be improved if more politicians AND local people had the vision, courage and commitment to grow the community.
1. Poor roads from Irvine to neighboring towns such as Beattyville, Winchester or Clay City.
2. Anti-growth activists who want to stop any growth or progress from taking place.
3. High rates or welfare dependency.
4. They simply don't know much about the county in general.
5. Rough terrain in eastern and southern county and bottom land prone to flooding.
6. Limited technological advancements such as cell phone coverage, DSL, high speed internet etc..
7. Apathy of the people...lack of highly skilled and trained employees.
8. No decent airport in Estill or even surrounding counties.
Some of these problems cannot be corrected. And you could add other problems to the list. But numbers 1,2, 3, 4, and 6-8 could be improved if more politicians AND local people had the vision, courage and commitment to grow the community.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
From Whitesburg's Mountain Eagle: Calla plant
From an anonymous poster: Just Speak Your Piece column from Whitesburg's Mountain Eagle:
I finally figured out why we need an airport so bad. It's because when we get the prison we will need an airport to fly the prisoners to Letcher County. All kidding aside, where is the prison going to be built? We've had a lot of talk about it, but then all of a sudden it's hushed up. Is the prison going to be built, yes or no? If so, when? That's the question of the week. Does anyone really know?
You might ask yourself, 'Where is a lot of Letcher County that's not in Letcher County?' It's sitting down at Calla. That's in Estill County and it's part of the old South East Coal Company. It's part of the gob left over from the old coal prep plant. There are approximately 450,000 to 500,000 tons of gob sitting at the prep plant in Calla which probably will never be recovered. There was supposed to be a steam plant built to use this stuff to burn for power, but it never happened. This process is on the table with James River Coal at Blue Diamond in Leatherwood to burn 400,000 tons of recoverable coal from their silt ponds. It's already being done at the Jim Walter Resources mines in Brookwood, Alabama, which is going to recover 150 million tons of coal from its waste pond site. We've come a long way in mining since the days of the pony mines.
I finally figured out why we need an airport so bad. It's because when we get the prison we will need an airport to fly the prisoners to Letcher County. All kidding aside, where is the prison going to be built? We've had a lot of talk about it, but then all of a sudden it's hushed up. Is the prison going to be built, yes or no? If so, when? That's the question of the week. Does anyone really know?
You might ask yourself, 'Where is a lot of Letcher County that's not in Letcher County?' It's sitting down at Calla. That's in Estill County and it's part of the old South East Coal Company. It's part of the gob left over from the old coal prep plant. There are approximately 450,000 to 500,000 tons of gob sitting at the prep plant in Calla which probably will never be recovered. There was supposed to be a steam plant built to use this stuff to burn for power, but it never happened. This process is on the table with James River Coal at Blue Diamond in Leatherwood to burn 400,000 tons of recoverable coal from their silt ponds. It's already being done at the Jim Walter Resources mines in Brookwood, Alabama, which is going to recover 150 million tons of coal from its waste pond site. We've come a long way in mining since the days of the pony mines.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Estill County News: Coal burning plant
From the Lexington Herald Leader September 12, 2008
Plan progresses to build Estill coal-burning plant
By Andy Mead
amead@herald-leader.com
Related Content
Comments
An often-delayed proposal to build a 110-megawatt coal-fired generating plant in Estill County is moving forward, the project manager said Thursday.
Estill County Energy planned to file a permit application with the state Division of Air Quality for the plant, which would burn waste coal, Dell Jaggers said.
The company filed a similar application in 2004 but withdrew it because it could not obtain financing to develop that application and others necessary to get approval to build the plant. Jaggers said he now has that financing.
Another potential hurdle faces the company: The Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting gave the company a certificate in 2004, but the agency said the certificate would not become effective until a dispute over portions of the Estill County property is settled.
Estill County Energy is negotiating with another company and a trust that claim ownership of part of the property.
Enough waste coal is on the site to run the new plant for 30 years, Jaggers said. After that, it could burn wood or other fuels to produce electricity.
Reach Andy Mead at (859) 231-3319 or 1-800-950-6397, ext. 3319.
The Herald-Leader is pleased to provide this opportunity for readers to comment on stories and issues. However, we urge readers to avoid personal attacks or inappropriate remarks in their postings. Some of the comments may be reprinted in the newspaper. The views expressed here are not those of the Herald-Leader or its staff. Registered user names are posted for comments.
***
At least something positive is written about Estill County KY. I am sick of the senseless murders, drug busts and crooked businessmen getting all the press coverage.
Plan progresses to build Estill coal-burning plant
By Andy Mead
amead@herald-leader.com
Related Content
Comments
An often-delayed proposal to build a 110-megawatt coal-fired generating plant in Estill County is moving forward, the project manager said Thursday.
Estill County Energy planned to file a permit application with the state Division of Air Quality for the plant, which would burn waste coal, Dell Jaggers said.
The company filed a similar application in 2004 but withdrew it because it could not obtain financing to develop that application and others necessary to get approval to build the plant. Jaggers said he now has that financing.
Another potential hurdle faces the company: The Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting gave the company a certificate in 2004, but the agency said the certificate would not become effective until a dispute over portions of the Estill County property is settled.
Estill County Energy is negotiating with another company and a trust that claim ownership of part of the property.
Enough waste coal is on the site to run the new plant for 30 years, Jaggers said. After that, it could burn wood or other fuels to produce electricity.
Reach Andy Mead at (859) 231-3319 or 1-800-950-6397, ext. 3319.
The Herald-Leader is pleased to provide this opportunity for readers to comment on stories and issues. However, we urge readers to avoid personal attacks or inappropriate remarks in their postings. Some of the comments may be reprinted in the newspaper. The views expressed here are not those of the Herald-Leader or its staff. Registered user names are posted for comments.
***
At least something positive is written about Estill County KY. I am sick of the senseless murders, drug busts and crooked businessmen getting all the press coverage.
Estill Energy? Let's build the plant
Let's build this plant that processes coal dust from the old Southeast Coal Company Coal wash. I hope the job killers won't run down to the courthouse and protest again. We need to stop trying to run off prospective jobs in Estill County. The construction of this plant and the plant itself could help several struggling families. We need this plant. I encourage our more forward thinking people to be just as vocal. IT is time to be heard. A few traditional minded people shouldn't keep this community in poverty. I say JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Jobs first. Stop sending our best and brightest out of the county! Keep local people here. Let's grow this community.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
6th Congressional District, Bluegrass Area Development District
It is time for Estill County to be moved into the 5th Congressional District and into the Kentucky River Development District. We have little in common with our neighbors to the west. Welfare rates are too high for our community to be included with the prosperous Bluegrass Counties.
Too many FOR SALE signs in Estill County
Have you ever noticed as many for sale signs on local property? Just about every home on Main Street in Irvine KY has a FOR SALE sign in the yard. Are people wanting to leave this community?
Local landowners make a mistake by advertising locally. Research some out of town firms who might want to locate a firm in Estill County. Estill County property owners need to visit other towns the size of Irvine and see what kind of businesses operate in towns of similar size.
Let's hope our community moves past the housing crunch and for sale signs and being replaced by COMING SOON signs.
Local landowners make a mistake by advertising locally. Research some out of town firms who might want to locate a firm in Estill County. Estill County property owners need to visit other towns the size of Irvine and see what kind of businesses operate in towns of similar size.
Let's hope our community moves past the housing crunch and for sale signs and being replaced by COMING SOON signs.
Artrageous building next to the Twin City Dry Cleaners
I wished the side of the Artrageous building next to Twin City Cleaners had one color scheme. Part of the side is white and part of the brick is red. The brick needs to be painted one color. When you view downtown Irvine from the post office and Lewis Funeral Home, you can't help but notice the 2 different colors on this wall.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Estil County needs some luxury apartments for elderly
Many of our elderly people often move to Richmond to such places as Morning Pointe or McCready Manor/St. Andrews retirment place on Tates Creek Road. Some of the widows of our businessmen of the past have moved to Richmond because they couldn't find the housing they wanted in Irvine. Many elderly worry about their safety and need a community with a full time guard on duty.
Out elderly people would just as soon stay in Irvine if they had a place to stay. It would be easier for people to drive in Irvine than Richmond.
Property owners along KY 52, 499 and 89 need to explore various businesses that might be interested in locating in Estill County.
There is a local need for elderly services. Adult Horizon does a good job taking care of the elderly during the day time. But we need better housing for the elderly.
Local and out of town developers need to be aware of the NEED in this area. Lots of Estill natives living in Richmond because they can live somewhere that provides 24/7 care, protection and transportation to doctor or Wal Mart. We are losing these people and we need their business. We need them. They need us.
Out elderly people would just as soon stay in Irvine if they had a place to stay. It would be easier for people to drive in Irvine than Richmond.
Property owners along KY 52, 499 and 89 need to explore various businesses that might be interested in locating in Estill County.
There is a local need for elderly services. Adult Horizon does a good job taking care of the elderly during the day time. But we need better housing for the elderly.
Local and out of town developers need to be aware of the NEED in this area. Lots of Estill natives living in Richmond because they can live somewhere that provides 24/7 care, protection and transportation to doctor or Wal Mart. We are losing these people and we need their business. We need them. They need us.
Irvine or Ravenna need a domestic abuse shelter
Several murders have occured in recent years involving domestic abuse. It is time we look into an EMERGENCY SHELTER to help stop such problems in the future. The old Irvine city hall on Broadway or the old Ravenna grade school would be 2 good locations. Victims of child or domestic abuse need a place where they feel safe and protected.
Community pride-Estill County's image
It is important that people in Estill County take steps to improve community pride by improving Estill County's image both within and outside the borders of the county.
Let's help young people stay here and make our community better. Take pride in the appearance of the county.
Local judicial system should punish criminals so local people feel safe. It is time that we look at social problems and how to correct or reduce such problems. Go after the drug dealers, burgulars, etc.. The more people we put behind bars, the safer the community will be for the decent people of the community.
We need fancy signs at the entrance of Estill County and the Irvine city limits that proudly welcomes visitors to our community.
Let's enhance the activities at the Mountain Mushroom Festival, Ravenna Railroad festival and other events.
Encourage our local atheletes and let's get behind the football and basketball programs of our community. Keep these young people here if possible. Show the youth our support.
Let's help young people stay here and make our community better. Take pride in the appearance of the county.
Local judicial system should punish criminals so local people feel safe. It is time that we look at social problems and how to correct or reduce such problems. Go after the drug dealers, burgulars, etc.. The more people we put behind bars, the safer the community will be for the decent people of the community.
We need fancy signs at the entrance of Estill County and the Irvine city limits that proudly welcomes visitors to our community.
Let's enhance the activities at the Mountain Mushroom Festival, Ravenna Railroad festival and other events.
Encourage our local atheletes and let's get behind the football and basketball programs of our community. Keep these young people here if possible. Show the youth our support.
Old Hargett and Ravenna Elementary Schools
The old Irvine Grade School building on Broadway has been converted into elderly apartments. However, the old Hargett and Ravenna school buildings are abandoned. A school for troubled girls at Hargett closed its doors a few years ago.
How about a youth center or community center for gatherings, reunions, or youth centers in these buildings? Why do they continue to rot and crumble? Who owns these buidings and do they have information about possible uses of these buildings?
How about a youth center or community center for gatherings, reunions, or youth centers in these buildings? Why do they continue to rot and crumble? Who owns these buidings and do they have information about possible uses of these buildings?
No Estill County legislators in Frankfort!
It is too bad we don't have a state representative or state senator from Estill County. I am not trying to be critical of Messrs Edmonds or Jensen. But state legislators from London or Jackson are too far from Estill County to understand or care about local issues. Why has gerrymandering been allowed to happen? We miss Messrs Noland and Brewer who were from Estill County and brought up issues of local concern before the state legislature in Frankfort.
It is time for some serious redistricting so we don't have to continue to be represented in Frankfort by men from Jackson or London...located more than 50 miles from Irvine and Ravenna KY.
It is time for some serious redistricting so we don't have to continue to be represented in Frankfort by men from Jackson or London...located more than 50 miles from Irvine and Ravenna KY.
Limited parking: Lewis Funeral Home and Irvine KY Post Office
The parking at the post office is pathetic. Cars park along the side and block other cars in the process. If there is a large funeral at Lewis Funeral Home, the parking situation worsens. The location of the new Irvine City Hall has taken away some parking space. How about a new parking lot off court street near the old Gumm's resturant building? And this spot is close to customers from 2 banks.
limited space: Estill County courthouse
The stone courthouse in downtown Irvine is attractive but space is limited in several offices including the Circuit Clerk and County Clerk's offices. In the Septemeber 8 edition of the Lexington Herald Leader, we read about new court houses/justice centers being built all across Kentucky. It is obvious that Estill isn't included in that list. We have seen the court house become more attractive inside and out in recent years. But space is limited.
The County Clerk's office is especially crowded. You try to open the door and hit somone in the back. If the clerks would move to the front of the room (part of the room closest to River Drive) so the customers could line up toward the archive section of the room, the room would be easier to enter and exit. How about moving the office to the little courtroom? Or expanding the room by moving the archive section elsewhere?
Elevators have removed some space from the building. How about putting stone around the jail and locating the jail adjacent to the CV and T building? Then the jail could be used for county offices.
I would hate the see the current stone courthouse torn down. This attractive structure was built from Estill County stone by the CCCs in 1941.
I would like to see more space in the courthouse by possibly adding onto the building. Especially the County Clerk's office.
The County Clerk's office is especially crowded. You try to open the door and hit somone in the back. If the clerks would move to the front of the room (part of the room closest to River Drive) so the customers could line up toward the archive section of the room, the room would be easier to enter and exit. How about moving the office to the little courtroom? Or expanding the room by moving the archive section elsewhere?
Elevators have removed some space from the building. How about putting stone around the jail and locating the jail adjacent to the CV and T building? Then the jail could be used for county offices.
I would hate the see the current stone courthouse torn down. This attractive structure was built from Estill County stone by the CCCs in 1941.
I would like to see more space in the courthouse by possibly adding onto the building. Especially the County Clerk's office.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tourism
Why doesn't Irvine-Ravenna have a Department of Tourism that promotes our tourist attractions? Why not advertise the Fitchburg/Cottage Furnaces, Pryse oil fields, etc.
When I visit a rest area or welcome center along I 64,71,24 or I 75, I should be able to see a fancy brochure that brags about tourist attractions in Estill County Kentucky. The welcome centers at Florence, Williamsburg, Paduccah, Hopkinsville etc. are stuffed full of travel brochures of communities that have much less to offer the traveler. It is a shame that Estill County remains so hidden and obscure to tourists.
How about a lookout tower at the top of Sweet Lick Knob or Rockhouse Mountain? Why be so shy and reserved about our local scenery?
Lexingtonians spend tourism dollars in the Red River Gorge every summer and we don't do enough advertising about our attractions.
How about our local officials lobbying for a campground at Fitchburg Furnace? How about an ATV park somewhere in southern or eastern Estill County?
How about river boats that offer rided from lock 11 to lock 12? Or from the new park to the resturant under the Irvine bridge?
As a community, we have lost our vision...lost our focus. We are content to lose ground. We need to awaken ourselves to work hard toward growth and progress.
Estill County hasn't got its fair share of tourism and this isn't right. Think of the "economic exiles" in OH, IN, and central KY who would love to visit kin folks in Estill County. Yet we offer these potential visitors NOTHING. No campgrounds, museums, few picnic areas, and refuse to advertise and develop our vast resources. Southern and Eastern Estill counties have scenic landscape yet we won't develop and market this beauty.
When I visit a rest area or welcome center along I 64,71,24 or I 75, I should be able to see a fancy brochure that brags about tourist attractions in Estill County Kentucky. The welcome centers at Florence, Williamsburg, Paduccah, Hopkinsville etc. are stuffed full of travel brochures of communities that have much less to offer the traveler. It is a shame that Estill County remains so hidden and obscure to tourists.
How about a lookout tower at the top of Sweet Lick Knob or Rockhouse Mountain? Why be so shy and reserved about our local scenery?
Lexingtonians spend tourism dollars in the Red River Gorge every summer and we don't do enough advertising about our attractions.
How about our local officials lobbying for a campground at Fitchburg Furnace? How about an ATV park somewhere in southern or eastern Estill County?
How about river boats that offer rided from lock 11 to lock 12? Or from the new park to the resturant under the Irvine bridge?
As a community, we have lost our vision...lost our focus. We are content to lose ground. We need to awaken ourselves to work hard toward growth and progress.
Estill County hasn't got its fair share of tourism and this isn't right. Think of the "economic exiles" in OH, IN, and central KY who would love to visit kin folks in Estill County. Yet we offer these potential visitors NOTHING. No campgrounds, museums, few picnic areas, and refuse to advertise and develop our vast resources. Southern and Eastern Estill counties have scenic landscape yet we won't develop and market this beauty.
Historical markers needed
A historical marker is needed at Pryse-Texola in eastern Estill County to remember the booming times when the Texaco oil refinery was in full swing.
Another marker should be located in Ravenna to remember the 1961 tornado.
On the Beattyville Road near Crystal, the boyhood home of Backstreet Boys singer Kevin Richardson should be marked with a historic register at some point in our history.
Another marker should be located in Ravenna to remember the 1961 tornado.
On the Beattyville Road near Crystal, the boyhood home of Backstreet Boys singer Kevin Richardson should be marked with a historic register at some point in our history.
River Drive needs a food mart
River Drive (KY 52) between Irvine and Ravenna now only has one gasoline station! In the 1990s, there were 2 food marts along River Drive. Now there are none. The old Fuel Zone lots sits empty. Ownership has changed but it is doubtful if the new owners will build anything on this lot at the intersection of River Drive and Kirkland Avenue.
During the 1980s and 1990s, young people loved to cruise up and down River Drive..about the only entertainment in Estill County at the time. Now with gasoline nearly $ 4.00, cruising River Drive is very expensive.
During the 1980s and into the 21st century, Foodtown/Shopwize/IGA had a grocery store on River Drive and Madison Avenue in the Meade building. Now Meades Do It Center has moved their hardware store into the former grocery store location.
River Drive could sure use a grocery store or food mart. Yet environmental rules make having a gasoline station a very cosly venture.
I wished property owners in Estill County could touch bases with an out of town company that could build a food mart. Few local people have the resources to start a grocery store. A Thorntons or 7 11 would create several jobs.
During the 1980s and 1990s, young people loved to cruise up and down River Drive..about the only entertainment in Estill County at the time. Now with gasoline nearly $ 4.00, cruising River Drive is very expensive.
During the 1980s and into the 21st century, Foodtown/Shopwize/IGA had a grocery store on River Drive and Madison Avenue in the Meade building. Now Meades Do It Center has moved their hardware store into the former grocery store location.
River Drive could sure use a grocery store or food mart. Yet environmental rules make having a gasoline station a very cosly venture.
I wished property owners in Estill County could touch bases with an out of town company that could build a food mart. Few local people have the resources to start a grocery store. A Thorntons or 7 11 would create several jobs.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Estill County stats
Estill County (KY)
2nd Quarter 2008
County Profile Contact (919) 715-6374 Commerce Economic Development Contact (919) 733-4977
Demographics
Population & Growth Population Annual Growth Rate
2012 Total Population 14,752 ( 0.4%)
2007 Total Population 15,012 ( 0.3%)
2000 Total Population 15,307
July 2006 Certified Population Estimate .
July 2006 Certified Population Growth .
July 2006 Certified Net Migration .
Urban/Rural Representation Urban/Rural Percent
2000 Total Population: Urban - inside Urbanized Area 0 0.0%
2000 Total Population: Urban - inside Urbanized Clusters 4,205 27.5%
2000 Total Population: Rural - Farm 751 4.9%
2000 Total Population: Rural - Nonfarm 10,351 67.6%
Estimated Population by Age Pop by Age, % Est.
2012 Median Age 41
2007 Median Age 39
2000 Median Age 37
2007 Total Pop 0-19 3,613 24.1%
2007 Total Pop 20-29 1,939 12.9%
2007 Total Pop 30-39 2,147 14.3%
2007 Total Pop 40-49 2,306 15.4%
2007 Total Pop 50-59 2,000 13.3%
2007 Total Pop 60+ 3,007 20.0%
Working Commuters, 2000 Census
Workers, Travel Time Workers, By Transportation
Avg Travel Time, Not at Home 35 . . Worker Mode, Base 5,351
Workers Not Working at Home 5,273 Work at Home 78
Travel Time to Work: < 5 minutes 219 Drove Car/Truck/Van Alone 4,123
Travel Time to Work: 5-9 minutes 468 Carpooled Car/Truck/Van 1,015
Travel Time to Work: 10-14 minutes 628 Bus/Trolley Bus 16
Travel Time to Work: 15-19 minutes 558 Streetcar/Trolley Car 0
Travel Time to Work: 20-24 minutes 291 Subway/Elevated 0
Travel Time to Work: 25-29 minutes 264 Railroad 0
Travel Time to Work: 30-34 minutes 626 Ferryboat 0
Travel Time to Work: 35-39 minutes 113 Taxicab 0
Travel Time to Work: 40-44 minutes 339 Motorcycle 0
Travel Time to Work: 45-59 minutes 678 Bicycle 0
Travel Time to Work: 60-89 minutes 788 Walked 68
Travel Time to Work: 90+ minutes 301 Other Means 51
2nd Quarter 2008
County Profile Contact (919) 715-6374 Commerce Economic Development Contact (919) 733-4977
Demographics
Population & Growth Population Annual Growth Rate
2012 Total Population 14,752 ( 0.4%)
2007 Total Population 15,012 ( 0.3%)
2000 Total Population 15,307
July 2006 Certified Population Estimate .
July 2006 Certified Population Growth .
July 2006 Certified Net Migration .
Urban/Rural Representation Urban/Rural Percent
2000 Total Population: Urban - inside Urbanized Area 0 0.0%
2000 Total Population: Urban - inside Urbanized Clusters 4,205 27.5%
2000 Total Population: Rural - Farm 751 4.9%
2000 Total Population: Rural - Nonfarm 10,351 67.6%
Estimated Population by Age Pop by Age, % Est.
2012 Median Age 41
2007 Median Age 39
2000 Median Age 37
2007 Total Pop 0-19 3,613 24.1%
2007 Total Pop 20-29 1,939 12.9%
2007 Total Pop 30-39 2,147 14.3%
2007 Total Pop 40-49 2,306 15.4%
2007 Total Pop 50-59 2,000 13.3%
2007 Total Pop 60+ 3,007 20.0%
Working Commuters, 2000 Census
Workers, Travel Time Workers, By Transportation
Avg Travel Time, Not at Home 35 . . Worker Mode, Base 5,351
Workers Not Working at Home 5,273 Work at Home 78
Travel Time to Work: < 5 minutes 219 Drove Car/Truck/Van Alone 4,123
Travel Time to Work: 5-9 minutes 468 Carpooled Car/Truck/Van 1,015
Travel Time to Work: 10-14 minutes 628 Bus/Trolley Bus 16
Travel Time to Work: 15-19 minutes 558 Streetcar/Trolley Car 0
Travel Time to Work: 20-24 minutes 291 Subway/Elevated 0
Travel Time to Work: 25-29 minutes 264 Railroad 0
Travel Time to Work: 30-34 minutes 626 Ferryboat 0
Travel Time to Work: 35-39 minutes 113 Taxicab 0
Travel Time to Work: 40-44 minutes 339 Motorcycle 0
Travel Time to Work: 45-59 minutes 678 Bicycle 0
Travel Time to Work: 60-89 minutes 788 Walked 68
Travel Time to Work: 90+ minutes 301 Other Means 51
Declining population in Irvine, Ravenna and Estill County
Our young people often want to leave this county. Why? Why does Irvine and Ravenna have less people than they did during the Great Depression?
At one time, Irvine had more people than either Morehead, London, Williamsburg, Grayson, Versailles, Berea, Lawrenceburg, Monticello, Stanford, Lancaster and many other towns across the commonwealth of KY. What happened? Why are we falling behind? What are we going to do about it? Do we want to continue to fall behind? Hey, we are as close to the Lexington metropolitan area as some of these towns. We can do better. Not by campaign promises but action.
Where are these economic exiles relocating to and why are they doing so. Are these growing central KY towns doing that much to attract business. NO. People seem to be more satisfied in driving from Lancaster to Lexington than they do from Irvine to Lexington. Maybe we need to look at the image of our community and work together to correct some of the societal wrongs. Irvine is as close to the booming Lexington metropolitan area as Lawrenceburg, Lancaster, Berea, Stanford, etc.. Somehow Estill County's youth want to get out of here. Why? We the people and the politicians need to figure this out.
At one time, Irvine had more people than either Morehead, London, Williamsburg, Grayson, Versailles, Berea, Lawrenceburg, Monticello, Stanford, Lancaster and many other towns across the commonwealth of KY. What happened? Why are we falling behind? What are we going to do about it? Do we want to continue to fall behind? Hey, we are as close to the Lexington metropolitan area as some of these towns. We can do better. Not by campaign promises but action.
Where are these economic exiles relocating to and why are they doing so. Are these growing central KY towns doing that much to attract business. NO. People seem to be more satisfied in driving from Lancaster to Lexington than they do from Irvine to Lexington. Maybe we need to look at the image of our community and work together to correct some of the societal wrongs. Irvine is as close to the booming Lexington metropolitan area as Lawrenceburg, Lancaster, Berea, Stanford, etc.. Somehow Estill County's youth want to get out of here. Why? We the people and the politicians need to figure this out.
A prison would help Estill County
Many of our local people howl and scream when someone comes up with the idea of buiding a prison somewhere in Estill County. Folks I am less concerned about the criminals in prison as I am with the criminals on the streets.
LaGrange KY is a booming city and yet has a prison. West Liberty, Manchester, Beattyville, and other towns have created jobs by building maximum security prisons. A prison near Crystal or a remote section would pose no risk to the people of Estill County. It bugs me how some local people love to protest anything that would make Estill County a more prosperous place. Some of these job oponents live on welfare or Social Security so why should they care.
You tell me that a prison would hurt the image of this county? Has it hurt the image of Oldham County? Huh? Speak a little louder as I can't hear you!
More jobs in the county would REDUCE crime. As long as traditionalists spout off at local forums and get media coverage, the economic future of this county remains in jeopardy.
LaGrange KY is a booming city and yet has a prison. West Liberty, Manchester, Beattyville, and other towns have created jobs by building maximum security prisons. A prison near Crystal or a remote section would pose no risk to the people of Estill County. It bugs me how some local people love to protest anything that would make Estill County a more prosperous place. Some of these job oponents live on welfare or Social Security so why should they care.
You tell me that a prison would hurt the image of this county? Has it hurt the image of Oldham County? Huh? Speak a little louder as I can't hear you!
More jobs in the county would REDUCE crime. As long as traditionalists spout off at local forums and get media coverage, the economic future of this county remains in jeopardy.
poverty, ignorance, apathy and unhappiness
I feel sorry for the lower income people of Estill County. The ones who frequent the grocery store in their 85 Escort with plywood around the back window. They often have rock bottom self esteem. Generations of poverty and ignorance have taken their toll on the individual. There is a better life out there but many of these people are apathetic. Satisfied to live in poverty. Addicted to social welfare programs.
It is time to look at ways of reducing poverty in Estill County.
1. Advertise programs aimed at ending cigarette addiction.
2. Locate a computer lab with websites advertising work in Lexington and Richmond KY. Many of our local people are unaware of the job potentials that exist beyond Drowning Creek and Red River.
3. Accept the fact that prisons don't lead to increase crime. Better jobs reduces crime. Lagrange is a booming city. I would rather have more prisons to house prisoners that have the renegades out on the streets causing damage. Folks, we need to stop dreaming of some company coming in here and providing thousands of high paying jobs.
4. We need to make sure the students at Estill County High School are offered business courses meant to help local youth become successful enterpreneurs. We expect others to come here and create jobs for us. It isn't going to happen. We need to have the services and products that other people buy. Consider the lumber companies on Cow Creek Road as an example of local enterpreneurship.
5. Make sure our school aged children have the skills needed to compete in the ever demanding workplace. Social skills are needed as well. Poverty, ignorance, and criminal behavior can limit one's ability to function on the workplace.
Let's set reasonable goals to reduce welfare dependency, substance abuse, high school dropout rates, and the declining local business community.
It is time to look at ways of reducing poverty in Estill County.
1. Advertise programs aimed at ending cigarette addiction.
2. Locate a computer lab with websites advertising work in Lexington and Richmond KY. Many of our local people are unaware of the job potentials that exist beyond Drowning Creek and Red River.
3. Accept the fact that prisons don't lead to increase crime. Better jobs reduces crime. Lagrange is a booming city. I would rather have more prisons to house prisoners that have the renegades out on the streets causing damage. Folks, we need to stop dreaming of some company coming in here and providing thousands of high paying jobs.
4. We need to make sure the students at Estill County High School are offered business courses meant to help local youth become successful enterpreneurs. We expect others to come here and create jobs for us. It isn't going to happen. We need to have the services and products that other people buy. Consider the lumber companies on Cow Creek Road as an example of local enterpreneurship.
5. Make sure our school aged children have the skills needed to compete in the ever demanding workplace. Social skills are needed as well. Poverty, ignorance, and criminal behavior can limit one's ability to function on the workplace.
Let's set reasonable goals to reduce welfare dependency, substance abuse, high school dropout rates, and the declining local business community.
Monday, September 1, 2008
no development along the Joseph Proctor Bypass KY 499
Eight years have gone by since the construction of the new Joseph Proctor bypass. As of the summer of 2008, not one business has located along this new road. While it is nice to be able to cruise the bypass free of stop lights and congestion, the once anticipated bypass hasn't created one new commercial job!
The new access road to the Estill County industrial park hasn't been built.
For sale/lease signs have rotted or rusted. Lots more FOR SALE or FOR LEASE signs than COMING SOON signs.
Unlike other bypasses around the state, this bypass looks no different than it did 8 years ago. It is time for Estill County official to examine why real growth hasn't occured along this new road.
The new access road to the Estill County industrial park hasn't been built.
For sale/lease signs have rotted or rusted. Lots more FOR SALE or FOR LEASE signs than COMING SOON signs.
Unlike other bypasses around the state, this bypass looks no different than it did 8 years ago. It is time for Estill County official to examine why real growth hasn't occured along this new road.
West Irvine Elementary School
The local Board of Education wants to build a new elementary school in Estill County. I always wondered why South Irvine Elementary School wasn't enlarged and include students from Red Lick, Wisemantown and Doug Hill. We need 3 elementary schools in the county. Move some of the West Irvine students to South Irvine Elementary School and enlarge that facility a bit.
I am a proud alumni of West Irvine Elementary School. I believe a few inexpensive changes could make this school a state of the art facility. Consider the following changes:
1. Build a new cafeteria, gymnasium and office space.
2.Tear down the 5th grade outside addition and build a new wing with pods connected to the main building.
3. Convert the gym/cafeteria into a new library. Build a second story computer lab with an elevator on top of the current gym/cafeteria.
4. Build a new canopy around the bus area.
5. Convert the current kitchen into a music classroom.
This proposal would be much cheaper than a new school. Yes a new school similar to the Madison County schools such as Kirksville, Shannon Johnson, Glenn Marshall or Kingston would be nice. Expensive.
West Irvine needs more office space, new cafeteria/gymnasium and the current cafeteria converted into a library and computer lab. Kitchen could be converted into a music room.
Let's make this school a state of the art facility without the expensive site preparation. We don't need a totally new elementary school. Just upgrades to the current facility.
I am a proud alumni of West Irvine Elementary School. I believe a few inexpensive changes could make this school a state of the art facility. Consider the following changes:
1. Build a new cafeteria, gymnasium and office space.
2.Tear down the 5th grade outside addition and build a new wing with pods connected to the main building.
3. Convert the gym/cafeteria into a new library. Build a second story computer lab with an elevator on top of the current gym/cafeteria.
4. Build a new canopy around the bus area.
5. Convert the current kitchen into a music classroom.
This proposal would be much cheaper than a new school. Yes a new school similar to the Madison County schools such as Kirksville, Shannon Johnson, Glenn Marshall or Kingston would be nice. Expensive.
West Irvine needs more office space, new cafeteria/gymnasium and the current cafeteria converted into a library and computer lab. Kitchen could be converted into a music room.
Let's make this school a state of the art facility without the expensive site preparation. We don't need a totally new elementary school. Just upgrades to the current facility.
Winston needs a volunteer fire department
The Estill County Fire Department off Stacy Lane Road is too far from the growing western part of Estill County. There are some nice homes on Sandhill, Reges, Winston, Opossum Run and Trotting Ridge Roads. How about another small fire station near Winston?
Hargett and Cobhill Roads have fire stations. In many rural Eastern KY counties, most small hamlets have volunteer fire departments. Between Mt.Sterling and Frenchburg KY along US 460, Means, Jeffersonville and Camargo all have fire stations.
Why not a small station with one truck. If your house becomes engulged in fire, you need immediate assistance.
Winston needs a fire station. A fire station would serve the only area of growth in Estill County.
Hargett and Cobhill Roads have fire stations. In many rural Eastern KY counties, most small hamlets have volunteer fire departments. Between Mt.Sterling and Frenchburg KY along US 460, Means, Jeffersonville and Camargo all have fire stations.
Why not a small station with one truck. If your house becomes engulged in fire, you need immediate assistance.
Winston needs a fire station. A fire station would serve the only area of growth in Estill County.
Will the Irvine Fire Department ever be built?
Next to the new Irvine City hall, you will find several steel beams laying around. When will the funding be possible for this new building?
Blinking light needed at Winston KY
Several wrecks have occured along the Richmond Road between Drowning Creek and Rice Station in recent years. It is time to evaluate the situation.
The intersection of KY 52 and 3325 at the intersection of Richmond, Winston and Trotting Ridge Roads needs a blinking caution light. Dangerous intersection. Traffic moving fast. I would love to see a stop light like the ones at Moberly and Waco but I doubt that will occur anytime soon. Several new subdivisions on Opossum Run, Trotting Ridge and Picnic Hill roads have increased traffic.
The intersection of KY 52 and 3325 at the intersection of Richmond, Winston and Trotting Ridge Roads needs a blinking caution light. Dangerous intersection. Traffic moving fast. I would love to see a stop light like the ones at Moberly and Waco but I doubt that will occur anytime soon. Several new subdivisions on Opossum Run, Trotting Ridge and Picnic Hill roads have increased traffic.
No cell phone service..Ravenna, South Irvine & elsewhere
Western and northern Estill County has decent cell phone coverage. But oh the southern and eastern parts of Estill County! Too many people in the area aren't complaining enough! River Drive or Ravenna should have a cell tower installed ASAP!
When you leave Main Street in Irvine and head east on River Drive, you get NO cell phone service. Nada. None. River Drive and downtown Ravenna has no cellular service. Ditto to Pitts, Cow Creek, Ticky Fork or Crystal. There is NO cell phone service on the South Irvine Road or communities such as Wagersville, Barnes Mountain etc..
Estill County cannot continue to be in the informational "dark age" if we want to attract business and growth. Local people would love to have improved cell phone service.
When you leave Main Street in Irvine and head east on River Drive, you get NO cell phone service. Nada. None. River Drive and downtown Ravenna has no cellular service. Ditto to Pitts, Cow Creek, Ticky Fork or Crystal. There is NO cell phone service on the South Irvine Road or communities such as Wagersville, Barnes Mountain etc..
Estill County cannot continue to be in the informational "dark age" if we want to attract business and growth. Local people would love to have improved cell phone service.
Open up the old Mack Theater in downtown Irvine
There is no reason for this old landmark to be vacant. This building could be used to musical performances, visits from politicians, reunions, opera house etc.. During the second world war, local people tuned into the movies to escape the realities of war. We need local enterpreneurs like the McClanahans of old who saw local needs and responded to those needs.
Hazard has The Forum where musical groups perform. Parking is a real problem. Westcare needs a parking lot where Perry's Auto Supply is now located.
There has to be some profitable useage for this building.
Hazard has The Forum where musical groups perform. Parking is a real problem. Westcare needs a parking lot where Perry's Auto Supply is now located.
There has to be some profitable useage for this building.
Keep Estill County clean and green
The trash along the roads is disgusting. Some of the worst dumps on Tipton Ridge, Pea Ridge, Stacy Lane and Millers Creek have been cleaned up but roadside trash remains a real problem. Trash effects the image of Estill County.
Report ANYONE who throws trash outside their car window.
Thanks to the Estill Countians who help clean up the roadside. Cleaning up the roadsides is a thankless job.
I wished our local landfill would lower the rates of garbage for local residents. If we have to put up with everyone else's trash, then at least we the people of Estill County could get cheaper dumping rates. More free days of dumping at the landfill would help clean up the county.
Let's have a REAL COUNTY CLEANUP DAY. Actually let's have several days annually. If we are really serious about cleaning up the county, let's do something instead of talking about cleaning up the county.
Don't make people bag up their garbage. Allow Estill Countians to place their trash in a pile somewhere along the roadsides and send trucks around to pick up the garbage. During the 1990s, you didn't have to BAG UP your garbage and send it to the landfill. After all, people don't HAVE to clean up the roadsides. Don't worry if they bring household garbage to the landfill. Every bit of garbage placed in the landfill helps clean up our roadsides.
One clean up day isn't enough. And you have the traffic congestion near the landfill making it less likely you will consider the free day next year. Let's have several free dumping days or LOWER the rate for local people to dump garbage in the landfill located on the Winchester Road in Estill County!
Report ANYONE who throws trash outside their car window.
Thanks to the Estill Countians who help clean up the roadside. Cleaning up the roadsides is a thankless job.
I wished our local landfill would lower the rates of garbage for local residents. If we have to put up with everyone else's trash, then at least we the people of Estill County could get cheaper dumping rates. More free days of dumping at the landfill would help clean up the county.
Let's have a REAL COUNTY CLEANUP DAY. Actually let's have several days annually. If we are really serious about cleaning up the county, let's do something instead of talking about cleaning up the county.
Don't make people bag up their garbage. Allow Estill Countians to place their trash in a pile somewhere along the roadsides and send trucks around to pick up the garbage. During the 1990s, you didn't have to BAG UP your garbage and send it to the landfill. After all, people don't HAVE to clean up the roadsides. Don't worry if they bring household garbage to the landfill. Every bit of garbage placed in the landfill helps clean up our roadsides.
One clean up day isn't enough. And you have the traffic congestion near the landfill making it less likely you will consider the free day next year. Let's have several free dumping days or LOWER the rate for local people to dump garbage in the landfill located on the Winchester Road in Estill County!
Tobacco has cost Estill County in many ways
Too many Estill Countians are lighting up their cigarettes. Think of the money that the poorer people of the county WASTE on tobacco. Yes it is your right to smoke. But it is a silly habit that costs you dearly.
I see some of our lower income people at the Save A Lot store on Richmond Road on the first weekend of each month. I see someone in an 80s model car with a driver smoking cigarettes while his wife is inside buying stuff with their "food stamp" card.
If anyone knows any local organizations or agencies meant to curb this local epidemic, please post a comment to this thread. We must reduce this harmful addiction.
I see some of our lower income people at the Save A Lot store on Richmond Road on the first weekend of each month. I see someone in an 80s model car with a driver smoking cigarettes while his wife is inside buying stuff with their "food stamp" card.
If anyone knows any local organizations or agencies meant to curb this local epidemic, please post a comment to this thread. We must reduce this harmful addiction.
New turning lanes to be installed near Reges Road
I am glad to see the pine trees being trimmed and removed near the Richmond Road acess points of Rice Station and Reges Roads. Never place pine trees to close to roads or homes as visibility is an important issue. Yes, the pine trees looked stately and all but the safety of local residents is more important. We don't need to lose young people to automobile accidents.
It is time for a local study about automobile safety is Estill County. Remove blindspots and warn people about dangerous intersections.
It is time for a local study about automobile safety is Estill County. Remove blindspots and warn people about dangerous intersections.
something for the young people of Estill County
When I was a high school student at Estill County High School in the mid 1980s, students complained about the fact that there was NOTHING for the young people to spend their spare time. It is worse now.
In the early 1980s, we had Fain's Skating rink , swimming pool, and the Mack Theater. Today, one must get into their automobile, fill up on $4.00 gasoline and head to the Richmond Mall some 20 plus miles away.
Many of our pool rooms have been frequented by lawless individuals. People have been shot and killed at several pool rooms across town. In 2003, a man was gunned down at a pool room in Ravenna Ky forcing the room to be closed down for awhile.
Estill County has lost many bright individuals who could have made our county a better place. These "economic exiles" have contributed to the success of communities in other places. The absence of clean fun has made our youth develop a sour attitude about the community. As soon as many of our best and brightest leave home, they want to move elsewhere.
Somehow efforts by local people to promote recreational activities for the youth have failed. Some dreams never see implementation. The proposed YOUTH CENTER near the Estill County High School never saw the light of day and the COMING SOON sign has rotted!
How about a new swimming pool on the middle or high school campus?
Let's hope the new park addresses some of these concerns. Even if the new park isn't centrally located, maybe it is a step in the right direction. Even if we wished we had several smaller parks scattered around the county, at least maybe something will happen to make the community a better place.
We need to stop losing our better and brighter ones to other towns. We have a brain drain. We don't want to see good people leaving. The druggies and welfare recipients won't leave. Stop the brain drain. Keep bright young Estill Countians from crossing Red River or Drowing Creek to find greener economic pasture.
In the early 1980s, we had Fain's Skating rink , swimming pool, and the Mack Theater. Today, one must get into their automobile, fill up on $4.00 gasoline and head to the Richmond Mall some 20 plus miles away.
Many of our pool rooms have been frequented by lawless individuals. People have been shot and killed at several pool rooms across town. In 2003, a man was gunned down at a pool room in Ravenna Ky forcing the room to be closed down for awhile.
Estill County has lost many bright individuals who could have made our county a better place. These "economic exiles" have contributed to the success of communities in other places. The absence of clean fun has made our youth develop a sour attitude about the community. As soon as many of our best and brightest leave home, they want to move elsewhere.
Somehow efforts by local people to promote recreational activities for the youth have failed. Some dreams never see implementation. The proposed YOUTH CENTER near the Estill County High School never saw the light of day and the COMING SOON sign has rotted!
How about a new swimming pool on the middle or high school campus?
Let's hope the new park addresses some of these concerns. Even if the new park isn't centrally located, maybe it is a step in the right direction. Even if we wished we had several smaller parks scattered around the county, at least maybe something will happen to make the community a better place.
We need to stop losing our better and brighter ones to other towns. We have a brain drain. We don't want to see good people leaving. The druggies and welfare recipients won't leave. Stop the brain drain. Keep bright young Estill Countians from crossing Red River or Drowing Creek to find greener economic pasture.
Monday, August 18, 2008
When Save A Lot moves to new location
I wonder what will happen to the old Food World building once Save A Lot moves to its new location?
Old Armada boat factory on Old Pike sits empty
During the 1990s, Mirada boats were assembled in Ravenna KY. Around 2001, the plant closed. The old Pike building sits empty. Originally built for Carhart, the building could be used to several purposes. But it sits empty. Dark and spooky at night!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The spring at the top of Tipton Ridge Mountain
Folks from all around have enjoyed getting water from the spring on Tipton Ridge/Beattyville Road (KY 52 East). Yet this scenic landscape is plagued with trash and graffiti. Why? And the concrete area around the spring is deteriorating. Something needs to be done. Community leaders need to act now to save this landmark. Estill Springs and Spout Springs are in private hands and no longer accessible to the general public. Let's save the Tipton Ridge spring. Stop the graffiti and trash.
Spout Springs property
I used to like to stop and drink from the spring on KY 82. I understand the current owners don't allow any visitors to the spring. Which is a shame. Yes I understand they pay taxes on the farm and they would be concerned about their safety. Why don't they fence off a limited section of land around the spring. The community has enjoyed drinking from the waters for decades. Sam Tuttle should have willed a little section around the spring for community use. Sam was nice enough to allow people to use the spring.
poor parking in downtown Irvine
It is hard to find a parking spot on Main street. The new city hall has reduced some of the parking spots. The Lewis funeral home and Irvine Post Office lots are small and parking often has to take place on the streets. How about a parking lot off of Court Street so customers to Lewis Funeral home, post office and the banks can find a spot to park? There is waste land on Church Street that could be purchased for a parking lot.
Fast food chains that have left Estill County
Lack of through traffic has hurt Estill County's business community. You soon exhaust your supply of local customers. Towns close to major interstates benefit from through traffic.
Irvine once had a Kentucky Fried chicken on River Drive from the mid 1970s until the 1990s.
Lee's Famous Recipe once had a location on the Richmond Road.
Irvine once had a Dairy Queen on the Richmond Road. Powell County has two Dairy Queens!
The Irvine Food Court once had a Burger King and Taco Bell. In the mid 1990s, a Columbia Steak house was in the food court. Let's help keep the food court open. I miss Taco Bell! Yo quiero Taco Bell!
Po Folks once had a resturant in the old KFC building on River Drive.
Anyone considering opening a resturant franchise in Estill County KY should consider looking at the Winchester Road. The only through traffic into Estill County comes from KY 89 N and KY 82 from the Mt. Parkway.
Lots of young people work at these fast food resturants. We need to create a better business climate so more young people could have a better economic future.
Irvine once had a Kentucky Fried chicken on River Drive from the mid 1970s until the 1990s.
Lee's Famous Recipe once had a location on the Richmond Road.
Irvine once had a Dairy Queen on the Richmond Road. Powell County has two Dairy Queens!
The Irvine Food Court once had a Burger King and Taco Bell. In the mid 1990s, a Columbia Steak house was in the food court. Let's help keep the food court open. I miss Taco Bell! Yo quiero Taco Bell!
Po Folks once had a resturant in the old KFC building on River Drive.
Anyone considering opening a resturant franchise in Estill County KY should consider looking at the Winchester Road. The only through traffic into Estill County comes from KY 89 N and KY 82 from the Mt. Parkway.
Lots of young people work at these fast food resturants. We need to create a better business climate so more young people could have a better economic future.
Estill County's glorious past
Can you imagine a Texaco oil refinery at Pryse KY? Can you imagine iron being processed at Fitchburg and Cottage furnaces in eastern Estill County? The L and N railroad yards at Ravenna employed hundreds of people in the early 20th century.
Starting in the late 1950s, Estill County started slipping into hard times. The 1950s saw a steep decline in the county population. Since 1960, several employment firms have come and gone including Southeast Coal Company coal wash, the ill starred charcoal factory near Dry Ridge Road, Armada boat factory in Ravenna, X Ring archery, and dozens of local businesses that failed for one reason or another.
We need an economic drive like we saw in the first half of the 20th century. We don't need the malaise of the late 20th century.
Too many small businesses in Estill County have failed. High rent, limited profits, limited business acumen, lack or cheap advertising, poor salesmanship or marketing have domed many businesses.
Starting in the late 1950s, Estill County started slipping into hard times. The 1950s saw a steep decline in the county population. Since 1960, several employment firms have come and gone including Southeast Coal Company coal wash, the ill starred charcoal factory near Dry Ridge Road, Armada boat factory in Ravenna, X Ring archery, and dozens of local businesses that failed for one reason or another.
We need an economic drive like we saw in the first half of the 20th century. We don't need the malaise of the late 20th century.
Too many small businesses in Estill County have failed. High rent, limited profits, limited business acumen, lack or cheap advertising, poor salesmanship or marketing have domed many businesses.
tear down unsightly buildings
It is time that vacant buildings that are eye sores and safety hazard be torn down. This is true for the old Ravenna Diesel building as well as the old Farm and Home store at the corner of Broadway and Stevens Avenue in Irvine. A few unsightly buildings have been town down lately. You have litigation issues if children get hurt exploring these buildings. The same goes for burned out shells of houses or trailors. Once the insurance paperwork has been completed, it is time to tear down the shell.
extend the Irvine city limits to the Proctor bypass
It is time to extend the Irvine city limits. The 1930 census was the last one to show growth. One way to make the town have more people (most cities are doing it) would be to extend the Irvine city limits on KY 89 and 52 to the Joseph Proctor bypass. If the communities of North Irvine, West Irvine, and Cedar Grove were annexed into Irvine, the population would increase from 2834 to well over 3000. Maysville KY recently annexed historic Washington KY.
The more people you have in town the better chances you have of attracting jobs or commercial development.
At the current moment, the Irvine bridge is the city limits. On the Winchester Road, the current city limits is close to Priceless Foods.
It would be nice to see a large WELCOME TO IRVINE HOME OF MUSHROOM SIGN at the edge of Irvine at both ends of the Joseph Proctor bypass.
The more people you have in town the better chances you have of attracting jobs or commercial development.
At the current moment, the Irvine bridge is the city limits. On the Winchester Road, the current city limits is close to Priceless Foods.
It would be nice to see a large WELCOME TO IRVINE HOME OF MUSHROOM SIGN at the edge of Irvine at both ends of the Joseph Proctor bypass.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Fitchburg Furnace State Park
How about a state park at Fitchburg? This is a large piece of work that dates back to the 1860s. Why be so shy and timid about advertising it?
Imagine if this furnace was located in other communities! You would hear more about it. It is time for signage along the Mountain Parkway and I 75 pointing visitors to this 19th century marvel.
How about a driving tour of the historic iron industry? Visit the KY Iron Industry drving tour including Fitchburg, Cottage and Estill Steam Furnace ruins.
New Save A Lot near old Maloney Store building
I have been told that Save A Lot is building a new location near the old Maloney store on the Richmond Road. What happens if a wreck occurs while 1 car is headed to the Irvine Food Court while another car is getting ready to go to Save A Lot? Bad intersection.
You don't have to register to post a comment
You can post annonymously. I would love to hear from others in the county. County officials and business leaders.
positive community improvements in recent years
1. New Irvine city hall. New fire station has been shelved for now.
2. Turning lane on River Drive from Irvine to Ravenna.
3. Salem Baptist church curve on KY 82 (Spout Springs Road).
4. Joseph Proctor bridge and bypass
5. Westcare drug treatment center in downtown Irvine. If they only had better signage!
6. Old Black Brother's bus terminal on Broadway is now Estill County Historical Society.
7. Old Fores/Perry Auto Supply building is being rejuvenated for court house offices.
8. Michael Dean's law office in the old Hardy's Department Store.
9. New middle school and recent construction of an addition to the high school connecting the buildings on campus.
10. Some revitalization of downtown Irvine KY.
11. Adult Horizon on Broadway as an elderly day care center.
12. turning lanes on Richmond Road from the bridge west to Stacy Lane
13. Greenearth Bio-Fuel plant near Carrhart.
2. Turning lane on River Drive from Irvine to Ravenna.
3. Salem Baptist church curve on KY 82 (Spout Springs Road).
4. Joseph Proctor bridge and bypass
5. Westcare drug treatment center in downtown Irvine. If they only had better signage!
6. Old Black Brother's bus terminal on Broadway is now Estill County Historical Society.
7. Old Fores/Perry Auto Supply building is being rejuvenated for court house offices.
8. Michael Dean's law office in the old Hardy's Department Store.
9. New middle school and recent construction of an addition to the high school connecting the buildings on campus.
10. Some revitalization of downtown Irvine KY.
11. Adult Horizon on Broadway as an elderly day care center.
12. turning lanes on Richmond Road from the bridge west to Stacy Lane
13. Greenearth Bio-Fuel plant near Carrhart.
Many proposed projects never materialize
I can think of several community projects that have been shelved or canceled due to lack of funds or local interest. Consider the following
A. The youth center to be built next to the Estill County High School Track near the Winchester Road. The sign has rotted down
B. Park near Lock 12 off Old Pike in Ravenna KY. The lock houses were never restored. Nada. Nothing.
C.Improving Winchester Road (KY89) from Rice Street to Joseph Proctor bypass. This road needs turning lanes in front of Priceless and Family Dollar. Again locals complained about the road being built behind their businesses would hurt their sales. It is all "what is in it for me" instead of "what is better for the community".
A. The youth center to be built next to the Estill County High School Track near the Winchester Road. The sign has rotted down
B. Park near Lock 12 off Old Pike in Ravenna KY. The lock houses were never restored. Nada. Nothing.
C.Improving Winchester Road (KY89) from Rice Street to Joseph Proctor bypass. This road needs turning lanes in front of Priceless and Family Dollar. Again locals complained about the road being built behind their businesses would hurt their sales. It is all "what is in it for me" instead of "what is better for the community".
Nothing for the youth of Estill County?
A common complaint of many small town youth. Yet Mt. Vernon has Renfro Valley entertainment, Clay City has several race tracks and Jackson County has an ATV park at S Tree near Sandgap. I wished there was a 100 acre farm up Barnes Mountain or Tipton Ridge where people could register and pay a small fee for ATV riding. At least the rest of us wouldn't have to fence our farms to keep those ATVs out!
Bored young people often get in trouble. Young people today need an outlet for their energy.
Bored young people often get in trouble. Young people today need an outlet for their energy.
Estill County needs a LAKE
Why not build a lake near Station Camp or maybe Fitchburg? The southern and eastern parts of the county could use the extra tourism dollars.Stores, boat rentals, bait shops etc. could pop up across the area.
Jackson County has Lake Beulah. Letcher County has Carr's Fork Lake. Why don't we have a lake? Think of the jobs that could be produced.
Yet when Hal Rogers visited Estill County in the late 1980s, a mob of angry people protested the lake.There is enough national forest land that property acquisition wouldn't be needed.
Jackson County has Lake Beulah. Letcher County has Carr's Fork Lake. Why don't we have a lake? Think of the jobs that could be produced.
Yet when Hal Rogers visited Estill County in the late 1980s, a mob of angry people protested the lake.There is enough national forest land that property acquisition wouldn't be needed.
Ideas for economic growth in Estill County
1. Estill County needs better roads to neighboring towns such as Beattyville, Winchester and Clay City. Through traffic means tourism and small business growth. Fast food resturants employ people. Imagine a new food mart on the Winchester Road close to the high school, middle school, landfill and industrial park.
2. Local people need to change their attitude about growth and development. Growth is good. More people need to travel outside the county's border and see opportunities in our own backyard.
3. Eastern and Southern Estill County need better cell phone service. This is the information age and one needs to have internet access, cell phone service and cable to compete in this global economy.
4. Estill County needs a fully operating tourism department that advertises in travel guides found in welcome centers and rest areas along I 75, 71,64 and at state parks. Look at the Fitchburg Furnace and Cottage Furnace..why aren't these attractions being advertised? How about a state resort park with a museum, hotel complex etc.?
5. We need neighborhood watches in rural communities. By the time the police arrive, the damage has occured. Better local communication might keep someone from having to take the law in their own hands. Rural communities need to see a visible law enforcement. How about the constables? They could also help go after druggies.
6. We need an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence.
7. Irvine and Ravenna need a taxi service given high gas prices and elderly residents who aren't able to drive to Richmond or Lexington.
8. Students at Estill County High School need to be able to take courses that are offered in larger high schools even such courses are online.
9. Estill County's business community could become more vibrant if more young people had proper training. Small businesses create jobs. Too many politicians dream about some large factory coming to Irvine employing hundreds of people..folks it isn't going to happen. Get over it.
10. Irvine needs a Wal Mart. Contrary to the popular opinion, Wal Mart would create more jobs than mom and pop stores which have pretty much vanished. We need the jobs here and the Richmond store is too crowded. Jackson, Barbourville, Stanford, Manchester, and other towns have Wal Marts.
11. Stop the JOB KILLERS who want their little town to be little and backward. Local projects that have been killed in recent years include an air port on Trotting Ridge, industrial park at Winston, prison at Stacy Lane, steam factory at Calloways's crossing near the Southeast Coal company's old facility...just to name a few. I am not endorsing all of the above proposals. It is the ANTI-CHANGE attitude that burns me up.
12. While some people in Estill County need public assistance, too many are satisfied to live off of welfare. We don't need half of the people in Estill County on welfare checks. Some of the women at Save A Lot at the first of the month are capable of making a living. High rates of public assistance don't help the image of the community.
13. Clean up the county. Stop throwing trash out your window of your car. Clean up the roadsides in front of your home. Tear down unsightly out buildings. Keep your yard mowed. Stacy Lane, Pea Ridge and Millers Creek could use a good cleaning every now and then.
14. Stop the flight of wealthy elderly people from the county. A guarded elderly apartment complex is needed. Assisted living for those who try to postpone going to the nursing home.
15. Irvine needs a cinema. Or get the old Mac Theater back in operation.
16. Irvine needs an entertainment complex where a politician or entertainer could perform. Maybe something like Hazard's Forum.
17. We need our legislators in Frankfort to come from Estill COunty. Mr. Edmonds is from Breathitt County and Mr. Jenson is from Laurel. Time to end the gerrymandering of state house seats.
18. River Drive needs a food mart. Let's hope Appco will put one where the old Fuel Zone food mart stood at the junction of River Drive and Kirkland Avenue.
2. Local people need to change their attitude about growth and development. Growth is good. More people need to travel outside the county's border and see opportunities in our own backyard.
3. Eastern and Southern Estill County need better cell phone service. This is the information age and one needs to have internet access, cell phone service and cable to compete in this global economy.
4. Estill County needs a fully operating tourism department that advertises in travel guides found in welcome centers and rest areas along I 75, 71,64 and at state parks. Look at the Fitchburg Furnace and Cottage Furnace..why aren't these attractions being advertised? How about a state resort park with a museum, hotel complex etc.?
5. We need neighborhood watches in rural communities. By the time the police arrive, the damage has occured. Better local communication might keep someone from having to take the law in their own hands. Rural communities need to see a visible law enforcement. How about the constables? They could also help go after druggies.
6. We need an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence.
7. Irvine and Ravenna need a taxi service given high gas prices and elderly residents who aren't able to drive to Richmond or Lexington.
8. Students at Estill County High School need to be able to take courses that are offered in larger high schools even such courses are online.
9. Estill County's business community could become more vibrant if more young people had proper training. Small businesses create jobs. Too many politicians dream about some large factory coming to Irvine employing hundreds of people..folks it isn't going to happen. Get over it.
10. Irvine needs a Wal Mart. Contrary to the popular opinion, Wal Mart would create more jobs than mom and pop stores which have pretty much vanished. We need the jobs here and the Richmond store is too crowded. Jackson, Barbourville, Stanford, Manchester, and other towns have Wal Marts.
11. Stop the JOB KILLERS who want their little town to be little and backward. Local projects that have been killed in recent years include an air port on Trotting Ridge, industrial park at Winston, prison at Stacy Lane, steam factory at Calloways's crossing near the Southeast Coal company's old facility...just to name a few. I am not endorsing all of the above proposals. It is the ANTI-CHANGE attitude that burns me up.
12. While some people in Estill County need public assistance, too many are satisfied to live off of welfare. We don't need half of the people in Estill County on welfare checks. Some of the women at Save A Lot at the first of the month are capable of making a living. High rates of public assistance don't help the image of the community.
13. Clean up the county. Stop throwing trash out your window of your car. Clean up the roadsides in front of your home. Tear down unsightly out buildings. Keep your yard mowed. Stacy Lane, Pea Ridge and Millers Creek could use a good cleaning every now and then.
14. Stop the flight of wealthy elderly people from the county. A guarded elderly apartment complex is needed. Assisted living for those who try to postpone going to the nursing home.
15. Irvine needs a cinema. Or get the old Mac Theater back in operation.
16. Irvine needs an entertainment complex where a politician or entertainer could perform. Maybe something like Hazard's Forum.
17. We need our legislators in Frankfort to come from Estill COunty. Mr. Edmonds is from Breathitt County and Mr. Jenson is from Laurel. Time to end the gerrymandering of state house seats.
18. River Drive needs a food mart. Let's hope Appco will put one where the old Fuel Zone food mart stood at the junction of River Drive and Kirkland Avenue.
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