Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Mapping the Progress of the

Kentucky River Area Economy

Kentucky River Area Development District Phone: 606-436-3158

917 Perry Park Road Fax: 606-436-2144

Hazard, Kentucky 41701 www.kradd.org

Industry; Major Employers Listing

I. Executive Summary

The Kentucky River Area Development District (KRADD) is a quasi-governmental regional planning agency serving the citizens of Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry and Wolfe Counties. Elected officials and citizens from each county make up the region-wide KRADD Board of Directors. KRADD has been serving the region for over 33 years.

There are 15 Area Development Districts (ADDs) for the State of Kentucky. The ADD concept originated in Kentucky in 1961 with the establishment of Area Development Councils a became a basis for the Area Development authorization in a number of federal acts, including the Appalachian Regional Development Act and the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965.

Kentucky ADDs have three distinctions, along with their long tenure, which distinguish them from similar area organizations utilized in other states. These are: The fifteen ADDs provide a system of coverage to all 120 counties; Kentucky ADDs provide systematic linkage between area leadership and the Governor’s office and other state and federal agencies and private organizations; and Kentucky ADDs are involved in more than economic development. They deal with all categorical program areas in Strategic Area Development Programs that are basic to continuing program development to meet each ADD’s development objective.

Each ADD provides a vital communication link between city, county, state, and federal government. Kentucky ADD’s assist local governments and communities in the areas of accounting, budgeting, personnel, and other financial and technical services. The ADDs assist local communities in obtaining state and federal funds from the Economic Development Administration (EDA), The Appalachian Regional Commission ( ARC), Community Development Block Grant ( CDBG), Rural Development (RD) and other state and federal resources. The ADD's of Kentucky have become centers of vast information and data that is crucial to progress. Kentucky ADDs continuously look for processes to help communities manage an overwhelming array of information, to help people work together more effectively, to apply technology, and to serve the changing needs of Kentuckians.

Today, and for the future, a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy provides an ongoing, citizen based process to guide local, regional, state, and federal leaders in addressing our communities greatest needs.

II. Organization and Management

The Kentucky River Area Development District, using existing committees to advise the Board of Directors, began a community based, strategic planning process, and completed a Comprehensive Economic Development Study in 2002..

The KRADD staff reviewed the existing Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the District and began the process of updating the existing strategy. With the assistance of existing committees, Mayors, Judge/Executives, and other local officials the staff assessed the areas of transportation, , natural resources and physical environment, human resources, public protection, economic conditions, area infrastructure and services, housing, and health.

The public at large is made aware of meetings through public notices which are sent to all legal newspapers in the eight county area, through information and articles published in these local papers and through the ADDs web site – www.kradd.org.

An updated Strategy was prepared and reviewed by the Board of Directors. The Strategy will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis, and a complete strategy will be prepared every fifth year.

A complete list of the Kentucky River Area Development District Committees for 2003 are included in Appendix B. A listing of the KRADD Board of Directors and an organizational chart are included in attachment II.

III. Information Scan of the Area

General

The population in the eight county area has changed dramatically since the 1950’s. In the decade between 1950 and 1960, all counties lost population at an average of -22.6 percent. During the 1960’s this trend of population loss continued. The 1970’s was a decade of population growth for rural areas of Kentucky and the nation. The Kentucky River ADD experienced a population growth of over 25 percent. A lot of this population growth in the region was due to a resurgence in coal mining employment. Unfortunately, coal unemployment in the Kentucky River area began to rise during the 1980’s so the region would lose population once again. Overall, the Kentucky River Area Development District experienced a 25 percent decline in population over four decades (1950 – 1990). The regional experienced an additional decline of population of 2.3% from 1990 to 2000.

Information regarding Population, socioeconomic, economic and other data related to of the Kentucky River Region was included in attachment III of the 2002 CEDS and has not changed.

A. Area Organizations and Governance

The Kentucky River Area Development District consists of the following 22 units of local government, serving a population of 120,656 individuals, within a 2,566 square mile region of the Eastern Kentucky Mountains.

Unit of Government Area Square Miles Form of Government

Breathitt County 495 County Judge and 3 Commissioners

City of Jackson Mayor and 4 Councilmen

Knott County 352 County Judge and 4 Magistrates

City of Hindman Mayor and 6 Councilmen

City of Pippa Passes Mayor and 4 Councilmen

Lee County 211 County Judge and 4 Magistrates

City of Beattyville Mayor and 6 Councilmen

Leslie County 402 County Judge and 3 Commissioners

City of Hyden Mayor and 4 City Commissioners

Letcher County 339 County Judge and 5 Magistrates

City of Whitesburg Mayor and 4 Councilmen

City of Jenkins Mayor and 4 Councilmen

City of Fleming-Neon Mayor and 4 Councilmen

City of Blackey Mayor and 4 Councilmen

Owsley County 198 County Judge and 3 Magistrates

City of Booneville Mayor and 4 Councilmen

Perry County 341 County Judge and 3 Magistrates

City of Hazard Mayor and 4 City Commissioners

City of Vicco Mayor and 4 City Commissioners

City of Buckhorn Mayor and 4 City Commissioners

Wolfe County 223 County Judge and 3 Magistrates

City of Campton Mayor and 4 City Commissioners

Location maps for cities and counties; Special Districts list; State Legislative and Congressional District Maps; Inventory of Tax Rates; and Local Debt information for these units of government were included in attachment IIIA of the 2002 CEDS and have not changed. An updated list of elected officials is included in attachment IIIA.

B. Transportation

Public transportation resources in the eight counties of the Kentucky River Area Development District are very limited at present. The two Community Action Agencies in the area provide most of the public transportation services to citizens of the region and are listed below:

LKLP Community Action Agency, serving Knott, Leslie, Letcher and Perry Counties:

1. Head Start Buses;

2. Senior Citizen Vans;

3. Medical Transportation;

4. Rural Transportation – on-demand through a dispatcher in each of the four counties.

Daniel Boone Area Development Council, serving Breathitt, Lee, Owsley and Wolfe Counties:

1. Head Start Buses;

2. Senior Citizen Buses;

3. Medical Transportation.

The only other mode of public transportation is privately operated taxi service.

Transportation planning in the District is largely undertaken by the Kentucky River ADD’s Transportation Planning Committee in conjunction with the Transportation Cabinet’s District Highway offices serving the eight county area.

Included in attachment IIIB is the following information: Functional Classification of Highways maps and Scheduled and Unscheduled Six Year Plan Projects.

C. Natural Resources

The Kentucky River Area Development District lies almost entirely within the Kentucky River Basin. The 2,566 square mile area is in the Mountain and Eastern Coal Fields physiographic region. This area is along the western edge of the Appalachian Plateau and is referred to as the Cumberland Plateau. The mountainous areas have been heavily mined for coal, and the production oil, natural gas and timber contribute to the economic stability of the region. This region is subdivided into three areas: The Escarpment Area, the Plateau Area, and the Mountain and Creek Bottom Area.

A small portion of the northwestern part of the District is in the Escarpment Area. This area is characterized by deep, narrow valleys and narrow ridges. The balance of Wolfe, Lee, and Owsley Counties lies within the Plateau area characterized by undulating to rolling land. The remaining five counties are in the Mountain and Creek Bottom area. This sub region contains rugged terrain with sharp crested high ridges, little level upland, and narrow valleys. The ridges extend in a northeast/southwest direction, and the mountains are more rugged toward the southwest corner of the District

In the mountain and creek bottom area, the ridge tops range from 1,400 to 1,600 feet above mean sea level, except near Pine Mountain, where they are 1,600 to 2,500 feet. Side slopes on the mountains are generally steep and vary from vertical cliffs in the Escarpment Area to 20 – 60 percent slopes in the Plateau Area.

The most significant geological feature is coal. Letcher, Perry and Breathitt Counties comprise the largest coal producing area in Eastern Kentucky. Coal is of the Pennsylvanian Age (about 240 million years old) and coal beds are from 0 to 48 inches in thickness; locally, beds up to 120 inches are reported.

The dominant geologic formation in the Mountains Creek Bottom area is the Breathitt Formation of Middle Pennsylvanian age. It consists of variable sequences of shale sandstone and coal with thin lenses of limestone generally not more than two feet thick. In the Escarpment area, rock formations of Mississippian Age (about 260 million years old) are exposed. It consists of conglomerate sandstones and limestone of the Pennsylvanian Lee Formation, and Mississippian Newman and St. Louis Formations. A geology/soils map of the District was included in attachment IIIC of the 2002 CEDS and has not changed.

The three tributaries of the Kentucky River are located in the District and provide the drainage for 95 percent of the land area. Groundwater of the area is closely related to the type of geologic formation. Within the Eastern Coal Field region, bedrock of sandstone, siltstone, and conglomerate yields, to most wells drilled in valleys, enough water for home use. Few wells are drilled more than 200 feet deep for fear of encountering salt water. The calcium carbonate content of well water is generally 25 to 150 ppm or moderately soft, sulfate content is high in water draining from deep mines and strip mine spoil. Twelve areas of the District have municipal water and sewer systems. A Rivers and Streams map was included in attachment IIIC of the 2002 CEDS.

Over 82 percent of the land area is covered by forests. Approximately 4 percent is used for cropland and 5 percent is used for pasture/range land. Approximately 3 percent is urbanized and developed.

There are no designated wet lands in the District. There are two water impoundments operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Buckhorn Lake located in Perry and Leslie County and Carr Fork Lake in Knott County.

There are no permitted sites within the Kentucky River ADD for storing or disposing of hazardous or toxic wastes.

Two areas in the District have been established as unique or ecologically sensitive. These areas are Bad Branch Falls and the Lilley Cornett Woods area, both in Letcher County.

Only one Threatened or Endangered Species is listed for the counties of the Kentucky River Area Development District. This is the Virginia Big Eared Bat ( Plecotus townsendii virginianus) which can be found in Lee County.

There are numerous areas within the District that fall within the floodplain. Communities participating in the flood insurance program are eligible for flood insurance. A listing of communities participating in the flood insurance program was included in attachment IIIC of the 2002 CEDS.

Historic Preservation has become an integral part of community and economic development planning as citizens see the economic value of reinvesting in historic downtowns and older neighborhoods. Preserving and redeveloping our historic downtowns also plays a role in industrial recruitment strategies because communities exhibit a vitality and sense of purpose through downtowns. Several sites in the area are on the National Register and recognized as historic buildings of sites. A listing of these areas was included in attachment IIIC of the 2002 CEDS.

Recreational and green space is also a vital part of community and economic development for the area. A listing Recreational Land under Federal and State Government Control was included in attachment IIIC of the 2002 CEDS.

In addition to federal and state recreational land, each of the eight counties in the District has locally owned/operated recreational facilities. An overview of local recreational facilities is as follows.

Breathitt County

The Breathitt County Museum houses permanent exhibits relating to early county and city government, agriculture, mining, women’s work, textile production, logging, education, hunting, music and Breathitt County war history. There is also a library room containing archive collections of oral history tapes, videos, photographs, old books and old records.

Douthitt Memorial Park, located in Jackson, includes baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, picnic shelters, shuffleboard, concession stands, restrooms, swimming pool, water slide and four play grounds.

The City of Jackson also owns and operates a community swimming pool.

Knott County

The Ball Creek Community Park contains a tennis court, a volleyball court, a basketball court, a picnic area, a shelter, playground, and a walking track.

The Kite Community Park offers a waking track, playground, and basketball court.

The Knott County Park, located in Hindman, offers two basketball courts, a playground, walking track, picnic area, shelter, two tennis courts and a baseball field.

The Pioneer Village near Hindman offers Knott County a scenic community of 1800 log cabins. Within this community are several craftsmen displaying their Eastern Kentucky art and a gift shop which sells local crafts on consignment.

The Carr Creek Park, located on Carr Fork Lake, includes a camp ground, a beach with lifeguards on duty, and access to a privately operated marina.