Rush Off-Road to move entrance
Feb. 14—CATLETTSBURG — Plans are in the works to move the entrance of Rush Off-Road from its present location off Four Mile to the area of South Big Run Road, thanks to the Abandoned Mine Land grant that's been kicking around since 2019.
At Tuesday's Boyd County Fiscal Court meeting, Judge-Executive Eric Chaney said E.L. Robinson Engineering was selected to head up the $4 million project.
According to Chaney, the project will include 11,000 feet of waterlines, 8,700 feet of sewer lines, the erection of power, telephone and data lines, and a 1.1-mile access road will be brought up to county code.
Paul Amburgey, the engineer on the project, said the access road will be Herbert C. Ross Road. He at the end of the road, the campground and R.V. park will be built, which will eliminate the congestion experienced on Four Mile Road.
"You can barely get one R.V. down that road, let alone two going in opposite directions," he said.
Eric Patton, with FIVCO Area Development, is effectively the liaison between the local government and federal authorities, who hold the purse strings to the project. Patton said the federal oversight on abandoned mine land grants are strict even by government standards.
"If you can believe that," he said. "It's a very long process — it's already been five years since they've applied to it. So I'm asking people to hang in there — this isn't going to happen overnight."
The next step in the project is an environmental assessment, which must first be reviewed by the feds before it can be reviewed by state officials. Patton said if the project can hop through all the regulatory hoops, construction should begin in Spring 2024.
According to Patton, upon completion of the new entrance, the Four Mile Road entrance will be shut down and restricted to emergency personnel and employees.
Commissioner David Salisbury, who was also appointed to the FIVCO Board at Tuesday's meeting, asked Patton to provide regular updates on the grant, as in the information on the grant has fallen to the wayside.
Patton said he's happy to provide updates on a monthly or quarterly basis.
"I can come down and give an update whenever you need me to," Patton told Salisbury.
The Abandoned Mines Land grant, first awarded at the tail-end of 2019, has been languishing in developmental hell for the last four years, thanks in part to set backs due to COVID and a land deal falling through.
Last summer, things got back on track with the grant after the fiscal court moved forward with the selection of an engineer for the plan.
(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com
