The Knox County Fiscal Court has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding through KY Emergency Management as a sub-applicant.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority and low-income populations. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.
Applicant: KYEM
Sub-Applicant: Knox County Fiscal Court
Project Title: Maggie Cane Road Elevation
Location of Proposed Work/Date of Construction:
A map showing the area of the proposed mitigation project is available by contacting (Mike Mitchell, Judge Executive, judgemm@barbourville.com).
Special Flood Hazard Area Zone: This project is for the elevation of Maggie Cane Road located in the AE flood zone (1% annual chance flood elevation), or Shaded X (0.2% annual chance flood elevation). Confirmation of location in an SFHA was made by reference to the latest Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel 21121C0255F. The proposed work conforms to all applicable Commonwealth of Kentucky and local floodplain regulations. The proposed bridge will be installed and will have no effect on the local floodplain.
Proposed Work and Purpose:
The Knox County Fiscal Court is requesting funds to elevate Maggie Cane Road. The purpose of this project is to correct the current elevation issues and provide access for all residents, E.M.S., police, fire, school buses and mail services that is not currently possible several times throughout the year due to flooding caused by heavy rain events.
Project Alternatives:
Alternative #1 (no action alternative): If no action is taken, the biggest impact would be on the residents of this community. During flooding they would continue to not be accessible by basic services, and continue to experience a hardship going to and from work and school. This alternative does not provide a solution for the residents of this area or the community at large.
Alternative #2: The other alternative would be to purchase property from nearby residents and build a larger bridge and build a road into the community. The estimated cost of this would be $1.1 million dollars. Property alone would cost around $150,000, and the bridge is estimated to cost $950,000.00. This alternative is not considered to be the most economical or beneficial approach to mitigating the flooding problems currently occurring during heavy rain events.
Comment Period:
Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to Mike Mitchell, PO Box 173, Barbourville, KY 40906. All comments are due within 30 days of this notice. The Judge Executive will forward comments to applicable regulatory agencies as needed.
Interested persons may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:
Mike Mitchell, Judge Executive
Knox County Fiscal Court
PO Box 173
Barbourville, KY 40906
Phone: (606) 546-6192
Email: judgemm@barbourville.com
POSTED ON: December 18, 2020
End of Notice
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