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Pike officials make wish list

By Russ Cassady

Staff Writer

The Pike Fiscal Court has almost completed its wishlist of projects to be funded with coal severance tax money.

The list includes projects from each magisterial district, with the exception of District 1, which will be submitted next week.

Pike’s legislators have indicated that, in many ways, the coal severance tax may be Pike’s best chance to receive new projects from the upcoming budget.

The state is facing a more than $400 million shortfall this year, which may cause deep cuts to funding for local projects. However, the coal severance money cannot be used except for projects in coal producing counties.

Included in the lists submitted this week were:

  • Technology upgrades and improvements;

  • Hardy Park/Virgie Pool facility improvements;

  • Acquisition of property at Scott Fork;

  • Long Fork Sanitary Sewer Line Extension;

  • Upper Johns Creek 201 Facility Plan;

  • Caney-Dorton Community Center;

  • Road equipment at district 2, 3, 4 and 6;

  • Shelby Valley Senior Citizens Center;

  • Fire Hydrants for districts 2 and 6;

  • Jubilee Christian Assembly Operation Eat List;

  • Park upkeep and play equipment for Dorton Park;

  • Funds for the Dorton, Shelby Valley, Millard, Lookout, Sycamore, Marrowbone and Blackberry volunteer fire departments;

  • Shelby Valley Cross Country Runners;

  • Hand radios for the Pike County Sheriff’s Department;

  • Construction of the Mouthcard community center;

  • Replace wooden bridge at Elkhorn Creek;

  • Marrowbone Senior Citizens center;

  • Hope of Pikeville;

  • Sycamore Community Center walking track;

  • Construction at the District 5 road lot;

  • Construction of the Bent Branch Community Building;

  • Construction of the Kimper Community Building;

  • Blackberry Fire Department Repairs;

  • Upgrades to the Joes Creek Community Center and Phelps, Freeburn, Majestic, Phelps/Freeburn Intergenerational Center and Blackberry parks and Blackberry Senior Citizens Center;

  • HELP of Phelps;

  • Truck debt service for the Turkey Creek Fire Department;

  • Vehicles for the animal shelter;

  • Blackgem park upgrades;

  • Forest Hills Sewage;

  • Construction of a solid waste transfer station in District 6.

    The list will go to the state for approval, but, according to Pike Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford, there are “no priorities for these.”

    In other news, the court handed down $96,838 in funds to representatives from the Elkhorn City VFW, Phelps VFW, Marine Corps League DET 971, Elkhorn City DAV, Pikeville VFW and Belfry VFW.


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