The kickoff event for a flood mitigation project was held in Johnson County, Kentucky, Sept. 16, 2021. The celebration brought together the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District, Johnson County Fiscal Court and City of Paintsville officials, who are closely coordinating on the Section 202 Johnson County Flood Risk Management Project.
The event included remarks from U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers, USACE Louisville District Commander Col. Eric Crispino, City of Paintsville Mayor Bill Mike Runyon and Johnson County Judge Executive Mark McKenzie.
“Flood control has been one of my top priorities since I was elected to federal office,” said Congressman Rogers. “I don't want our folks to go to bed in fear every time a storm rolls through the mountains, and thanks to the Army Corps and local leaders, we have completed some impressive projects in several communities to help protect the people of southern and eastern Kentucky for generations. We’re hoping to do the same thing here in Johnson County.”
The $118 million project is intended to reduce flood risk for the city of Paintsville, Kentucky.
“The Johnson County Fiscal Court, the City of Paintsville and Congressman Rogers have played a significant role to bring us where we are today,” said Crispino. “In August 2018, the Louisville District was first assigned to design, construct and look at cost effective means to address flooding issues in the City of Paintsville and Johnson County. We have divided the project into three phases for construction and implementation.”
USACE will begin awarding contracts for the first two phases in fiscal year 2022, which includes a flood warning system, as well as some features to reduce risk to the county courthouse and several structures in the surrounding area, according to Crispino.
Several members of the community attended the event to show their support of the project.
“The Johnson County Section 202 Flood Mitigation Project will improve public safety, reduce the impact from flooding for Paintsville and Johnson County and create jobs; therefore, impacting our local economy,” said McKenzie.
As the project moves forward, USACE is planning to keep interested parties informed with quarterly public meetings, which will be held throughout the year, to update city officials and residents of the project status.
“As we continue to move forward on implementing this project, we’ll keep the communities informed,” said Crispino. “We really look forward to continuing the strong partnership that we have with the city and the county as we continue with the design and the construction of this critically important project to all of USACE.”