Efforts are underway to find more land for eastern Kentuckians to relocate to so they can avoid future floods.
Knott County Attorney Tim Bates says he has been authorized by the county fiscal court to take action to acquire land owned by West Virginia-based Western Pocahontas Properties.
In an interview with Eastern Standard, Bates explained how this process would work.
“The county would issue a condemnation lawsuit and that property would be taken for a public purpose and then the landowner would receive quote/unquote just compensation, that would be determined by the legal system.”
Bates said it could take some time through the condemnation process, but he is confident the county will succeed.
“We’re going to get that property. That property is, it has a very, very big need in this county right now. It’s perfect for building out of the flood for those that want to do that.”
Bates said the county is hoping to acquire around 140 acres of old mountain removal mine land near the Knott County Sportsplex.
WEKU has made attempts to reach Western Pocahontas Properties for comment and has yet to get a response.
Listen for more stories on the ongoing struggle to recover from the Flood of 2022 when WEKU presents the Eastern Standard series, RISE, beginning at 11am on January 12th and online at weku-rise.org.
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