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I-66 on KET Monday Aug 14 8 p.m. eastern time! Please watch and CALL IN to let everyone know that I-66 and the nearby proposed bioterror lab are a REALLY BAD IDEA! KET1 will air an I-66 show live on "Kentucky Tonight" at 8 p.m. EST onMonday, Aug. 14 featuring Kick 66 representatives vs. local officials. Check local listings for the local cable station number. Facing off Concerned about/against I-66: Dr. Ralph Ewers, cave and karst scientist Paul Lovelace (KY Heartwood) For I-66: Daryl Beshears (Pulaski Co j/e) Greg Jones (local businessman) Callers can call into 1-800-494-7605 during the show and, if selected, you will be put directly on the air and Bill will moderate the answers. They will not use your last name on the air. They will use a first name and thecity/area from which you are calling. They do not take emails during the show, but you can email BEFORE or afterwith questions, comments, or information (kytonight@ket.org). Call or e to support the natural wonderland that lies between and under ? Buck Creek and the Rockcastle River! More information: www.KICK66.org Find out about the film, Caves of Sinking Valley: www.KICK66.org Find out about the proposed bioterror lab and sign the petition against it: www.nokybiolab.org NO ROAD & NO KY BIOTERROR LAB PROTECT OUR FARMS, HOMES, FORESTS, WATERWAYS, & CAVES ######

Story created Aug 10, 2006 - 13:03:45 EDT From the London Sentinel-Echo: By Carol Mills, staff writer After seven years of protests and public hearings about the proposed Interstate 66, supporters and opponents are still arguing whether it would be needed to help the economy or be harmful to the environment and a waste of money. A public hearing for the I-66 Somerset to London project was held at the London Community Center Monday evening to inform the residents living in one or more of the five alternative routes of the results of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).Joe Cox, project manager, was on hand at the meeting to answer questions about the DEIS. “The Impact Study is to look at the road and evaluate the environmental impact of the road itself,” Cox said. “It does not necessarily come up with conclusions on which road alternates are the best alternates. The Environmental Impact Statement analyzes the road, it analysis the impacts to the natural and the human environment and it puts that in a statistical form, a summary of all of those facts. At this point the environmental study doesn't show anything that, in my opinion, that we can't mitigate at this time. We feel like anything that has been presented in the Environmental Impact Statement, we feel like we can mitigate. It is possible to build a road and still preserve the integrity of that environment. There are different things we can use for mitigation measures. Avoidance is the greatest mitigation. Buffer zones around caves, things for animal crossings, noise barriers, those type of things can be used to mitigate the impacts that the road occurs to the environment.” Hilary Lambert, a geographer, does not want the road built because there is not enough money and not enough traffic to justify the environmental impacts. “If you look down the long term planning pipeline for money for this project, we don't see it,” Lambert said. “We don't see it from the state level, we don't see it at the federal level. We've had a pretty in-depth look at this drafty IS. We're going to have a lot deeper look. By we, I mean Kick 66, the Sierra Club, Kentucky Resources Council, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and other organizations with scientists, and we feel, for example, that if you look at the projected traffic studies for 20 years from now, there's not enough cars to justify building this. Their basic, overall conclusion, as far as I have been able to determine, is there will be environmental impacts, but none of them are bad enough to convince them not to build the road.” Harold Turner of Willie Green Road thinks the road is a waste of money. “We don't have that much traffic between here and Somerset,” Turner said. “Maybe we need a bypass around London to tie into I-75, but I totally disagree with all the expenditure that will have to be spent to do this project.” Sue Koplowitz of Kick 66 also thinks the interstate would be a huge waste of tax dollars. She also said it would impact the environment no matter where it was built. James Phillips of Manchester was in favor of the road so that his youngest daughter could travel to college on it when she grows up.Dennis Karr, executive director of the Laurel County Industrial Authority, was also in favor of the road. He has lived here several years and he remembered in the late 60s when people thought I-75 would not be used as much as it has been. “We see a lot of clients who want to open a business and one of their main points is an east to west corridor,” Karr said. “All the thriving communities that are really growing and progressing have a corridor going north and south and east and west.” Ed Jones was also in favor of the new road.“I'm fortunate in my family that we have two businesses here,” Jones said. My children have a job. My three grandchildren, I want them to have the same opportunity that other children have here now because we have jobs. I think an east-west corridor with the I-66 can be done with a minimal amount of environmental impact.” Jim Hays, a biologist, was not in favor of the road. “In the 52 years I have lived in London I have never delayed between London and Somerset,” Hays said. “Several states have already banned portions of I-66. It is prohibitively expensive. It is environmentally devastating and culturally destructive. I'm here in support for people like Ms. Jones here and other people who are going to lose their farms and their houses and property value on a road that we absolutely under no circumstances need. Laurel County has the best roads of any county going. This is a pork barrel project. I suggest you look at some of these routes at the PVA office and see whose property they go through. If your property is where an interchange is, you've cleaned up. I would suggest that you look at some of those maps and get that information and believe you, you will not be shocked.” The proposed I-66 would cross the state from Pike County to the Mississippi River, but the 28-mile section between Somerset and London was ranked as highest priority. It would join with the Cumberland Parkway to complete a limited-access, 4-lane interstate link from I-65 near Bowling Green to I-75 at London. For the whole project there are 11 potential alternate routes for the road inside a corridor five miles wide at its widest point. All the alternates would cross the Rockcastle River at KY 80, linking into a bypass around Somerset and on the other end with I-75 between London and Corbin. Staff writer Carol Mills can be reached by e-mail at cmills@sentinel-echo.com.

Published: August 10, 2006 08:38 am Public hearing on I-66 draws mixed reaction Environmental concerns, ‘pork barrel politics’ among complaints by local citizens By SHARON DODSON CJ Staff Writer Somerset Commonwealth Journal An opponent of Interstate 66 says construction of a new, four-lane divided highway from Somerset to London is “pork barrel politics” and people should step up and make their voices heard before the public comment period ends in October. After Oct. 9, the deadline for accepting comments on the proposal, the project team will begin the process of recommending a preferred alternative. Eleven build alternates, six of which are in Pulaski County and five in neighboring Laurel, are under consideration. A no build option is still on the table, but the loudest voice for this cause appears to be from the people trying to stop the project. “This is not a done deal. It is pork barrel politics,” declared Pam Taylor of Shopville. Taylor was one of seven people who spoke out in opposition to I-66 at a public hearing Tuesday night at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset. The hearing comes on the heels of the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and is the next phase in a project that gained attention six years ago with a feasibility study for a new interstate corridor. Taylor expressed fear of a possible “cave in” of Short Creek, dubbed “the shortest creek in the world,” if a major interstate is constructed in an area built over a massive underground cave system. Videographer Chris Johns has documented “The Caves of Sinking Valley” and knows firsthand how “delicate” the 33-square-mile karst drainage basin is to the underground water system. Sinking Valley got its name because all the rain that falls in its watershed eventually flows underground. The drainage basin is a complex combination of dry valleys, hollows and hundreds of sinkholes, containing sinking streams, which is underlain by a network of conduits and caverns. Geologists have linked many of the segments of the underground maze that channels water through Sinking Valley cave system to Short Creek, 10 miles east of Somerset in the Shopville-Stab area. If Short Creek should become clogged or collapse, Johns predicted, “You are going to have a lake as big as Sinking Valley.” The water in these conduits flows rapidly. The underground streams can carry contaminants, he said, especially if chemicals transported via trucks are involved in a possible spill while en route to a national research lab if it should locate here. Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, R-Somerset, announced yesterday the county has made “the short list” for proposed location of a $450 million bio and agro-defense facility in the Shopville area. “The best solution, if you need a four-lane highway, is to use Ky. 80. The damage already has been done,” Johns told state Transportation Cabinet officials. Joe Cox, project manager, said all of the proposed alternates “avoid Short Creek.” He said the caves of Sinking Valley are “an important resource” and care will be taken to minimize any potential damage to the karst system if a decision is made to build I-66. Existing Ky. 80 will play a pivotal role in the project. The Ky. 80 shifted alternate runs parallel to Ky. 80 while utilizing Ky. 80 as a frontage road throughout the alignment. In the Ky. 80 modified alternate, Ky. 80 is a part of the interstate while providing a frontage road throughout the alignment to the north. Kick 66 members Hillary Lambert and Sue Koplowitz asked, “Why build (I-66) at all?” Lambert speculated officials connected with the project are “on a much shakier position than they let on” and do not have the money down the road to build an interstate. “I do not see any other option than a no build that will not cause serious and irreparable damage,” added Koplowitz. Koplowitz carried a large sign depicting the many reasons opponents of Kick 66 do not support the project. The sign stated in bold letters, “What A Waste!” Donny Hall of Shopville will not lose his “beautiful home” to I-66, but the proposed road comes so close to his property he will be “stuck next to a major interstate.” Hall said property owners cannot sell their homes, even if they wanted to, and he will have to live with the consequences. Al Frig of Somerset said local opposition kept I-75 from coming through Somerset and Pulaski County many years ago. The road went toward London and Corbin, bypassing this area of the state. He asked project supporters to think about future needs “for our children’s sake” and consider constructing an interstate independent from Ky. 80. “A road is needed. If not now... for the future,” Frig said. Greg Jones, executive director of Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation, read a letter of support. Each person was given three minutes to make comments on the project. The hearing was not meant to be a question-and-answer session and officials did not respond to comments. According to a project timeline, a recommendation on a preferred alternate is expected to be announced later this year or early 2007. Instead of putting billions of dollars into I-66, Taylor suggested the money could be better spent to provide a college education for every child in Pulaski and Laurel counties. In combination with the Somerset Northern Bypass, which is under construction, I-66 will provide a link for traffic from Cumberland Parkway via the Northern Bypass to Interstate 75 to the east.

Posted on Sun, Aug. 06, 2006 I-66 controversy at crossroads CRITICS UPSET OVER PROPOSALS; INPUT SOUGHT THIS WEEK By Bill Estep SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY BUREAU Comment on I-66 SOMERSET - The proposal to build Interstate 66 across Kentucky has long been controversial -- with supporters and opponents arguing whether it would be an economic boon or a wasteful assault on the environment.A new study has heightened the debate even as it moves planners closer to a decision on building a stretch of the road between Somerset and London, which is ranked as the top priority for I-66 in Kentucky.The study cited significant economic benefits, and did not find there would be environmental damage severe enough to scuttle the project connecting the two towns through the Daniel Boone National Forest.The public will get chances to comment at meetings this week.Building the road would have an impact on the environment, but the damage could be avoided or lessened through construction techniques or protection such as buffer zones around sensitive areas, the study said."I don't know of anything right now that's going to be a show-stopper" based on the study, said Joe Cox, project manager for the state Transportation Cabinet. Opponents disagree with the conclusion that impact would be minor, or could be mitigated.The road would destroy woodland and habitat in the national forest, increase the potential for groundwater contamination and force dozens of people to move, they said. "It is tremendously harmful to historic family farms, forests, wetlands, flood plains and the most pristine cave area in all of Kentucky," said Leslie Barras of Louisville, an attorney and volunteer with Karst Environmental Education and Protection. Completion of the study, called a draft environmental impact statement, is the latest milestone in the long-running debate over I-66.If highway officials in fact decide to build the Somerset-London connector, they hope to choose the preferred route by the end of the year, Cox said. A 20-year-old story The I-66 story started more than two decades ago as an idea for an interstate to cut through the middle of the country from Washington, D.C., to California. A study showed it wouldn't be economically feasible to build the whole thing, but that some sections might be justified.A state study in 1997 concluded that building the section of I-66 across southern Kentucky would have significant economic benefits for the area -- a conclusion opponents say was flawed.The part of I-66 proposed for Kentucky would cross the state from Pike County to the Mississippi River, but the 28-mile section between Somerset and London was ranked as highest priority.One key reason is that it would join with the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway to complete a limited-access, four-lane interstate link from I-65 near Bowling Green to I-75 at London. Somerset and London are joined now by Ky. 80, which is two lanes over much of the distance.The Somerset-London connector is the only part of the project covered in the new report. Rogers pushes project I-66 is a project dear to U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, a Republican who lives in Somerset. Since 1998, Rogers has gotten $96 million appropriated for I-66 in Kentucky, his office said last week.Cox said the option of not building the road between Somerset and London remains open. However, the report said that would not meet the goals of the project, including improving the area's transportation links.Critics of building I-66 don't think the impact statement gave real consideration to the option of not building the road.The report on the Somerset-London link is an important step in deciding whether it will be built.The study scoured potential I-66 routes to analyze how the road would affect people and the environment. HMB Professional Engineers of Frankfort produced the report, with contributions from several subcontractors. 11 routes identified Planners identified 11 potential alternate routes for the road inside a corridor 5 miles wide at its widest point. All the alternates would cross the Rockcastle River at the present site of Ky. 80, linking at that end with a bypass around Somerset, and on the other end with I-75 between London and Corbin.The most expensive combination of routes in Pulaski and Laurel would cost $394 million to build, while the cheapest would be $326 million, the study estimated.A number of people told highway officials they would prefer the new road stick with the current Ky. 80 route. But that's not possible on the Laurel County end because the interchange at 80 and I-75 has been heavily developed, the study said.Engineers looked at the potential impact along the 11 alternate routes on a range of fronts, including historic properties; threatened or endangered animals and plants; streams and wetlands; cliffs and archaeological features; sinkholes, caves and other features of the karst topography in eastern Pulaski County; the economy; and even noise levels.Cox estimated the various firms poured a total of 100,000 hours into the report. People would be moved The study makes clear you can't build a road without impact on people and the environment. One combination of alternates would force people in 151 homes to move, for instance.Various routes would affect up to 300 acres of prime farmland and 380 acres of the national forest, and would have an impact on more than 200 sites in one of the most diverse karst areas in the country.However, the study concluded that the impact of building the road either would be minor or could be avoided, lessened or mitigated. For instance, bridges could have closed drainage systems so no runoff would go directly into streams and rivers, and a 300-foot buffer zone could be left around the entrances of caves where threatened or endangered bats roost, the study said.Mitigation is a concept of compensating for damage from a road project.For instance, if the road went through a wetlands area, the government could create replacement wetlands elsewhere, or if part of a stream were destroyed, the Transportation Cabinet could pay another agency such as the U.S. Forest Service to improve another stream."Great harm can be done to a given cultural, physical or biological resource with no actions required at the point of impact," said Mark Turner, a geologist with extensive experience studying karst areas in Kentucky, who opposes the project. Economic benefits cited The study said there would be a number of economic benefits to linking Somerset and London by interstate, including better highway safety and improved transportation access that would help economic development. It cited the 1997 state study, which found that building I-66 across southern Kentucky would result in increased employment of up to 7.9 percent and hundreds of millions of dollars more in income for residents.Pulaski County Judge-Executive Darrell BeShears is a believer. There is no way to even comprehend the jobs and other benefits I-66 would bring to the area, he said."I think it would be one of the greatest things that would ever happen to London and Somerset," BeShears said.But opponents of the proposed I-66 link argue the 1997 study was based on flawed assumptions, and that there is not sufficient economic or traffic justification to build I-66 from Somerset to London. Is the road needed? The estimated $400 million required to build the section would siphon money away from other needed road improvements, but the road would serve only 40,000 vehicles a day in 25 years, compared to a current travel load of 130,000 to 140,000 vehicles a day on other Kentucky interstates, Barras said. I don't think they've made the case for a road that would have really no traffic need," she said.Some opponents said the environmental impact statement did not fully investigate the potential impact on sensitive karst areas and other features. They don't think damage from the project can be avoided or mitigated. There is not any one alternate that would not have serious environmental impacts," said Sue Koplowitz of Laurel County, a member of a group called Kick 66. Opponents of the proposed I-66 link from Somerset to London are poring over the environmental impact statement and marshaling their comments, said Hilary Lambert of Lexington, who helps direct the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. The area that would be crossed by I-66 "really deserves to be treated more like a national park or nature preserve than as a place for exploitation, development or highway construction," Lambert said.

AUGUST 7 & 8, 2006 BE SURE TO ATTEND KTC I-66 PUBLIC MEETINGS WHERE YOU CAN SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON THE RECORD ON PROPOSED I-66. SPEAKERS WILL BE ALLOWED A THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT AND ALL STATEMENTS WILL BE RECORDED. AUGUST 7 LAUREL COUNTY COMMUNITY CENTER, MAIN ST, LONDON, KY AUGUST 8 CENTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT, US 27, SOMERSET 5-6:30pm Maps on display - Questions answered by officials 6:30-8pm Public Comment

COMMENT ON LONDON/SOMERSET DEIS DEADLINE IS AUGUST 28, 2006 click here to link to DEIS

DEIS for London/Somerset segment I-66 now available. "Its BIG, Its BAD, Its UGLY" "Amazing how data can be skewed to get the desired results!" click here to link

The DEIS for London/Somerset Segment is also available for review at the Somerset, London & Shopville Public Libraries and the KY Trans Cab Offices in Frankfort & Somerset. Hard Copies and copies on CD can be obtained from Joe.Cox@KY.gov

JULY 29, 2006 8PM See "The Caves of Sinking Valley" at the Forecastle Festival, Mellwood Art Center Activism Room, 1860 Mellwood Ave, L'ville

KICK 66 PUBLIC MEETING SATURDAY, JULY 29TH at 8:00 pm eastern time FORECASTLE FESTIVAL, Louisville KY “Caves of Sinking Valley” documentary will be shown at 8:00 pm. This showing requires paid attendance at the Forecastle Festival. Free showing later that evening - see below. Mellwood Art Center - Activism Room 1860 Mellwood Ave, Louisville, 40206 1.502.895.3650 Directions: The Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center is located on 42 acres in close proximity to I-71, I-64 &65, downtown Louisville, Frankfort Avenue and lower Brownsboro Road. Go here for map: http://www.mellwoodartcenter.com/center/visitors.asp FREE showing of “Caves” documentary will be held later in the evening of July 29 at a site about a mile from the Festival. Check www.kick66.org for final details. Submitting YOUR comments on the I-66 Draft Environmental Impact Statement You may comment verbally during the public meetings listed below, and / or in written form, mailed to arrive by 12:00 noon on AUGUST 28TH, 2006, to: Joe Cox Dept. of Highways District 8 PO Box 780 - 1660 S. US 27 Somerset, KY 42502 Obtaining or viewing a copy of the DRAFT EIS To obtain a copy of the Draft EIS in either CD or (massive!) printed form, send a request with mailing address information to: Joe.Cox@ky.gov and Cathi.Blair@ky.gov or mail a written request to Joe Cox at above address. Please be firm in your request, and do not pay for your copy. This document is publicly paid for, and as taxpayers we should not have to pay for a copy! View the Draft EIS online at http://transportation.ky.gov/progmgmt/precon_project%20_info/special_projects/I-66/DEIS/DEIS.htm Copies of the DEIS are available for public review at the Somerset, London and Shopville Libraries. The DEIS and baseline data can be reviewed at Dept. of Highways offices in Somerset & Frankfort. Major points to consider when preparing your comments • The economic and social costs of this proposed highway are obscene. • With a nation at war and a civilization running out of oil, our limited money and resources need to be focused on fewer roads and better transportation alternatives. • The fabric of this rural area would be torn apart – the lives of rural human and natural communities would be devastated. • The integrity of the Daniel Boone National Forest would be further chopped up and devalued. • The Rockcastle River’s state-level Wild and Scenic designation is threatened by where they plan to put this road, along with entrance and exit ramps. This superb river’s health is in trouble no matter where they cross it! • Caves and karst – the limestone landscapes above and below ground – would be shattered, their lifeforms destroyed, the subterranean plumbing of the region laid waste. • Surface and karst waters – the area between London and Somerset contains several Special Use waterways, of high quality and protected by state government, that would be degraded by construction of a new interstate, with associated exit and entrance ramps and fast-food and gas station development. Send a copy of your comments to kick66 at kick66org@yahoo.com if you can! PUBLIC COMMENT MEETINGS The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is holding public meetings on August 7 and 8, for viewing of the maps and support studies, and to allow comment for those who do not want to submit written comments – or who want to submit both written and spoken comments! LONDON MEETING Monday, August 7 5-8 pm eastern time London-Laurel County Chamber 529 S Main St, London, KY 606-864-4789 5-6:30 pm Maps on display, officials answer questions. SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON THE RECORD BY 6pm. 6:30-8 pm PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE RECORDED - 3 MIN. TIME LIMIT Directions: From I--75 take Exit 41 KY 80E towards London. After about .5 mi. turn right at stop light onto US 25 / N. Main St. Go about 1.7 miles (through London downtown district-the town that I-66 will bypass) the Chamber will be on your right. Park in lot next to building. SOMERSET MEETING Tuesday, August 8 5-8 pm eastern time The Center for Rural Development 2292 South Highway 27 Somerset, KY 42501 Phone: (606) 677-6000 5-6:30 pm Maps on display, officials answer questions. SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON THE RECORD BY 6pm. 6:30-8 pm PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE RECORDED - 3 MIN. TIME LIMIT Go here for directions: http://www.centertech.com/contactus/map.php

SPRING 2006. KICK 66 FIELD TRIP TO HAWK CREEK SUSPENSION BRIDGE. SHELTOWEE TRACE TRAIL, LONDON, KY. NATURE'S BOUNTY WAS EXPERIENCED ON OUR FIELD TRIP TO THE HAWK CREEK SUSPENSION BRIDGE. GREAT DAY, GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT HIKE, BEAUTIFUL FOREST!

2/06 KICK 66 FIELD TRIP IN THE PROPOSED I-66 CORRIDOR - click here

1/06 WHERE'S THE EIS? THE RELEASE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE LONDON/SOMERSET I-66 SEGMENT HAS BEEN DELAYED (AGAIN). OFFICIALS CAN NOT TELL US WHEN IT WILL BE RELEASED. UPON RELEASE OF THE EIS, PUBLIC MEETINGS WILL BE HELD IN LONDON & SOMERSET AFTER THAT ONLY 30 DAYS FOR PUBLIC  COMMENT WILL BE ALLOWED.

11/05 "The Caves of Sinking Valley" was shown to a standing-room only crowd at the Kentucky Theater in Lexington. Many more supporters jumped on the KICK 66 bandwagon.

9/05 The Caves of Sinking Valley Video Release - click here to find out more

Opposition to I-66 taking a toll; groups formed to put brakes on negative publicity Two new organizations have been formed to lobby government officials and generate public support for Interstate 66, a highway construction project in southeastern Kentucky. I-66, it its entirety, would stretch from Fresno, Calif., to Washington, D.C, crossing southern Kentucky from Paducah to Pikeville. Plans for the national highway, however, never developed, leaving states to plan individual segments.Two segments have been approved in Kentucky; a 12-mile stretch from London to Somerset, and a 33-mile stretch across Pike County. Last week, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the road, with U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, Gov. Ernie Fletcher and state Senate President David Williams in attendance. The road, however, has not been without controversy, with environmental and taxpayer groups calling it unnecessary, wasteful and environmentally destructive. This opposition has led to the formation of the I-66 Foundation and the I-66 Institute, groups created to counter the negative publicity the road is receiving. Heading up the formation of these groups will be Jeff Speaks, a lobbyist with the Flint Group in Louisville and a former aide to Rogers, who represents southeastern Kentucky and has been the primary advocate for the road. Speaks said Rogers encouraged the formation of the groups to push for I-66 on a daily basis. The Foundation, a 501(c)3 group, will handle fundraising and encourage support among local groups, while the Institute, a 501(c)4, will act as an information clearinghouse and lobbying group. The Institute will work closely with the Washington offices of Rogers and congressmen from Virginia, West Virginia and Missouri — states through which the road is slated to run — to coordinate their support, Speaks said. Closer to home, the groups will emphasize the economic benefits of the road, including job development and tourism. The groups hope to raise most of their money from local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations that believe in I-66’s potential to spur economic development, Speaks said. The groups have already opened an office in Somerset, and are currently in the process of establishing a board of directors, electing a chairman and hiring staff. Meanwhile, opposition groups say they will continue to fight the construction of I-66. A coalition of Kentucky groups known as Kick 66 is leading that effort, which has centered around the London to Somerset stretch that is slated to cross through the Daniel Boone National Forest and over extensive cave systems. Leaders of Kick 66 say the road threatens the cave systems as well as endangered species and streams in and around the state’s only national forest. Opposition groups also say the road is unnecessary, as it would run alongside State Route 80 between London and Somerset. They also say the economic benefits of I-66 are overblown because the national highway may never be completed. Members of Kick 66 organized a “road-busting summit” last year in Morehead and are planning another event this fall in Tennessee. Kick 66 leaders say they hope to form a national coalition of “groups that oppose bad roads.” Kick 66 has also worked to foster opposition to I-66 among national groups. Earlier this year, two national groups, Taxpayers for Common Sense and Friends of the Earth, released a joint report called “Road to Ruin: the Most Wasteful Road Projects in America,” which ranked Kentucky’s I-66 project the fifth most wasteful road project in the country. ======= State road building contracts awarded for Kentucky’s first stretch of Interstate 66 U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Sen. David Williams, road builder Leonard Lawson and others gathered in Somerset last month to cut the ribbon on the first stretch of I-66, the proposed Interstate that would run from Virginia to California someday. A company owned by Lawson got the bid to construct the London-to-Somerset section of the road. Actually, it was a combined bid by Bizzack Inc. (a Lawson company) and Hinkle Contracting Corporation. The project will cost in the neighborhood of $33 million. Bizzack will do the grade and draining — which account for about 75 percent of the work — and Hinkle will do the paving. Recent analysis by The Kentucky Gazette showed that Mountain Enterprises, a company owned by Lawson, was awarded $605 million in construction contracts by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet during fiscal years 1992-2004 -- the top amount awarded to any company in the state. Bizzack Inc. was awarded $465 million in construction contracts and Hinkle Contracting Corporation was awarded projects totaling $336 million during the same period. The state spent $7 billion on 9,696 road building contracts during the 12-year period from a mixture of federal and state monies. The work performed covered 221,492 miles of roads at an average cost of $21,672 per mile. ========

2/16/04 BLUEGRASS SIERRA CLUB MEETING FOCUSED ON OPPOSING ROAD BUILDING PROJECTS. KARYN MOSKOWITZ PRESENTED THE DOCUMENTARY, "CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, HIGHWAYS ARE NOT" TO A HUGE CROWD. MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE JOINING THE GRASS ROOTS EFFORT IN FIGHTING WASTEFUL ROAD BUILDING PROJECTS.

December, 2003/January, 2004 Update:

A L/S KICK66 MEETING WAS HELD 1/27/04. MANY MORE LOCAL RESIDENTS CAME TO TALK ABOUT THE DESTRUCTION AND DESPAIR THAT I-66 WILL CAUSE. OUR PETITION IS BEING REVISED TO ADD THAT SIGNERS WILL OPPOSE AND NOT VOTE FOR POLITICIANS & POLITICAL FORCES THAT SUPPORT I-66 CONSTRUCTION. I-66 IS NOT A DONE DEAL AND CAN BE STOPPED-PLEASE JOIN US!

Eastern Bioregion Roadfighting Summit, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Kentucky Newstreams, January, 2004 On a chilly weekend in November 2003, representatives of many groups concerned about the proliferation of new and unneeded road projects met near Morehead KY to compare notes and begin to build an effective organization as a counterbalance. Activist David Orr told the group that what we are seeing is the early stages of planning and construction of the second generation of the US interstate highway system. And you thought the interstate system was completed! Kentucky alone is facing at least three new interstates. This first annual roadfighting summit drew representatives of groups such Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Citizens Against Reckless Expansion, KICK 66, KEEP, Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads, KY Heartwood, and Virginians for Appropriate Roads, from Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, and Virginia, all of whom are questioning the need for bad road projects, large and small. The two-day workshop was organized by IN-based green economist Karyn Moskowitz (“putting the ‘eco’ back into economics”), and facilitated by Andy Mahler of ShagBear, the founder of Heartwood and Protect Our Woods. Session contents included case studies, actions and strategies, lobbying, organizing, alternatives to new roads, and future planning. A roadfighting Web site will be available soon, and a citizens guide to roadfighting is being developed. A “volunteer fire department” of roadfighters will be available to provide emergency advice to local groups facing bad road projects. The Web site will act as a clearing-house for information about specific road projects, and for roadfighting in general. Along the I-66 corridor within Kentucky and beyond, a meeting will be organized next spring, and a publication is planned, to spotlight the communities and natural wonders that would be destroyed if this road were built. The second annual roadfighting summit will be held next fall in Tennessee. More information about this vitally important new voice for rural America, as well as copies of the multi-media presentation, “Change is Inevitable, Highways are Not,” are available from Karyn Moskowitz, GreenFire Consulting Group, P.O. Box 462 Paoli, IN 47454 812-723-5504 moskie@blueriver.net

A KICK 66 MEETING WAS HELD MONDAY DECEMBER 8, 6-8 PM AT THE LAUREL CO. PUBLIC LIBRARY, LONDON, KY. WE NEED TO KEEP WRITING LETTERS TO THE POLITICIANS & EDITORS. WE NEED TO GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED. MANY LOCAL RESIDENTS TOLD THEIR STORIES HOW I-66 WILL DISPLACE THEM FROM THEIR HOMES & FRAGMENT FARMS ALONG THE PROPOSED ROUTES.

October/November, 2003 Update:

THE KICK 66 ROAD SHOW

KICK 66 KENTUCKY ROAD SHOW HELD 11/03 MANY ATTENDED THESE HIGHLY INFORMATIVE SESSIONS AND HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN THE GRASSROOTS EFFORTS TO STOP ONE OF THE WORST FINANCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS IN KENTUCKY'S HISTORY, INTERSTATE 66. FEATURING THE NEW SPELLBINDING DOCUMENTARY: CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, HIGHWAYS ARE NOT AND PRESENTED BY KARYN MOSKOWITZ, NATIONALLY PROMINENT RESOURCE ECONOMIST / ENVIRONMENTALIST. MANY EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN OUR EFFORTS TO THWART I-66, IN KENTUCKY, ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI. WE NEED YOU TO JOIN US! A REGIONAL ROAD-FIGHTING SUMMIT WAS ALSO HELD, ATTENDED BY PROFESSIONALS FROM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WHO ARE AGAINST FURTHER DESTRUCTION OF OUR LAND BY DESTRUCTIVE AND WASTEFUL ROAD BUILDING PROJECTS. MANY GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES BUT WE NEED YOU TO GET INVOLVED TOO! THE MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED, THE BETTER CHANCE WE STAND OF KILLING THIS BEFORE IT GETS ANY FURTHER. DO NOT THINK THAT THIS ROAD IS ANYTHING MORE THAN PROPOSED AND SO DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU ANYTHING DIFFERENT. THIS IS NOT A "DONE DEAL" AS MANY HAVE BEEN (FALSELY) LED TO BELIEVE. THAT IS WHY WE NEED YOU TO BECOME INVOLVED! THERE ARE MANY WHO ENJOY THE NATIONAL FOREST, HUNTERS, FISHERMEN, HIKERS, CAVERS, MUSHROOM & MEDICINAL PLANT GATHERERS, CANOEISTS, ROCK CLIMBERS, EVEN ORV RIDERS WHO RESPECT THE WILDERNESS AND WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. PLEASE HELP!

PLEASE ATTEND NEXT KICK 66 MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE LAUREL COUNTY LIBRARY: MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 6-8 PM. AT THE LAST KICK 66 MEETING HELD, 11/10 AT THE LIBRARY IN LONDON, WITH KARYN MOSKOWITZ PRESENTING HER EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY, CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, ROADS ARE NOT, WE HAD 18 LOCAL RESIDENTS COMING ON BOARD. THE KICK 66 GROUP IN LONDON IS GAINING MOMENTUM-WE CAN ONLY DO IT WITH YOUR HELP! PLEASE ATTEND NEXT MEETING IN LONDON MONDAY, DECEMBER 8 AND TELL EVERYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN "SAVING NOT PAVING" OUR LANDS! HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT! BELOW IS THE LATEST REPORT FROM CAROL MILLS, REPORTER-LONDON SENTINEL-ECHO Highway opponents meet By Carol Mills A documentary depicting the destruction of rural America by the building of highways was shown at the Laurel County Public Library on Monday, Nov. 10. The film tells the story of four communities in Morehead and West Virginia and how they confronted elected officials, bureaucrats, and lobbyists whose plans would pave over the last, best places in this country. Resource Economist Karyn Moskowitz was in London as part of a tour to warn the public of the economic, social, and environmental destruction created by new highways, such as the proposed Interstate 66, a portion of which links London to Somerset. The show, "Change is Inevitable, Highways are Not," is being sponsored by the Fund for Wild Nature, KICK 66, Kentucky Heartwood, and GreenFire Consulting Group LLC. It brought stories of everyday people who lived, worked, and played in the way of new highway projects -- and have had their lives permanently altered by it -- to Kentuckians who may soon be facing a similar fate. The before pictures that were shown depicted pristine forests; then there were grim pictures of fallen trees and mud caused by the construction of the highways. There were also pictures of "ghost towns" that had given way to big shopping centers carved out of the forest. Community #1 was about Ellett Valley's Smart Road and the Christiansburg Bypass, Montgomery County, Va., which runs from Blacksburg to Christiansburg. The road was built, bypassing and killing a once vibrant downtown district. This road did not bring the much touted economic development, said Koplowitz. Community #2 concerned the I-73 Corridor from Roanoke to Martinsville in southwest Virginia. A local road-fighting group, Virginians for Appropriate Roads, hired an historic consultant who found I-73 would go through four historic German-Baptist communities. The Virginia Department of Transportation found nothing in its studies. The road has been halted for now, said Koplowitz. Community #3 was about Corridor H, which runs through Wardensville, West Va., to Elkins, West Va., through George Washington and Monongahela National Forests. At a cost of $10 million per mile, this road was proposed by Senator Robert Byrd. Some say the road was suggested so that the industrial poultry farms could get their chickens to market faster, said Koplowitz. This road has been started but not finished. At the present, it dead-ends at a mountain. Community #4 dealt with I-64 to 32/60 Connector Highway in Morehead, Rowan County, Ky. A local road-fighting group, Citizens from Smart Progress, found the benefit-cost ratio was actually negative through faulty numbers inserted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KTC), said Koplowitz. This road was halted after lobbying the KTC. Highways fragment the forest ecosystem, endangered species, recreational areas, and degrade the environment caused by the increase in noise, light and air pollution, said Sue Koplowitz, a London member of KICK 66. But, most important, she said, it displaces families, homes, farms and businesses. Koplowitz wanted to know who will pay for the probable contamination to our drinking water from the asphalt and runoff of pollutants. Karyn Moskowitz, who lives in Paoli, Ind., has made the I-66 project a personal issue. "This has become for me, not only an issue I'm interested in through my friends in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, it has become a personal issue for me, said Moskowitz. "I'm back home thinking how to stop this bypass from London." Moskowitz said there were all kinds of tools to stop unwanted roads. "I think it was helpful that you got to see some of the other people in your region what they've been thinking, what's been working, and what's not been working," she continued. "The people in Morehead were very successful. They has a very broad coalition. They had people from the university. They had people who were hunters, mushroom gatherers, fishers, old people, young people, all kinds of people who felt that the reason for putting this road through the forest was ridiculous because it wasn't going anywhere near the congestion. They started to look into the records and the financial analysis and saw that the transportation cabinet had put a price of $7 million on a cost analysis. It was really supposed to be $70 million. They went to Frankfort with this information. They had to agree that the analysis was (inaccurate). They missed the forest and put the highway in Carter County." Moskowitz said that not all the stories that appeared in the show were successful. They used lawsuits and tried to raise money to sue the department of transportation. "As you saw in West Virginia, for part of the road, it worked," said Moskowitz. "It stopped right at a mountain, just like that." "On the eastern side of West Virginia, there story was that the state did a historic review and said there was no historical properties on the land," added Moskowitz. "They got some money together and hired their own expert. That road is stopped for now because they did not do the proper analysis." After the slide show was over, the floor was opened up for questions and comments. Carey Koplowitz, Sue's husband, said that, economically, he could not see any justification for I-66. "How do you justify spending half a million dollars for 30, 40, miles of road?" he questioned. "I drive on state highway 80 every day. I've never seen any congestion. It just boggles my mind that they can say that we need to cut through a national forest for a road." There are so many reasons not to build the road, said Sue Koplowitz. The reasons that the road should be built for the economic development, it really can't be proved. Why can't we have economic development with what's here? Why can't we have economic development along route 80? Why not just improve that? Another woman was opposed to the road because we already have Hal Rogers Parkway going east and KY 80 going west. The group decided they needed to get more people involved in the no-build option. They agreed to talk to their friends, to write letters to the editors of newspapers, to write letters to government officials, and to talk to local officials. The group also decided to hold regular discussion meetings on the second Monday of each month. The next meeting will be December 8 at the Laurel County Public Library at 6 p.m.

August/September, 2003 Update:

9/2/03 SOMERSET COMMONWEALTH JOURNAL SHANE MORGAN About 240 people showed up between 4 and 8 p.m. Thursday evening at The Center for Rural Development to learn more about the new southwestern and northern bypasses which the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has proposed for Pulaski County. Two concurrent hearings were hosted by the highway department’s local District 8 office in a large event room. One side of the room was dedicated to information concerning the north bypass and the other to the southwest bypass. Citizens were given the opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns and submit written comments and questions. According to the highway department, there are at least three reasons the southwest bypass needs to be developed: to relieve traffic congestion, to provide “system linkage” west of Somerset, and to reduce accidents “due to congestion.” The proposed southwest bypass is a four-lane which would begin at the U.S. 27/Ky. 914 (southeastern bypass) intersection and extend west and north for about 5.6 miles, ending at the Cumberland Parkway about 2 miles west of North U.S. 27. (See map on Page 6.) The highway department presented four alternate route possibilities and a “no-build option” for the southwest bypass. The KYTC feels the no-build option (which would mean the southwest bypass would not be constructed) would allow traffic congestion to increase. Of the four alternates, the KYTC said that “Alternate 7” has been determined to be the “preferred alternative” based on various studies and input from the general public. However, there has been a recent flap over this particular alternative, which ends on the Cumberland Parkway about one-quarter to one-half mile west of other alternates. “Alternate 7” was not part of the original options presented to the public at the only previous southwest bypass hearing on Aug. 24, 2000. An investigation was initiated earlier this year by Bobby Russell, KYTC’s inspector general, into the fact that brothers Guy and Doug Jones and their mother own property on the “Alternate 7” route. Guy Jones was serving as a “principal assistant” (appointed by Gov. Paul Patton) to oversee the Somerset and Lexington Transportation Cabinet office districts and Doug Jones was administrative manager for the cabinet’s Somerset office. Both men have resigned from their posts in recent weeks. David Beattie, pre-construction and branch manager for the KYTC, said the addition of “Alternate 7” was in no way connected to the Jones family. Beattie said the chief reason “Alternate 7” is the “preferred alternative” is that it provides the best connectivity to the proposed northern bypass. He said the northern bypass was not on the drawing boards back in 1997 when plans for the southwest bypass began. It was not until October 2001 that engineers had to redesign a more efficient way to tie the bypasses together. In August 2001, “Alternate 7” was selected as the “preferred alternative.” According to a recent Herald-Leader article, “Alternate 7” has several disadvantages compared to a previously proposed route: It would cost about 3.5 million dollars more, would take eight more residences and three more businesses, would take more acreage, and would take up potential summer forest habitat for the Indiana bat, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. The highway department said there are also several factors which necessitate the construction of a northern bypass. The proposed northern bypass is intended to reduce traffic congestion and to provide better alignment as a link in the I-66 corridor. The proposed northern bypass is a four-lane which would begin on the Cumberland Parkway west of Somerset near Fishing Creek and extend to the east to Ky. 80, bypassing Somerset to the north. The highway department presented three alternate route possibilities and a no-build option. (See graphic below.) The department feels that the no-build option would not address the traffic needs of the future. Officials said the “north alternate” has been determined to be the “preferred alternative” for several reasons: It provides the best solution for traffic issues, provides the best alignment as a link in the I-66 corridor, is the least costly alternate per mile to build, takes the least property and provides the most opportunity for business and economic development. Members of the “Kick 66” group, which is opposed to the construction of the new interstate and bypasses, were on hand at Thursday’s hearing. Some members said they were disappointed there was not a formal “question and answer” forum for the meeting as there had been for a similar meeting conducted in regards to the proposed stretch of I-66 between London and Somerset. One “Kick 66” member said he felt the highway department had not been as accommodating as it should have been concerning the public-input process. Officials said citizens have until Sept. 30, 2003, to submit written comments to Somerset’s local highway department office.

8/29/03 Engineers defend revised bypass route By John Cheves HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER SOMERSET - A proposed $33 million highway bypass that would be bigger, costlier and more destructive than an earlier version is prompting some residents to protest its possible benefit to a politically connected family. At a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hearing last night, engineers defended their current plan for the Somerset Southwest Bypass as a more direct connection to the Cumberland Parkway and a proposed Somerset Northern Bypass than an original plan to hook up with the parkway half a mile farther east. The route was moved a year ago and could become final this winter. But some residents contended that the change was meant to favor brothers Doug and Guy Jones, who held high-ranking jobs at the Transportation Cabinet's Somerset district office until they resigned this month. Both men are the subjects of cabinet investigations into the bypass and other issues. The route now passes through several pieces of land owned individually or jointly by Doug and Guy Jones. It also crosses or adjoins several tracts owned by their mother, Ethel Jones. The original route did not touch Jones family land. "The engineers may know more about these things than I do. But it's clear the Jones land is going to be a gold mine now, so you have to wonder what went into the decision," said Louis Child-ers, who would lose the edge of his yard to the new route. Inside connections had nothing to do with the current route, said project engineer David Beattie. "We still feel this is the best option strictly from an engineering standpoint," said Beattie, as several dozen county residents studied maps and charts spread across tables at The Center for Rural Development. Transportation Cabinet Inspector General Bobby Russell is investigating the change in routes. One of his deputies, who attended yesterday's hearing, would not discuss the status of the investigation. Reached at home last night, Doug Jones, who was administrative manager of the cabinet's Somerset office, denied influencing the engineers' route selection. "I don't know how they determined that," Jones said. "They didn't talk to me about it, and I didn't talk to them. My job was personnel, not engineering. I might have seen the engineers in the hallway and made some small talk, but that's it." Guy Jones, who was Gov. Paul Patton's principal assistant in the cabinet's Somerset office, could not be reached for comment. Guy Jones has given at least $18,200 to Democratic political causes since 1996. The Somerset Southwest Bypass would take drivers west of the city between U.S. 27 and the Cumberland Parkway, avoiding a long, congested strip of fast-food restaurants and stoplights. The old and new bypass routes are identical except for the northern end, where they would tie into the parkway. According to cabinet reports, the original bypass route had several advantages, including: Cost. The old route would cost $3.5 million less than the new route. Present plans call for the cabinet to spend $12 million buying land and moving utilities. Size. The new route would take 236 acres; the old route would need 189 acres. Impact. The new route would require the razing or moving of 34 houses and 10 businesses, and it would consume 2.8 acres of forest, including potential summer habitat of the Indiana bat, protected under the Endangered Species Act. The old route would displace 26 houses and 7 businesses and would consume no forest. Cabinet engineers plan to recommend a route to the Federal Highway Administration by the end of the year, after the Transportation Cabinet reviews public comments gathered last night, Beattie said. Wanda Owens, who would lose more than 10 acres of her family's cattle farm under the new route, said she hopes the cabinet returns to its original plan. "The Jones family ran that office for years, and they generally get what they want," Owens said. "But now they're gone, so I don't know. I think it can still be changed back if enough people want it changed back."

There is a public meeting on the 28th re the proposed Somerset bypasse[s] (read: future I66). THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2003 4-8 PM AT THE CENTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT KICK 66 needs to be there: ** To make comments and to call for the no-build option; ** To develop the scandal story regarding route selection and recent 'high level' resignations in the Somerset office; ** To launch the 'Save Short Cave' 'Save Sinking Valley' campaign that is getting underway; ** To give videographer Chris Johns some subject matter(!); and ** To point out that federal transportation enhancement funds are being gutted and grabbed - the money, used in the past for a vast array of civic improvement projects, is all being diverted to road building.

Ky. Road to Regain Daniel Boone's Name Aug 27, 10:41 PM (ET) By ROGER ALFORD PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A former Kentucky governor has come up with a plan to restore the name of Daniel Boone to a mountain highway in the southeastern part of the state and appease descendants of the fabled frontiersman. Boone's kin reacted with fury after state officials renamed the Daniel Boone Parkway for Hal Rogers in honor of the congressman who helped obtain $13 million in federal funding that eliminated tolls on the parkway. Now former Gov. Louie Nunn has proposed a compromise that would restore Boone's name to the highway, drop Nunn's name from another stretch of highway, and name that stretch for Rogers. Nunn said the state legislature put his name on the highway between Somerset and Glasgow without his consent about two years ago. He said the signs bearing his name could easily and inexpensively be replaced with ones for Rogers. Transportation Secretary James Codell III, who ordered the name change at the request of Gov. Paul Patton, was traveling and unavailable for comment Wednesday. Patton is on vacation this week and unavailable. Rogers declined through a spokeswoman to comment. But Rochelle Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., president of the national Boone Society, called Nunn's suggested compromise "fantastic." She praised the former governor as a statesman who cares about "our history and about our founding fathers."

8/15/03 SAVE SINKING VALLEY!!! The Sinking Valley System is the most threatened by the northern corridor, but even the lower one will pass likely pass along the edge of Burdine Valley, which terminates in a sink that contributes directly to Short Creek Cave. Sinking Valley has approximately 33 square miles of drainage that feeds Short Creek Cave. Short Creek has a normal flow of about 50 cubic feet per second. The Sinking Valley trunk conduit is shallow below the surface in many places and already threatened by a nearby quarry. Jason Gully and his sump diving team has recently made excellent progress in linking the caves of the corridor area, which had previously only been dye traced. The northern corridor seems to be the one preferred one by developers.

CAVES IN SINKING VALLEY ARE NOTED BY GREEN SPOTS. (NOTE THESE ARE ONLY THE CAVES IN THIS AREA-NUMEROUS OTHER (EVEN MAYBE UNDISCOVERED) CAVES EXIST IN THE RUGGED LANDSCAPE BETWEEN SOMERSET & LONDON-THESE CAVES ARE HOME TO MANY ENDANGERED SPECIES AND ALSO HELP TO FILTER AND CLEAN WATER

How to defeat a highway Anti-Arc task force girds for next fight The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for 8/11/03 By DUANE D. STANFORD What does it take to kill a $2.2 billion road project pushed by the state's governor and political elite? For starters, a technology consultant, an engineer, a travel agency owner and a public relations professional. They began as a core group of Forsyth County citizens determined to do something about the 59-mile Northern Arc that would carve up their community. They ended up creating the 5,500-strong Northern Arc Task Force, a political tsunami that swept across four counties to oppose the toll road fast-tracked by then-Gov. Roy Barnes. With corporate precision, sophisticated elbow grease and luck, the grass-roots machine took on the state's political establishment and won. Gov. Sonny Perdue recently ordered the state Department of Transportation to remove the Northern Arc from its work plan, fulfilling a promise he made during last year's election campaign. State transportation planners are working to delete the road from the state's long-term highway building plan at Perdue's urging. Not everyone is celebrating. Arc supporters blame the task force for using a single project to sink the former governor's $8.6 billion transportation plan that could have helped relieve traffic congestion in metro Atlanta. On Wednesday, Perdue will travel back to the hills of Forsyth to hold a transportation town hall meeting hosted by the task force. The white-hot intensity of last year's fight has subsided, but task force leaders say the organization will stay together, poised for the next threat. For now, they are focused on hearing a single phrase from their governor's lips: The Northern Arc is dead. Lynne Andrews, the marketing brains behind the task force, said the event will validate the nearly two-year struggle. "All of us in the back of our minds thought, 'If we do this right, we can stop this thing,' " said Andrews, 36, a public relations consultant. "But I think all of us knew this was a behemoth we were fighting. We realized the top elected official wanted this as his legacy, and that was a sobering thought." Corporate approach Jeff Anderson, task force co-chairman and president, is credited with developing the corporate approach that defines the activist group. The 47-year-old father of four did it between hops to Washington, where he works three out of four weeks a month. An information technology consultant for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Anderson's clients include the federal departments of Defense and Homeland Security. He was recruited into the Northern Arc fray by Forsyth homeowner Gerry Conway, who runs a travel agency and is now a task force director. They met at a public hearing in November 2001, where Anderson gave a rousing speech against a controversial rezoning that drew a standing ovation from the crowd. Those with homes in the Arc's path between I-75 and I-85 were sickened by the prospect of losing property, wooded backyard views and the sprawl-free living to which they had become accustomed. They wanted an articulate leader to bring them together. Anderson's home, a 2-acre spread with a six-bedroom house in Cumming, is two miles from the proposed Northern Arc path. "I never would have seen or heard the road," he said. Anderson told Conway he'd look into the project anyway. He enlisted the help of a friend, Bob Charles, now the task force's vice president. Charles is a sales manager for computer chip maker Intel. Charles and Anderson found reports on the Northern Arc on state government Web sites. They concluded the proposal was based on misleading and outdated information and that the cost would far outweigh the benefit. "It wasn't in my back yard; it was in my back pocket," Anderson said. The men drafted Andrews, who had worked as a marketing manager for Northside and Kennestone hospitals before starting her own business at home to be with her two boys. Andrews' husband had worked with Anderson on local zoning issues. The Arc threatened to dissect the Andrewses' $500,000 home on 4 acres in a hilly Forsyth subdivision catering to equestrians. Adding insult to injury, the nearest access to the road would have been 10 miles away, and the entry fee $7.50, she said. Thorough planning The small group led by Anderson called a meeting at the Polo Golf and Country Club, in an upscale Forsyth subdivision at the edge of the Arc's proposed path. In a clubhouse dining room, dozens of concerned citizens painstakingly planned the first of four county meetings to spread the word that the Arc was bad for North Georgia. They settled on a motto -- Passion with Politeness -- and decided then to run their organization with a clear message, substantiated facts and balanced emotion. "We didn't want to be known as a NIMBY [not in my back yard], whining, pure activist group," Anderson recalled. To make time for his new fight, Anderson retired from his second job as lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He estimates he spent 20 hours a week working on the Arc battle. "I have the most understanding wife in the world," said Anderson, whose four daughters range in age from 5 to 19. On Jan. 19, 2002, at Forsyth's Vickery Creek Middle School, the group unleashed PowerPoint presentations, maps and a carefully crafted message. Questions from the audience had been scripted, putting politicians on the spot. "Seven hundred people in the driving rain, it was standing room only," Anderson recalled. "That's when we knew we had something." Meetings in Bartow, Gwinnett and Cherokee followed. The task force, by now incorporated as a nonprofit, set up chapters in each county. Within months, the group's membership swelled to about 2,500. A Web site kept members up on the latest developments. The task force sold "Stop the Northern Arc" T-shirts and organized a march to the Capitol. Barnes and other Arc backers argued the road would help relieve traffic congestion and divert truck traffic out of metro Atlanta. The task force countered that the money would be better spent improving existing arterial roads such as Ga. 20, which the Arc would have paralleled. A trucking company executive who joined the group used modeling software to make a case that few trucks would use the Arc. 2002 election a key Early on, the activists saw the 2002 election as a chance to put pressure on Barnes, who was running for re-election. But the task force was limited in what it could do because of its particular nonprofit status. NATF Action Organization was spun off to fill the void. Task force members distributed thousands of brochures targeting politicians like Barnes and U.S. Rep. Bob Barr who favored the Arc. By September, the task force had hired former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers to file suit against the state. The task force accused Barnes of unconstitutionally sidestepping legislative approval for an unorthodox road financing plan. The method would have allowed the state to borrow money against future federal transportation grants. Anderson said 92 percent of the more than $150,000 the task force has raised went toward the lawsuit. The state Supreme Court since has rejected the task force's argument, a decision that came too late for the Northern Arc. Had Barnes won election, the court victory could have refueled work on the Northern Arc. Two prominent Arc proponents believe the task force did more harm than good. Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce President Richard Tucker, who sits on the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, called the group's actions "selfish." "They are looking at their own self-interest, their own homes in the path, and not the greater good," he said. Former Barnes Chief of Staff Bobby Kahn said the group discounted the Arc's potential to reduce traffic congestion. "The legislation we passed was well-reasoned, well-researched and legally sound," Kahn said of Barnes' financing plan. "In the meantime, people are still sitting in traffic. Roads could have been widened by now." Kahn agrees the task force was well-organized and "well-funded," but he downplayed the group's role in Barnes' failed re-election attempt and the Arc's demise. "We got more e-mails on driver's license lines than that," Kahn said of the Northern Arc, adding that the group was good at working the media. "I think the coverage of the issue needed a little more balance." Task force members admit the media was an integral part of their strategy. Their staged standing-room-only town hall meetings captured attention and pushed the issue into the governor's race. All three Republican candidates for governor came out against the Arc at one of those meetings. But it was local media coverage that exposed serious questions about officials making decisions on the Northern Arc project. Barnes postponed the project after revelations that several members of the Atlanta Regional Commission, the state Transportation Board and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority had undisclosed land or business interests along the Arc's path. The agencies had a hand in planning and approving the project. Several of the named board members resigned, citing various reasons, after the links were made public. It wasn't until Perdue's surprise defeat of Barnes Nov. 5 that the task force could claim victory. Congratulatory notes packed Andrews' home e-mail account. "I started getting flowers from my neighbors," she said. One of those neighbors, 41-year-old Cathy Brooks, said she spent all last year nervous. On Arc maps, her property is surrounded by yellow lines meaning it was within the road's buffer zone. "We had made a substantial investment here, and we were going to be at the mercy of those who were going to build the Northern Arc," said Brooks, who credits the task force for saving her property value. Weekly meetings At the height of the Arc controversy, the task force met every week to plan its next move. Meetings now come every other month. But task force leaders say the organization won't fade away. Board members are considering changing the name to the Northern Alliance Task Force. Anderson said he'd like to reach out to other North Georgia counties interested in more consistent planning and zoning across the region. "So it's not just concrete and billboards to the Tennessee border," he said. The task force also is watching a new law that allows contractors to submit unsolicited proposals for privately financed toll roads. They fear developers and the state Transportation Department could use the law to plan massive projects behind closed doors. State officials have said they are writing policies to ensure that won't happen. There is still unfinished Northern Arc business. The task force wants to see the project stricken from Georgia's transportation plan. "To resurrect that thing after it's been defunded in the 25-year plan would be a miracle," Anderson said. The activists also have their eyes on $38 million in land already purchased for the Arc. Anderson said he would like to see the state repay the federal grants used to buy the property so it can be preserved as a greenbelt across metro Atlanta's northern suburbs.

8/4/03 Subject: Worm turns, Republicans keeping up with the Democratic Jones (Commonwealth Journal 8/4/03) Politics rears head in Bypass design Retired Hopkins Elementary School teacher Wanda Owens points to a row of hay bales that mark the proposed location where the Southwestern Bypass will cut through her farm. This is all I have left of SOMERSET ELIZABETH N. DICK When Wanda Owens inherited her parents’ Ringgold Road farm three years ago she settled on a plan to supplement her state retirement benefits by raising cattle. With nearly three decades of teaching at Hopkins Elementary School under her belt, Wanda invested in 35-head of cattle, let them roam on her 69-acre farm and began the process of getting back to her roots. It’s a small farm. It’s not a big business,” Wanda said, Friday. But, this is all I have left of my parents and their hard work.So it was quite a tough blow to Wanda when in February she received a letter from the Transportation Cabinet informing her that surveyors would be on, around or near her property, measuring for the proposed Somerset Southwest Bypass. Although not yet a final decision, the ramp which will end the southwest bypass and connect U.S. 27 and a proposed northern bypass and an access road, are currently designed to take the back portion of Wanda’s farm, separate her cattle from their natural sources of drinking water and break up hundreds of acres of land owned by four other members of her family. The home of Alca O’Callahan, Wanda’s aunt, is situated only 100 feet from where she said she has been told a 40-foot drop will lead to the four-lane bypass. The proposed bypasses around Somerset have been designed to become part of Interstate 66, if the federal highway is constructed. A two-lane access road off of the bypass will run in front of Alca’s home, providing the only way in, and dividing or land-locking much of her farm. It’s going to ruin the value of this land, said Alca, who has lived on the farm on N. Hart Road since 1932. Her home was her mother’s, and Wanda’s grandmother’s. As much of an impact as this is going to have on me and my whole family, who’s going to pay? Wanda asked. How are we going to be compensated for our loss of income for the next 20 years or so? It’s kind of a funny route their taking. ~ Wanda Owens Prior to that February notice regarding their land, Wanda Owens and Alca O’Callahan didn’t realize that their neighbors to the south, brothers Guy and Doug Jones, would soon be in the midst of an investigation by Bobby Russell, the inspector general of the Transportation Cabinet. Russell became concerned about Guy Jones, a principal assistant appointed by Gov. Paul Patton to oversee the Somerset and Lexington Transportation Cabinet district offices, and Doug Jones, administrative manager for the cabinet’s Somerset office, when he learned that an engineering change had been made to the proposed southwest bypass and the route would now go through the Jones’ land. Due to the fact that some cabinet employees owned property through which the new bypass will go, said Russell, Friday, I felt like it was necessary to open an investigation. According to David Beattie, project manager for the northern half of the southwest bypass, and pre-construction and branch manager for the cabinet, plans for the southwest bypass began in 1997. At that time, the interchange that would tie the bypass to U.S. 27 and the Louie Nunn Parkway was planned approximately a half-mile east of where the interchange is drawn today. But, as Beattie explained, in 1997 the northern bypass was not even a thought. In fact, it wasn’t until October 2001, said Beattie, that the cabinet engineers had to go back to the drawing board and figure out a better way to tie all the bypasses together and provide the best access to U.S. 27 and the parkway. In August 2002, what is known as the western alternate was selected as the cabinet’s preferred route for an interchange. It makes a better connection to the existing parkway, said Beattie. (On the eastern alternate) you’re going a mile out of your way. We call it adverse travel - you have to go the wrong direction to get to the interchange. The western alternate, however, cuts across two cabinet employees’ land, and by virtue of proximity, cuts across Wanda and her family’s land.It is a fact that alternate six (eastern) didn’t touch the Jones’ property, said Beattie, and alternate seven (western) does. But, that was not part of the decision process. Beattie said that Wanda and her family would have experienced some dissection of their land had the eastern alternate remained the bypass route, but acknowledged that the chosen alternate makes the damage much more substantial. The interchange is an impact to her property, said Beattie. Her aunt has a big farm and Hart Road is going to be cut off by the main line and a frontage road will bring access to other parcels of land and a cemetery. But, even if the interchange wasn’t on their property, the access road would still be an issue as it bisects (Wanda’s) farm. Beattie said that land acquisition is one of the toughest parts of road construction because we are always impacting somebody’s property. Overall, he added, you just hope it is a positive impact for the community.I just hope this isn’t a political thing. ~ Wanda Owens It is no secret that Pulaski County is a Republican stronghold. Nor is it a secret that Guy Jones is ensconced in Democratic Party activities and received a political appointment by a Democratic governor. According to the Lexington Herald Leader, Guy Jones listed on a 1996 resume´that he was an active member of Pulaski County Democratic Executive Committee; precinct chairman of the largest precinct in Pulaski County; and past president of the Pulaski County Young Democrats.” The Lexington newspaper also uncovered that Guy Jones, who is being paid $67,026 a year as a principal assistant, is also earning $39,000 a year as a U.S. Postal Service contract carrier in Waynesburg. A January Courier Journal article stated that Guy Jones, of Stanford, has contributed more than $25,000 in campaign donations to Democratic candidates since 1994. But Beattie maintains that the decision to move the bypass route was not in any way persuaded by the Jones’ political affiliations, nor their positions within the cabinet. I’ve never been contacted by the Joneses about this project personally,” said Beattie. “Doug (Jones) came up and looked at the plans - just as I would encourage anyone to do if they are being impacted - but, he didn’t ask any questions.” Guy Jones, Beattie pointed out, does not even answer to Danny Jewell, the Somerset district’s chief engineer. He answers to Frankfort, said Beattie. He added that it is not illegal for cabinet employees to sell their property to the state if a road is coming through. We’re building roads and we can’t help it if one goes through a cabinet employee’s property,” Beattie said. “But, right-of-way is dealt with out of another district office when that happens. That will definitely happen with the Jones’ property. Even when our right-of-way folks have a close association with somebody,” Beattie added, “we’ll send it off to another district to be dealt with.” On August 28 the Transportation Cabinet will hold a public meeting, at The Center for Rural Development, on both the proposed southwest and northern bypasses in order to show where the two roads will connect. This is not a final decision,” Beattie said. “There have been projects that have had shifts after public meetings.” In the meantime, Chief Inspector Russell said he has had a researcher in Somerset looking through the Jones’ property deeds and will have more information regarding his investigation at the beginning of next week. Story created Monday, August 04, 2003.

Posted on Thu, Jul. 31, 2003 Somerset bypass plan questioned TRANSPORTATION CABINET TO BUY LAND FROM 2 OF ITS EMPLOYEES By John Cheves And Bill Estep HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS SOMERSET - The state Transportation Cabinet's inspector general is investigating the cabinet's plan to buy land from two of its employees as part of a $33 million project to build a bypass road around Somerset. Inspector General Bobby Russell said he is curious about the cabinet's decision last year to change the path of its proposed Southwest Bypass to a route that would use land owned by brothers Doug E. Jones and Guy M. Jones, who are administrators in the cabinet's District 8 office in Somerset. The district office, which employs several members of the Jones family, is in charge of planning and building the bypass, Russell said yesterday. "Anytime you have cabinet employees who stand to benefit from a cabinet decision, you certainly have to review it," Russell said. "It's obvious that the Joneses are very entrenched in the District 8 office, which is something else to consider." Transportation spokes-man Mark Pfeiffer said employees are allowed to sell land to the cabinet. State law and cabinet ethics rules require that such deals be approved by the governor after officials involved certify that the employees who will benefit did not influence the purchase. Pfeiffer said he was aware of Russell's investigation. However, the cabinet would not comment yesterday, he said. "We'll wait and see what the inspector general decides," Pfeiffer said. Doug Jones was not in his office yesterday afternoon and could not be reached at home for comment. Guy Jones could not be reached at his home. An engineer in the district office, however, said both men work as administrators, not engineers, and that neither played a role in the decision to reroute the bypass. Doug Jones is paid $51,792 a year as the office's administrative manager. Guy Jones is paid $67,026 as a principal assistant -- one of Gov. Paul Patton's political appointees -- for the district office. The Transportation Cabinet plans to build a 51/2-mile Southwest Bypass around Somerset to link U.S. 27 to the Louie B. Nunn Parkway, also known as the Cumberland Parkway, which is slated to become a section of the proposed Interstate 66. Land purchases are set to begin late this year, project engineer David Beattie said. In August 2002, a cabinet project team of engineers decided to change the proposed route of the Southwest Bypass by moving a portion of the road about a half-mile to the west. The goal was to create a better, more direct connection with the Nunn Parkway and a planned Northern Bypass around Somerset, Beattie said. The Northern Bypass, which would connect U.S. 27 north of town to the parkway, would be part of I-66 if the federal road were built. Beattie said he did not think the first route would have crossed land owned by the Jones brothers. Maps indicate the new route, including a proposed interchange, would cross two pieces of land owned jointly by Doug and Guy Jones and a third tract owned by Doug Jones only. Tax records for 2003 show the jointly owned parcels are valued at $42,000, and the tract owned by Doug Jones is valued at $50,000. The Jones family has owned land in the area for years, according to Pulaski County property records. Beattie, the engineer, said neither brother was involved in the decision to change the road's route. "I've never been contacted by them about it," Beattie said. "That wasn't part of the consideration in terms of where the road goes. We're concerned with engineering." The cabinet has set aside $12 million for land purchase and utility relocation for the Southwest Bypass, but it cannot be determined at present how much Doug and Guy Jones would get for their land, Beattie said. "We're not to that point in the process yet," Beattie said. "I'm sure (negotiations) would not be handled out of this district office, to avoid a possible conflict of interest. We would probably have another district office do the negotiating." Russell, the Transportation Cabinet's inspector general, said he began to investigate the change in bypass routes after he received a complaint from a Somerset resident. Today, Russell said, his investigator will travel to the Pulaski County Courthouse to verify land ownership along the proposed bypass, including the Jones family's. At the same time, Russell said, he wants to review every record of the project team's decision to alter the route. Russell said, "We're looking at how the route was originally planned, how that route changed and whether it will unfairly benefit a cabinet employee." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reach John Cheves at (859) 231-3495 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3495, or at jcheves@herald-leader.com. Reach Bill Estep at (606) 678-4655 or bestep@herald-leader.com.

8/4/03 P R E S S R E L E A S E For Immediate Release August 4, 2003 Re: INDOT REVERSES POLICY, WILL REVEAL INFO Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has indicated that it will provide information to Paoli area residents that it had previously denied. Orange Countians for Appropriate Rural Roads (OCARR) had requested information about the proposed Paoli Bypass and INDOT's stand had been not to give out any information prior to the release of an environmental assessment. The change of policy was revealed in a letter from INDOT to OCARR dated July 24th. INDOT said that a similar request for information about the proposed bypass had been received from attorneys at the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago. INDOT also indicated that the change in policy occurred because of the precedent set by the recent court case between Bobby Knight and the Indianapolis Star. "Basically, INDOT has admitted that they were wrong in not providing us information as required by the state's freedom of information laws," said Karyn Moskowitz, spokesperson for OCARR. "How can we comment on the accuracy of an environmental assessment if we don't know its contents until the process is already over? This is clearly another method that INDOT uses to lock out citizens from participating in the decision-making process on projects that could have a devastating effect on their lives." INDOT did not say specifically what information would be revealed as a result of this policy change. In March OCARR requested copies of traffic studies and other information related to the purpose and need of the project and its impacts. According to Indiana's Access To Public Records Act, any citizen has a right to examine records housed in any state public institution with few exceptions. INDOT had previously announced that the environmental assessment would be released in June but so far none has been issued. Karyn Moskowitz P.O. Box 462 Paoli, IN 47454 USA 812-723-5504 moskie@blueriver.net GreenFire Consulting Group

SOME POSSIBLE I-66 THEMES:

How about I-666???? I-66 = Thieves Highway Highway robbery at your expense: I-66 I-66 The road that KY corruption is building KY DOT Crooks Robbing us Blind I-66: It's a CROOKED road by and for CORRUPT politicians Patton's Buddies' Road to Riches -- I-66 Now that DOT officials are implicated in a land scandal, it is time to step up the rhetoric: THESE GUYS ARE CRIMINALS AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS A CRIME. I-66: It's a CRIME shame I-66: a CRIME against KY I-66: KY Criminals on the Take The Governor's Road to Personal Riches: I-66 I-66 Road to criminal riches and bankrupcy NO BUILD I-66: THE ROAD TO CORRUPTION AND CRIME Greedy I-66 criminals think you're dumb enough to fall for "Jobs!"

June/July, 2003 Update:

7/28/03 Controversial Corridor SOMERSET ELIZABETH N. DICK Proponents of the proposed Interstate 66 were in short supply at a public information meeting Thursday, but transportation cabinet officials were not dissuaded. Approximately 150 people attended an I-66 public meeting held at The Center for Rural Development, less than half the number that attended a similar meeting in Laurel County Tuesday, to learn where the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will begin conducting studies for the portion of the east to west interstate that would run from London to Somerset. We’re introducing the three bands recommended by the (I-66) Citizens Committee to the public, said Joe Cox, KYTC project engineer for the Somerset to London corridor. This is an update meeting, to let people know where we are, let them speak and voice their concerns. A public input session held during the meeting brought comments that will be included in the cabinet’s final report, but none that were in favor of the project. It’s heartbreaking to see the destruction of things in Somerset, especially the downtown area, said Alan Butler, a student of architecture who said he enjoys returning to his hometown and showing his friends Somerset’s farmlands.Highways destroy communities. Sue Koplowitz, a member of the anti-I-66 organization Kick 66, said her group opposes the interstate because interstates take business away from downtown areas and the money would be better spent improving Kentucky’s secondary roads. Others, like John Buie, believe that improving Ky. 80 is the best option. Bill Barnett said he believes the proposed interstate is a waste of money.The federal deficit is out of control. Our country is at war. The money could be better spent on education, like upgrading Somerset Community College into a four-year college, Barnett said. The people that are for the project are content to sit on the back row and not speak, said Cox, of the lack of supporters at Thursday’s meeting. The people that are passionate about their opposition will speak. There is a lot of opposition to this project, and we take all the information we can get, Cox continued. We look at the number of comments, look at what they’re saying and look for pertinent information that can go into our decision making process. As for the low turnout at the Somerset meeting, Cox said there are less homeowners affected by the proposed interstate than in London. I think there are a lot more potential residents impacted on the Laurel County end, Cox explained. It is more intensely populated. The six bands, or study areas, that were selected by the citizens committee were illustrated on maps, Thursday. The group selected the study areas based on the least amount of impact that the road would have on homes, farms, businesses and the environment. Pulaski and Laurel counties each have three bands. In Pulaski County, the selected bands B and C will tie into the proposed Northern Bypass and the Ky. 80 band will utilize much of existing Ky. 80. Band B travels to the northern part of the corridor and follows north of Ky. 80 once it is in the Buck Creek area. It then transitions back to Ky. 80 before crossing the Rockcastle River. Band C travels to the southern part of the corridor and begins to parallel Ky. 80 once it is in the Price Valley Road area. It then transitions to Ky. 80 before crossing the Rockcastle River. The Ky. 80 Band maximizes the use of existing Ky. 80. Although the majority of this band is along the existing Ky. 80 corridor, the first two miles of the band is on a new location from a point on the proposed Northern Bypass to existing Ky. 80 at the Ky. 461 intersection. From this point the band follows existing Ky. 80 for 13 miles to the Rockcastle River. The three bands in Pulaski County transition into the bands selected for Laurel County at the Rockcastle River. Cox said that environmental studies will be conducted within the bands over the next two years. The next milestone will be the approval of an environmental document, Cox said, adding that he anticipates the completion of that document by spring 2006. At that time, we would have a good idea where the road is going. Cox noted that the no-build option is, however, always on the table. The KYTC is also preparing to identify historic properties within the project area and develop mitigation measures to reduce any harmful effects that the interstate may cause. The cabinet will be soliciting feedback from the public and some people and/or organizations may be entitled to participate as a consulting party. Story created Monday, July 28, 2003 at 2:46 PM.

7/28/03 Try to contact many of the geologists on the 2001 NSS hydrology field trip to send letters to the KYTC advising against building in karst. Work on proposed highway bands with aerial, topo and geologic maps. As you might expect, the map shown by the KYTC was inaccurate. No north arrow or scale, but also it 1003 was on the wrong side of the creek! Any time you are prepared to get out of the house and enter the fray over the Somerset to London EIS for I-66 segment designated proposed bands, let KICK 66 know about it. We need people who are far more familiar with the ESA aspects of the EIS process than most people I know who can be counted on as either a resouce or as an advisor. Many ideas regarding what should be in a EIS in a karst landscape, but can't figure out how the EIS rulebook applies. On another note, a former MVG member, who now lives above the flood line in Long Hollow, KY, has indicated that he is willing to donate his time and services as a professional videographer for all outdoor/in-door and limited cave entrance videography needs in association with I-66 environmental documentation needs.. He has a professional video set-up and is willing to work with those people putting together video documentation, documentaries, evidenciary documentation regarding the proposed I-66 bands so recently not discussed at the Somerset and London public meetings. So, if you are putting together a protest documentary opposing I-66, contact Chris at cjoutreach@msn.com or 606-382-5716.... He volunteered his services as best he can provide to those working in opposition to the proposed segment of I-66. Whether this be endangered plants and animals, sinkholes with unique features, cave entrance areas, endangered shellfish beds or what-have-you, he wants to help. He is also working on getting press credentials, which will enable him to be down in front at future public meetings. So, if you want a presence on public access cable to state your anti-I-66 case or to document you daring slog through chest-high poison ivy to find that endangered plant or animal, contact KICK66 to discuss your needs Re: "choke point" over the Rockcastle in DBNF 1. There is no such thing as trespassing on national forest, unless you try to set up long term housekeeping ala the Rainbows. Have at it. 2. In the area near the current 80 crossing, what is national forest lacks limestone. What there is within N.F. is at or near river level, up toward Billows or to the south near 192. Most or all of the limestone on the new alignments is on private land. That is not to say there is nothing of interest in that area, just not limestone caves. The area near 80 is pretty heavily impacted by climbing (the only sport routes outside Red River Gorge in the DBNF) and 4 wheeling - especially the old mining areas. I ran a little cliffline on either side of 80 years ago and only came up with some Lucy Braun's snakeroot and a bad case of some weird green lichen lice that infested me, Smokey, our truck and Barry's house,until nuked into remission with large doses of ugly chemicals. I would have to doublecheck my files for any odd Rafinesque's or other bats who might have turned up - no colonies though. Things to investigate would include getting someone with botanical skills to look for Rockcastle aster (aster saxicastelli?) down in the gravel bars. A mussel colony would be nice, but the existence of 80 might reduce the leverage there. The caves to the west on private land are more likely to pose T & E and engineering hassles to Transportation.

7/22/03I-66 Public Meeting Notes, July 22, London, KY-PLEASE ATTEND I-66 SOMERSET PUBLIC MEETING, THURS JULY 24 5-8 PM Well the Transportation Cabinet has managed to do it again. The meeting was structured to address the bands only, not to hear public comments, but hear them they did! Only 4 people had signed up to speak on the record, then more people volunteered their comments the majority against. Remember, there are east/west interstates 45 minutes away from here both north & south. As people raised their hands to ask questions, David Kratt, Transportation official replied that this is not a public hearing and that this meeting was not a question/answer session but for public comments. The officials there clearly were not prepared or willing to answer questions in a group forum but said they would be glad to answer questions one on one. The questionnaires were geared toward addressing the bands only, did not address no build, once again. Therefore their results will be skewed for building in a particular band not addressing no build. A good meeting for KICK66, we got some more signatures on the petition, gave out about 50 bumper stickers and talked to alot of people. SIGN HOLDERS! WE HAD THOSE GREAT BANNERS & NO ONE TO HOLD THEM! I hope we can get experts to make a statement for the record and to the public. So if you're out there and available Thursday, please attend: PUBLIC MEETING to oppose I-66

THE PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR THE SOMERSET - LONDON SEGMENT WERE HELD IN LATE JULY. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ATTENDING OPPOSED I-66. IT IS VITAL TO KEEP THIS MOMENTUM GOING. : ( JUST RELEASED, ILLINOIS & MISSOURI HAVE JUMPED ON THE I-66 BANDWAGON. I-66 MUST BE STOPPED! ) WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THE I-66 OPPOSITION-PLEASE GET IN CONTACT WITH KICK 66-WE NEED YOUR HELP!

April/May, 2003 Update:

As reported by Carol Mills, London Sentinel-Echo, CNHI May 2, 2003:

I-66 routes selected By Carol Mills After months of discussion, a citizens committee has identified three 1,000-foot-wide routes for a proposed interstate highway between London and Somerset. Members of a select citizens committee appointed to make recommendations for the I-66 project met Tuesday at the Cumberland Valley Area Development District in London to review potential alternatives within a broader study corridor. Representatives from American Consulting Engineers showed committee members alternate "bands," or 1,000-foot alignments, within the corridor, based on the data gathered using the committee's criteria and current environmental and engineering feasibility studies. Four subcommittees -- representing business, community, tourism-economic development, and environmental-aesthetics -- convened for an hour to review and discuss the five routing possibilities in Laurel County and eight routing possibilities in Pulaski County. Each subcommittee used criteria obtained through two extensive mass mailings in evaluating the options. The top three routes in each county were then announced by the committee chairman. John Sacksteder, an engineer with HMB Professional Engineers, Inc., stressed that the "no build" option is still a viable alternative as state and federal officials begin more extensive evaluation of the new corridor choices. Two members of a citizen's group opposed to the project, known as KICK 66, sat in silent protest throughout the discussions with signs asking, "Who will benefit from wasteful road-building projects? 'Fat Cat' politicians. Consultants. Land speculators. Construction companies. It won't be you!" One sign bore the photographs of Governor Paul Patton, 5th District Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers, and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. Laurel County In Laurel County, all four subcommittees unanimously recommended the same three routes. All three choices would utilize the existing KY 80 bridge crossing over the Rockcastle River. The bands for the Laurel County section of the project run from the Rockcastle River to Interstate 75. The bands are placed at a width of 1,000 feet to show a general location of where the route may be located with circles used to show possible locations of interchanges. (A map showing the location of the circles and bands is being prepared for The Sentinel-Echo and will be published in the near future.) All bands in the Laurel County section would provide interchanges at KY 80, KY 192, and I-75. Other roads that would be relocated over or under I-66 include KY 1535, Willie Green Road, Maple Grove Road, and KY 363. Each band has impacts on the Daniel Boone National Forest, Sinking Creek, and the weigh stations on Interstate 75. The two bands not selected each scored very low on an evaluation matrix. One would cross the Rockcastle River about two miles north of the existing KY 80 bridge and not use any of the existing highway. The second begins at the existing crossing but is the southern most option and would have the greatest impact on the old growth management area of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The three routes selected in Laurel County are: . Band G. This route utilizes the existing crossing at the Rockcastle River and follows KY 80 east for three miles before turning to the southeast. It is the northern most option when compared to the other bands. It has the highest score in community and environment due to the impact on the southern portion of the Bernstadt community. Band G scored well in business because of its proximity to KY 80. This band would intersect I-75 in the vicinity of the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, located on KY 363. . Band H. This route utilizes the existing crossing at the Rockcastle River and follows KY 80 for 1.5 miles before turning southeast and meeting Band I (discussed next). Both Band H and I stay close from Carmichael Road to KY 1535, where Band I turns to the south. Band H continues southeast to cross Band G at Maple Grove Road. This band would intersect I-75 between Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church and the Pine Grove Baptist Church. . Band I. This route travels in an easterly direction after crossing the Rockcastle River at the existing location using 0.5 miles of the KY 80 corridor. Band I continues to the east until it meets Band H and then splits at KY 1535. It stays south of Willie Green Road and crosses KY 192 north of Cold Hill Elementary School. This band would intersect I-75 south of Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church in the vicinity of the weigh station. Pulaski County In Pulaski County, only one route received unanimous recommendation from the subcommittees. Two alternatives were favored by three groups, and two alternatives garnered support from two groups. The route with the best score in Pulaski County -- one of those favored by three subcommittees -- ultimately was not included in the final recommendation. Instead, the group chose a route designed to use as much of the existing KY 80 as possible. "Using existing KY 80 would cause too many frontage roads for people to access their property," said Richard Southerland, an engineer for American Consulting. "All the utilities are along the road." Due to development within the existing corridor, "this section has major impacts to local properties," according to the engineers. There are three communities, 11 businesses and approximately 219 relocations required. Also, because KY 80 allows local access, and I-66 would be limited-access with a speed limit of 70 miles per hour, this alternative "will require providing a frontage road system to provide access to roadways and properties along KY 80," the engineers noted. All three Pulaski alternatives connect on the west with a northern bypass around Somerset that intersects KY 80 at the Barnesburg community. This route was selected late last year using the same process for the London to Somerset route. The next committee meeting will be in the third or fourth week in May to prepare for a public presentation on the alternatives. The public meeting is expected sometime between late June to late July. An eight-page newsletter will be printed soon explaining what has been done on the project and will be sent to everyone on the Kentucky Department of Highway's list. To be added to the list, contact project manager Joe Cox in Somerset at (606) 677-4017. Story created Friday, May 02, 2003 at 12:12 PM.

As reported by Elizabeth N. Dick, Somerset Courier-Journal, CNHI News, May 1, 2003:

LONDON ELIZABETH N. DICK Study areas for the proposed Somerset to London portion of I-66 were selected Tuesday, all of which utilize portions of existing KY 80. Known as "bands," the study areas were determined by members of the I-66 Citizens Committee, based on concerns within the group's subcommittees (business, communities, tourism and economic development and the environment) and criteria collected from public surveys. Each subcommittee selected three preferred bands in Pulaski County and three in Laurel County, using aerial photographs. The three bands in each county with the highest number of votes will undergo more thorough consideration, including environmental impact studies. In Pulaski County, two of the selected bands will tie into the northern bypass, but one band travels in a more northern path, and one a more southern path. Both options would reconnect with KY 80 in the eastern portion of the county. The third Pulaski County band selected was the KY 80 Alternate, which maximizes the existing highway, but will require the removal of some curves and access will be restricted. Some new portions of the road would have to be built to allow for interchanges and connectors to other roads, such as the northern bypass. Although the KY 80 Alternate had a high impact score, due to disruption to existing homes and businesses, most of the subcommittees found that the benefits of expanding the road outweighed the issues that could arise when constructing a new road. "We talked heavily about fragmentation," said the chairman of the environment subcommittee, Tom Kean, regarding the hazards of cutting roads through established forests and associated ecosystems. "That is why we decided to (select bands that would) stay close to 80." The bands in Laurel County were selected by a unanimous decision. All three utilize the existing crossing at the Rockcastle River, and follow KY 80 for either a half, 1.5 or three miles, depending on the band. One band travels north, one southeast and one predominately south. "These maps are very preliminary," noted John Sacksteder, P.E., with HMB Professional Engineers Inc. "We don't have any details on the design yet. There is still a lot of development that's going to go on in the next few years." A question about raising gasoline taxes was brought up by Sue Koplowitz, a member of the opposition group Kick 66. "The tax situation is a statewide issue," answered Sacksteder. "It is a nationwide issue. Nineteen-eighty-six was the last time gas taxes were raised. Kentucky has one of the lowest gasoline taxes in the nation." Sacksteder noted that money raised in a tax increase helps pay for the state's six-year transportation plan, not just the I-66 project. Richard Sutherland, P.E. with American Consulting Engineers, added that none of the gubernatorial candidates have talked about raising gas taxes. David Kratt, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project engineer, said the cost of the project is still unknown because a design plan has not been developed. " ... and we don't have money in the bank for this project," said Kratt. "To say we have a specified, finalized plan for this project would be premature." Sacksteder said a public information meeting will be held, possibly in mid-July, for citizens to view the maps and learn more information about the project's progression

PIKEVILLE SEGMENT ALERT!!! I-66 Final Environmental Impact Statement Approved; Public Comments Accepted Until May 23 The price of this 33-mile highway has more than doubled, from $735 million in 1997 to $1.6 billion - which is more than Bush is giving Bechtel to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure. At $42 million a mile, it has to be the most expensive highway ever built . This, at a time when counties and school systems all over the state are going broke.... Note that the EIS is not presently available online!!!

Road rage continues By Elizabeth Dick 3/7/03 SOMERSET -- An executive order to expedite a local highway project once again brought protesters to an I-66 citizens committee meeting. Tuesday’s work session was held primarily to consider the results of a survey mailed to gauge public concerns as they begin selecting potential routes through a corridor that is now roughly five miles wide. While state transportation officials referred to the President George W. Bush’s order as “streamlining,” those opposed to the project countered with signs reading, “That’s not streamlining. That’s steamrolling.” David Kratt, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project engineer, said the order recognizes the high priority of the proposed I-66 project through Laurel and Pulaski counties and is designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape. “There are a lot of bureaucratic layers,” said Kratt. “There is an enormous amount of coordination and review. This effort, to me, is trying to flatten those layers. To be more proactive.” The Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews instruct the federal Department of Transportation to select priority projects and establish a task force to “foster interagency coordination and collaboration.” Projects on this priority list will receive accelerated environmental reviews, however all projects on the list will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and all other environmental laws. “In no way, shape or form does this circumvent the NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) guidelines,” said Kratt. Still, members of the grassroots citizens group Kick 66 and Kentucky Heartwood, both of which oppose construction of the limited-access interstate, held signs pleading, “Discuss the need for I-66,” and wore bandannas around their mouths. “We are not allowed to speak at these meetings,” explained Jane Marie Watts, a Frankfort member of Kentucky Heartwood. “We feel stifled. We feel gagged.” Watts said her group is also concerned about the project being put on the fast-track “when education is being cut,” and that a “no-build” option is not being discussed at the committee work sessions. “No build is an option that goes through the entire process,” explained Joe Cox, KYTC project manager for the Somerset to London corridor. “At this point we haven’t discussed any alternates, including the no build option, but it’s always there.” Kick 66 and Kentucky Heartwood also attended the group’s last meeting, held in London on February 4. Cox said while the KYTC has never discouraged opposition groups from attending the committee’s working meetings, and the public is always welcome to observe, it is not the place for public comment. “These meetings are a work session for the citizens committee,” Cox explained. “The purpose is to gather information. There will be a time for public comment, and anyone can express opinions in written form at any point during the process. Comments are welcomed and even encouraged throughout the project.” Cox said the next public hearing will likely be held this summer. Survey results The committee’s work groups finalized and prioritized their criteria for determining the best location for alternate routes. The data for these lists was derived from surveys sent to 21,314 residents and others affected within the study corridor. Of those surveys, 2,622 were returned, at 12.3 percent. The business subcommittee found that disruption to existing businesses, the number of businesses adversely affected by the interstate, and maximizing access to be the areas of most concern when considering a route alternate. The environmental subcommittee ranked pollution to the environment as its number one concern, followed by loss of agricultural resources, the negative impact on national forest lands, the negative impact on ecosystems, loss of cultural resources and socioeconomic impacts. Tourism and economic development members said access to major existing highways is top priority in selecting a route, followed by economic feasibility of new construction, access to industrial and business parks and accessibility to tourist activities. The communities subcommittee found property tax and land value changes to be the biggest concern among citizens, followed by the number of farms divided, the number of interchanges to serve existing roads, the number of schools, churches and communities affected, the number of miles of existing road that would lie within the corridor and the number of communities divided by I-66. Members also determined a way to quantitatively measure each of these issues, and project engineers will spend the next seven weeks gathering that data. It is expected that by the next committee meeting, members will be shown alternate “bands,” or 1,000-foot alignments within the corridor, based on the data gathered using the committee’s criteria, and current environmental and engineering feasibility studies. From these bands, alternate alignments for the road will be set. The next committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. in London. Story created Friday, March 07, 2003 at 6:20 PM.

March, 2003 Update:

As reported by Jeff Neal, March 3, 2003:

SOMERSET - March 3 2003 JEFF NEAL The proposed segment of I-66 that will run between Somerset and London is on the fast track - along with projects in high-profile areas like New York City, Los Angeles and Baltimore. Congressman Hal Rogers and U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced on Friday that the local highway construction project is one of six nationwide that will receive accelerated environmental review. "For years, the development of I-66 has been caught up in red tape and paperwork," said Rogers. "This designation allows us to cut through the federal bureaucracy and move forward on this project that is so important to creating new opportunities for the people of Kentucky. Quite simply, this designation allows us to get things done more quickly and at less cost to taxpayers." In addition to the I-66 corridor between Somerset and London, the other projects designated on the Project Priority List include: The Lower Manhattan recovery effort in New York, a series of projects to rebuild the transit system in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001; the intercounty connector connecting Interstate 270 with Interstate 95 in Maryland; the U.S. 93 corridor in Montana; the I-80 upgrade between Lincoln and Omaha, Neb..; and the Los Angeles World Airports master plan and environmental impact statement. The projects were selected from among 70 nominated by governors and local officials. The expedited review is courtesy of an executive order from President Bush on environmental stewardship that created a Cabinet-level task force to ensure that high-priority transportation projects are not delayed by inefficient review procedures. "President Bush asked that we facilitate the environmental review process for transportation investments so they could be completed more quickly, at less cost and without damaging the environment," said Secretary Mineta. "This initiative is a pioneering effort in transportation that will benefit taxpayers and help build a better future for Americans." Some would disagree with Mineta. Joe Calhoun of Kentucky Heartwood, an environmental group opposed to the I-66 project, said he was "angry and disgusted" that the Somerset-to-London corridor was put on the fast track. "This has happened for generations ... this is exploiting our natural resources and natural beauty," Calhoun said. "It's not about the land though ... it's about the dollar. It always will be. "What people don't understand is that we're all in this web, and we're destroying it without giving anything back," Calhoun added. "Trees are important ... bio-diversity is important." Hilary Lambert of the "Kick 66" group said fast-tracking a project of this magnitude was "a very bad idea." "They call it streamlining a project ... I call it steam-rolling," Lambert said. "I think it's wrong to bypass tried and true procedures to push projects through like this." Lambert pointed out that the National Sierra Club had I-66 listed as a transportation project that was "unnecessary, expensive and destructive." "The Sierra Club recognizes the stupidity of the project and supports us," Lambert said. "They have encouraged us to come out fighting." Mineta, however, underscored the Bush Administration's commitment to environmental issues. He said all the selected projects will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and all other environmental statutes. "We will not sacrifice environmental standards in this effort," Mineta said. Rogers added: "While priority status will help make the review process more efficient, it will not circumvent environmental law in any way." Calhoun, however, isn't convinced the laws protect the environment - it certainly isn't protecting the trees and pristine forest area that will be affected by I-66, he says. "There are already too many roads, and too many cars on the road," Calhoun said. "This isn't just about Somerset ... the national forest that will be affected belongs to everyone. "It seems the more intelligent man becomes, the more stupid our leaders become," Calhoun added. "One day they'll figure out we can't eat blacktop."

As reported by Elizabeth N. Dick, Somerset Courier-Journal, CNHI News, March 6, 2003:

Despite opposition, I-66 plans on track ELIZABETH N. DICK An executive order to expedite a local highway project brought protesters to an I-66 committee meeting Tuesday as the state transportation department called the order “streamlining.” David Kratt, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project engineer, told members of the project’s citizens’ committee that Bush’s order, which lists Pulaski and Laurel counties’ portion of the proposed I-66 as high priority, is designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape. “There are a lot of bureaucratic layers,” said Kratt, at the KYTC auxiliary building in Somerset. “There is an enormous amount of coordination and review. This effort, to me, is trying to flatten those layers. To be more proactive.” The Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastruc-ture Project Reviews instruct the federal Department of Transporta-tion to select priority projects and establish a task force to “foster interagency coordination and collaboration.” Projects on this priority list will receive accelerated environmental reviews. However, all projects on the list will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and all other environmental laws “In no way, shape or form does this circumvent the NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) guidelines,” said Kratt. Still, members of Kick 66 and Kentucky Heartwood groups opposed to the construction of the interstate held signs reading “That’s not streamlining. That’s steamrolling,” and “Discuss the need for I-66,” and wore bandanas around their mouths. “We are not allowed to speak at these meetings,” said Jane Marie Watts, a Frankfort member of Kentucky Heartwood. “We feel stifled. We feel gagged.” Watts said her group is also concerned about the project being put on the fast-track “when education is being cut,” and that a “no build” option is not being discussed at the committee work sessions. “No build is an option that goes through the entire process,” said Joe Cox, KYTC project manager for the Somerset to London corridor. “At this point we haven’t discussed any alternates, including the no build option, but it’s always there.” Cox also said that, while the KYTC has never discouraged opposition groups from attending the committee’s working meetings and the public is always welcome to observe, it is not the place for public comment. “These meetings are a work session for the citizens’ committee,” Cox explained. “The purpose is to gather information. There will be a time for public comment, and anyone can express opinions in written form at any point during the process. Comments are welcomed and even encouraged throughout the project.” Cox said the next public hearing will likely be held this summer. The committee’s work groups finalized and prioritized their criteria for determining the best location for alternate routes. The data for these lists was derived from surveys sent to 21,314 residents and others affected within the study corridor. Of those surveys, 2,622 were returned, at 12.3 percent. The business subcommittee found that disruption to existing businesses, the number of businesses adversely affected by the interstate and maximizing access to be the areas of most concern when considering a route alternate. The environmental subcommittee ranked pollution to the environment as its number one concern, followed by loss of agricultural resources, the negative impact on national forest lands, the negative impact on ecosystems, loss of cultural resources and socioeconomic impacts. Tourism and economic development members said access to major existing highways is top priority in selecting a route, followed by economic feasibility of new construction, access to industrial and business parks and accessibility to tourist activities. The communities subcommittee found property tax and land value changes to be the biggest concern among citizens, followed by the number of farms divided, the number of interchanges to serve existing roads, the number of schools, churches and communities affected, the number of miles of existing road that would lie within the corridor and the number of communities divided by I-66. Members also determined a way to quantitatively measure each of these issues, and project engineers will spend the next seven weeks gathering that data. It is expected that by the next committee meeting, members will be shown alternate “bands,” or 1,000 ft. alignments within the corridor, based on the data gathered using the committee’s criteria, and current environmental and engineering feasibility studies. From these bands, alternate alignments for the road will be set. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. in London.

February, 2003 Update:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4: CITIZENS JOINED IN LONDON KY TO SAY NO TO I-66! KICK 66 Coalition Members Demonstrated at Citizen's Advisory Committee Meeting for Controversial Interstate 66. They demonstrated opposition to the construction of Interstate 66 across Kentucky. At this meeting, the Citizen's Advisory Committee presented its final report on public concerns to project managers. KICK 66 members protested the fact that the Citizen's Advisory Committee has been prevented from even talking about a 'no build' option, which is required for consideration under federal law. Such a gag rule on the body of citizens who have been selected to represent the concerns of the public to the project managers can only degrade the quality of public discourse and mar the integrity of the democratic process. Other concerns of KICK 66 members include: *I-66 is unneeded. A cost/benefit analysis of the interstate completed by the federal government in the mid-90s indicated that the highway would not justify its cost in benefits. An economic study of the return on investment in road building shows a 30-40% return on improving existing roads, and a near-zero percent return on building new rural interstates. *I-66 is unwanted. Traffic demand does not exist in the proposed project area to justify building an expensive interstate through difficult terrain and ecologically sensitive areas. Rural interstates wreck the landscape and the retail economies of the communities they bypass. * I-66 is too expensive. While the Commonwealth is over $700 million in debt and while the nation has returned to deficit spending, now is not the time to push a wasteful, multi-billion dollar project that serves no legitimate purpose. The KTC survey was scanned and sent out to a very large group of people nationwide, and we will build on this effort, and continue to enlarge the group: this is a national issue, NOT a local one. This is a coast to coast, illegal highway project, NOT a local road widening/replacement. Also to the folks in Bowling Green: You too had a meeting Tuesday, Feb 4 and made the NO BUILD option a presence in the room and in the meeting record. Submited by: Hilary Lambert, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Sierra Club

January, 2003 Update:

Dear KICK 66 members and others concerned about the proposed I-66 interstate highway: Eamil us for a "comments" page sent out by the members of the Somerset-to-London I-66 segment Citizen Action Sub Committees for ENVIRONMENT AND AESTHETICS and COMMUNITY. I received copies of these forms in the snail mail. We want to ensure that as many folks as possible reply by the comment deadline, January 20th (note that the letter is dated January 2 - note the less-than-ample response time provided). Thus we have scanned the forms and will email them to you for your replying pleasure. You can submit your comments via email (address of Cathi Blair is in the attachment) or via snail mail (mailing address is in the attachment). For those who cannot do attachment, the form is provided below as an email message. We ask that you make sure to include these elements in your comments: * That there is no inclusion for comments about the "No Build" option on these forms! The NO BUILD option, which is what KICK 66 supports, is not seen anywhere on these forms. In fact we have learned that members of these committees are not allowed to discuss the "no Build" option in their meetings. They are only allowed to talk about the proposed routes! Also, we have learned that committee members can be kicked off their committees if they talk to the press! * That the building of I-66 is not a local issue but a statewide and national issue. * That this road is not needed and would be destructive to farms, forests, funds, and families (the "4 F's" of KICK 66). * That your comments should NOT be discarded because they come from a "non-local" zip code!! * That the length of the comment period is an insult and should be extended. I am sure you can come up with more. ==== The next meeting of the CAC sub committees is at 6:30 on Feb. 4 at the London Community Building in London, KY. Kentucky Heartwood and KICK 66 invite you to attend this next meeting with us. We will be there to let the Transportation Cabinet know that we are very disappointed in their sub-committee policies, and in the lack of inclusion of the NO BUILD option in what they are sending out to the public and allowing in their subcommittee meetings. A reminder about this upcoming meeting will be posted soon. The next KICK 66 meeting will be held at 7 pm on February 11, location TBA. You are welcome to attend! Your help is needed. This weekend, be sure to WAGE PEACE in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Sincerely, Hilary Lambert KICK 66 member, Lexington KY area

November/December, 2002 Update:

KICK 66 MEETING -- PLEASE JOIN (OR RE-JOIN) KICK 66 held a meeting on November 19 to discuss its continuing opposition to the wasteful, prohibitively expensive, and destructive interstate highway I-66 proposed for the southern third of Kentucky. Nationwide, groups are saying NO to these cold-war era highway dinosaurs that the voracious transportation industry is attempting to foist on our nation's remaining rural landscapes. In Kentucky, work by KICK 66 and other groups two years ago to get the proposed corridor for I-66 moved, has come to naught: the KY Transportation Cabinet has put all possible routes for the London to Somerset segment back out on the table for consideration, and word has it that the Bowling Green segment would be routed onto the sandstone cap on the border of Mammoth Cave National Park. The message is clear: There is no right way to do the wrong thing. KICK 66 says NO TO THE ROAD. If you would like to be on the rejuvenated e-mailing list, if you would like to help with organizational work and Web site development, please contact Betsy Bennett (BruddBen@aol.com), Leslie Barras (lebarras@usa.com), Perrin de Jong (sandinolives@yahoo.com), Chris Schimmoeller (660 Mt. Vernon Ridge Rd, Frankfort KY 40601), Hilary Lambert (Hilary@KWAlliance.org) We had a very lively KICK 66 meeting on 11-26-02. We agreed that our basic message is: NO ROAD.