Gov. Andy Beshear announces second location for high ground homes in Perry County

PERRY COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Following his stop in Pike County Tuesday Morning, Governor Andy Beshear also made a stop in Perry County as part of his administration’s efforts to rebuild following last July’s deadly flooding.

The 50-acre building site is close to schools, stores and Hazard ARH about 5 miles outside of downtown Hazard.

“Rebuilding on high ground is a chance to lift up entire communities with upgraded infrastructure and safe, affordable, energy-efficient homes,” Gov. Beshear said. “But our work in Eastern Kentucky is not done until there is prosperity in the entire region.”

Land for the project is being contributed by the Ison family.

“This land is located near the heart of Hazard and can be a real boost to the community. There’s really no better use for such a great piece of land than to improve housing. Better and more housing attracts better jobs and a better future,” said Paul Ison.

Governor Beshear says the state continues to look for other plots of land to build more high-ground communities.

“We have now probably inspected 20 different parcels of land throughout the impacted area, we look pretty specifically at how structurally sound we believe it is. "

More land may be developed at a later time.

“To be at this point so quickly is a great day for the community. As we work to rebuild and recover, housing is one of the biggest issues that we face,” Perry County Judge/Executive Scott Alexander said. “Perry County was in a housing crisis prior to the July 2022 flood disaster. Now we are in a catastrophic housing situation. I want to thank Gov. Beshear and his team, as well as the legislators, for such a quick response to working with Perry County to help solve the housing situation.”

The first site was announced in December as the Olive Branch community near Talcum on the Perry/Knott County line.

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