“At their November [2016] Work Session the Frankfort City Commission directed staff to research the possible realignment of Conway Street and the re-location of the Second Street Fire Station. No decisions have been made and public meetings to discuss the subject are being planned. Below is a rendering of the possible realignment/relocation.”

April 30th through May 5th, 2017

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Restoration Maintenance Workshop
with Bob Yapp & Patrick Kennedy

Join nationally known preservation trades artisans Bob Yapp & Patrick Kennedy for a five-day, hands-on learning experience on the beautiful campus of Pine Mountain Settlement School. Working at the awe-inspiring National Historic Landmark campus side-by-side with Bob & Patrick, you will learn cost-effective high-priority restoration maintenance tasks that will prepare you to tackle just about any project.

The Workshop. This will be an intense, learn-by-doing opportunity that covers the many important and prevalent restoration tasks.  You will learn exterior wood repair, window repair, masonry repair, roofing/flashing repair, water run-off management/gutter drainage and how to create a maintenance plan for historic structures.  At the end of the five days you will know from beginning to end how to properly carry out these repairs on any restoration project. You will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Belvedere School for Hands-On Preservation & Pine Mountain School for Practical Preservation.

About Pine Mountain Settlement School.  A National Historic Landmark located in Eastern Kentucky, Pine Mountain Settlement School is a picturesque location for preservation workshops.  It offers comfortable accommodations, farm-fresh meals, and evening entertainment, including authentic bluegrass music.

Bob Yapp & Patrick Kennedy at
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Home

About Bob Yapp.  Bob Yapp has been involved in the restoration or rehabilitation of more than 160 historic properties over 45 years. In 1996 Bob produced and hosted the national PBS 52-show series, About Your House with Bob Yapp, which was co-underwritten by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Bob is a founding co-member of the National Window Preservation Standards Collaborative. He co-wrote and co-edited the new national Window Preservation Standards.

As President of Preservation Resources, Inc. based in Hannibal, Missouri, Bob founded the Belvedere School for Hands-On Preservation. Most recently, with Patrick Kennedy’s assistance, Bob restored all the windows in the Cupula of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Home. Bob lives in Hannibal, Missouri with his wife Pat and their two dogs George and Gracie.

About Patrick Kennedy. Patrick has been involved in hands on historic building rehabilitation for over 40 years. From 1997 to 2012 he worked for the Kentucky Heritage Council, (the state historic preservation office) as an adviser for historic building renovations throughout the state.  He continues working on historic log and wood frame buildings as well as window restoration. Patrick helped establish a nationally recognized “hands on” restoration skills program at Pine Mountain Settlement School with major assistance from Bob Yapp.

Patrick continues his work in historic preservation as a ‘go to’ source for historic building projects, contractor for special preservation projects, instructor at hands-on education workshops and supervisor for HistoriCorps volunteer projects. He lives in rural Owen County Kentucky, with his wife Dara Carlisle and their two dogs Stevie and Buddy Mack.

Registration.  Class size is very limited.  Cost of the workshop is $950, which includes tuition, meals, lodging, evening entertainment, and materials. The workshop begins with a 6 p.m. dinner on Sunday, April 30 and concludes with lunch on Friday, May 5.  Register at www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com/events.php   You can also call 606-558-3571 or email for more information office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

Bob Yapp
President
Preservation Resources, Inc.
The Belvedere School for Hands-On Preservation
The Belvedere Inn B & B
521 Bird Street
Hannibal, Missouri 63401
217-474-6052
yapperman@msn.com
www.bobyapp.com
www.belvedereinnhannibal.com

EnvisionFranklinCounty Releases Report Assessing FPB Power Contract

Group Calls on Utility to Change Contract or Seek Other Options

November 2, 2016

EnvisionFranklinCounty has released a report by consultant Synapse Energy Economics which offers an assessment of the FPB’s All-Requirements power contract with the Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency (KyMEA). “Synapse’s findings reinforce our concern that the AR contract as written is not in the best interest of the FPB, its ratepayers, or our community,” stated Envision in a letter accompanying the report. Envision is calling on the FPB to seek changes to the AR contract and its energy portfolio or, failing that, to withdraw from the agreement.

In their report, Synapse stated, “We find that these contracts, which at present lock the FPB and other KyMEA members into a nearly 100 percent coal-fired generating portfolio, present significant risks to ratepayers in Franklin County.” The report drew special attention to Big Rivers Electric Corporation, which has contracted to provide 100 MW of coal-fired generation to the KyMEA. Synapse continued, “While there is a troubling lack of information that is open to the public in this contract, there are plenty of known reasons to be wary of engaging in a contract with Big Rivers.”

“We are unaware of any independent analysis the FPB has done to compare the AR contract with other options,” said Envision member Andy McDonald. “And as the KyMEA contract does not state what rates they will charge the FPB, it’s impossible to know if this will be a good deal for Frankfort. Rather than taking it on faith that this contract is the best option, we would rather see a transparent process that reviews multiple power supply options and compares clear cost figures.”

 Synapse noted that the FPB would find it difficult to terminate the All-Requirements contract. While there is an “early termination” clause that would allow the FPB to exit the contract with 5 years notice, they would still be obligated to pay for power purchase commitments that extend beyond the termination date. So while the FPB could terminate the AR contract as early as 2024, they would still be committed to paying for their power commitments to Big Rivers through 2029. Synapse stated, “This tremendous barrier gives FPB no reason to ever terminate. Therefore, its customers are completely locked-in, no matter how costly the contract ends up being.”

The Synapse report also found that the AR contract creates financial barriers to local measures that could reduce costs for the FPB and ratepayers, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Despite assurances from the KyMEA consultants that the contract does nothing to restrict such programs, the actual terms of the contract present many barriers.

“We hope that this report will help the Plant Board recognize that this contract is not in the best interest of their ratepayers or our community,” said EnvisionFranklinCounty President Chris Schimmoeller. “We call on them to seek changes and create a contract that better serves the needs of our community.”

The full report from Synapse Energy Economics and Envision’s accompanying letter are attached below, along with a Summary of Envision’s Concerns with the AR Contract. All three documents will also be available at www.EnvisionFranklinCounty.com and www.kyconservation.org.