By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Carter County Tourism Director Carl Burton addressed the fiscal court at their September meeting and spoke about Appalachia’s Front Porch. The group has met three times and Burton said he was very pleased with the progress. Appalachia’s Front Porch, Burton explained, covers Boyd, Carter, and Greenup counties in Kentucky. It also covers Cabell and Wayne counties in West Virginia, and Lawrence County, Ohio.
“We are a collective working through the Foundation for the Tristate,” Burton told the court.
Burton explained that Appalachia’s Front Porch is where everything is being promoted.
“We are trying to get the word out,” he said. “Whether it’s Camden Park or Carter Caves. And I feel this is the answer to getting not only the word out about what we are doing, but about everything you can drive to within 45 minutes to an hour.”
Burton said it was a good thing because what is listed through Appalachia’s Front Porch are things that can be experienced within a day rather than something requiring an overnight stay. Burton also told the court that Carter County will be hosting the next meeting at Carter Caves. The meeting is open to the public, and they are encouraged to attend.
Burton stressed that Appalachia’s Front Porch is a great way to highlight what communities have to offer.
“It’s like the Bigfoot Festival we just had in Olive Hill. You can’t measure the people who attended that local event in the hundreds,” Burton said. “Because those numbers are in the thousands.”
In other business, Brandon Lavoie spoke to the fiscal court and officially requested that August 5 of each year be designated as Doc Webb Day in Carter County. Lavoie said in a recent social media post he had asked community members to share their memories of Dr. Webb, and the response was overwhelming. Community members shared memories of his medical practice, Camp Webb, and his work in conservation, among other things.
“Those memories of his service became part of the lives of people across this county,” Lavoie told the court.
“His name also remains present through Camp Robert C. Webb at Grayson Lake,” he added. “Since 1969 the camp has helped Kentucky’s young people learn about conservation and the outdoors.”
Lavoie said that camp continues to foster those same values in young people from across the region.
The fiscal court discussed the matter briefly before unanimously voting to designate August 15 as Dr. Robert Webb Day in Carter County.
The court also voted to allow FIVCO to pursue CDBG grants, and to begin the process to take Empress Drive into the county road maintenance schedule. A motion was also made to extend Arabian Lane, and both motions passed by unanimous vote. A motion was made to approve fiscal year 2027 CV06 Flex project 21833 Agreement Resolution 454, which passed unanimously. The landfill project expense agreement was also discussed by the fiscal court but was tabled during that meeting.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
