Safe rooms–used primarily to aid residents during severe weather–are coming to four areas of Clinton County. However, along with the good news comes some not so good news.

It was recently announced at a meeting of Clinton County Fiscal Court that funding through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has been officially approved for the long-awaited project.

The not so good news, according to Clinton County Judge/Executive Ricky Craig, is that actual construction of the buildings may take two or even three years to complete, as apparently there is a lengthy process the county will have to go through.

There will be a total of four such “safe rooms” in various areas of the county, with each having a capacity of up to 100 people.

The areas are in phased site locations, according to the judge, with the first site being located at 83 Bobby Grant Drive near the Albany Fire Station, just north of town.

Sites 2, 3, and 4, respectively, will be on Ky. Hwy. 558 in Piney Woods; Ky. Hwy. 696 near the old Irwin School; and 76 area near Cave Springs Church.

The three latter areas are at voting precincts, as Craig noted they were chosen because more people were familiar with those locations, and where exactly to go in case of weather related emergencies.

The judge said the process, which will hopefully be completed sooner than anticipated, will first require engineering work, bid advertisements, design work, construction bids as the project goes forward, and other required paperwork.

Even though the funding is finally in place, he stressed the overall process will be lengthy and completion would likely take up to at least a couple of calendar years.

FEMA officially notified the county that the project had finally been funded in late January of this year.

Judge Craig, although disappointed that completion of the project may take so long, was pleased that it is finally off the ground.

He said he had been asking about and working toward getting funding for the project for an estimated 15 years now, back when he was serving as a magistrate on the fiscal court.

Craig believes the safe room facilities, which he hopes can be constructed around the same time period as opposed to waiting periods between site locations, will be a valuable asset to the county and provide shelter for many residents who may not have it otherwise.