Published: April 18, 2009 11:12 pm      

Red Cross signs contract for third county shelter

The Daniel Boone Chapter of the American Red Cross signed a contract Wednesday for its third emergency shelter in Madison County.

Dwayne Edwards, the chapter’s interim director, and Jeff Hurst, Point of Grace church executive pastor, signed an agreement to use the church’s 6013 Atwood Drive facility.

The building, off the Martin Bypass behind Richmond Honda, would house up to 150 people in an emergency, Edwards said.

In recent weeks, the Red Cross also signed shelter contracts for the Richmond Parks and Recreation building at 321 N. Second St., and Shannon Johnson Elementary School off Richmond Road in Berea.

Both also would shelter about 150 people, Edwards said.

In most cases, provisions such as food, water, blankets and beds would be stored elsewhere.

“Our goal is to secure annual agreements for 12 shelters in Madison County and six in each of the other six counties the chapter serves,” Edwards said.

Four shelters have been contracted in Lincoln County.

The chapter also serves Garrard, Jackson, Lee, Owsley and Rockcastle counties.

Multiple shelters are needed, Edwards said, because shelters themselves can be unavailable when disasters strikes.

During the late-January ice storm that cut electrical power to most of Madison County, shelters at White Hall Elementary in Richmond at Shannon Johnson Elementary could not be used because they had no electricity.

In addition to shelters, the chapter continues to seek a long-term, low-cost lease for a permanent headquarters, Edwards said.

Chapter offices are being housed temporarily in the basement of Richmond City Hall.

The chapter hopes to hire a permanent director in the near future.

Nearly 140 resumes have been received, and the board of directors will select 10 to interview.

Most of the applicants are from either Madison or Fayette counties, Edwards said.

The chapter is in the final two weeks of its annual Heroes fundraising campaign, and has a long way to go if the goal of $30,000 is to be attained by April 28.

At midday Friday, pledges and donations of $11,200 had been received, Edwards said.

“We’re hoping for a late-in-the game rally,” he said.

Donations can be made online by credit card on the chapter’s Web site: redcrossdanielbooneky.org, or by mailing a check to: Daniel Boone Chapter, American Red Cross, PO Box 1478, Richmond, KY 40476.

For more information, call chapter office at 623-1336.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.