Interview with John P. Hensley, September 5, 2006

Partial Transcript: This is Dale Johnson talking with Mayor John Hensley...

Segment Synopsis: This is the introduction for the interview.

Keywords: Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE)

Subjects: Martin County (Ky.); Mayors; Warfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: So you think that, um, that you didn't get a PRIDE grant this year...

Segment Synopsis: Mayor Hensley talks about how Warfield will be affected by the loss of a PRIDE grant for the coming year, and how they used the grants in previous years. Much of this previously granted money was used in appliance clean-up programs.

Keywords: Appliances; Autumn; Bureaucracy; Buy-backs; Clean-ups; Creeks; Federal funding; Funding; Grants; Judges; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Rivers; Scrap; Scrap metals; Spring; Transfer stations; Trash collection; Tug Fork (Ky.); Water; Water quality; White goods

Subjects: Alluvial streams; Electric apparatus and appliances; Environmentalism; Household appliances; Judges; Litter (Trash); Martin County (Ky.); Mayors; Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal; Refuse collection; Scrap materials; Warfield (Ky.); Waste disposal in rivers, lakes, etc; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: I know that Martin County had some--has had some dump clean up through PRIDE...

Segment Synopsis: Hensley discusses using grant money to clean up local waterways.

Keywords: Automobiles; Cars; Clean-ups; Creeks; Dumps; Grants; Illegal dumps; Junk; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Riverbanks; Rivers; Tug Fork (Ky.); Waterways

Subjects: Environmentalism; Kudzu; Kudzu--Control--Southern States; Litter (Trash); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal; Tourism; Tourists; Waste disposal in rivers, lakes, etc.; Waste disposal sites; Waterways

Partial Transcript: And is that--how does that work with West Virginia then?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley explains that he's been working with Kermit, West Virginia (the city across the river from Warfield) to create a walking trail that spans the two cities.

Keywords: Bridges; Cooperation; Flash floods; Flooding; Floods; Inez (Ky.); Kermit (W. Va.); Parks; Railroads; Tug Fork (Ky.); Walking trails

Subjects: Community development.; West Virginia

Partial Transcript: Is that just, uh--what's that stream there?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley discusses some of the flooding damage that the county has been through, and says that the county had no funding for flood control until the county entered Hal Rogers' district.

Keywords: Flash floods; Flooding; Hal Rogers; Rogers, Hal

Subjects: Flood control; Floods; Inez (Ky.); Rivers; Rogers, Harold, 1937-; Warfield (Ky.); Water; Waterways

Partial Transcript: Yeah, the more I talk with people the more admiration I have for him.

Segment Synopsis: The two express admiration for Hal Rogers' commitment to Eastern Kentucky.

Keywords: Congressman Hal Rogers; Hal Rogers; Operation UNITE; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Rogers, Hal; Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education (UNITE)

Subjects: Center for Rural Development; Elections; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Politics, Practical; Rogers, Harold, 1937-; Somerset (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Um, so, uh, when y--your clean-ups are, are pretty much focused in around the waterways?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley explains that Warfield's clean-ups have a split focus on the waterways and roadways, and he discusses a recent clean-up.

Keywords: Clean-ups; Creeks; Rain; Roadways; Volunteering; Volunteerism

Subjects: Environmentalism; Litter (Trash); Rain and rainfall; Rivers; Roads; Voluntarism; Volunteers; Waterways

Partial Transcript: So you just got voted in the last year or so?

Segment Synopsis: Mayor Hensley talks about his political history and his views on holding the office, explaining that he's focused on trying to better his community through his office. He also explains that the city is very understaffed, giving an anecdote where he had to go clear a fallen tree out of a roadway one night because the county couldn't spare anyone to do it and his only employee was unreachable.

Keywords: Buck saws; City clerks; City governments; Community; County governments; Emergency services; Employees

Subjects: Communities; Elections; Martin County (Ky.); Mayors; Politics, Practical; Voting; Warfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Well, I--you know, I was looking at this...

Segment Synopsis: Hensley expresses an admiration for his predecessor's work with PRIDE, and discusses looking at starting a sewage project with PRIDE and Hal Rogers.

Keywords: Army Corps of Engineers; Awards; Congressman Hal Rogers; Grants; Hal Rogers; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Rogers, Hal; Sewage; Sewers; Volunteerism; Volunteers

Subjects: Center for Rural Development; Environmentalism; Inez (Ky.); Kentucky; Martin County (Ky.); Mayors; Rogers, Harold, 1937-; Sewerage; United States. Army. Corps of Engineers; Voluntarism; Warfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: What do you see for the, the future then?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley expresses that he would like to install a permanent station to accept junk appliances.

Keywords: Ashland (Ky.); Buy-backs; Clean-ups; Trucks; White goods

Subjects: Discarded household appliances; Electric apparatus and appliances; Environmentalism; Household appliances; Litter (Trash); Martin County (Ky.); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal; Refuse collection; Scrap materials; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: You know you get, you get like, 20 people that show up at every fiscal court meeting that all bring up the same thing--(laughs)--

Segment Synopsis: The two discuss the difficulties of securing funds from local fiscal courts, and the trouble of people hoarding appliances for the buy-back days. The interview ends rather abruptly as the two are interrupted by someone who needs Mayor Hensley's attention.

Keywords: County magistrates; Fiscal courts; Home appliances; Magistrates; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Tug Fork (Ky.); Volunteering; Volunteers; White goods

Subjects: Discarded household appliances; Electric apparatus and appliances; Environmentalism; Household appliances; Letcher County (Ky.); Martin County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Rivers; Voluntarism; Waterways