District Digest News Stories

Team closes record 49 easements for Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project

Nashville District Real Estate Division
Published Aug. 8, 2022
Attorney Sanja Bogdanovic (Right) and Notary Cindy Clark (Background) assist Sandra Engle, resident of Loyall, Kentucky, with processing an easement at Loyall City Hall July 21, 2022. This is the first easement closing that took place for the Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project. (USACE Photo)

Attorney Sanja Bogdanovic (Right) and Notary Cindy Clark (Background) assist Sandra Engle, resident of Loyall, Kentucky, with processing an easement at Loyall City Hall July 21, 2022. This is the first easement closing that took place for the Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project. (USACE Photo)

A team of real estate agents, attorneys and engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District pose for a photo July 21, 2022, in Loyall, Kentucky, during a mass closing event to acquire necessary easements for the Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project. Left to right are Engineer Conor Kane, Realty Specialist Bill Avant, Engineer Abe Fangman, Realty Specialist Sarah Peace, Realty Specialist Bailey Carter, Realty Specialist Caden Fox, Realty Specialist Marianne Rivera, Realty Specialist Mike Berry, Realty Specialist Grace Viers, Realty Specialist Cody Seaton, and Attorney Sanja Bogdanovic (Courtesy Photo by Cindy Clark)

A team of real estate agents, attorneys and engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District pose for a photo July 21, 2022, in Loyall, Kentucky, during a mass closing event to acquire necessary easements for the Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project. Left to right are Engineer Conor Kane, Realty Specialist Bill Avant, Engineer Abe Fangman, Realty Specialist Sarah Peace, Realty Specialist Bailey Carter, Realty Specialist Caden Fox, Realty Specialist Marianne Rivera, Realty Specialist Mike Berry, Realty Specialist Grace Viers, Realty Specialist Cody Seaton, and Attorney Sanja Bogdanovic (Courtesy Photo by Cindy Clark)

Nashville, Tenn. (Aug. 8, 2022) – A team of realty specialists, an attorney and engineers recently set a record with the acquisition of 49 easements supporting the flow-through ponding project in Loyall, Kentucky.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District team visited the city July 20-25, 2022, and held a mass closing event to acquire necessary easements for the Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project. The closing team consisted of Real Estate Division, Office of Counsel, Engineering and Construction Division personnel, and Loyall’s notary. Roughly 56 easements are required to accommodate the project’s construction contract award. This closing event is just the first round of closings for this project.

“A closing event of this magnitude has previously never been conducted,” said Bill Avant,” Real Estate Division lead for the project. “The residents of Loyall have been wonderful. We could not have accomplished as much as we did without the collaborative effort with the city. The dedication and commitment of the entire team throughout the preparation and planning leading up to the closings is really what set the day up for success. I am very proud of what the team has produced.”

The Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project is a result of the diversion of the Cumberland River channel around the City of Loyall completed in the mid-1990s. The project purpose is to correct a design deficiency in the historic Cumberland River channel, located in Loyall, Kentucky, in Harlan County. The project addresses sedimentation issues that are affecting the inlet gate’s water flow. The lack of flow has also created unfavorable conditions for residents such as foul odors, excessive mosquito populations, and fishing concerns.

In preparation of the mass closing event, the Real Estate Division and Office of Counsel team members worked diligently to organize and assemble the necessary components to close on the easements. With a goal of closing more than 35 easements, the team exceeded this by successfully closing on 49 tracts. An additional tract has since been closed bringing the total to 50 tracts with more tracts in the process of closing.

Avant and Cody Seaton, real estate specialists, performed onsite negotiations with non-response landowners to prevent condemnation, which served as a major contribution in exceeding the team’s goal.

“The closing event was a resounding success thanks to our team’s dedication, hard work, and adaptability to changing circumstances,” said Attorney Sanja Bogdanovic, who served as a closing agent for this project.

The Loyall Flow-Through Ponding Project Closing event broke the previous record for acquiring easements in 2016, which had been 10 in a single day during the Poor Fork Channel Widening Project in Cumberland, Kentucky.

Engineers Abe Fangman and Conor Kane supported the event by answering technical questions about the construction project. The team’s efforts in Loyall, Kentucky, made immense progress in acquiring the necessary real estate certifications required by Oct. 31, 2022.

For more information about the US Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, visit the district’s website at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps, and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.