There’s a neighborhood in Hazard that’s taken the title “new” to the next level. Residents of the Gurney’s Bend neighborhood, along with stakeholders in the project, recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially begin their lives in the first new subdivision constructed in Hazard in 50 years.

This redevelopment project was a partnership between the Housing Development Alliance (HDA) and the City of Hazard. In just under two years, 15 new homes were built on land in the Allais area of Hazard where a dilapidated and graffitied strip mall had been standing since the early 1970s.

Construction of the much-needed neighborhood was, in part, thanks to a $100,000 contribution made by Kentucky Power through the AEP Foundation. The contribution was made in support of the Foundation’s commitment to providing basic human services, in the areas of hunger and housing, to ensure that people have access to these necessities in order to build successful lives.

After the ceremony, Chris Doll, assistant director of HDA said Kentucky Power’s contribution “helped to do things a little nicer.”

“Having a home is so much more than just providing shelter,” Doll explained. “We really wanted this to feel like a neighborhood and, with the support of the AEP Foundation money, we were able give the neighborhood a better sense of community.”

HDA executive director, Scott McReynolds, shared that all Gurney’s Bend homes have a Home Efficiency Rating (HER) of 46, meaning the homes use 46 percent of the energy a standard new home uses. So, they use about half of the energy of a standard new home and about one third of the energy of the typical existing home. With that efficiency level, HDA estimates that the combined annual savings of the neighborhood is about $15,000. 

“It’s an honor to give back to our community,” said Bob Shurtleff, external affairs manager. “When we made this contribution in 2021, we couldn’t have known how much more it would be needed after the eastern Kentucky floods that occurred last July and devastated much of this area. I’m happy to hear that the last house was purchased by one of those flood victims so they can have a safe and comfortable home for their family.”

For more information on how we are caring for our communities, visit www.KentuckyPower.com/community.