Kenneth Hart/The Independent
Greenup — The American Red Cross chapter based in Greenup County is looking for a new home but has no intention of leaving the county, according to one of its leaders.
The Northeast Kentucky chapter of the Red Cross is in need of new office space because the owner of the building it occupies needs the space for other purposes, said Bobby Edmonds, chairman of the organization’s board of directors.
However, Edmonds was adamant the chapter would not be moving far from its current location in the Applegate Plaza.
“The less we have to move in terms of distance, the better,” he said. “Our purpose is to serve the people of Greenup and Lewis counties, and we believe the Greenup area is the best place from which to do that.”
The building the chapter has occupied for the past six years is owned by David Stultz, the owner of Stultz Pharmacy. According to Edmonds, Stultz needs the building because he’s expanding his business.
Edmonds said the Red Cross was extremely grateful to Stultz for allowing the organization to use the facility for as long as he did. Stultz charged the chapter a very nominal lease fee, he said.
Stultz also has been helping the chapter find new quarters, Edmonds said.
The chapter has identified three possible new locations, “but we’re still open to ideas,” Edmonds said.
The pending move, coupled with the fact the organization had been involved in talks with the Boyd County Red Cross chapter about sharing disaster services, gave rise to talk in the community the Northeast Kentucky chapter was planning to merge with the Boyd County chapter and would close up shop in Greenup County, Edmonds said. Those rumors are false, he said.
The organization is planning to move to a new location around the first of the year, Edmonds said.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
