This is my grandma’s house (Mamaw’s house). This is her story of how she is losing her home and land due to the expansion of the Mountain Parkway as told by my mom, Lanessa DeMarchis.

She and my dad bought 63 acres on the Mountain Parkway in Salyersville, KY in 1969. 
They built this house in 1998. 
My dad passed away unexpectedly (in this house) in 2015. 
Mom has lived on this land for 55 years. 
55 years!?!?
For the past 9 years, she has lived alone and taken care of this home. She is 76 years old. 

This home and the land surrounding it, is being taken away from her- due to the Mountain Parkway Expansion and eminent domain.
She is losing everything. 

They are forcing her to move. They will bulldoze her house to the ground. 
This is the house we raised our kids in. 
This is the house where we hid Easter eggs, celebrated birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. 
This is the house where ALL of us escaped to -when life just got too complicated. 
This is where our kids ran barefoot and grew their own vegetables and caught lightening bugs. 
This is the house with a front porch swing, where very meaningful conversations took place. 

Yes, they are “buying” it from her. 
But, she doesn’t care about the money. She wants to live her remaining years in her home. 
We have tried EVERY option to prevent this from happening. 
Can you imagine this happening to your 76 year old widowed mom? 
They tell us they don’t have any option but to build this road straight through her home. 
I’m not an engineer, but I can’t help but wonder, “Really? No options?” with 63 acres to work with???

Our family completely supports improvement for the people of eastern Kentucky. 
This is where we all grew up. 
We love this place. 
There’s nowhere like it, really. 
Honest, loving, genuine people. Hearts of gold. Strong communities. 
They deserve better roads and infrastructure. 
But, our mom/mamaw has become collateral damage in this process. 
It’s not fair.

Please sign our petition to request that they either alter the plans to allow her to continue living in her home or to allow her to move her home to another place on her land. 

We would forever be grateful for your support.

Here’s How to Support Our Campaign

We are encouraging everyone to use their voice to support my mom.
Below you can find an email script to send to local and state representatives, as well as a script to call or leave a voicemail. We have found that a combination of both calling and emailing is the best way to ensure your opinion is being heard.

Who to email:  
info@mtnparkway.com 
John.Blanton@lrc.ky.gov Brandon.Smith@lrc.ky.gov
Jim.Gray@KY.gov

What to email: I am writing on behalf of Janet Arnett, homeowner of 2571 East Mountain Parkway, Salyersville KY 41465. While we support the development of transportation infrastructure, we believe it is wrong to offer no alternative to Janet to move her home or maintain part of her land. I am emailing to please ask that you consider an alternative option which allows her to stay in her home and maintain some of her land. She can be contacted at 260-415-6014 or at janetarnett@yahoo.com .

Sincerely, Your Name

Who to call: 
(502)564-5102 - Transportation Secretary Jim Gray
(502) 564-2611 - Governor Andy Beshear
(606)-666-8841 - The KY Department of Transportation
(606)-436-4526- Senator Brandon Smith - Local Senator 
(606)-349-2409- The Mayor's office in Salyersville
(502)-564-8100 - Representative John Blanton- Local Representative 

What to say:
Hello, my name is _____________. I am calling on behalf of Janet Arnett of 2571 East Mountain Parkway, Salyersville KY to lodge my dissent of her losing her home and land due to the expansion of the Mountain Parkway. I believe it is wrong to take away Janet’s home. I am calling to please ask that you consider an alternative option which allows her to stay in her home and maintain some of her land. She can be contacted at 260-415-6014 or at janetarnett@yahoo.com