Projects will build or update community buildings, supporting health and safety

FRANKFORT, KY - On June 13, 2024, at his weekly Team Kentucky Update, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that $8.5 million will go to 12 projects across Kentucky to improve community facilities. The projects include building new community centers, building a new fire station and building a new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) station.

“Kentucky is seeing amazing strides in industries like health care and tourism, which are supporting our booming economy,” said Gov. Beshear. “When we invest in our communities, we are making investments that help improve the lives of our families and support economic growth and new jobs.”

The funding will go to 12 projects:

• The city of Berea will use $750,000 to help build a community center in the Farristown neighborhood. Farristown is a predominantly African American community within the city, and a portion of the center will be used to display historical documents, photos and artifacts from the community. The center will also add much needed community meeting space for residents and organizations to use.
• The city of Brooksville will use $750,000 to help build a new community center on Main Street. Brooksville residents will use the center to host business meetings and large gatherings. The new community center will also prepare meals as part of the Summer Lunch Program for approximately 75 underserved children in the community.
• The Caldwell County Fiscal Court, in collaboration with the George Coon Public Library, will use $750,000 to help build a new multipurpose learning and performance center at the rear of the library. The new addition will feature a large meeting area equipped with partitions to allow separate events to be held at the same time. It will be complete with a computer lab and an auditorium with theater-style seating.
• The city of Cynthiana will use $750,000 to help the renovation and expansion of Fire Station 1. A new expansion will provide an additional bay, allowing the station to provide shelter for the entire fire department fleet. A new kitchen space will be created to better accommodate the firefighters who work 24-hour shifts.
• The city of Edmonton will use $750,000 to help build a community center and amphitheater at Edmonton Memorial Park. The center will provide space for meetings and social events, as well as physical fitness activities. The amphitheater will host concerts and other cultural events.
• The Gallatin County Fiscal Court, in conjunction with Triad Health Systems, will use $750,000 to help build a pharmacy that will adjoin the existing Triad Health Systems Clinic located on U.S. Highway 42 in Warsaw. This will be the only pharmacy in Gallatin County.
• The city of Glasgow, along with the Barren County Family YMCA, will use $750,000 to build an addition to the YMCA’s main building, located at 1 YMCA Way in Glasgow. The addition will house an already successful senior citizens meal/exercise program.
• The Marion County Fiscal Court, along with the Marion County Board of Health (MCBH), will use $750,000 to build a health center on Spalding Avenue in Lebanon. The site, which is already owned by the MCBH, is adjacent to the current health department. There is a tremendous need to expand the Marion County Health Center. Current demand by the community for services exceeds the existing building’s capacity. 
• The Nicholas County Fiscal Court will use $750,000 to help build a new station to house the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The decision to construct a new facility stems from a significant flood that occurred in the summer of 2021. Several feet of water flooded the EMS station and destroyed two of the county’s four ambulances. The EMS is still operating out of the flooded building, but the new location will provide a better facility.
• The city of North Middletown will use $750,000 to help build a new fire station on Church Street in North Middletown. The current station will be demolished. The new facility will provide adequate space, improved ventilation and upgraded bay doors to make the station more functional. North Middletown recently received a FEMA grant to construct a community safe room/tornado shelter that will be constructed adjacent to the new station.
• The city of Wayland, in collaboration with the Wayland Historical Society and the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, will use $750,000 to help build an addition to the existing Wayland Gymnasium located on King Kelly Coleman Highway in Wayland. The two-floor addition will include a walking track and provide an elevator, an accessible entrance and accessible restrooms on both floors.
• The city of Corbin will use $351,000 to help renovate the kitchen of the senior citizens center on Barbourville Street. The center currently provides 80 meals (congregate and home delivered) a day and is need of upgrades.

“This grant is going to help the YMCA, is going to do so much for our community,” said Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse. “We have a tremendous senior program started at the Y, which is going to be feeding 300 seniors. This addition to the Y is also going to allow for senior classes and serve a need of our community that many times is underserved.”

“Receiving this grant for our nearly 100-year-old Fire Station 1 expansion and renovation project is transformative for our fire department and community,” said Cynthiana Mayor James Smith. “It means enhanced safety, faster response times and better-equipped firefighters ready to protect our lives and property.”

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Governor’s office and the Department for Local Government for this award for a CDBG grant to help build a new ambulance service,” said Nicholas County Judge/Executive Steve Hamilton. “It’ll be very beneficial to our community in life-saving response time and help us move out of a flood-prone area that we were unfortunately a victim of a few years ago.”

The funding comes from Kentucky’s Community Development Block Grant – Community Projects (CDBG-CP) program. This program is administered by Kentucky’s Department for Local Government.

In total, $29,752,870 has been approved in CDBG-CP funding since 2020. These funds have been used to build and improve fire stations, community centers and food pantries across Kentucky.