More than $10.6 million in funding heading to Butler, Warren counties

BUTLER COUNTY, WARREN COUNTY, Ky. – More than $10.6 million in state budget and grant funding is set to primarily benefit Warren and Butler counties.

Beshear gathered with local leaders at the Barren River Area Development District on Monday to present the funding. The funds will support high-speed internet access, public education, cybersecurity, economic development, first responders, flood protection, traffic safety, road resurfacing, tourism and outdoor recreation, according to a release by the governor’s office.

“My administration will always put education first, and with today’s awards, we are improving school facilities while also getting more students connected to high-speed internet access at home so they can work on assignments online and not fall behind their peers,” Beshear said. “Today we’re also supporting our first responders, boosting tourism and economic development in this community and making sure folks have safe roads and are more protected from flooding.”

North Central Telephone Cooperative and Warren Rural Electric Cooperative are receiving $9,170,682 to connect 1,767 homes and businesses to high-speed internet in Butler, Edmonson, Grayson and Warren counties, the release says. Combined with $3,930,292 in matching funds, this project represents a $13,100,974 investment in this region.

Butler County 

Beshear presented the following four awards benefitting Butler County, according to the release:

• $7,100,000 in the most recent state budget for building upgrades at Butler County Schools, including HVAC improvements and roof replacements.
• The City of Morgantown in Butler County will receive $69,000 to construct a new trail at Riverside Park. This funding will also cover restrooms, signage, trash cans and parking lot to make sure visitors have everything they need on site to enjoy a great day outdoors. This grant will come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will go to the National Parks Service for final approval.
• The City of Morgantown was presented with $300,679 from the Kentucky Product Development Initiative to improve roads in the Morgantown Industrial Park.
• The Butler County Fiscal Court had previously received $169,755 to resurface Welcome Road, and the governor announced that project is now complete.

Warren County 

In addition, the release says the governor presented $500,000 to the Inter-Modal Transport Authority for a project that extends utility service to 669 acres in the Kentucky Transpark.

The governor also presented four awards for the City of Bowling Green:

• Beshear awarded $250,000 from the Community Development Block Grant program for the City of Bowling Green to construct a new emergency first responder live fire training center, which will help educate firefighters and emergency medical personnel about needed skills, like fire attack training, search and rescue operations and ventilation training.
• The city received $1,322,000 to replace an undersized culvert under Whispering Hills Boulevard, which has caused flooding after significant rain. This project will also help update the FEMA flood plain map. Two homes that were destroyed during the tornado were not allowed to rebuild due to being in the current floodplain. This funding comes from the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program.
• He presented $107,595 to the city from the Transportation Alternatives Program to construct pedestrian islands at the intersection of River Drive and College Street, and also at the intersection between Riverview Drive and Center Street. This will help keep walkers and drivers safe by helping traffic flow more smoothly in a heavily traveled area.
• Finally, he presented $328,598 to the city so it could hire a new Cybersecurity System Engineer for at least three years. This role will help enhance cybersecurity protections for the city by identifying and resolving vulnerabilities.

Beshear has selected Warren County to receive $116,391 to add a state-of-the-art playground at Michael O. Buchanon Park. This funding will come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will go to the National Parks Service for final approval.

Also, $250,000 was awarded to the Horses, Horsepower and Hollers Campaign to support multicounty collaborative destination marketing.