BRADD budget jumps to $51M as mental health project moves forward

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Barren River Area Development District approved a budget increase of more than $17 million for the upcoming fiscal year, largely driven by a major regional mental health and substance abuse treatment project in Bowling Green.

The agency, which serves a 10-county region across southcentral Kentucky, approved a fiscal year 2027 budget totaling roughly $51.4 million — up from the agency’s typical annual budget of around $34 million.

According to BRADD Communications Director Derek Parham, much of the increase is tied to the Anchor Project, a regional mental health crisis intake and substance use recovery facility under construction near LifeSkills in Bowling Green.

“This year, we just approved this budget in the last board meeting — it’s around $51 million, a little over $51 million,” Parham said. “That’s mainly due to the addition of the Anchor Project.”

BRADD’s budget includes roughly $17 million designated toward the project, which is expected to serve the agency’s entire 10-county region. The facility will provide immediate mental health and substance use crisis services, while also offering longer-term recovery resources.

Construction is already underway near Lovers Lane, though officials said unexpected sinkholes delayed progress.

“We planned for some sinkholes,” Parham said. “We didn’t plan for the five that popped up.”

Despite the setbacks, dirt is moving on-site and officials hope the facility will be operational by next summer.

The approved budget includes about $51.4 million in total revenue, with the majority coming from state funding at roughly $46.5 million. Federal funding accounts for about $3.8 million, while local contributions total just over $1 million.

On the spending side, more than $43 million is allocated toward program services, with personnel costs totaling about $4.4 million.

Alongside the budget approval, BRADD also reviewed several regional projects seeking federal and state support through the intergovernmental review process.

Among them is a $350,000 federally funded fencing project at the Tompkinsville-Monroe County Airport designed to improve security and discourage wildlife from entering the runway area.

In Logan County, the City of Adairville is pursuing a $615,000 water infrastructure project to construct a 200,000-gallon storage tank aimed at serving roughly 1,320 residents.

Meanwhile, in Butler County, the City of Morgantown is seeking nearly $132,000 to add a restroom facility, benches and trash cans at Riverside Park to better accommodate walkers, river traffic and events such as the Green River Catfish Festival.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is also moving forward with a nearly $920,000 statewide boating and fishing access maintenance program that includes upkeep of more than 170 public access facilities across Kentucky.

Parham said BRADD’s role in many projects is limited but important — helping ensure proposed developments align with regional goals and meet requirements tied to federal funding.

“We’re one of many organizations that have to sign off on any level of federal funding that comes in for community projects,” Parham said. “We’re just happy to do our part and move those a little bit farther down the line.”

According to BRADD, the agency currently has 89 active projects totaling nearly $200 million in funding at various stages of development across the region.