Governor brings $1.7 million in grant checks to county

Gov. Andy Beshear visited Ohio County for the second time in just over a month to distribute grant checks to Ohio, Grayson and Hancock counties

On Sept. 22, Beshear was at the Ohio County Community Center to distribute a total of five grants to the counties including $1.7 million in checks to the Ohio County Water District and Ohio County for infrastructure projects.

“It’s great to be here today to celebrate some investments that are going to improve the lives of our families in Ohio, Hancock and Grayson counties,” Beshear said. “It is an exciting time in the region. We were just here a month ago talking about other projects and we are back.”

The Ohio County Water District was awarded a $1 million Community Development Block Grant that will go toward rebuilding the district’s intake facility in the Green River. It is the only facility that transports water to the treatment plant that serves approximately 23,000 people with clean drinking water.

“Put simply, this intake facility is essential,” Beshear said.

During a routine inspection in 2019, divers reported an opening in the water intake pipe that was allowing rocks and debris into the system which could lead to pump damage, pump failure and could ultimately lead to loss of water supply, Beshear said.

“We saw that in a city in Western Kentucky and we don’t want to see that ever again. We will not let that happen again,” he said.

The project funding will also build two input screening structures that will help with erosion control and river bank stabilization.

“This million dollar grant we are receiving today, that’s a lot of money and it’s going to affect all of our customers – all of our ratepayers,” said Eric Hickman, General Manager of OCWD.

Ohio County Water residents as well as the Cities of Beaver Dam, Fordsville and Centertown receive water from OCWD.

“It’s very important. It’s a big win for Ohio County and our residents,” Hickman said.

Gov. Beshear said that “modernizing our infrastructures, especially water and sewer systems” is vital for the future of the commonwealth as it can sometimes make the difference when economic investors are choosing a place to locate their companies.

It is for that reason that Ohio County was awarded a $700,000 CDBG grant to extend water and sewer lines as well as access roads for the new site of Kentucky Whiskey Company.

“Ohio County has been trying to recruit industry in our Bluegrass Crossings Business Centre. We’ve worked at this for many years. With this help, it is actually going to become a reality.”

Last month, Beshear awarded $400,000 in discretionary funding to the Ohio County Fiscal Court to support the resurfacing and extension of Old Liberty Church Road within Bluegrass Crossings Regional Business Centre Kentucky Whiskey Company project that would hire 30 employees.

The governor also presented Hancock County $200,000 in federal dollars to build a splash pad at Vastwood Park.

The city of Leitchfield in Grayson County received $198,000 for sidewalk improvement and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet received $124,252 to resurface Wilson Church Road in Grayson County.