Gov. Beshear Awards $10 Million to Bardstown City Schools to Support Career and Technical Education

Governor also awards $1.7 million through Cleaner Water Program; $450,000 for road safety

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2022) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear awarded $10 million to Bardstown City Schools to support career and technical education and fund renovations for the district's Local Area Vocational Education Center, or LAVEC.

"Today, we're taking another step forward on our journey to build a world-class education system in every community," said Gov. Beshear.

The district will use the grant to bolster renovation plans for the Fifth Street campus. Initial renovation plans include adding a campus media hub, major upgrades to Bardstown High School and converting the first floor of the former Bardstown Elementary School building into a centralized career and technical education center. The grant will also help fund equipment for the ten CTE concentrations the district currently offers. To learn more, see the school system's full release.

"Receiving this grant will support our students and our belief that each of our students deserve a meaningful and personal education," said Dr. Ryan P. Clark, superintendent of Bardstown City Schools. "When construction began on our new Bardstown Elementary School, our plans for the old elementary school ramped up. All the planning we did prior to the LAVEC grant being offered put us in a great position to request the full funding amount for facilities renovations for our CTE concentrations."

On Sept. 1, as part of his Better Kentucky Plan, Gov. Beshear awarded Kentucky school districts $75 million to upgrade LAVECs. The grants were approved by the Kentucky School Facilities Construction Commission Board. To learn more, see the full release.

Road Safety Funding
Gov. Beshear awarded $160,500 in Kentucky Transportation Cabinet road safety funding to Nelson County to resurface portions of Irish Ridge Road and Patton Road. He also awarded $244,425 to the City of Bardstown to resurface portions of Filiatreau Lane and $45,975 to the City of Bardstown to resurface portions of Spencer Mattingly Lane.

"The City of Bardstown is very grateful for this new financial support from Gov. Beshear and his administration," said Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton. "The road maintenance funds will help us upgrade one of our major commercial and industrial corridors in the city. Workforce development will be greatly enhanced with this significant support to the Bardstown Independent School District."

Cleaner Water Program
Gov. Beshear awarded $1,697,955 to Nelson County to deliver clean drinking water and improved sewer and water systems from the Better Kentucky Plan's $250 million Cleaner Water Program. The program is estimated to create approximately 3,800 jobs across the state.

To meet the growing demands of the area, the North Nelson Water Districtwill invest in improvements that will allow the purchase of additional water from the Louisville Water Company. Improvements will include the construction of approximately 46,000 feet of water main with the necessary valves, hydrants, creek crossings and road bores. A new master meter and control valve vault will be installed along with telemetry at four sites. The additional water supply will support new businesses and residents throughout the region.

"We're proud to be a part of this team effort, to support Nelson County, the cities of Bardstown, Bloomfield, New Haven and the LaRue County Water District as we work together to build a better Kentucky for the people of these communities," said Gov. Beshear. "We are all Team Kentucky."

Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA), $250 million was appropriated at the close of the 2021 General Assembly through a bi-partisan agreement for clean drinking water and wastewater grants to fund projects across Kentucky.

The Lincoln Trail Area Development District submitted the project to the KIA for funding.

"I am very pleased to see tax dollars come back to Nelson County," said Sen. Jimmy Higdon, whose district includes Nelson County. "A growing economy and housing market need the support of a good water and sewer infrastructure, and these funds will provide both."

"This is a perfect example of what the legislature envisioned when we allocated $250 million for water and wastewater infrastructure during the 2021 Regular Session and why we're doubling down to include additional money this year," said Rep. Chad McCoy, who represents Nelson County. "Access to clean drinking water is a basic need for quality of life, economic development and health and public safety. This funding will go a long way towards reaching unserved and underserved areas in Nelson County and across the state."

"This grant will be used as seed money for a once-in-a-lifetime project that will provide Nelson County with an ample supply of water for decades to come! We thank the Governor and the General Assembly for this allocation," said Nelson County Judge/Executive Dean Watts.

"This project is a huge win-win for not only Nelson County but for our entire region! This project provides us with assurance that we will have an adequate and reliable source of water for years to come," said Cole Cissell, general manager, North Nelson Water District. "This project is a team effort. Without the cooperation of the Nelson Fiscal Court, City of Bardstown and the Louisville Water Company, this project would still be just a dream. North Nelson Water District is proud to be a member of the team that is going to make this project a reality."

About the Cleaner Water Program
A total of $60 million has been awarded to grantees to fund transformative projects since the call for projects was announced June 1. Eligible government agencies, such as city-owned water or sewer utilities, water commissions, water and sewer districts and counties, collaborated with their local Area Development Districts (ADD) and Area Water Management Councils to submit projects for Cleaner Water Program funding. There are 713 public drinking water and wastewater utilities in Kentucky.

Cleaner Water program funding is allocated in three ways:

• $150 million based on each county's proportion of the state's population, with the exception of Jefferson County's share, which is discounted by 50% based on its high per capita allocation from the federal act. A list of the allocations by county can be found here.
• $50 million is available for utilities to provide drinking water services to unserved, rural customers or to utilities under a federal consent decree. The KIA shall consider social, economic and environmental benefits in determining the allocations.
• $49.9 million is available to supplement a project grant for a project with a cost in excess of a county's allocation amount and other available grant sources. The social, economic and environmental benefits shall be considered in determining project allocations. KIA will receive $75,000 to administer the grant program.

The application deadline was Nov. 19, 2021; however KIA will make awards continuously throughout the year. All grant awardees must obligate the funds by Dec. 31, 2024.

The American Society of Civil Engineers in 2019 projected that Kentucky faces nearly $14.5 billion in water/wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, including over $8.2 billion in drinking water upgrades and $6.2 billion in sewer system improvements.

Information about the Cleaner Water Program, as well as grants for broadband expansion, school facility upgrades and vocational education center renovations, can be found at governor.ky.gov/BetterKy.

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.