The Columbia-Adair Economic Development Authority is applying for a grant to develop a 40,000 sq. ft. spec building at the Green River Commerce Park in hopes of getting 85 percent of the project funded by the state.
Board chairman Larry Walker attended Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting to ask the court to serve as the grantee for the project. The court unanimously approved the request.
The fiscal court has served as the applicant for two previous rounds of funding for EDA. It does not obligate the county to share the matching costs, and Walker did not ask the court to assist with any funding. EDA has received more than $870,000 in grant funding during the past three years.
EDA previously applied for a $1.79 million project for a spec building when state funds were available for an 85/15 match, meaning EDA would only be obligated for around $300,000 toward the project. Their project was only chosen for a 50 percent match, however, Walker said, and they could not fund it.
Kentucky’s Cabinet for Economic Development is seeking legislation to provide another round of funding at 85 percent matching, and Walker said they were asked by the state to reapply.
“A lot of our requests for information for companies looking for a location are asking for existing buildings. We don’t have any decent buildings in Columbia that are big enough to show anybody,” Walker said.
Also during Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting, Shannon Sexton represented the courthouse committee and updated the court on the ongoing project. Sexton said County Judge Larry Russell Bryant expressed concerns during a recent meeting about the pace of the project, to which she responded, “The committee has consistently followed a ‘measure twice, cut once’ approach.”
Bryant also said during the previous meeting that he is interested in having geothermal heating and cooling for the courthouse. Sexton said the committee is not opposed to the idea but has no experience with that type of system. The committee has been told that geothermal systems can be costly at first and require a lot of permitting, the hiring of engineers, and other costly measures. However, Sexton said they are also aware of the benefits and welcome the judge’s initiative to obtain a quote for a geothermal system. She asked that he also get comparable quotes for other traditional HVAC and VRF systems as well.
Sexton said the committee would halt further work on an electrical bid package until the court determined which route to take on heating and cooling.
The county funded $500,000 for the first phase of the courthouse project, which was used to remove wings and to control deterioration of the structure. They also received $1 million from state funding, with $830,000 of that still remaining for the ongoing project.
(Editor’s note: Sharon Burton, author of this article, is a member of the courthouse committee.)
The court tabled a motion to hire Sierra Durbin as a part-time 911 dispatcher. Durbin is an experienced dispatcher but also serves as the county coroner. County Attorney Jennifer Hutchison Corbin will research the matter to see if holding both positions would be considered a violation of any state law or local ordinance. Durbin is not seeking re-election.
The court hired Caleb Baker part time at 911 and voted to change the county ordinance to lower the minimum age for dispatchers from 20 to 18.
The court briefly discussed bathrooms at the Jim Blair Center where water lines burst during the cold weather. Bryant said he would like to see them add automatic flushers and magistrate Chris Reeder suggested that Bryant bring a quote for them to the court.
Deputy County Judge Executive Bridget Compton asked the court to approve the annual Trash for Cash Program, which pays non-profit organizations for roadside cleanup. The court approved to pay $100 per mile for up to four miles for each organization.
Judge Bryant said he would like the court to consider renting the former Southern States building at $500 a month with a five-year lease. It would primarily be used for storage. The court tabled the proposal to determine the need for the facility.
The court approved a resolution supporting HB 557, which would provide some financial relief to local jails. Rep. Amy Neighbors is a co-sponsor of the bill.
The court also asked Hutchison Corbin to review the county’s electrical inspection fee ordinance. Compton said the copy of the ordinance filed a number of years ago was never signed and needs to be officially approved.
By Sharon Burton
snburton@adairvoice.com
