FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced more than $4.6 million in Delta Regional Authority funding to support eight projects that he says will create or retain 57 jobs, and train an additional 36 Kentuckians. The governor projected it would improve the lives of nearly 6,000 families in western Kentucky, a region that was decimated by tornadoes late last year. 

What You Need To Know

  • Eight projects will create or retain 57 jobs, and train 36 Kentuckians, impacting nearly 6,000 families according to the governor

  • The eight projects will focus in infrastructure in towns, needed medical and education equipment, and utilities

  • Western Kentucky was ravaged by tornadoes in December of last year, leaving homes and entire towns in ruins

  • The Delta Regional Authority, who is funding the projects, works in 252 economically distressed counties and parishes in the Delta region

“The Delta Regional Authority has been a key partner to western Kentucky for years, and we are thankful for their continued investment,” Beshear said. “The projects receiving funding will benefit our western Kentucky communities for decades to come improving infrastructure, supporting workforce training and business development, as well as enhancing health care access in rural areas.”

The DRA focuses on economic opportunity and job creation in 252 economically distressed counties and parishes in the Delta region. The funding will be spread across the region for these eight major projects:

  • The Marshall County Fiscal Court will use $527,158 to create safe traffic and access points in an industrial park development connecting to U.S. 641
  • Henderson Community College will use $650,501 to purchase training to double the capacity of its Advanced Manufacturing Center Lab
  • The City of Greenville will use $387,772 for wastewater treatment plant improvements
  • The Community Medical Clinic will use $120,957 to purchase X-ray equipment for its rural health care clinics in Hopkinsville and Princeton
  • The Paducah McCracken Joint Sewer Agency will use $1,771,285 to connect the new Barkley Regional Airport terminal and 20 homes to public sewar infrastructure
  • The Christian County Fiscal Court will use $58,785 to assist with the upgrade of water and electric utilities to accommodate an expansion project by Casey Jones Distillery
  • The city of Marion will use $1,013,860 to construct a new wastewater treatment plant
  • The city of Morganfield will use $163,325 to install a new pipeline, three sewer holes and four sluice gates

“Improving infrastructure, training our workforce and ensuring equitable access to health care are all ways we are moving Kentucky forward,” said Kentucky Commissioner of Local Government Dennis Keene. “DRA funding is helping us provide more opportunities to Western Kentuckians.”

The DRA was created by Congress in 2000 to promote and encourage the economic development of the lower Mississippi River Delta region and Alabama Black Belt, focusing on job creation, infrastructurea and business development.

On Dec. 10, 2021, tornadoes ravaged through at least 10 counties in western Kentucky. One of those cyclones touched down on the ground for 227 miles, carving a patch of destruction through the state. Efforts to rebuild the towns and homes left in their wake have been ongoing ever since. 

Related Stories