KENTUCKY — Three northern Kentucky counties will receive more than $1.5 million of for insfrastructure and education funding, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday. 

The total $15,663,176 will go toward Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties through the Governor’s Cleaner Water Program, his Better Schools Program, Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response funds (CDBG-CV) and the Energy and Environment Cabinet.

“Today’s awards will help our students, our seniors and everyone in between,” Beshear wrote in a press release. “World-class companies are choosing Kentucky because of our world-class workforce, and that means we have to keep investing in education, as well as our infrastructure and support for families, to make Kentucky an even better place to live and work.”

The breakdown of the funds is as follows:

Boone County Schools will receive $4,763,200 to renovate, expand and add programming at the Ignite Institute, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) focused high school, which serves more than 1,000 students across northern Kentucky.

The Northern Kentucky Water District will receive $1 million that will support nearly four miles of waterline extension that will bring clean water service to 56,000 households for the first time.

In addition, The Newport Independent School District will receive $2,145,300 that will help renovate the high school's Graphic Arts, Art and Mac Lab and create a space for the new culinary pathway program.

City of Newport will get $764,560 to rehabilitate the Grand Towers Senior Housing multi-family housing building. The renovation will include the replacement of two elevators. 

“The funding announced today will help us better serve the senior citizens of Newport,” Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. said. “The new elevators at Grand Towers will provide handicapped accessibility, a must-have in a building serving senior residents. Newport is an inclusive city, and we want to thank Gov. Beshear for working with us on this project.”

Covington Independent Public Schools will receive $4,925,000 to renovate the Chapman Vocational Center, including renovating the restrooms, replacing the lockers, replacing the electric system and renovating the science labs.

The City of Fort Mitchell, in partnership with Easterseals Redwood, for the Fort Mitchell Redwood School and Rehabilitation Center Project, will receive $910,000 to update the center to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This will include installing new sinks and washing stations, adding easily sanitized flooring, renovating unused space to allow for social distancing and installing a new filtration system for purifying air.

The Energy and Environment Cabinet will give Kenton County $155,116 to repurpose waste tires and apply a new asphalt layer on county roads. 

Similar to Campbell County, the Northern Kentucky Water District will use $1 million to support a five-mile waterline extension that will bring clean water service to 81 households.