PARIS, Ky – On Sep 12th, in keeping with his priorities to improve public health and safety in the commonwealth, Gov. Andy Beshear announced over $2.5 million in awards for Bourbon County that will improve waste management infrastructure and fund the construction of a new fire station.

He also highlighted a $49 million grant for Charter Communications, awarded in June, to help expand high-speed internet access in 13 counties, including Bourbon.

“All of our people deserve to live in clean, safe neighborhoods and they deserve to know they’ll have highly trained first responders to help them in an emergency,” Gov. Beshear said. “By improving our infrastructure and investing in our fire stations, we’re building a better Kentucky for every family.”

Paris Solid Waste Transfer Station
Gov. Beshear presented $2,000,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the City of Paris to construct a new solid waste transfer station and recycling convenience center. The current station is located at the end of a residential street in west Paris, posing a safety hazard to residents due to the high traffic volume of trash-hauling vehicles. The new station will be complete with an access road and will be located off Martin Luther King Blvd.

“The unsung heroes of securing available federal grants like those we’re celebrating on Sep 12th, are the grant writers who do the meticulous work and go to bat for their city,” Senator Stephen West of Paris said. “I join Mayor Plummer, Mayor and Fire Chief McFarland and all of Paris and North Middletown in thanking all involved in making Sep 12th’s celebration possible. City services will improve and this funding will make the residential community at the current transfer station site safer.”

“For the last couple of decades residents of the West Side have had to live with a transfer station in their backyards. Children, families and the community have been subject to living near what is essentially a waste station, but that all changes on Sep 12th,” Rep. Matthew Koch of Paris said. “With the announcement of the $2 million for the construction of a new solid waste transfer station and recycling center, we are ensuring the citizens of the West Side will finally get their neighborhood back. The building of this new transfer station has been extremely important to me, and I am elated to see it is finally happening. I want to thank Gov. Beshear, the West Side and all parties involved for advocating and securing funding for this ever important project.”

“Thank you for this opportunity. This grant is such a great opportunity to enhance the living conditions for not only the residents where the transfer station is currently located, but to all the citizens of Paris and Bourbon County. It will be located at a more convenient place for all,” said Paris Mayor John Plummer said. “We are very appreciative of Gov. Beshear and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

North Middletown Fire Station
Gov. Beshear also presented a $520,000 CDBG grant to the City of North Middletown to construct a new fire station. The current fire station has one vehicle bay and is too small to meet the fire department’s needs. The city will demolish the current station and build a new one at the same site, 223 Church Street. The new building will be approximately 4,250 square feet and provide adequate space for the fire department to train members and store their equipment and vehicles.

“I am grateful for our volunteer firefighters, which account for the vast majority of fire personnel in communities across the bluegrass, and who are often the first on the scene when tragedies occur,” Senator West said. “Their service is truly self-sacrificial: physically, emotionally and financially. I’m pleased to know our volunteer firefighters will soon have a better facility from which they can continue being by the side of North Middletown residents.”

“I am also eager to see how the proposal of the construction of a new fire department in North Middletown will increase access to first responders, cut down time after a call is made, ensure quality headquarters for firefighters and increase safety across the board,” Rep. Koch added.

“The award announced on Sep 12th, is going to give our fire fighters more room and a much better environment to train and operate,” said North Middletown Mayor and Fire Chief Jeff McFarland. “This is a much-needed project that is going to improve the safety of everyone in the North Middletown community. We are thankful for the funding and excited for the future.”

“The new fire and waste transfer stations are great news for Bourbon County,” Bourbon County Judge/Executive Mike Williams said. “This funding is going to go a long way toward protecting our people and making sure they live in safe and healthy environments. This is a great example of cooperation across the local and state levels.”

Charter Communications
In June, Charter Communications was awarded 18 grant awards totaling $49,980,694. The grant dollars, coupled with matching funds pledges by Charter Communications, represent an overall investment of $118,808,035. The investment will expand access to high-speed internet to 18,533 currently unserved households and businesses located in Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Carroll, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties. To learn more, see the full release.

“High speed reliable internet service is not just the infrastructure of the future, it is the infrastructure of the present and is essential to the success of our state’s economy,” Gov. Beshear said. “Investments like the one we have Sep 12th, is critical to Bourbon County and the surrounding areas.”

About the Community Development Block Grant Program
The CDBG program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities. CDBG funds are administered by the Department for Local Government.