Federal Grant

A Jessamine County company will be adding jobs to the central Kentucky economy in the next few months thanks to a federal grant from the stimulus act. The Appalachian Regional Short Line Project, proposed by the RJ Corman Railroad Group, was approved for a $17.5 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced Friday. The project will improve 246 miles of railroad track in Kentucky as well as other tracks in Tennessee and West Virginia.

Tuesday, County Attorney Daryl Day, who’d been asked to pursue a deed on 20-acres of land in the new Industrial Park by the Lincoln County Fiscal Court the last time they met, told the Magistrates that the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) would be willing to provide a deed to the land for a new jail if the county would forgive a $250,000 loan made to the IDA over a decade ago. Day told the Fiscal Court that the IDA valued the land at only $100,000, and said, “They are more than willing to give a $100,000 worth of land in exchange for $250,000 in debt forgiveness.

Dear Editor, During the debates between the two contestants for Danville mayor, Commissioner Gay stated that the city hall project came in $130,000 under budget. If this was true, then why did Commissioners Gay, Hamner, Crowley and Caudill try to utilize a federal grant to redo curbs and sidewalks on Third and Fourth Streets, to do the sidewalk in front of the city hall? From many construction project experiences, I know you only utilize other funding when over budget. Thank goodness that someone working in city hall realized the unauthorized use of this federal grant or the city would be paying another penalty to the federal government.

Congressman Ben Chandler announced this week that Junction City Fire Department will receive $24,681 in federal funding for turnout gear. Turnout gear includes protective coats, pants, gloves, boots and helmets for firefighters. “The work you do on a daily basis is tremendous,” Chandler told firefighters. “Thank you for protecting the people of Junction City — it is a big job, and you all absolutely need the best equipment to keep you safe.” The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Jessamine County Public Library is the recipient of a $13,330 programming grant and an $8,610 equipment grant. The projects are made possible by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA). Programming grants promote and support quality programs in Kentucky's public libraries. Equipment grants provide funding to replace, upgrade or add new equipment in order to improve patron access to information and resources or enhance library services.

If anyone was questioning the viability of Kentucky School for the Deaf as an institution, and whether it is equipped to thrive and serve its community even though its population and campus is shrinking, let them be silenced. On Wednesday, KSD hosted the first MegaDeafConference, a two-hour teleconference whereby students and faculty at deaf schools from 21 states and Washington, D.C., along with Milton, Ontario, Belfast, Northern Ireland and West Sussex, England, shared presentations about their curricula.

Mercer chamber plans banquet HARRODSBURG - Mercer County Chamber of Commerce will have its annual meeting and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at Lions Park Community Center. There will be an appearance by Eddie and Tracy Montgomery, Becky Hawkins and business associates of Skylar's Landing and Eddie Montgomery Steakhouse. A catered dinner will be served. Tickets are $35 for members and $40 for non-members. They can be ordered through the chamber at (859) 734-2365 or online at info@mercerchamber.

STANFORD - Lincoln County's judge-executive found out the county will have the funding in its pocket to built a tornado shelter but is finding that the land on which to build it may be harder to come by. Lincoln County has been approved for a $254,000 federal grant to build such a shelter but, so far, the market for storm shelters appears to be a bit soft. Judge-Executive Buckwheat Gilbert has been shopping the shelter around the county, and the response has been tepid. "I thought out at the high school would be a good place, but apparently not because they've never got back to me," Gilbert said.

LIBERTY - The Casey County Sheriff's Department will get three much-needed new patrol cruisers with the help of a $34,590 federal grant announced Friday by First District Congressman Ed Whitfield. "We're desperate for some new cars," Sheriff Jerry Coffman said Saturday. "Half of what we've got have more than 150,000 miles on them, some have more than 200,000 miles. " The grant comes from the Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program and will be used to purchase three new 2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors.

Boyle County Fire Department was recently notified it will receive a new multi-gas detector in the new year, something its information officer says is not only worth bundles but will save the department money in the long run. The Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program Grant, funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will provide two multi-gas detectors, plus a training course on how to...