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Pulaski to get large infusion of cash via stimulus act
Extra $350,000 earmarked for county road projects
There’s nothing quite like receiving unexpected money.
Pulaski County Fiscal Court, which just recently finished wrestling with a tough budget, was notified that the county would be receiving more than $350,000 in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to go toward county road projects.
“We just appreciate the state for stepping up and recognizing the need,” said Pulaski County judge-executive Barty Bullock.
The allocated $360,092, pulled from the 2010 Rural Secondary Road Fund “for the purpose of meeting the most critical of rural highway needs,” according to a letter written to fiscal court from the office of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, will go toward several county road projects.
That amount delighted county officials, and Bullock said they were under the impression the county would receive less money.
“It really surprised everybody that we got that much,” Bullock said.
Bullock said each county received stimulus funds for road projects, and the amount of funding was determined by population size and the total of road mileage that is in the county.
Those funds are specifically allocated for road projects — and, more specifically, blacktop resurfacing projects.
According to the letter, the county will be able to “flex” the funds to either secondary or county roads, depending on which roads most need the improvements. Bullock said one road in need of significant repairs in each of the county’s districts will be upgraded.
The county also received stimulus funding for the county’s high-growth training center.
The fiscal court was also notified last week that it will receive funding to go toward the Regional High Growth Training Center — specifically, $250,000 through the Community Development Block Grant - Recovery funds. Those funds will go toward new training equipment.
“We’re very proud to have that (the training center) here,” Bullock said.
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LCADTF could lose big bucks
Lake Cumberland Area Drug Task Force officials estimate that the City of Somerset’s lack of involvement in the task force could lead to a loss of some $250,000 in federal funding per year — a chunk which could easily force the task force to close its doors.
David Keller, deputy director of Appalachia HIDTA, a major funding source for the local drug task force and the reason why federal and state law enforcement officers are able to be a part of the agency, says the agency’s current situation is more serious than many people realize.
Keller says HIDTA has made a “huge investment” in the LCADTF, but that folks shouldn’t get too comfortable with the agency’s ability to obtain grant money at the federal or state level.
“This is not entitlement money. ... Our grant is performance driven, and it’s sought after by competitive forces,” Keller said. “If this agency doesn’t produce, they stand a risk of not having the task force funded. That money will go someplace else — to another county that would love to have it.” -
HOME STRETCH
Less than a decade ago, Pleasant Hill was a pastoral community. Modern homes were tucked among shaded lawns. Cattle grazed peacefully at day and fireflies blinked in darkness. The area was served by a friendly little road called Clifty.
Things have changed and are changing. In a relatively few days, huge electric bulbs will glow, turning night forever into day. Horseless carriages will trek in places where tailpipes have belched never before. -
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