Owensboro Health Foundation donates $40,000 for Western Kentucky Tornado Relief
OWENSBORO, Ky. (March 3, 2022) – Today, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman presented $4,728,098 in funding to Daviess County. The funding comes through Gov. Andy Beshear’s Cleaner Water Program and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, administered by the Department for Local Government.
“Kentucky families deserve clean water – a basic human right – as well as access to safe and well-maintained roads, educational opportunities and support when they need help,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today’s investments show what we can accomplish when we put our values into action.”
“Investments in infrastructure, like high-speed internet, clean water, roads and bridges provide Kentucky a solid foundation for building tomorrow’s economy, today,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman.
As part of Gov. Beshear’s Better Kentucky Plan, the Cleaner Water Program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA). $250 million was appropriated through a bipartisan agreement at the close of the 2021 General Assembly for clean drinking water and wastewater grants to fund projects across Kentucky. The Green River Area Development District submitted the funding request for this project to the KIA.
While in Owensboro, Lt. Gov. Coleman also accepted a $40,000 check from the Owensboro Health Foundation for Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, and thanked the foundation for their generosity.
Cleaner Water Program Funding
- $2,115,000 to Daviess County Water District to update water lines, pump stations and install new meters.
- $847,596 to Daviess County Fiscal Court to replace water lines on Jack Hinton Road.
- $297,000 to Owensboro Municipal Utilities to replace water mains on Cedar Street, Stonewall Court, Jeff Place and Burkhead Avenue.
- $198,679 to the City of Whitesville to improve water quality for 19 households along Ward Road.
- $269,823 to the Regional Water Resource Agency for upgrades at the Williamsburg Square Pump Station.
“These investments from the Cleaner Water Grant program will allow our municipal water plant, water district, water association and regional sewer agency to make upgrades and replace aging infrastructure,” Daviess County Judge/Executive Al Mattingly said. “These projects have been needed for a long time and now will become a reality.”
“Clean water is the goal of all elected officials and our residents. We are very pleased and honored to have our Lieutenant Governor in our community for this special announcement,” Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson said.
“The Daviess County Water District is very appreciative of the funding received from the Cleaner Water Program grants to complete five projects in the district’s 20-year plan,” Billy Higdon, Daviess County Water District general manager, said. “The DCWD would like to thank the Governor’s Office for directing funding to Daviess County. The DCWD would also like to thank KIA, GRADD and the Daviess County Judge/Executive Al Mattingly and the Daviess County Commissioners for directing funding to several Daviess County water systems for improvements and upgrades to the water infrastructures.”
“We want to thank Judge Al Mattingly for choosing the Short Station/Jack Hinton Road Project that has been on our improvement list for a long time,” Kasey Emmick, manager, East Daviess County Water Association, said. “The project is a much-needed improvement to our system and will be at no cost to our customers.”
Community Development Block Grant
- $1,000,000 to the Daviess County Fiscal Court through CDBG funding to go towards the purchase a new facility for the OASIS Domestic Violence Program.
“The OASIS CDBG-CV grant will allow the continuation of a women’s shelter in a new facility,” Daviess County Judge/Executive Al Mattingly said. “I want to thank the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the General Assembly for these grants.”
The Department for Local Government administers approximately $26 million annually from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant program. The CDBG program provides assistance to communities for use in revitalizing neighborhoods, expanding affordable housing and economic opportunities, providing infrastructure and/or improving community facilities and services.
About the Cleaner Water Program
More than $144 million has been awarded to grantees to fund transformative projects since the call for projects was announced June 1. Eligible government agencies, such as city-owned water or sewer utilities, water commissions, water and sewer districts and counties, collaborated with their local Area Development Districts and Area Water Management Councils to submit projects for Cleaner Water Program funding. There are 713 public drinking water and wastewater utilities in Kentucky.
Cleaner Water program funding is allocated in three ways:
- $150 million based on each county’s proportion of the state’s population, with the exception of Jefferson County’s share, which is discounted by 50% based on its high per capita allocation from the federal act. A list of the allocations by county can be found here.
- $50 million is available for utilities to provide drinking water services to unserved, rural customers or to utilities under a federal consent decree. The KIA shall consider social, economic and environmental benefits in determining the allocations.
- $49.9 million is available to supplement a project grant for a project with a cost in excess of a county’s allocation amount and other available grant sources. The social, economic and environmental benefits shall be considered in determining project allocations. KIA will receive $75,000 to administer the grant program.
The American Society of Civil Engineers in 2019 projected that Kentucky faces nearly $14.5 billion in water/wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, including over $8.2 billion in drinking water upgrades and $6.2 billion in sewer system improvements.
Information about the Cleaner Water Program, as well as grants for high-speed internet expansion, school facility upgrades and vocational education center renovations, can be found at governor.ky.gov/BetterKy.
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