Six economic development projects in five counties have been selected for $14.2 million in Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Pilot Program grants.
The projects, in Floyd, Harlan, Laurel, Morgan and Perry counties, range from the construction of water treatment plants to robotic instruction and will revitalize the coalfields in Kentucky’s Appalachian region through job creation and economic development.
Since 2016, 54 projects in 21 counties have been selected for funding through the AML Pilot Program.
The projects include:
Perry County water project
$3.5 million to Perry County and the City of Hazard to improve the water systems of Perry County through the KY-15/KY-7 Interconnect and the development of a new Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. The project will provide a reliable water source for 1,198 residential customers and 36 businesses in the Coal Fields Industrial Park that employ in excess of 370 people.
“Growing opportunities could not be possible without our visionary leaders. Even though projects in our mountainous region are more difficult and costly to complete, our people deserve reliable water service in Appalachia,” said Perry County Judge/Executive Scott Alexander. “I’m thankful to have leaders at the state and federal levels that we can partner with, like Congressman Rogers and Gov. Beshear.”
Floyd County water project
$2.05 million to the City of Wheelwright and Floyd County for the construction of a new water treatment plant in Wheelwright that will replace an aging conventional sand filtration plant built in the 1930s. The new facility will assist in the re-opening of the Southeast Kentucky Correctional Center that closed in 2012.
“The residents of the city of Wheelwright would like to thank Congressman Rogers and Gov. Beshear for their work in expanding access to clean, reliable water for our residents and businesses,” Floyd County Judge/Executive Robbie Williams said.
“Wheelwright is a small community, so we really appreciate our leaders who look out for us and advocate for funding that will help us continue to recover from losses in the coal industry.”
Harlan County gas project
$1.5 million to Harlan County Fiscal Court to bring natural gas infrastructure to the Harlan County Business Park project in Harlan County. This project will develop natural gas service for the Tri-Cities area of Harlan County and bring natural gas service to the Harlan County Business Park site on previously mined lands near Cumberland, Benham and Lynch.
Harlan County Fiscal Court has worked to redevelop this site bringing new companies and up to 50 local jobs. The site has recently received certified Build-Ready status by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
“This investment of AML Pilot funds will check the last box required to make our business park in Harlan County the most competitive it can be to recruit new industries to our county,” Harlan County Judge/Executive Dan Mosley said. “I am grateful to Congressman Rogers and Gov. Beshear for supporting the work of the Harlan County Economic Development Authority, One Harlan County, and Harlan County Fiscal Court as we move forward together united in our vision to create better economic opportunities for the people we serve.
“This important infrastructure investment of AML Pilot funds, which will be combined with RDAAP funds previously awarded, now makes this project a reality and will greatly assist us in our economic diversification efforts.”
Laurel County projects
$3.769 million to BPM Lumber of Laurel County for the purchase and installation of an optimized merchandising system that will allow BPM to produce value-added hardwood lumber products. This will sustain 123 current jobs and allow for the re-employment of 62 employees at the London and Whitesburg locations who were previously laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lynch Motorsports Welcome Center project
$400,000 to Backroads of Appalachia, a non-profit entity that supports job training and economic development through tourism and motorsports. Backroads will partner with local government and non-profit organizations to repurpose an abandoned mine land property in Harlan County into a welcome center to increase regional motorsports tourism in Lynch. As a second chance employer, Backroads employs individuals in local addiction recovery programs and provides them with job training and paid employment.
eKami Project
$3 million to fund the eKAMI Advanced Robotic Instruction Project in Morgan County. This project will build on eKAMI’s successful model of advanced CNC machining training by expanding instruction to include an advanced manufacturing robotics credential track for incarcerated individuals at the East Kentucky Correctional Complex in Morgan County.
