In the aftermath of the Ascend Elements groundbreaking and the Industrial Appreciation Luncheon, officials with the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council took time Monday afternoon to thank local legislators who helped pass House Bill 745 through the last convening of the General Assembly.
Unanimously approved this past spring, HB 745 — in short — pushed for the biennium budget to include provisions to expand county capital projects through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative.
Sponsored by Rep. Adam Bowling, Rep. Jason Petrie, Rep. William Reed and Rep. Bart Rowland, SWK EDC Executive Director Carter Hendricks described the bill as a big driver for the local economy.
Hendricks added that legislation like this doesn’t get pushed through without local constituents understanding the need, and Sen. Whitney Westerfield accepted a token of appreciation Monday as an envoy for the delegation making it possible.
In other SWK EDC news:
— Unemployment rates continue to be historically low in the tri-county and northwest Tennessee area. At the end of September, Christian County was at 5%, Trigg County was at 4.3% and Todd County was at 3.2%. Stewart County was at 3.9%, Montgomery County was at 3.8% and Robertson County was at 2.8%.
— Set for 11 AM, November 30, officials with the Cadiz-Trigg County EDC will be hosting their groundbreaking for their spec building set to be located at the I-24 Business Park pad-ready site. It’ll be 100,000 square feet in size, and Hendricks it’ll come at the benefit and provisions of two grants: one from TVA, and one from the Cabinet for Economic Development grant.
— Officials observed an executive session in order to discuss a “conceptual master plan” for Commerce Park II, showing sold, owned, optioned, option pending and sale pending lots surrounding the Ascend Elements groundbreaking. Potentially more than 1,400 acres of industrial development is expected in the area, with a future I-24 connector in preliminary spec drawings.
