Other projects nearing completion include food pantry and water improvements
FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 18, 2024) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a memorandum of agreement has been signed and work is set to begin on a $4.6 million combination emergency services center in Elliott County.
The center will serve as an emergency operations center, 911 call center and fire department, with multiple bays for the storage and deployment of emergency services vehicles and staff. The building also will serve as a classroom for first responders’ continuing education and, in time of need, as a warming center and shelter for the residents of Elliott County.
“Keeping our people safe isn’t just a high priority, it’s a sacred trust,” Gov. Beshear said. “This facility means that families in Elliott County will know that whatever the emergency, they will get a quick, coordinated response.”
The original 911 center was destroyed in a fire, and the current fire department is aging and in need of costly repairs.
The project, funded through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program, was first announced at the 2022 Shaping Our Appalachian Region Summit. Once constructed, it will be the first multiple service emergency operations center in Elliott County.
Updates on Other Elliott County Projects:
A $1.13 million project to construct a food pantry for the Elliott County Christian Community Center (ECCCC) is underway. The center, funded by a Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response grant, is under construction with a concrete floor, loading dock supports and a carport/loading area. The new food pantry will include storage areas for dry goods, commodities and cold storage of perishable items.
A project to improve clean water service to 1,265 households and 85 businesses in the Sandy Hook Water District is nearing completion. Funded with $1.5 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Central Appalachia Distressed County Infrastructure initiative, the project has installed 20,000 linear feet of waterline along Kentucky Highways 556 and 755, is constructing a 35 million-gallon water treatment plant and has repaired a water storage tank.
In addition to the $1.5 million in ARC funds, other federal sources are providing $2 million, and local sources $1.18 million, for a total of $4.68 million in project funding.