Gov. Beshear Presents More Than $6.8 Million To Benefit Daviess County
Funding supports tourism, economic development, cybersecurity and more
OWENSBORO, Ky. (Oct. 5, 2023) ? Today, at the Daviess County Courthouse, Gov. Andy Beshear presented more than $6.8 million in funding to support tourism, economic development, recycling, cybersecurity and more.
?Our people are always our best investment. Kentuckians deserve every opportunity and resource imaginable right in their hometowns ? and we?re working to make sure that?s the reality,? said Gov. Beshear. ?Today?s awards will attract new businesses and jobs here, drive tourism to this amazing region and improve the lives of families across the county.?
Tourism Marketing Funding
Gov. Beshear awarded more than $5.5 million to the Owensboro/Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau to support travel marketing and promotion and attract meetings and conventions.
?During the pandemic, Owensboro and Daviess County took a hard hit economically. Visit Owensboro proactively collaborated with the Kentucky Travel Industry Association, state legislators and Gov. Beshear in crafting legislation for recovery funds,? said Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro/Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau. ?With this funding, Visit Owensboro will now have the resources to create a transformative change for our community. We are already seeing strong results from attracting new conventions and events, and the future looks bright.?
?I?m extremely pleased to see these funds invested in our community and glad to see the legislature?s work to support local tourism become reality,? said Rep. Suzanne Miles of Owensboro. ?Owensboro is a destination city and, thanks to the efforts of our tourism officials, we can measure its contribution to our local economy in overnight stays, restaurant and retail sales, and direct employment in our convention center, agritourism sites, museums and historic sites.?
The funds are distributed by the Kentucky Department of Tourism to eligible tourism organizations throughout the commonwealth.
Kentucky Product Development Initiative
As part of the Kentucky Product Development Initiative funding announced last month, Gov. Beshear today presented $211,750 to the city of Owensboro to support a project that will complete due diligence studies on the 184-acre Massie property, the planned new industrial development site that will bring in new jobs and economic growth to Daviess County.
Energy and Environment Cabinet Awards
The Governor presented three awards to Daviess County from the Energy and Environment Cabinet: $28,000 to help Daviess County residents safely dispose of household hazardous waste, $35,150 to support the county?s recycling efforts and $330,700 to support the county?s composting efforts.
?These grant awards will support our composting operation at the landfill with the addition of a front-end bucket loader,? said Daviess County Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen.? ?Additionally, the fiscal court will add three new roll-off containers at the Grimes Avenue Transfer Station in Owensboro.?
Judge Castlen continued: ?I also want to invite our county residents to take advantage of the free Tox Away Day on Saturday, Oct. 7. Bring household hazardous waste to the Daviess County Operations Center at 2620 KY-81 from 8 a.m. to noon for safe disposal. A list of accepted items may be found at daviessky.org.?
The Governor also presented $500,000 from the Energy and Environment Cabinet to the Green River Area Development District for brownfield clean up.
Cybersecurity Grant
Gov. Beshear also presented $212,430 in cybersecurity funding from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to the Green River Area Development District. This will help to hire a consultant to work with IT staff at each participating county and city within the district to conduct a cybersecurity assessment of each system.
Legislators who represent Daviess County celebrated today?s announcements.
?I am pleased to recognize this significant funding boost for Daviess County, which will help bolster various aspects within our community,? said Sen. Gary Boswell of Owensboro. ?This investment reflects our dedication to fostering tourism, regional development and ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents. I commend the collective efforts that have made this funding possible, and I eagerly anticipate the positive impact it will bring.?
?I find it both an honor and privilege to be a part of this extraordinary announcement,? said Rep. DJ Johnson of Owensboro. ?The legislature has long maintained that the key to a healthy community is thriving infrastructure, and I believe that point has been proven here today with this grant funding. I look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition over the coming months.?
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