"To view the Governor’s Team Kentucky Update, ""click here" [ [link removed] ]". "

Kentucky State Seal

OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR








*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*




*Contact:  *

 

*Scottie Ellis
502-401-6933*
"[email protected]" <[email protected]>






Gov. Beshear Provides Team Kentucky Update
   

*FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2025)* – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on economic development, high-ground communities in Eastern Kentucky, recovery housing for those struggling with addiction, funding for water infrastructure, efforts to combat lung cancer, Pre-K for All and the Kentucky State Fair. The Governor named Lori Farris, director of the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services, as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Star ahead of her retirement.

*Economic Development*
Monday, Gov. Beshear joined [ [link removed] ] Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley, other company executives and local officials to announce a monumental investment by one of Kentucky’s largest employers, a nearly $2 billion commitment that will introduce an innovative manufacturing process at the Louisville Assembly Plant to serve as the platform for an all-new, yet to be unveiled, electric mid-size pickup truck. The project is the third-largest economic development project in Kentucky’s history, with four of the five largest private-sector investments have now been announced during the Beshear administration.

Today, the Governor joined [ [link removed] ] state and local officials, as well as leadership from GE Appliances, as the company celebrated a new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations over the next five years, highlighted by GE Appliances’ $490 million project at Louisville’s Appliance Park announced earlier this year.

*High-Ground Communities*
The Governor provided an update on progress being made at the eight high-ground sites in Eastern Kentucky that will eventually provide over 500 new affordable homes for flood survivors out of the flood plain.

The state recently awarded a $7.5 million contract to extend the access road and develop additional neighborhood streets at the Chestnut Ridge property in Knott County. New roads are expected to be completed late next year. In the western part of the site, sewer and water line work is nearly complete. Paving and sidewalk work should be complete in October. Chestnut Ridge will eventually be the site of 175 homes.

In July, Team Kentucky broke ground [ [link removed] ] on the first three homes at New Hope Estates in Floyd County. It will be the site of 34 homes. In May, the Governor joined local leaders to celebrate [ [link removed] ] the completion of the Cottages at Thompson Branch high-ground community, the site of 10 new homes. The first homes have been framed at the Skyview site in Perry County, which will have nearly 100 homes when complete.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Gov. Beshear. “What began as an ambitious idea – to build entire neighborhoods out of the flood plain – is now becoming a reality. We’re seeing families moving into homes, and we’re seeing healing happen in real time. This has been a team effort, and there’s still plenty of work to be done.”

*Recovery Housing Program*
The Governor announced over $2 million in awards from Kentucky’s Recovery Housing Program, including:


* $824,276 to The Haven Ministries in Louisville to build nine bedrooms for up to 18 Kentuckians battling addiction;
* $600,000 for the Fulton County Fiscal Court to convert a vacant building into a recovery housing facility; and
* $600,000 to the Thrive Community Coalition in Martin County to build four homes to be used as recovery housing.

*Funding for Water Infrastructure*
Gov. Beshear announced $5 million to improve water infrastructure in the city of Jackson. The funds include $4 million to upgrade the city’s water treatment plant, which suffered severe damage in flooding in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, the city will receive $1 million to build a new water storage tank to serve an apartment building for flood survivors [ [link removed] ]. The awards come from Community Development Block Grant funds.

*Lung Cancer Prevention*
The Governor reported that Kentucky was the only state in the nation to earn a 100% score in a national assessment of state cancer plans run by GO2 for Lung Cancer [ [link removed] ]. The assessment looks at what every state is doing to address lung cancer, using 10 key metrics.

“Our perfect score reflects our commitment to building Our Healthy Kentucky Home, as well as increasing access to cancer screenings,” said Gov. Beshear. “While we celebrate this news, we know there is still a lot of work to be done.”

*Pre-K for All*
The Governor provided an update on the Pre-K for All [ [link removed] ] initiative, which aims to advance the commonwealth’s public education system and job growth. As part of the initiative, Team Kentucky has hosted four town halls, in Frankfort, Northern Kentucky, Bowling Green and Morehead, with one more coming up in Louisville at the Kentucky State Fair. The town halls provided an opportunity to hear directly from businesses, parents and community leaders about the need for pre-K for all Kentucky 4-year-olds. The Team Kentucky Pre-K for All Advisory Committee, comprising 28 leaders from across the commonwealth, has also held multiple meetings. In the two months since the launch of Pre-K for All, Kentuckians have sent over 21,000 emails to legislators.

“This isn’t political,” said Gov. Beshear. “The education of our kids, getting parents back to work, helping our businesses – there is nothing political about any of those things. This is how we move our state forward and ensure success for generations to come.”

For more information visit PreK4All.Ky.gov [ [link removed] ].

*Kentucky State Fair*
Tomorrow, Gov. Beshear will join state and local leaders for the opening ceremony of the Kentucky State Fair [ [link removed] ]. The Governor encouraged Kentuckians to stop by the fair, which runs Aug. 14-24. This year’s theme, “All Things Kentucky, All in One Place,” celebrates how special the commonwealth is.

*Team Kentucky All-Star*
The Governor named Lori Farris, the director of the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services, as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Star ahead of her retirement. Farris has been a dedicated public servant in state government for nearly 40 years.

“Folks who work in the State Capitol know that every time you see Lori, she has a smile on her face, and that smile comes through the phone when people reach out to her for help,” said Gov. Beshear. “It has been an honor to serve alongside Lori. We wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.”

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