FRENCHBURG, Ky. (May 6, 2013) – Gov. Steve Beshear today joined local leaders to announce more than $1 million in grant funding for a new regional kitchen and senior citizens center in Menifee County.
“Ensuring our seniors have adequate access to services is a priority of my administration,” Beshear said. “The new regional kitchen and senior center in Menifee County will provide a much-needed, safe facility in the community for seniors and all residents to access educational, recreational and health services.”
The community’s current regional kitchen prepares more than 51,000 meals annually for seniors and at-home clients in an unsafe and inadequate facility. The 85-year-old facility has uneven floors, crumbling walls with gaping holes, insufficient ventilation and inoperable sewage drains that force workers and patrons to seek restroom facilities at an alternative location. Food storage and preparation space is also limited. The building uses household size refrigerators from the 1970s for food storage when commercial grade refrigeration storage is needed.
The community is also in need of a new senior citizens center. The current center is located in a small, 600-square-foot room in the Beaver Creek Housing project, and parking is scarce, forcing seniors to park far distances from the building. Also, the center’s HVAC system often malfunctions, making for unsafe conditions.
The new project combines the regional kitchen and senior center in one facility. The new center will be located along Old Campus Road in Frenchburg, across from the Frenchburg City Hall. The building will be approximately 7,168 s.f, providing plenty of space for seniors’ activities and for food storage, preparation and service. The center will include a kitchen, mechanical room, activity rooms, dining space and a recreational area.
The new facility will be owned, maintained and insured by Menifee County. The county will partner with the Menifee County Senior Citizens Center to operate the seniors’ portion of the facility and will partner with the East Kentucky Independent Services Organization for the operation and preparation of meals in the regional kitchen.
The regional kitchen will provide meals to residents in several counties including Menifee, Bath, Montgomery, Morgan and Rowan.
“This project creatively combines several funding sources to construct a two-in-one facility that will both adequately serve as a regional kitchen and senior citizens center,” said Department for Local (DLG) Government Commissioner Tony Wilder. “Menifee and the surrounding counties will now have a quality community facility that will serve both seniors and all residents for many future generations.”
Funding sources
Combined funding for the project includes a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), a more than $439,000 recommended Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant and more than $109,000 in recommended Multi-County Coal Severance funding.
The state’s CDBG program is administered by DLG and funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Kentucky’s Congressional leaders’ continued support of the CDBG program ensures the availability of continued funding in Kentucky and nationally.
ARC partners with federal, state and local governments in an effort to support sustainable community and economic growth throughout Appalachia by funding projects that range from education and job training to housing and business expansion to transportation and infrastructure development.
Multi-County LGEDF/Coal Severance Funds are a portion of coal severance taxes set aside to fund projects benefiting two or more coal-producing counties.
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