Pictured from left, Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay,
Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott, Midway Mayor Stacy Thurman and Woodford
County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Emily Downey.
The economic revitalization of Woodford County is obvious. Every week,
it seems, there is a new business ribbon cutting, municipal project, the
sprucing up of an old building and more. There are neighborhood
beautification grants all over the county and work has begun on the new
farmers market/amphitheater and the Fun Center at the former Kroger’s.
Since this year’s focus of blanket-the-county is on the revitalization
of Woodford County, we have asked officials to comment on economic
development and revitalization.
And, so we have asked Woodford County Judge Executive James Kay,
Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott, Midway Mayor Stacy Thurman and Woodford
County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Emily Downey about their
views on economic development.
What is the most significant economic development opportunity right now
for Woodford County, including ongoing or publicly announced ones?
Kay: Our greatest economic asset is the people of Woodford County and
every child in our schools. Small locally-owned and family-owned
businesses and farms are the backbone of our local economy. When they
thrive, so does our local economy. We are a farming community, and while
many farmers are struggling, there is a great opportunity to invest in
and support family farms that are raising the next generation of farmers
including ensuring there is enough productive farmland for the next
generation to grow our agriculture economy. Innovative programs like our
Farming Relief Program and my proposal for a Young Farmer Grant Program,
which we are working on right now, will help do this.
Traugott: Ethridge Farm is by far the most important part of the city’s
economic development future because of the varied uses out there. You’ve
got an industrial piece, a professional office piece, a retail piece and
an agricultural piece. Two of those, by and large – industrial and
agricultural – have users lined up and we are going through the public
process to get those done. There is more that can and will happen there
that will be a big positive for the whole community and county.
Thurman: The biggest thing going for us is we have a holistic approach
to economic development. I think we have a lot of local leaders working
together closely who share many of the same visions. When I say
holistic, I mean we have people and businesses that want to come here
and we have two great downtowns. We are putting money into our school
system. EDA (Economic Development Authority) is working with the
(Woodford County) Chamber of Commerce to get the schools and businesses
working closely to provide internships and learning a trade because
businesses need employees. I think holistic means that everyone is
pitching in to see what they can do to make this a great place to live,
work and play.
Downey: In my opinion, the most significant opportunity is with the
workforce- our people. We often think about economic development being
infrastructure but without a workforce- and a skilled workforce- we
cannot operate. Opportunities such as teaming with our school system to
create a pipeline of trades and exposure to the jobs of tomorrow are
imperative along with second chance opportunities for baby boomers who
want to still use their skillsets.
What role does the government have in the ongoing revitalization of
Woodford County?
Kay: Woodford County government is here to serve the people and focus on
their needs. We must have a vision that is realistic and at the same
time ambitious. We must work hard as government, because that’s what our
citizens do. As a Fiscal Court, we prioritized working together and
we have a strong record of success, cutting property taxes and growing
jobs. Our local economy is strong, helping guard against inflation and
instability. Our job is to keep Woodford County financially strong and
remain responsible with tax dollars through good fiscal management,
balanced budgets, a strong bank balance and cutting property taxes. We
also must take things to the next level and be forward-looking,
expanding the internet, modernizing government, and investing in people
and infrastructure.
Traugott: On the Ethridge Farm project, we are unique from a lot of
other places in the state in that we owned the land and could control
the development by price and the type of user. That is a good example of
city government’s role. We are able to work with EDA and the county to
support these projects and to make the necessary bureaucracy piece as
smooth as possible. A good example is our experienced staff at city hall
and the new website portal we’ve created.
Thurman – I think what we bring to the table, honestly, is our community
members – we have a very engaged community, very engaged residents, and
that is important because they decide what happens here. They are vocal,
they are creative, they serve on government committees. They go out and
find who they want to represent them, they recruit people to run (for
office)!
Downey: I personally serve on some of the committees like the downtown
revitalization committee but beyond that, I believe the primary role of
the Chamber is to help communicate and liaise with the business
community and community itself. We work closely with the merchants’
associations, non-profits, industry and government so we hope to provide
quality communication to those groups about opportunities and happenings
and represent them at the table to ensure all voices are being heard in
this process. In my role with Woodford County Tourism, our primary focus
is to provide marketing – place marketing as it’s called in the
industry. We want to generate awareness, interest and then demand to
visit our great home.
What are the impediments existing now or that may arise that limit
revitalization/economic growth in Woodford County? How can those be
eliminated or reduced?
Kay: We must work together. The current state of politics is one of
division, self-interest and special interest. The toxic self-serving
Republican/Democrat divide is holding us back in Washington and
Frankfort. It is driven by dark money and special interests. We must
guard against that here at home. I left Frankfort to come home to get
out of party politics and to make a positive difference here. We may not
all agree, but we share a mutual respect and love Woodford County.
Traugott: The population, like anywhere, has a fear of change. This
increases the burden on how we communicate. So, we do a lot of
communication, we have a new website, we have a regular digital
newsletter now, we have public forums as well as the regular public
comment time at meetings and all this needs to be as transparent as it
can be.
Thurman: Housing availability is one of our biggest hurdles, and this is
the whole spectrum. Not just affordable, but where do our older
residents go when they don’t want to keep up a large house or Midway
University students who need an apartment? We will never have enough
housing for everyone who works in Woodford County, I know that, and I
know it’s hard to think about change, but I do think we are going to
have to come up with options that are palatable for people. And, as
leaders, we should talk about those things, be transparent and creative
to provide options.
Downey: Our community right now is aligned in ways it’s never been
before. We have so many groups working on projects and doing their part
that the synergy is magical. It takes private, public, non-profit,
community groups, our education system, leadership and community to
operate together for optimal success and we have that right now. We have
collaboration and communication at a level I’ve never seen before and
it’s paying dividends for our community. We cannot lose that
collaboration and communication and being the best version of Woodford
County.
What are the unique advantages that Woodford County enjoys to attract
investment in revitalization or economic development?
Kay: Our people are our greatest asset and they give us a competitive
edge in every economic sector. We can compete with any community in the
world because of it. Our schools are the best in the state, and that is
a game-changer for economic development. We have some of the best land
in the world, and our land is specifically best situated for farming. We
have the Kentucky River, the Elkhorn Creek and other amazing natural
features that set us apart but we also have I-65 and US 60 which are
important corridors of connection. All our local governments right now
are a huge advantage, because we work well together on all fronts.
Working together works. It sets us apart.
Traugott: Our people, our common vision. Not getting along is in vogue,
but here everyone is in lockstep. There are minor disagreements – as
there should be – but we have a local identity where everyone shares a
pride in their identity and community.
Thurman: We have a strong sense of place which is important for economic
development. Things we are known for are big strengths – horses,
bourbon, beautiful farmland. And the elected leaders work well together
– nearly every day I speak with James (Kay) or Brian (Traugott) on a
variety of issues and we all have the same goal of making Woodford
County and our small towns a great place to live.
Downey: Regionalism is important and while we enjoy our own uniqueness,
we pride ourselves on being good partners in Central Kentucky. Our
people – the “characters in our story” – are the real secret to success.
The late Jeri Hartley, one of our true community leaders, called it
“Woodford Charm”.
What major economic development project would you like to see completed
in the next 10 years?
Kay: Woodford County needs the Kentucky Livestock Innovation Center at
the University of Kentucky Ag Research Farm. It will be a game changer
for our farmers, our community and Kentucky. The Kentucky Livestock
Innovation Center will advance and support critical improvement for
livestock production, economic growth and environmental stewardship as
well as a world-class education center supporting the next generation of
farmers. Lots of folks don’t realize that in the heart of horse country,
we have an important and growing cattle industry which we can capitalize
on. We also need to keep doing the things we are excelling at: bourbon,
horses and farming. We also need to focus on growing our health care
sector, which is doing really well. Economic development is too often
seen as bringing in big business. It’s not. It’s about educating kids,
supporting farmers, growing small locally-owned businesses, fighting the
drug epidemic, keeping people healthy and providing quality of life.
It’s about supporting families. We will continue to focus on supporting
our existing businesses and industries that have built a strong economy
and where it makes sense, we will attract the best new companies and
industries that share our values and vision.
Traugott: When you think about all that is going on at Ethridge Farm,
the Fun Center, downtown projects, the parks projects, it is hard to
imagine what is next since we have so much to manage now. Regionally,
manufacturing sites are in short supply. I’m not sure if we have a role
to play in that, but it’s worth talking about. I can’t think of any land
we could put such a shovel-ready site on right now.
Thurman: In Midway, I feel we are in a good spot. It is interesting to
talk to the EDA committee. All of the lots at Midway Station have been
sold, so we wonder “What do we do now?” I think besides the 341 project
(dealing with the traffic and safety issues at Midway Station), one
thing I thought of is I just feel like farmers get left out of economic
development, and I feel like we have so much farmland in the county, We
see all these farms wanting to rezone as industrial, and I just wish
they had other options. Once we build on it, we can’t go back, but if
folks can’t do anything with it I don’t blame them. So, what can we do
economically to boost that and be more successful, I don’t know what
that is but we need to think about and come up with creative options.
Downey: I would love to see in the next decade the downtown projects
completed- between the parks projects and the downtown project itself
but I’d also love to see us evolve more into a walkable community with
accessibility for everyone (stroller to wheelchair/walker) and access to
community hubs easier and tap more into our adventure tourism and
outdoor activities like trails, the river and creek. I hope we continue
to lay the groundwork and help folks with the entrepreneurial dream to
be able to do that in Woodford County.