Gov. Beshear Announces Over $21 Million in Funding to Lewis and Carter Counties

Funding will support water and sewer infrastructure, career education

VANCEBURG, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2022) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials to announce $21,029,080 in infrastructure and education funding for Lewis and Carter counties. The funding comes through the Cleaner Water Program and the Better Schools Program, both of which are part of the Governor’s Better Kentucky Plan.

“World-class companies are betting their futures on Kentucky because of our world-class workforce,” Gov. Beshear said. “That’s why we must continue to put education first and invest in career training programs for our students. We also need to keep building that better Kentucky we all want, through projects like the ones we’re announcing today that improve infrastructure and access to clean water.”

“We’ve devoted the past several years to creating opportunities for Kentuckians and making this the best place to live and work. As a result, we’re getting things done. That means funding water projects, broadband expansion and education,” Rep. Patrick Flannery of Olive Hill said. “I’m very happy to see the money we allocated for these projects awarded. In particular, I hope our Local Area Vocational Education Center students and others interested in pursuing a path to a good paying, rewarding job through vocational education see this as an investment in them.”

Lewis County Eastern Lewis-Garrison Water Extension Project
Gov. Beshear awarded $1,029,080 in Cleaner Water Program funds to the Garrison-Quincy-KY-O-Heights Water District to construct 28,673 feet of water line to extend service to unserved areas in Scaffold Lick and various streets in Firebrick. This project will extend service to approximately 30 households in Lewis County. The funding will also replace approximately 12,792 feet of water line that is undersized. In addition, the project will alleviate water pressure problems for approximately 200 households through acquisition and upgrading of 24,441 feet of lines in the Fire Brick area.

“Today’s announcement means many people in Lewis County will be connected to water service for the first time ever,” Lewis County Judge/Executive Craig Stanfield said. “This is a huge step forward for our community as we work to improve our infrastructure. We want to thank Gov. Beshear for collaborating with us on this, and we look forward to building on this great progress.”

Lewis County Foster Meade Vocational Education Center
The Governor awarded $10 million to the Lewis County School District through the Better Schools Program. The funding will be used to construct a new facility and expand and add programming at the Foster Meade Career and Technical Center. The center has successfully provided career readiness training and industry certifications for the students of Lewis County since 1980, but it has only had one previous renovation in 42 years that directly impacted students.

“This investment in Lewis County Schools will help students to have long, successful careers,” said Lewis County Schools Superintendent Jamie Weddington. “One of our top priorities is to ensure students are prepared after high school for college, technical school or the workforce. This money is going to support us in this effort.”

Carter County Career and Technical Center
Gov. Beshear also awarded $10 million to the Carter County School District through the Better Schools Program. The funding will be used to support and expand the Carter County Career and Technical Center. The current Career and Technical Center, which hasn’t seen renovations, upgrades or additions in 21 years, does not have the capacity to accept all students who are interested in completing the district’s vocational training programs.

This funding will help build a brand-new facility which will provide room for programs such as pre-nursing, mechanical engineering, cyber engineering, carpentry, welding and more. The new center will offer more students the opportunity to kick-start their careers and futures, even before graduation.

“This investment will help prepare Carter County students and residents for successful careers,” Carter County Judge/Executive Mike Malone said. “Funding education is one of the best ways to support our county. This is a great investment in our future, and will help us for many years to come.”

“Carter County School District is very excited about the opportunities the LAVEC funding will provide for the students in Carter County,” Carter County Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Green said. “This investment will help our students get good jobs and be prepared to join the workforce. We want to thank Kentucky for prioritizing education and setting us up for success.”

About the Cleaner Water Program
Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, $500 million has been appropriated through a bipartisan agreement with the General Assembly to provide clean drinking water and wastewater grants to fund projects across Kentucky since 2021. The 2022 funding will be allocated based on each county’s proportion of the state’s population, with the exception of Jefferson County’s share, which is discounted by 50% based on its high per capita allocation from the federal act.

###