Driver Licensing Regional Office opens in Maysville; Mason County enters agreement to recycle gypsum as new revenue sourceMAYSVILLE, Ky. (May 27, 2022) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced further support of the state’s site development initiatives with a $300,000 grant from the state and a local match for upgrades to the former Federal Mogul facility in Maysville, allowing for additional space and resources to aid continued business development in Mason County.
“It is critical that we continue to invest in our communities throughout the commonwealth to lay the groundwork for future economic success,”
Gov. Beshear said. “This project will provide Mason County with a major advantage in attracting businesses looking to relocate and expand their operations quickly and efficiently. I want to thank all those involved for providing Kentucky with yet another resource for bringing quality businesses and jobs to our communities.”
The 153,600-square-foot former Federal Mogul building located at 1151 Morton Lane in Maysville will be used as a community speculative building to attract additional industry to the region. The investment will help make the facility a move-in ready option for prospective companies. The funds will be used for new LED lighting throughout the warehouse/manufacturing area and to upgrade and repave the parking lot/truck court area. The remainder of the funds will be used for cosmetic fit-up of the interior and exterior of the facility. These upgrades, coupled with the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority (MMCIDA) owning all 63 acres surrounding the facility, combine to create the region’s newest industrial park.
The Maysville location was selected for funding through the Product Development Initiative (PDI) earlier this year.
Jodi Ashby, executive director for the MMCIDA, said she is excited about what these investments can mean for the future of the community.
“The Product Development Initiative is making it possible for Kentucky and the communities within the commonwealth to be more competitive in industrial attraction,” Ashby said. “The MMCIDA is taking the steps necessary to use programs like PDI to be a frontrunner in property development and investment that will have returns for generations to come.”
Mason County Judge/Executive Owen McNeill emphasized what this investment means for Maysville and the surrounding communities and the collaborative efforts to make this project a reality.
“Kentucky’s PDI program is the perfect example of the innovative thought, foresight and hard work from the commonwealth that’s led to these record-breaking years and incredible economic momentum,” Judge McNeill said. “Maysville and Mason County are proud to partner with the state and our consultant, MWM Consulting, in leveraging these funds to upgrade what I feel is the best speculative building in the state less than 200,000 square feet. Given the MMCIDA already owns all 63 acres surrounding this building, expansion opportunities are endless with the facility.”
Maysville Mayor Debra Cotterill expressed her appreciation for all involved to bring this investment to Maysville and its residents.
“We greatly appreciate the support of the Beshear administration and especially the Cabinet for Economic Development for recognizing the work and commitment of the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority and local officials to secure an employer that can mean a higher quality of life for our families,” Mayor Cotterill said. “Partnerships between state government and communities like this leverage tax dollars, greatly increasing their impact on a local level.”
Rep. William Lawrence of Maysville also expressed gratitude for those involved in the investment and the impact that it will have on the ability of Mason County to attract new business.
“I want to thank everyone who played a role in bringing this award to Mason County and making this investment at home,” Rep. Lawrence said. “It is great to deliver this incredible news. By creating the region’s newest industrial park, this funding will have a significant impact on our ability to attract and develop businesses.”
Driver Licensing Regional Office in MaysvilleLast week, the Governor announced the opening of a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Driver Licensing Regional Office in Maysville. The new office is located at 668 Kenton Station Road and operating hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The new Maysville office is one of 27 Driver Licensing Regional Offices across the state, with at least four more offices planned to open this summer. Residents from any Kentucky county – regardless of where they live – may visit any regional office to request, replace or renew a driving credential. While Kentucky State Police (KSP) will continue to oversee driver testing, some testing sites are housed inside Driver Licensing Regional Offices. Applicants requiring written or skills testing must schedule an appointment online at assigned locations by visiting
kentuckystatepolice.org/driver-testing/.
Kentuckians can visit
drive.ky.gov to schedule an appointment online. Walk-in customers are offered on a first-come, first-served basis at most locations and guests are encouraged to visit this page to check the status of walk-in services before visiting an office. First-time REAL ID applicants must visit a KYTC regional office in person, with proof of identity, residence and social security. For a personalized list of required documents to bring when applying, visit
realidky.com.
Maysville-Mason County to Sell Unused Gypsum to Build Revenue, Protect EnvironmentToday, the Chicago-based Beneficial Reuse Management, Inc., (BRM) has entered an agreement with U.S. Gypsum to supply the wallboard manufacturing giant with synthetic gypsum from the Mason County Landfill in Maysville. The gypsum was discarded over many years by a local power company. The agreement is effective May 16, 2022 and will contribute significantly to removing 1.4 million tons of gypsum from the landfill in the next five years.
“The agreement with U.S. Gypsum and Beneficial Reuse Management to reuse gypsum from the Mason County Landfill marks a win-win-win-win situation,”
BRM President Trevor Schuurman said. “We thank U.S. Gypsum; the team at the Mason County Landfill led by Todd Leonard; Mason County Judge/Executive Owen J. McNeil, who has tremendous vision to make things better for the county; and Gov. Beshear, whose presence at today’s announcement underscores Kentucky’s commitment to enhance the state’s reputation for sustainability.”
Previously, BRM has worked with Mason County Landfill to establish smaller supply commitments with other gypsum users including a local cement company and BRM’s own fertilizer manufacturing plant in Winona, Minnesota. The county-owned landfill is paid for every ton of gypsum recycled from the site.
About the Product Development InitiativePDI was created in 2019 through a partnership between the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED) to provide competitive grants to Kentucky economic development organizations and local governments to supplement site and building improvement projects. The goal of PDI is to create jobs and corporate investment with enhanced quality and quantity of Kentucky’s available sites and buildings. It also encourages collaboration among Kentucky economic developers and stakeholders with an emphasis on speed-to-market to help new and expanding businesses quickly find suitable locations in Kentucky.
The investment in the Maysville site furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
In 2021, the commonwealth shattered every economic development record in the books. Private-sector new-location and expansion announcements included a record $11.2 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create a record 18,000-plus full-time jobs across the coming years. Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage for projects statewide in 2021 was $24 before benefits, a 9.4% increase over the previous year.
In recent months, the Beshear administration announced the two largest economic development projects in state history. In September, Gov. Beshear and leaders from Ford Motor Co. and SK Innovation celebrated a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs in Hardin County. And in April, the Governor was joined by leadership at Envision AESC to announce a $2 billion investment that will create 2,000 jobs in Warren County. These announcements solidify Kentucky as the EV battery production capital of the United States.
The economic momentum has carried strongly into 2022, with both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings upgrading Kentucky’s financial outlook to positive in recognition of the commonwealth’s surging economy.
For April 2022, the State Budget Director reported the highest-ever monthly General Fund receipts of $1.84 billion. That is up 34.9% over last April’s collections, bringing Kentucky’s year-to-date growth rate to 16.4%.
And Site Selection magazine recently placed Kentucky at 6th in its annual Prosperity Cup rankings for 2022, which recognizes state-level economic success based on capital investments.
To encourage future investment and location of an economic development project, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in April approved a grant agreement with the Maysville Mason County Industrial Development Authority under the Economic Development Fund program. The grant agreement may provide up to $300,000 in funding on a reimbursement basis based on the project investment of $600,000.
For more information on the Product Development Initiative, click
here.
A detailed community profile for Mason County can be viewed
here.
###
