Board members
considering three
potential pieces
of property

By Misti Drew
Tribune-Courier Reporter
mdrew@tribunecourier.com

DRAFFENVILLE – Now armed with a promise of a $500,000 grant from the state, the Marshall County Board of Health is moving toward finalizing a location for construction of the new health department.

In last Thursday night’s meeting, board members discussed the need to move forward in selecting a location, as a finalized site is necessary to complete the grant application process.

The board had previously settled on a site after a year-long land acquisition process which extended from 2007 to 2008.

However, amidst land mitigation concerns, board members voted to drop their option on the piece of property located adjacent to the new county hospital off Old Symsonia Road.

The decision came after a round of reports suggested that mitigation of issues including the presence of a jurisdictional waterway and blue-line ditch would result in unnecessary additional expense.

Since that time, the board has been in a “holding pattern” citing budget concerns brought forth by Kentucky Deputy Commissioner of Health Steve Davis.

In a meeting held in April of last year, Davis warned of impending state budget cuts which were expected to exceed 12 percent of health department program funding across the state.

After seemingly weathering the storm, board members have once again decided to move forward.

County Judge-Executive Mike Miller said he and Board of Health Director Larry Davis would be heading to Frankfort on July 8 to sign off on the grant paperwork.

“We still have to go through all the hoops,” Miller said. “They’ve been saying we were going to get this money for some time. It went from $1 million down to $500,000. We don’t want a cardboard check this time.”

The board recessed into executive session to discuss the specifics of a possible location for the new facility.

Three options were disclosed after the meeting, all of which have been previously considered as viable options.

Finance reports indicate there is currently $3.2 million available for building, and while the health department does have another $1 million in CD savings, Larry Davis said the state mandates the money remain in security reserve.

A special session has been called for July 1 at noon where board members are expected to make a final determination on a land location for the new health department.