Community Project Funding FY22

ATTENTION: Community Project Funding (CPF) requets for fiscal year (FY) 2022 are now closed. Please visit page 'Community Project Funding FY23' to submit CPF requests for fiscal year 2023.

OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING: 

Community project funding requests are congressionally directed spending requests submitted by Members of Congress for their respective congressional districts to the House Appropriations Committee for potential inclusion in the appropriations process. Each request must meet strict eligibility guidelines set by the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. Specifically, requests need to follow the guidelines from the subcommittee of jurisdiction within the Appropriations Committee. In addition, requests must demonstrate strong community support. House Rule 23, clause 17, and supplemental policies require that Members certify no financial interest for the Member or their immediate family in community project funding requests. U.S. Congressman Andy Barr has certified that none of the requests he has submitted for Sixth District projects have financial ties to him or his immediate family. 

Please note, projects are listed in order of County.

Project Name: Lawrenceburg Sanitary Sewer Overflow Elimination and Sewer Extension Project

Recipient: City of Lawrenceburg

Address of Recipient: 100 North Main Street, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342 

Requested Amount: $750,000

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would make vital repairs to Lawrenceburg’s sewer system to eliminate overflows and to extend sewer service to neighborhoods with small lots that have failing septic systems. The sanitary sewer overflows and failing septic systems are contaminating groundwater and surface water causing serious water quality problems and threaten drinking water supplies.  This is destructive to public and private property, bad for recreation and tourism and hard on sanitary sewer equipment.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form: 

Project Name: The Barrier Free Re-Entry and Recovery Initiative (BFREE)

Recipient: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Address of Recipient: 200 East Main Street Lexington, Kentucky 40507

Requested Amount: $616,704

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will address the myriad of barriers that those seeking re-entry, post detention, and those who are on a path of recovery from substance use and opioid use disorder often encounter and that, if not addressed, can often lead to cyclical recidivism.  

The Barrier Free Re-Entry and Recovery Initiative consists of four key components;

1. Recovery Supportive Living Assistance: Addresses Housing Barriers for people with SUD/OUD where need has increased during COVID due to job loss (program provides funding for rent for those living in sober living residences). The proposal would add funding to support the initiative for FY22 which is currently housed in the city’s Department of Social Services. It has previously been funded by local tax dollars in the city’s FY21 budget. A small portion of the barrier reduction fund would also benefit this program.

2. Community Paramedicine Support: This service is Lexington's Response Unit that connects with those who have been in contact with city services for naloxone administration. Staffed by a EMS Firefighter, Police Officer, and a Social Worker; this multidisciplinary team is growing as it their demand for services. We are proposing the purchase of two vehicles to aid the Community Paramedicine team. As well as access to the barrier reduction fund to aid with wrap around services needed for those they are working with.

3. Re-Entry and Recovery Navigator: Additional support housed in Department of Social Services to help navigate those to treatment and recovery upon release from detention at our local detention center and those identified by Community Paramedicine. The support would come in the form of a grant-funded Re-Entry and Recovery Navigator (Social Worker or Community Health Worker) to assist with identifying treatment and recovery options, as well as access to the barrier reduction fund to aid with needed wrap around services for those they are working with. Of note: A Community Health Worker position was recently recommended by the Mayor’s Racial Equity Commission. This would help to fulfill that recommendation made by the Healthcare Disparities Sub-Committee of that Commission.

4. Transportation Fund: One of the most glaring barriers that seems to cross all partner agencies is one of transportation. This fund will be utilized to offer taxi vouchers, bus passes, or ride-share credits to those who are involved with either Department of Social Services, substance use programming, detention center or community paramedicine. Managed by the Re-Entry and Recovery Navigator, this fund would be utilized for FY22 until depleted.

The BFREE Initiative is responsive to all of the best practices of the sequential intercept model set forth by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The cross-collaboration, the early and significant event intervention opportunities (either during detention or immediately following a recorded overdose), the assistance with navigation for those seeking treatment options, and the addressing barriers by partnering with those agencies who can breakdown those barriers, all play a key role in the strategic response necessary to have effective impact on this crisis.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form: 

Project Name: Prep Academy at William Wells Brown

Recipient: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Address of the Recipient: 200 East Main Street, Lexington, KY 40507

Requested Amount: $3,221,600

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will addresses one of the top recommendations from the Education & Economic Opportunity subcommittee of Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton’s Commission for Racial Justice & Equity: providing three-year-old children in the William Wells Brown (WWB) community with high-quality education prior to enrolling in public school. Funding will be used to acquire land and construct a new facility that will create five new early childhood classrooms in the William Wells Brown (WWB) catchment area of Lexington.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form:

Project Name:  Blanton’s Landing Revitalization

Recipient: City of Frankfort

Address of the Recipient: 315 W. 2nd Street, Frankfort, KY 40601

Requested Amount: $1,000,000

Project Summary: The funding would be used for the revitalization of the empty Blanton's Landing property along the Kentucky River to create a public waterfront destination, support downtown economic development, and promote river-related tourism. 

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form: 


Project Name:  Cybersecurity/IT Workforce Development in Frankfort/Franklin County, Kentucky. 

Recipient: Kentucky Capital Development Corporation

Address of the Recipient:  109 Consumer Lane Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Requested Amount: $437,500

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide Employment and Training Administration resources to develop a certification program that will provide cybersecurity/IT training to low-income residents, particularly minorities and women, in the Frankfort/Franklin County region.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form:

Project Name: Farmdale Sanitation District Interceptor Sewer System

Recipient: Franklin County Fiscal Court

Address of the Recipient: 321 West Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40601

Requested Amount: $11,200,000

Project Summary: The funding would be used for construction of the Farmdale Sanitation District Interceptor System to eliminate failing and inadequate package plants providing safe reliable service and eliminating source pollution to private properties and natural waterways.

The project would fund the creation of a centralized transmission system that will result in sewage being conveyed to the City of Frankfort for treatment. The project will eliminate six obsolete and failing package plants and provide a framework to include all remaining package plants and ineffective private septic systems in the future, as well as the ability to extend sewer services down the 127 Corridor, an area currently unserved, which is badly needed for industrial and residential development.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form: 

Project Name:  Eastern Kentucky University Center for STEM-H Excellence. 

Recipient: Eastern Kentucky University 

Address of the Recipient:  109 Consumer Lane Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Requested Amount: $504,900

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide Employment and Training Administration resources to develop a certification program that will provide cybersecurity/IT training to low-income residents, particularly minorities and women, in the Frankfort/Franklin County region.

The Center for STEM-H Excellence will expand access to and enhance the quality of teaching, learning, and research efforts across all science, math, engineering, technology, and health science programs at Eastern Kentucky University with emphasis on student-centered classroom and teaching laboratory experiences, evidence-based co-curricular learning supports, and innovative research opportunities.

This early stage funding will be used to furnish and equip the STEM-H Center with the physical and virtual resources needed to support student success. Additionally, these funds allow expansion and modernization of several EKU teaching and research laboratories, ensuring EKU students gain hands-on experience with up-to-date equipment and instrumentation and preparing these students to transition seamlessly into Kentucky’s businesses and industries, as over 2/3 of EKU graduates remain employed in Kentucky 3 years after graduation.

The proposed initiatives, summarized here, are well-aligned with the needs of EKU’s students, 60% of whom are the first in their families to attend college and come from low-income homes. Additionally, these evidence-based practices can increase participation of women and other underrepresented populations in STEM-H fields.

  • The STEM-H Center will freely provide high-quality discipline- or skill-specific tutoring, helping all EKU students master foundational concepts in science, math, engineering, technology, and health science.
  • The STEM-H Course Embedded Consultants will partner with instructors to support students in 100- and 200-level math and science courses (serving ~1000 students/semester). Each peer consultant will work with ~30 students, providing both in-class assistance and individualized out-of-class tutoring and mentoring.
  • Equipment and Instrumentation Grants improve the quality and capacities of EKU’s STEM-H programs by funding substantial upgrades to the equipment in science, math, engineering, technology, and health science labs. These enhanced facilities will allow more students to use their fundamental knowledge in real-world applications, increasing motivation and persistence. Modern facilities help ensure graduates are well-prepared to enter Kentucky’s workforce. 

Ultimately, the STEM-H Center brings together a multidisciplinary team to engage learners in understanding and applying mathematical, scientific, technical, and engineering concepts and principles. These programs assist and challenge students at all skill levels as they become creators, inventors, scientists, and leaders for the twenty-first century.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form: 

Project Name: Madison County Economy Road: Road to Innovation

Recipient: Madison County Fiscal Court

Address of the Recipient: 135 W. Irvine St., Suite 300, Richmond, KY 40475

Requested Amount: $12,255,200

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because Madison County is seeking funding for a needed route (Economy Road) from KY-52 to the Central Kentucky Regional Airport to provide a safe and efficient access for users of the Airport while creating economic development opportunities within Madison County’s largest Opportunity Zone “OZ”. The Economy Road project is a project with much community support that is part of a bigger strategy of recruiting and retaining business investment in Madison County.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form:

Project Name: Menifee County School’s Security Project 

Recipient: Menifee County Sheriff’s Office

Address of the Recipient:  PO Box 142, Frenchburg, KY 40322

Requested Amount: $528,653

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would provide a secure environment for Menifee County students by upgrading the security systems in the Menifee County School District, including card access systems and updated security cameras on every campus. 

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form:

Project Name:  The Post Clinic Project

Recipient: City of Mount Sterling

Address of the Recipient:  33 North Maysville Street Mount Sterling, Kentucky 40353

Requested Amount: $984,812

Project Summary: The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will be used to fund construction of a new Post Clinic facility to provide free health and dental services for uninsured and underinsured individuals whose income is no more than 250% of the federal poverty level.

The City of Mount Sterling is partnering with the Post Clinic to seek funding to construct a new facility to provide free primary health and dental care to low-income patients annually who are unemployed or under-employed, and to the unserved and under-served residents of Montgomery, Bath, and other surrounding counties.  The proposed new facility will be approximately 3,732 square feet and will be located adjacent to the existing Post Clinic building at 15 Sterling Avenue in Mount Sterling where a parking lot is currently (Latitude: 38.062077, Longitude: -83.947085).

The new building will be a single story with a brick veneer exterior, a standing seam metal roof system, insulated glass windows for energy efficiency, and exterior metal doors. The interior and entry of the building will be ADA compliant. The building will have administrative areas, a kitchen area, examination and procedure areas for the patients, and restroom facilities. Building design will be compliant with the Kentucky Building Code, National Energy Code, National Electrical Code, ASHRE, Kentucky State Plumbing Code, and ADA complaint.

The construction of a new Post Clinic building would help facilitate the clinic to operate on a full-time basis, within a better and more efficient facility designed as a clinic. With planned increases in both the medical and dental services staff, this will enable the clinic to operate on a full-time basis by offering expanded hours of operation and having the ability to meet the needs of an ever-growing population. It is the intent of the clinic to continue operating as a free “no fee” basis clinic. 

Services provided by the Post Clinic are essential for local and regional economic development. By providing free healthcare to the local and regional workforce, the Post Clinic directly supports small businesses that cannot offer health plans to employees as well as businesses that rely on migrant or part-time workers. The Post Clinic also supports the uninsured/under-insured workforce by offering “after hour” scheduling to employed individuals so they are not required to miss work for necessary treatments. The Post Clinic provides economic development benefits to local businesses in three ways: Health Maintenance, Transitional Care, and Pre-Employment Physicals and Drug Screenings.

The Post Clinic expects to increase the number of patients served from 400 to more than 4,000 patients annually within five years, from the communities throughout the region. The clinic is planning to hire a mid-level provider (nurse practitioner) to accommodate this projected growth in patients served. Additionally, it is anticipated than more than 70 percent of patients served will be employed individuals that are uninsured, under-insured or need transitional care while employer insurance plans are pending. As outcomes of the project, the lives of each patient seen at the clinic will be improved; the communities they live in will subsequently be improved as a result of the care received; and each patient’s local business employer will benefit from the project by having fewer lost working days from its staff and less expenses as a result of those lost work hours.

Letters of Support and Member Certification Form: