Sanders resigns Lincoln EDA post: theinteriorjournal.com

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Sanders resigns Lincoln EDA post
Michael Broihier
March 11, 2010

By Michael Broihier

It was the last order of business at Tuesday’s meeting of the Stanford/Lincoln County Industrial Development Authority (IDA), but the big news of the day was the resignation of Arlen Sanders as the Executive Director of the Economic Development Authority. In a press release, the IDA credited Sanders with bringing 330 new and potential jobs to the area and retaining an additional 72.

Sanders came to Stanford in 2006 from Casey County where he had served as Liberty’s Main Street Manager and founder of Liberty’s Chamber of Commerce. The IDA said that since then Sanders has been involved with over 30 projects to assist local businesses and business people in Lincoln County.

Sanders thanked those he’s worked with over the last year, saying, “It has been a great pleasure to work with some very special people on the board and in the county, (IDA) Chairman Bruce Edgington, Vice Chairman Dwayne Greer, Secretary/Treasurer Jeff Ralston, Paul Long, Doug Gooch, Ron ‘Buckwheat’ Gilbert, Bill Demrow, Superintendent Larry Woods, Eddie Carter and Bill Miracle.” His last day of work will be Mar. 31.

Stanford Mayor Bill Miracle, an ex officio member of the authority, formally asked the IDA to begin repaying the $250,000 the city provided to the IDA as part of a matching grant. The IDA has sold some property and the city would like its share of the proceeds. Miracle said, “I don’t want to make a big issue about this, but the city did borrow $250,000 for their share (of the grant) and we have paid considerable interest over time.” There are several partners in the grant and the IDA was unsure what the city’s share of the profits from land sales would be. Authority Treasurer Jeff Ralston said he would look into the original agreement and brief the shareholders on how proceeds would be split.

Judge Executive Bill Demrow was not looking for cash from the IDA, but proposed taking land in the new industrial park to offset the $250,000 the county kicked into the project. The board tentatively agreed to give the county a 20 acre plot of land in the northeast corner of the park for a new jail. The fair market value of the land would be used to partially offset the money the IDA owes to the county.

Demrow said that Garrard County has already agreed to partner with Lincoln on a jail and hopes that Rockcastle County may join forces with them to build a regional facility. The proposed site is a generally square piece of property with access to KY 78. Demrow hopes that the improvements being made on US 150 will be a selling point to Rockcastle County. Demrow said there is no timeline for building a new jail.

School Superintendent Larry Woods, also an ex officio board member, asked the IDA about the status of expanding sewer lines to Hustonville. Demrow told the authority that getting sewers to Hustonville was a top priority at both the state and federal level. Demrow, who recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. with former Judge Buckwheat Gilbert, said, “All you have to do is tell them students are eating off of paper plates (because of sewage problems) and you get their attention.”

Local engineer Doug Gooch said that Hustonville Elementary, which has a multitude of sewage and drainage problems, is key to developing sewers in Hustonville. Waste from the city will be pumped to Junction City and on to Danville for treatment, and the ‘inputs’ from the school are necessary to create the appropriate volume to make the system work.

Woods, speaking on behalf of Lincoln High Principal Tim Godbey, also spoke to an enthusiastic group about students opening a coffee shop in downtown Stanford as an extension of their business education. Woods said, “I think this would be a great endeavor for our kids,” and the authority agreed to discuss providing seed money for the project.

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