LPC hears feasibility case for Bloomfield as regional CTE hub for heavy equipment, CDL and diesel programs

Nelson County school and regional workforce representatives told the Local Planning Committee that Bloomfield and the district's up center could host expanded career and technical education programs including heavy-equipment operation, diesel mechanics and commercial driver's license (CDL) training.

Mike Embry, a regional trainer and workforce-board affiliate, told the committee Bloomfield has the physical space and site conditions to host heavy-equipment training. "Very feasible," Embry said, describing the training footprint the district would need as far smaller than his district's offsite training range and within Bloomfield's site constraints. Embry said current heavy-equipment instruction is constrained by a small 30-by-70 workspace and that students would benefit from a larger, purpose-built area.

Miss Arnold (district staff) said surrounding districts have expressed interest in sending students to a shared regional site. "They said they definitely wanted to continue to be at the table and they were very interested in exploring this," she said of neighboring superintendents. The committee heard that nearby districts currently lack heavy-equipment or diesel programs and that shared access could be reimbursable: KDE reimburses CTE travel for partner districts at a rate that covers most travel costs, staff said.

District staff and trainers discussed funding paths. CTE funding from the state is tied to enrollment and program participation, Ward and other staff said: more students in CTE pathways typically yields more state funding. Private-sector partnerships were also presented as a frequent and important source of support for heavy-equipment and diesel programs. Ward noted that the district had previously secured a $10 million state grant for the up center and that making Bloomfield or Oak Kentucky Home available for CTE expansion would make the district more competitive for similar grants.

The LPC agreed to include flexible language in the draft DFP to preserve the district's ability to pursue future CTE expansion at Bloomfield or Old Kentucky Home (OKH) as an option. "If we wanted to apply for grants to support something like that," Ward said, "it's helpful to have it on the DFP; if you don't put something on the DFP, you won't be allowed to do it. But if you do put it on, you don't have to do it."

Committee members asked clarifying questions about logistics and capacity. Embry said typical dedicated training for heavy equipment can fit comfortably in an area several times larger than the current 30-by-70 space the district uses now; district staff identified a rough placeholder of about 10,000 square feet for a permanent heavy-equipment/training footprint. Staff also discussed potential program sequencing: adding CTE capacity would likely require that other campus transitions (for example at Nelson County High School) be phased to preserve interim classroom space.

Ending

The committee did not approve any construction or binding contract; it asked Ward to include a flexible CTE-expansion line in the draft DFP so the district can pursue grants and partnerships. Ward will prepare the draft for LPC review next week.