Industrial authority reports growth at park; distillery and manufacturers expanding

Earl Bush, chairman of the Augusta/Brooksville/Bracken County Industrial Authority, updated the fiscal court on activity at the Bracken County industrial park and wider county economic-development efforts.

Bush said Nature Chem, the park’s first operating tenant, employs about 20 people, including Bracken County residents. He said Talcet (owner Chad Rankin) has completed a building and installed equipment to produce high-end camping equipment and perform limited machine-shop work; Rankin fabricated a small historic clock gear for a local cupola as an example of the shop’s capabilities.

Augusta Distillery, Bush said, completed a rick house currently storing roughly 12,000 barrels (with room for about 30,000) and plans a second rick house in spring; the distillery reported about 34 employees and roughly 14,000 visitors during part of last year and anticipates up to 25,000 as operations ramp up. Bush said a rick house costs about $2 million to build.

Bush described infrastructure work that supported development: Kentucky Utilities ran electrical service across the park and a three-phase line to Rankin’s shop; an 8-inch water line was installed across the park via a state PDI grant (reported value $316,000) and then turned over to the Bracken County Water District. He said those improvements were completed with participation from Buffalo Trace Economic Development, the distillery, the water district and state partners; Bush said the county incurred no cost for the waterline installation.

Bush said the industrial authority’s account balance was about $317,000 but that the authority owed Kentucky Utilities roughly $191,910; after payoff the authority’s balance would be roughly $125,000. He noted approximately 40 acres remain on the west side of the park that the authority holds a first option on and expects could be sold in two to three years.

Kevin Cornett (Buffalo Trace economic development) and other speakers described models from other rural counties that favor numerous small, ready-to-build industrial pads rather than a single large park. The court discussed pursuing weather-station (Kentucky Mesonet) placement on site; Western Kentucky University’s Mesonet program was described as able to provide stations at no cost due to federal and state funding.

Bush said that because of increased recreational and distillery activity the authority canceled a previous hunting lease and that trails and walking paths are being tied into distillery property as part of marketing and visitor amenities. He closed by urging the court to begin planning long-term economic-development strategy and options for additional sites or smaller pads across the county.