Residents press county on hunger relief, solar project concerns and local youth baseball during public comment

Several members of the public addressed the Daviess County Fiscal Court Feb. 4 on a range of topics, including a request for county support to build a temperature‑controlled regional food warehouse, concerns about a proposed 1,200‑acre solar project, a local T‑ball anniversary and a county transportation safety update.

Steve Innes, representing Green River Community Food Warehouse, asked the court to consider cooperating with the city to help fund a temperature‑controlled facility to collect and distribute large donations of perishable food. Innes said the facility would cost about $4.3 million to construct (roughly $3.6 million in capital construction costs) and would have annual operating costs of about $250,000. He said the organization has raised roughly $1.2 million and that the board committed $450,000; Innes asked the court to consider matching any city contribution to move the project forward.

"There are about 15,000 people in Daviess County that are food insecure," Innes said, and his group estimates it could provide an incremental 200,000 meals per month with the new facility. He said the organization needs three years of operating funding secured up front to ensure continuity while it works toward revenue generation in year four.

Several commissioners expressed support for the concept and asked staff about available land and project logistics; county staff said the project has local support and that county officials will continue discussions with the organization about potential cooperation and funding pathways.

Tom Lovett, director of the Owensboro–Daviess County MPO, spoke from the public comment period about two recent serious crashes near the US‑60/Hawes Boulevard corridor and described a planned KYTC project to convert the US‑60 intersections at Hawes Boulevard and Wrights Landing Road into restricted crossing U‑turns (R‑cuts). He said the project was added to the MPO's Transportation Improvement Program, a contract was awarded in December, and construction is scheduled for completion in September 2026 with final striping and signage by Nov. 15. Lovett said national studies show R‑cuts reduce severe crashes and injuries.

Sharon Castle, owner of Windy Hollow Campground, urged the court to oppose a proposed 1,200‑acre West County solar farm that she said would surround the campground and harm the area’s aesthetics. County staff told Castle the solar development application had not been filed yet; when it is filed the matter will go to the Board of Adjustments and adjacent property owners should receive mailed notice. Castle said she understood the project would be leased land negotiated between property owners and the developer (NextEra), and she asked for a certified notice when the formal application is submitted.

Longtime volunteer Harold Wilson thanked the court for support of local T‑ball and invited the community to a 50th‑year celebration, recounting the program’s local history.

County Judge Executive Charlie Caslin read an email from Denitra Henderson, KYTC’s second district highway engineer, which confirmed plans and a $3.5 million contract award to convert the US‑60 intersections to R‑cuts and cited national crash‑reduction data. County staff said they will post the KYTC notice and related links on the county website for public reference.

None of the public comments resulted in immediate formal court action; speakers were invited to continue discussions with county staff and participate in future public meetings and Board of Adjustments hearings where applicable.