Gov. Steve Beshear has announced a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant for a new senior citizens center in Barlow.
The grant was awarded to the Ballard County Fiscal Court to construct the nearly 4,000 square-foot facility on South 4th Street. The Ballard County Senior Citizens Board is also contributing $88,000 to the project.
“Nearly one fifth of the population in Ballard County is over the age of 65 – making it an ideal place to construct a new and modern senior citizens center,” said Gov. Beshear. “The seniors in Ballard County will be well-served with the addition of this safe, spacious and easily accessible facility designed specifically to fit their needs.”
The current senior center is located in a former metal storage building and doesn’t meet ADA and UFAS standards for handicapped seniors. The facility’s lack of adequate parking compels seniors to park in reserved City Hall spaces and in front of the nearby fire station, blocking a clear pathway for fire trucks to enter and exit.
The new center will have plenty of parking, as well as an activity room, kitchen, dining hall, office space and area for exercise. It will have the capacity to serve the nearly 1,500 seniors that reside in Ballard County, including those who attend adult day care and those who live in BCSCB’s elderly housing apartments. The facility will also have the capacity to prepare and serve daily meals for seniors that both visit the center and those who need their meals delivered.
“An up to date senior center will be vital to serving our seniors, many of who are the volunteers who have made Ballard County the quality community it is today,” said Sen. Bob Leeper.
“It is important for cities and counties to give back to the senior citizens who worked hard to help build and make their communities what they are today,” said Department for Local Government (DLG) Commissioner Tony Wilder. “The new senior center in Barlow will be great resource to seniors in the Ballard County, giving them a safe space to socialize, learn, exercise and more.”
The state’s CDBG program is administered by DLG and funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Kentucky’s Congressional leaders’ continued support of the CDBG program ensures the availability of continued funding in Kentucky and nationally.
