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Partnership Between Owensboro and State to Jumpstart New Bluegrass Music Center

Bryan Leazenby
/
International Museum of Bluegrass

The city of Owensboro is receiving $5 million for the construction of the new International Bluegrass Music Center project along the town’s riverfront.

The money comes from a partnership between the city and state announced Wednesday by Governor Steve Beshear and city leaders.

Owensboro has been providing matching funds for a federal allocation supporting the riverfront. Instead, the state Transportation Cabinet will invest available state matching funds for a portion of the city’s responsibility for that federal allocation.

The move allows Owensboro to invest $5 million of its own funds in the new International Bluegrass Music Center, completing the 15-million-dollar project.

Mayor Ron Payne says the new music center will be a jewel along the city’s riverfront. 

“It will have an auditorium in the city and it is the intention of the bluegrass folks to broadcast a bluegrass opry out of there throughout the world," Payne said.

Payne says construction on the new bluegrass music center will begin this summer, with the opening scheduled for 2017. 

Kevin is the News Director at WKU Public Radio. He has been with the station since 1999, and was previously the Assistant News Director, and also served as local host of Morning Edition. He is a broadcast journalism graduate of WKU, and has won numerous awards for his reporting and feature production. Kevin grew up in Radcliff, Kentucky and currently lives in Glasgow.