BOWLING GREEN/SOUTHCENTRAL KENTUCKY

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FutureEducation, growth and technology

in southcentral Kentucky’s communities

•Development boom isn’t without some headaches. Page 2

•Push continues for countywide broadband service. Page 11

Third in a four-part seriesComing April 30: What to do, how to relax in region.

2 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By CHARLES A. MASON cmason@bgdailynews.com

When property develop-ments are initiated in Warren County, the fight to approve projects can pit neighbor versus neighbor and neigh-borhood versus neighbor-hood.

They can also pit the agri-culture community versus people who would like to live out in the countryside but still have city conve-niences.

“We’ve got high growth and a very economical-ly successful community,” said Executive Director Ben Peterson of the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County. “Housing is a need to support that growth.”

The City-County Planning Commission of Warren County’s first quarter of 2017 has noticeably out-paced the first quarter a year ago.

“It looks like we could be on another record-breaking pace,” he said recently.

The commission has pro-cessed 99 applications in the first quarter of 2017, com-

pared to 80 in the first quar-ter of 2016.

The first quarter is tradi-tionally a slower time for applications to the planning commission.

That tension is no more true than when housing developments – particularly multi-family housing devel-opments – are planned for outside the Bowling Green city limits. There’s a nat-ural tension between agri-culture and housing and the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County recognized that when it approved a zoning ordinance policy recogniz-ing the importance of agri-culture called the “Right to Farm” policy. The poli-cy makes sure agricultural

operations remain vital as the city-style developments encroach farmland.

The planning commission also recognized the need for single-family housing in Warren County by making mandatory a sewer hook-up for any housing project within 2,000 feet of county sewer lines. The acreage on package plant sewerage sys-tems was enlarged and sep-tic systems underground are being phased out whenever possible.

The various development policies set the stage for the current construction boom of single-family and multi-fam-ily housing throughout the county as the area hopes to attract new residents from several states to fill a pro-

jected near 50,000-job need during the next decade caused by both replacement needs and growth in local industries’ needs.

The density in coun-ty housing subdivisions is increasing due to the hous-ing market and the increased infrastructure, Peterson said.

“Our ordinances are tied to infrastructure and wastewa-ter requirements,” he said.

Sewer line extensions to the South Warren Middle-High School complex and to Plano Elementary School in recent years are playing a role in housing.

“The sewer goes out to the schools and then past them,” Peterson said.

That growth out in the county causes a natural fric-

tion with the traditional agri-cultural landscape. Unlike other areas of Kentucky, the Bowling Green-Warren County area is considered more urban than rural.

“We have a good stock of housing on less and less acres,” Peterson said.

Additionally, the planning commission recognizes the need to preserve farming as a way of life.

THE ‘RIGHT TO FARM’ IS PROTECTED IN THE ZONING REGULATIONS

In Section 1.10, the Right to Farm policy notes: “Any agricultural operation or practice that is historical, traditional, legitimate and reasonable shall be protect-ed,” according to the zon-ing ordinance. “Any new or expanded agricultural opera-tion or practice that is legiti-mate and reasonable shall be encouraged.”

The Right to Farm policy goes on to say, “Agriculture, as a way of life, benefits all residents of Warren County. It is an important part of the economy and adds intrin-sic value to life in Warren County. Agriculture, as a

business, brings with it noise, odors, dust, mud, smoke and other inconveniences such as weed burning, equip-ment and livestock on pub-lic roads, odors from manure and feeds, odors from chem-ical applications, lights and noises at all hours of the day and night, and on-farm pro-cessing and marketing of crops and livestock.”

The policy concludes: “To maintain this way of life, Warren County intends to protect agricultural opera-tors from unnecessary, intru-sive litigation. Therefore, no inconvenience shall be considered a nuisance as long as it occurs as a part of non-negligent and legal agri-cultural practice.”

Of course, that policy doesn’t say anything about multi-family housing being approved for construction in a traditional farmland area in Warren County.

The sewer extension man-date, along with the pressure to build more single-fami-ly and multi-family hous-ing in the county collided recently when a developer wanted to build multi-fam-ily housing, develop two commercial lots and also provide for single-family housing lots just south of the South Warren Middle-High School complex along soon-to-be-expanded U.S. 31-W Highway heading south to the Simpson County line.

When the project first came before the planning commission in January, it failed to advance to the Warren County Fiscal Court by a single vote.

Later in March, the proj-ect by Woodland Station Development LLC was approved with some dissent.

Demand for houses exceeds current supply, Peterson said. “Developers see a market where it is advantageous to build,” he said.

Peterson said the idea is to keep the communi-ty and development in bal-ance. If the cost of housing, for example, is too high, it will be less affordable to potential new residents. As development moves out into the county, areas that have been rural for many years are taking on a more subur-ban character, the executive director said.

“If you are within 2,000 feet of a sewer line, you have to connect,” Peterson said. “That by itself is not a game chang-er, but it does result in smart planning environmentally and

GROWTH SPURT

See DEVELOPMENT, 3

AUSTIN ANTHONY/photo@bgdailynews.com

Charles DeWeese Construction builds a subdivision in 2014 in the 2400 block of Three Springs Road in Bowling Green. The road has seen development of multiple houses in the past few years, increasing trafic on the road.

Development pressures pit farmland against accelerated housing demand in county

“If you are within 2,000 feet of a sewer line, you have to connect. That by itself is not a game changer, but it does result in smart planning environmentally and

directs and guides growth.”

Executive Director Ben Peterson

City-County Planning Commission of Warren County

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 3

directs and guides growth.”Being that Warren County

has a karst topography, the sewer lines versus package plants and septic systems “are probably a good thing” for the environment, he said.

A 30,000-square-foot lot is required for a septic system. “If they can go on the sewer line, the lot sizes for hous-es can go a lot more dense,” Peterson said.

Besides the sewer require-ment, the housing develop-ments must meet a character and compatibility require-ment, he said. The idea is not to drastically change an area with a development. Growth is to be expected, but it must be managed for efficiencies and compatibilities.

“We’re growing, but we still have high-value farms and land. We want to preserve the rural area,” Peterson said.

The proposal by Woodland Station Development LLC, and Merrill and Shirley Stuart along U.S. 31-W was a smaller version of a plan nixed by the planning board in January by a single vote.

The plan dropped the num-ber of multi-family units on 9.5 acres from 225 to 128 and stipulated that no apart-ment building exceed more than eight units. Opposing the recommendation were commission members Richard Geraghty, Chuck Coppinger, Larkin Ritter and Albert Rich in the 7-4 vote.

Debate got personal and emotional as several area residents and dairyman Carl Chaney opposed the project by developer Luke Williams, particularly the planned two-story apartments.

“I have three children and five grandkids who want to remain in the area,” Chaney told the planning commis-sion in March. “That’s just the start of the ball rolling down the hill.”

Chaney said he was wor-ried about the continual use of Warren County’s most productive farmland in the southern portion of the coun-ty.

“The increased traffic will be dangerous for farm equip-ment,” he testified before the planning commission in March.

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN CITY CAN CAUSE SPARKS, TOO

Sometimes the develop-ment tug-of-war can involve commercial development in a traditionally residential area.

A Bowling Green proj-ect featuring two new com-mercial buildings planned along Fairview Avenue by Construction Design Management LLC also received some opposition before the planning commis-sion and the Bowling Green City Commission last year.

Despite pleas in opposi-tion that included a scripture from the Bible about wis-dom, the planning commis-sion voted in November to recommend a planned com-mercial-residential develop-ment along Fairview Avenue where two buildings will be 40 feet tall.

Construction Design Management LLC, which consists of Luke, Matthew and Zachary Williams of Bowling Green, requested rezoning about 2.49 acres at 1125, 1129, 1133 and 1143 Fairview Ave., plus 601 Greenlawn Ave. and 604 Meadowlawn Ave., from single-family residential to highway business.

“The buildings are beauti-ful buildings – just find some place else to build them,” the Rev. James Britt, a resident of Meadowlawn Avenue for 50 years, said during the November public hearing.

“Nobody asked us as neighbors if this would be done,” Britt said. Britt tes-tified that the development could benefit another part of the city.

Charlotte Smith, also a Meadowlawn resident, testi-fied that the street is the best to live on in Bowling Green.

“Our street is delightful and quiet. This proposal changes everything,” Smith said.

The county’s comprehen-sive plan for development governs a lot of what the planning commission mem-bers can vote to recommend.

It was an attempt to deal with Warren County’s booming growth about half a decade ago and brought to the table people from vari-ous sectors of economic

development and planning.

THE 2030 PLAN SETS THE TABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT

In 2011, city and coun-ty officials approved a new comprehensive land plan for Warren County. Writing six years ago, officials envi-sioned what’s happening today in economic develop-ment.

“Warren County stands at an important juncture in its history. Like many for-merly rural areas through-out the nation, over the past two decades the County has been experiencing sub-stantial ‘growing pains.’ Today, the County not only faces the prospect of fiscal stress caused by burgeon-ing demands for capital improvements and service expansion to meet the needs of future and existing resi-dents and businesses, but the community must now address issues such as how to continue to protect valued open space, rural character and the identity of its small-er communities. It is also necessary to exert influence on where and how growth occurs, to maintain contin-ued investment in downtown and avoid obsolescence in older areas,” the more than 300-page plan’s executive summary noted.

“As a basis for the cre-ation of an appropriate growth management frame-work, it is necessary to start with a new comprehensive plan that provides the ‘big picture’ – namely, an over-arching vision and a set of strategic directions for our community as a whole, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the dynam-ics of growth and change which we must grapple with for the next 20 years. Of utmost importance is to rec-ognize and prepare to man-age growth pressures that, if left unattended, could cause profound and irreversible changes to the character, quality of life, and environ-mental and fiscal health of Warren County,” the sum-mary noted.

That plan, combined with the county zoning ordinanc-es and comments by resi-dents and developers before the planning commission, sets the table for each proj-ect.

When the Woodland Station Development LLC project was debated before the planning commission, longtime member Larkin Ritter representing Warren County asked Peterson how the group could control fur-ther city-like encroachment in traditional farming areas.

“If we open the gate at this point, what is to stop the adjoining property next door?” Ritter asked. Officials had been told that if the Woodland Station devel-opment was approved, there could be a push to bring more housing to the south of Michael Buchanon Park on the same side of U.S. 31-W.

“My job is to bring the analysis to the planning com-mission,” Peterson replied to Ritter. “It is up to you to decide. Nothing would stop us from bringing an appli-cation before you. The deci-sions by the board would be on a case-by-case basis.”

Peterson said the land compatibility test is one that the planning commission can make in weighing future developments.

“The compatibility consid-eration is yours,” Peterson

told the planning commis-sion members in March.

Board member Kenneth Sparks of Woodburn said during the March debate that farmers want to keep farm-land from being developed, and putting four houses per acre versus one house per acre preserves more useable farmland.

“People are taking five acres (for one house) rather than building apartments,” Sparks said.

Bowling Green attorney Chris Davenport, who repre-sented the Woodland Station developer, said the planning commission has “a very dif-ficult job” in balancing the need for farmland and sin-gle-family and multi-family housing.

Belle Rush of Richpond said in March testimony before the planning com-mission that a change in the neighborhood changes her lifestyle forever.

“Rich Pond is a commu-nity where many of us don’t lock our doors,” she said at the time.

CITY-COUNTY GROWTH NOT TIED TO NASHVILLE METROPOLITAN AREA

Peterson said recent-ly during an interview that there is only one community in Kentucky growing faster than Bowling Green-Warren County. That’s the Boone County, Northern Kentucky airport region across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.

Many newcomers think that the area’s relatively close proximity to Nashville is a reason for the rapid growth here.

“We’re not a suburb of Nashville,” he said.

Growth of industry, busi-ness and educational oppor-tunities in the Kentucky Transpark, also off U.S. 31-W, in the northern part of Warren County could result in both north and south growth spurts along tradi-tional farmland areas.

Officials have said that land prices just north of the Kentucky Transpark might stop it from enlarging its current footprint and cause officials to look elsewhere for another industrial park in the county.

A new exit off Interstate 65, combined with exist-ing rail access and access to U.S. 31-W, means business and industry in the Kentucky Transpark is well served by transportation options.

Where the new industrial park lands, the single-fam-ily and multi-family hous-ing debate versus farmland debate is sure to follow.

The executive summary of the comprehensive plan adopted in 2011 noted how the development future in Warren County might play out.

“... this is an opportunity to ‘re-tool,’ to ensure that when these growth pressures resume (as they surely will), Warren County and each of its incorporated cities will be ready and well-equipped to encourage robust, but sus-tainable economic growth. The preparation of the Focus 2030 Comprehensive Plan was an opportunity for a broad cross-section of the community to define just what a sustainable future looks like, and to map out how to get there.”

– Follow business reporter Charles A. Mason on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.

From Page 2

DEVELOPMENT

CHARLES A. MASON/cmason@bgdailynews.com/

Members of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce and Houchens Industries gather at the new Crossroads IGA, 8381 Nashville Road following a ribbon-cut-ting ceremony for the new store across from the South Warren Middle School and High School complex.

Map shows agriculture land surrounding the planned Woodland Station development recently ap-proved for U.S. 31-W.

4 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

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By JUSTIN STORYjstory@bgdailynews.com

In the space of two years, the beverage industry has started tapping into several markets that had been bone-dry for generations.

Legislation enacted in 2016 that allowed Kentucky cities of any population size to hold elections on whether to allow alcohol sales paved the way for numerous com-munities in the region to stage votes that ended up creating wet cities.

Morgantown, Rochester and Woodbury in Butler County, Adairville and Auburn in Logan County and Plum Springs in Warren County have all voted in favor of the legalized sale of alcoholic beverages since the beginning of last year.

Barren County, which already had a wet municipal-ity in Cave City and allowed limited sales in Glasgow restaurants, also voted to go wet last year.

Allen County’s vote this year to remain dry appears to be an outlier alongside the neighboring commu-nities that decided to open their businesses to legalized liquor.

Pro-wet voters in these communities consistently argued ahead of their respec-tive elections that allowing alcohol sales would provide local governments with a new revenue stream that could conceivably address budgetary shortfalls.

That is the case in Barren County, where Cave City, Glasgow and county govern-ments each collect a 5 per-cent regulatory licensing fee from alcohol vendors within their jurisdictions.

The money from the fees collected by the county can be used to pay the costs of additional policing, reg-ulatory or administrative expenses associated with the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Less populous cities,

such as Morgantown, have been effectively prevented by state law from collect-ing regulatory fees on sales, though cities are allowed to charge businesses a fee for the licenses to sell alcohol.

Josh Hampton, who was involved in efforts to legal-ize alcohol sales in the three newly wet Butler County cities, told the Daily News in August that legalized sales, while not as potentially prof-itable as they would be in larger cities that can collect fees, would be “a good first step toward increased tour-ism and increased industrial development.”

Voters in Morgantown, Rochester and Woodbury decided to go wet the next month, one year after a countywide vote resulted in Butler County staying dry.

“I think it has to be viewed as an investment,” Hampton said in August. “There’s maybe going to be an upfront expense, but over time I think it will pay for itself.”

Perhaps the clearest cor-relation between an elec-tion allowing alcohol and an influx of revenue can be seen in the number of wet-dry votes in precincts that house small-farm wineries.

Bluegrass Vineyard in Smiths Grove stands to benefit from a recent elec-tion there in which voters approved the sale of wine on the grounds of the business.

In Auburn, a success-ful election held last year

allowed Carriage House Vineyards to sell its prod-uct on-site, less than a year before the city of Auburn itself voted to go wet.

Opponents of going wet were successful in Allen County, where concerns were raised about law enforcement potentially being burdened by respond-ing to a greater number of drunken drivers or other offenses fueled by alcohol.

While it’s unclear whether an increase in drunken driv-ing arrests in a community correlates with that commu-nity having recently allowed alcohol sales, law enforce-ment in newly wet com-munities are monitoring the roads for impaired drivers.

“Any time you have a county or city or munici-pality that goes from dry to wet, obviously law enforce-ment pays attention to that,” Barren County Sheriff Kent Keen said.

Barren County reported 313 arrests for drunken driv-ing in 2015, according to sta-tistics from Kentucky State Police.

Statewide, there were 23,024 arrests for driving under the influence that year, a slight increase from 2014. Overall, however, arrests for drunken driving have decreased statewide from 45,221 in 2000, according to the KSP.

– Follow courts report-er Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.

Pro-wet groups gain new strength in area

Morgantown, Rochester and Woodbury in Butler County,

Adairville and Auburn in Logan County and Plum Springs

in Warren County have all voted in favor of the legalized sale of alcoholic beverages since the beginning of last year.

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 5

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By JACKSON FRENCH jfrench@bgdailynews.com

Between commitments from two productions to film in southcentral Kentucky in the near future and a local group’s efforts to expand local opportunities, the film industry in the region seems destined to grow.

The industry received a major boost in 2016. Lured by state tax incentives aimed at drawing film productions to the state with a return of 30 percent of funding on all approved expenditures, George Shamieh, producer of Hallmark Channel movie “An Uncommon Grace,” decided to film in Hart and Barren counties.

Having recognized that routinely hosting profession-al film shoots in southcentral Kentucky could bring eco-nomic opportunities, Hart County Judge-Executive Terry Martin founded the Southern Kentucky Film Commission, a group dedi-cated to bringing more film shoots to the region.

“After that movie, we thought we should get on board,” he said, noting that “An Uncommon Grace” brought roughly $500,000 into the county.

More than a year ago, Martin applied for an Appalachian Regional Commission grant to finance a Hart County film studio, which he thinks would make

the region more attractive to producers.

The ARC proposal said the 48,000-square-foot stu-dio Martin wants would cost roughly $1.1 million. To fund the project, $50,000 would come from a Rural Development Business Grant and another $550,000 from the Hart County Industrial Authority, with the rest being covered by the ARC grant, if received.

“It’s a new industry that’s new to us, but we have expe-rience with shooting one movie here,” Martin said. “It seems to be going well, but I’ve got to have that studio.”

At a March 24 premiere of “An Uncommon Grace” at Way Church in Horse Cave,

Shamieh said he was enthu-siastic about the idea of Hart County having a studio, add-ing that it would provide an anchor point for a local film industry and further incen-tive for productions to seek out southcentral Kentucky.

Shamieh also said he was coming back to shoot another movie in May, one that makes use of the area’s “Amish aspect.”

The other movie that will be shot in the area soon is titled “Mail Order Monster,” which director Paulina Lagudi decided to shoot in Kentucky because of the state’s incentives and the testimony of Branscombe Richmond, associate pro-ducer and stunt coordinator for “An Uncommon Grace,” who is now an advisory member to SKyFC.

“They were going to another state, and I was able to convince them to come here because of the incen-tive as well as southern Kentucky’s hospitality,” he said. “We’ve got everything on the plus side. That’s why she said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ ”

As an advisory member to

SKyFC, Richmond has been active in selling Kentucky’s potential as a place to shoot to various Hollywood pro-ducers and directors.

“I’ve got to go out and fetch it,” he said. “Sitting here in Kentucky is not going to bring those guys in Hollywood here. I’ve got to go to them.”

Garrett Brawith, a pro-ducer looking to start a Kentucky-based film financ-ing company who attended the “An Uncommon Grace” premiere, said he thinks the state has a bright future in the film industry.

Aside from the state’s incentives, southcentral Kentucky is appealing from a filmmaking standpoint because of its wide variety of locations, Brawith said.

“Caves. Where (else) are we going to find caves?” he said, also praising the film potential of the overall rural setting.

He and Richmond are helping Martin in his goal of securing a film studio for Hart County, Brawith said.

“Being able to do that would be a massive boon to the local economy,” he said

Brawith said maintaining a strong relationship with the local community is key for any film production. “We’re looking for an area where people can benefit from projects that are brought in and in a sense they become partners,” he said.

Edmonson County Tourist Commission Executive Director Rhonda Clemmons, who serves as the SKyFC’s vice president, said the effort to attract film productions is a regional one.

“We’re generating a data-base of leads to work with,” she said, adding that the commission is also devel-oping a database the partic-ipating county tourism com-missions in Hart, Warren, Barren and Edmonson coun-ties can use to share inqui-ries with one another.

Clemmons said the effort to bring more films into the area is being pursued region-ally because when a pro-duction starts in one coun-ty, other counties benefit as well.

– Follow reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.

Region pushes for ilm futureIndustry appears primed for growth in southcentral Kentucky

PHOTOS BY AUSTIN ANTHONY/photo@bgdailynews.com/

Above: First assistant director Joel Morales (left) ilms a scene Nov. 14 for “An Uncommon Grace” in Hart County. Below: Mark Easterly of Hart County acts in a scene for “An Uncommon Grace.”

More than a year ago, Hart County Judge-Executive Terry Martin applied for an Appalachian Regional

Commission grant to inance a Hart County ilm studio, which he thinks would make the region

more attractive to producers.

People gather in 2014 at a trail near South Warren Middle and High School for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 7

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By WES SWIETEKwswietek@bgdailynews.com

A more walkable commu-nity is a healthier and safer community, according to Miranda Clements, green-ways/multimodal coordina-tor for the Bowling Green-Warren County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Through new greenways, sidewalks and multi-use paths, officials are working on making the city and coun-ty a place where feet are an increasingly popular mode of transportation.

T h e G r e e n w a y s Commission has been work-ing to develop a connected system of walking and bicy-cling pathways through the community since the first Greenbelt Master Plan was adopted in the late 1990s, Clements said. So far, 20 miles of paths have been built, with more on the way.

Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson said the city’s aggressive sidewalk building program is aiding the walkability goal.

“Our concentration is on (filling) those gaps which can tie in a larger area, plus sidewalks tying to schools, parks and concentrated retail areas,” Wilkerson said. “Those appear to provide the greatest impact.”

And at the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, trails and paths are a priority outlined in a long-range plan released last year. Earlier this month, a ribbon-cutting was held for the Loops at Lovers Lane – a walking/hiking gravel path around the perimeter of the park and a concrete path inside the perimeter.

Walkers and joggers are now a steady presence on the 1.6-mile loop around the park.

“It’s being used on a daily basis,” city Parks and Recreation Director Brent Belcher said recently. “We’ve had nothing but pos-itive feedback.”

While the outer loop was designed so that two trips around it equal a 5K, the inner concrete paths are designed to help pedestrian flow through the bustling park.

Filling sidewalk gaps is part of the city’s Neighborhood Improvement Plan, which entails taking a

specific area of the city and doing a variety of improve-ments in a concentrated timeframe.

The first NIP program is finishing up in an area around Reservoir Hill toward the Western Kentucky University campus, where hundreds of feet of sidewalk were repaired or built.

“Rather than just build-ing sidewalks, we looked at areas in need of repair,” city Neighborhood and Community Services Director Brent Childers said previously. “Some were as small as 4-foot sections, some as long as 120 feet.”

One area that got both new sidewalks and repairs was Josephine Street. The sidewalk projects there have established a pedestrian path in the neighborhood to U.S. 31-W By-Pass and Lehman Avenue, the site of much new retail development.

Atop Reservoir Hill, new

walking trails have also been completed as part of the NIP.

Bowling Green residents were also recently asked to provide input via an online survey on walking and bik-ing needs and habits for a plan being developed to assess all modes of transpor-tation in the area.

In an email, Clements out-lined some of the reasons walkability is a goal of local planners:

“Public health benefits – fewer than 50 percent of Americans meet guidelines for moderate physical activ-ity – walking is an easy and affordable way to correct this; cost savings through reduced medical expens-es for individuals and the nation as a whole; improved mental health.

“Affordable transportation – although gas is cheaper now, it costs an average of $8,000 to $10,000 a year to operate a vehicle.

“Social justice – many low-income people are dependent on walking, bicy-cling and transit for daily transportation and need safe facilities.

“Environmental benefits – one-third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States is created by motor-ized transportation – plan-ning, designing and build-ing a walkable environment could reduce this impact.

“Social connectivity – informal social interactions occur in walkable communi-ties, reducing the social iso-lation often evident in auto-

mobile dependent, single-use residential subdivisions.

“Recreation – a walkable community provides safe and enjoyable places to walk and run for all residents.”

The MPO last fall hired a Nashville consulting firm, RPM Transportation Consultants, to develop a multimodal master plan that addresses the myriad issues associated with developing a comprehensive transporta-tion system, said Clements.

A steering committee has been working with RPM to look for opportunities to improve the area’s walking,

bicycling and transit envi-ronment, Clements said.

As part of that effort, an online survey has been post-ed at www.surveymonkey.com/r/BGMOVES. The sur-vey includes questions about biking and walking in the city.

Clements said previously while various plans address-ing things like greenways and improved walkability have been done, the new multimodal master plan will “serve as a foundation for the new plan. We want

Walkability an important goal for city, planners

DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTOS

Then-Western Kentucky University student David Mokone runs on the greenway along Cemetery Road in Bowling Green.

See IMPACT, 8

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8 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

REAL ESTATE

WKU offers three real estate program options to students:

• Qualifying courses for Kentucky licensure; • Certificate; and, • Associate of Arts, (Business with Real

Estate Concentration).

These options prepare students for increasing levels of responsibility and a multitude of careers within the field of real estate.

Contact Information:

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low-cost solutions for providing safer facili-ties for all users.”

The plan will assess things such as the current state of and potential improvements for things like sidewalks, greenways, bicy-cle and pedestrian paths and public transit. There are three ultimate goals of the effort: to promote sustainability, accessibility and safety, Clements said.

Once complete, the plan will be used by the MPO and other governmental entities going forward, she said.

According to the MPO’s Request For Proposals outlining the scope of the master plan, it will include:

“Recommendations for appropriate facil-ities for each type of street will be made

(including on-street and off-street green-way paths), sidewalks, bicycle lanes, bicy-cle parking and recommendations for pos-sible park and ride locations. Connectivity to existing and recommended greenway and transit routes will be identified. Design requirements for each type of facility will be provided, such as width requirements for bicycle lanes and off the road shared-use trails.

“Emphasis should be given to connectivi-ty between key destinations, such as schools, residential areas, work places, parks, com-mercial and entertainment areas and their proximity to transit stops and routes.”

The final plan is due June 30, but the MPO hopes to have it completed by late May, Clements said.

– Follow city government reporter Wes Swietek on Twitter @BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.

From Page 7

IMPACT

Bicycle Comfort Levels

Blue: Beginning riders, including children

accompanied by an adult

Yellow: Intermediate riders who have the skill to

ride as a vehicle in traffic

Red: Advanced riders who have the skill to

navigate heavy vehicular traffic

Green: Greenways/off-road shared-use paths that

are separated from vehicular traffic; suitable for

all skill levels

The comfort level rating helps bicyclists of different skill

levels find a suitable route within their neighborhood or

to their destination. All the routes are within the

vehicular travel lane on public streets, with the exception

of the Greenways/Shared-Use paths.

o

at

r

kill

or

the

n

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 9

10 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

C aring M akes a D ifference

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Demolition continues at the former Ellis Place building at 700 State St. In the background, construction is underway on The Vue apartments. A multi-use development is planned on the Ellis Place site.

People walk among vendors last month during Bowling Green Night Market near Bowling Green Ballpark.

By WES SWIETEKwswietek@bgdailynews.com

Less than 10 years since it was formed, the WKU Gateway to Downtown Bowling Green Tax Increment Financing District has fundamentally changed the landscape of Bowling Green in myriad ways, with more changes coming.

When it was established in 2008, there was a six-year window in which the TIF district had to attain $150 million in investments to

qualify for the state program.“We got there two years

early,” an early indica-

tor that the project would be a success, said Doug Gorman, director of the

Warren County Downtown Economic Development Authority. The authority oversees the TIF District.

The local TIF district is the largest in the state, totaling more than 300 acres stretch-ing from Western Kentucky University to The Medical Center’s campus near the Barren River.

So far, the local TIF dis-trict has seen investments of more than $300 million by various entities, including more than $100 million in private investment.

“It’s been a great pro-gram,” Gorman said, a sen-timent echoed by Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon.

“What’s happening downtown is influencing the growth of the region,” Buchanon said in an email.

“The numerous proj-ects within the TIF district are stimulating downtown development all around the perimeter of the district as well.

The purchase of the old Sears-Roebuck proper-ty, more recently being used for (social services), has been purchased and is being razed to develop a unique multi-use devel-opment, and the old post office property on 11th Street has been purchased for redevelopment as well.

Other multi-use properties inside the district and around the perimeter are planned and should be announced soon as well.

“The downtown renais-sance is changing the character and perception of our entire communi-ty,” Buchanon wrote. “The urban environment and cul-tural improvements in our downtown have changed the character of our city, coun-ty and our region. I believe that our efforts downtown have long-term benefits to our regional attraction for new residents, new work-force and new business development.”

In state-approved TIF

districts, a portion of the increased tax revenue from the development in a district is returned locally.

The state has returned more than $10.5 million to local entities since the local TIF was started.

Among the signature TIF district projects are Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the minor league Bowling Green Hot Rods, which opened in 2008, and the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2012. Since their openings, the venues have attracted more than 2 million visitors to downtown Bowling Green.

Other major projects now underway include The Vue, a multimillion-dollar res-idential and retail project facing State Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues.

New Millennium Real Estate LLC is building The Vue, which is scheduled to include more than 50 res-idential units, as well as shops and a restaurant.

The Vue developers are also planning a mixed-use project, including residential units, across the street at the former location of the Ellis Place bar.

At Stadium Park Plaza between Bowling Green

Ballpark and SKyPAC, developer Jerry Katzoff has said he is considering build-ing condominiums on the unfinished sides of the wrap around the downtown park-ing garage.

The new businesses have brought many entertainment and nightlife options to the downtown area.

“The next step and what everyone can see is residen-tial,” Gorman said. “We’re excited about that prospect.”

“The missing piece had always been the residential,” Gorman said, but now there is $20 million in underway, planned or soon-to-be-an-nounced residential projects in the works for the TIF dis-trict.

“That’s a testament to the growth,” of the entire dis-trict, Gorman said.

One of the needs that has been identified by many is a grocery store in the down-town area.

“We continue to work with a couple of interested parties,” Gorman said, add-ing that what will help lure a grocery store is the coming influx of residential develop-ment.

– Follow city government reporter Wes Swietek on Twitter @BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.

TIF District reshaping regionPHOTOS BY BAC TOTRONG/photo@bgdailynews.com

The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center is one of the anchors of the TIF District in downtown Bowling Green. Hundreds of people wait for the sold-out Beach Boys show on July 23, 2015.

“I believe that our efforts downtown have long-term

beneits to our regional attraction for new residents, new workforce and new business development.”

Mike Buchanon

Warren County judge-executive

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 11

By JACKSON FRENCH jfrench@bgdailynews.com

Warren County could soon decide on a plan to connect to a project that, when completed, will enable every Kentucky county to provide its residents with high-speed internet, also known as broadband.

In August, Warren County Fiscal Court received seven bids regard-ing a proposal for plans to connect to the Next Generation-Kentucky Information Highway, a state-wide network of fiber-optic cables with connections in every county. Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon said the county will likely be ready to choose one near the end of April or in May.

He and the six magistrates who make up fiscal court frequent-ly receive complaints about local access to high-speed internet, which is almost nonexistent in rural parts of the county and not wholly satisfying for people who live in Bowling Green, Buchanon said. “In recent months, with the changing landscape of provider buyouts and mergers nationwide, we have received a record num-ber of complaints and dissatisfac-tion from residents and businesses within the urban footprint,” he said in a text message.

There is a massive demand for high-speed internet, he said.

“Broadband, in most people’s minds and lives, has become a necessity,” he said. “To most, it is as necessary and expected as elec-

trical power, water or natural gas.”Brian Mefford, CEO of

Connected Nation Exchange, a company working with fiscal court on expanding broadband in Warren County, said the proposals the county received can be divided into three categories.

At least one plan calls for the county to build its own broadband infrastructure to connect more remote communities and neighbor-hoods to the network.

The second category is an incre-mental, demand-driven model, calling for one outlying section of the county to be provided with high-speed internet and expand-ing the connection throughout the county piece by piece from there.

“Once the business was oper-ating good in this segment then it would basically support building into the next segment,” Mefford said. “You’re addressing first the areas of greatest need in this model, but the downside is it’s only incre-mental.”

The main drawback with this approach is the possibility that a lack of demand in one area may prevent private companies from expanding broadband to other parts of the county, thus stalling the project, Mefford said.

The final type of approach calls for the county to build its own county-exclusive middle mile that branches off from the state middle mile and connects to public facili-ties like schools, fire departments and water towers. Private entities would be invited to build onto that

infrastructure to bring broadband to outlying communities.

All three plans depend on the middle mile network, Mefford said.

“The state middle mile project is part of what will make the county-wide project more economically feasible,” he said, adding that the project is too massive for the coun-ty to undertake itself.

In 2015, then-Gov. Steve Beshear issued an executive order calling for construction of the middle mile infrastructure, a 3,000-mile path of fiber optic cables in a loop around the state.

The project started as an initia-tive to bring high-speed broadband to eastern Kentucky, said Mike Hayden, chief operating officer of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority.

Hayden said rural areas across the country tend to be underserved in terms of access to fast internet.

“In rural America, there’s an unmet need,” he said.

The project is still mainly focused on the Appalachian region, he said, adding that the mountain-ous terrain and sparse population have discouraged internet provid-ers from investing in the area.

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky, who represents Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District, which encompasses much of Kentucky’s southern Appalachian region, was one of its earliest supporters and managed to secure roughly $23 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for the proj-

ect, according to Hayden.Because of the sheer enormi-

ty of the project, though, the state couldn’t afford to do it without help from the public sector, he said.

“In order to take this plan to a statewide level, we had to come up with a more creative means of financing,” Hayden said.

That method of financing is a public-private partnership, also known as a P3, and is being pur-sued jointly with Macquarie Capital, an Australian investment banking company, he said.

Macquarie will develop and operate the network for the next 30 years, according to a KIH news release.

Warren County, in completing its own network designed to tap into the middle mile, will also fund it via a P3, according to Mefford.

Macquarie, information technol-ogy equipment and services com-pany Fujitsu and engineering and construction consulting company Black & Veatch have all expressed interest in working with Warren County on a P3, he said.

“There’s various benefits to a public-private partnership,” Mefford said. “One of the bigger benefits is transferring the risk from the public sector to the pri-vate sector.”

Some public networks similar to what Warren County is trying to do fail because the financial risk is too much for the public agency to shoulder, Mefford said.

Though the Warren County net-work will connect to the middle

mile project, it doesn’t require it to be completed before construction can begin, he said.

The entire state project is expect-ed to be finished in 2018, accord-ing to Hayden.

There have been some delays in the project because of the need to clear use of local utility poles with numerous providers that own the poles, he said.

Roughly 85 percent of the net-work’s cables will be supported by telephone poles, he said.

Hayden said other states are watching Kentucky to see how to move forward with similar proj-ects. “We’ve had a good 16 or 17 states call us and ask us how we’re doing it,” he said.

In Warren County, Buchanon said having an “open system” will encourage new providers to enter the market and be competitive, as well as allowing current provid-ers to expand at a reduced cost by making use of public infrastruc-ture and will provide more people throughout the county with higher speeds and better services at lower prices.

“Although initiatives of this magnitude take a great deal of time and investment, I believe it will enable universal accessibility, and allow the private market to provide a superior product and service to consumers at a lower monthly fee for our citizens,” he said.

– Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.

Warren continues its move toward countywide broadband

“Broadband, in most people’s minds and lives, has become a necessity. To most, it is as necessary and expected as electrical power, water or natural gas.”

Mike Buchanon

Warren County judge-executive

12 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

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Don’t Miss

Your Chance!

By ALYSSA HARVEY aharvey@bgdailynews.com

Before students gradu-ate from college, they often wonder where they’ll go and what their next step will be.

As a college town, Bowling Green wants to keep these educated stu-dents.

“We do good old-fash-ioned career counseling. We do make them aware of local positions in Bowling Green and surrounding counties. We do everything we can to help them,” said Robert Unseld, Western Kentucky University’s director of the Center for Career and Professional Development and the Student Accessibility Resource Center. “We do nine career fairs. A large per-centage (of the employers) there are from the Bowling Green area or branches in or close to Bowling Green.”

The center also partners with the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce to promote full-time and part-time employment through-out the year, Unseld said.

“There are currently more than 4,000 job postings in the 10 counties that make up southcentral Kentucky, more than 2,000 of which are in Bowling Green. We have two regional hospi-tals located here and three major health care providers. Bowling Green is the world headquarters for Fruit of the Loom and its brands,” said Kim Phelps, the chamber’s vice president of commu-nications and public policy. “There are openings in all six high-demand sectors – health care, manufacturing, hospitality, professional ser-vices, construction and trans-portation, distribution and logistics. Those jobs include registered nurses, operator technicians, industrial main-tenance technicians, human resources specialists, inside sales coordinators, educa-tors, accounting clerks and engineers of every type.”

Students need to be made aware of the “breadth of employment opportunities that exist in the high-demand sectors” in Bowling Green, Phelps said.

“There are several nation-al brands with facilities in Bowling Green, so this is also a great place to start with opportunities to grow and climb up the corporate ladder if that is a student’s ultimate goal,” she said.

They should also know about the workforce sys-tem that’s available to help match them to those career opportunities, Phelps said.

“The Kentucky Career Center here in Bowling Green is currently serving as a one-stop pilot for the state in delivering career-focused services,” she said. “Students don’t have to conduct the job search on their own. They can reach out to the Career Center and to other work-force partners, like Goodwill Job Junction, for help find-ing employment.”

Students’ ambitions drive the type of career coaching they receive, Unseld said.

“We’ve got students who want to have an international experience. We have at our disposal to get them that,” he said. “It’s just like if we have an international student who wants to stay here, we work to get them here. When a Hilltopper tells us they want to get a job in a certain place, we help them. We try to stay connected to the communi-ty.”

Bowling Green is grow-ing, Unseld said.

“Bowling Green is a place where money goes a little bit further than a city. The low cost of living can help out,” he said. “This is one of the

friendliest cities I’ve been in.”

Getting to a big city is just a short drive away, Unseld said.

“If you need a big-city feel you can head an hour south and hit Nashville and two hours north and hit Louisville and come back and have the small-town feel,” he said.

While he didn’t have sta-tistics for the number of students who stay in south-central Kentucky, he said 77 percent of students stay in Kentucky, 9 percent go to Tennessee and the rest are distributed across the coun-try.

“Most students are com-ing from Kentucky and want to make a difference in the lives of the people they actu-ally know. A lot of it is close family bonds,” he said. “I think that Kentucky offers a pace of life that can be very fast-paced in Lexington and Louisville, slower paced in rural towns and in between in Owensboro and Bowling Green.”

WKU is graduating peo-ple out of strong programs, Unseld said.

“(Bachelor’s degree stu-dents are) getting entry-level professional positions where they’re getting their feet wet. Master’s and Ph.D. gradu-ates have instances where they’re already in their careers and are going for higher-level administration or management,” he said. “They’re coming here and getting a degree. They’ve got the credentials. They’ve got the skill set. Go Tops.”

– Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter @bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 13

Celebrating 70 Years of bringing News/Talk Radio to South Central K entucky

Celebrating our 57 th Year

Talk Radio to

Enlighten, Inform and Entertain

93WKCT

Sure, we’ve seen some changes since

1947. Prices are skyrocketing. No more

“pony prizes” or free water. Modern

radio technology seems like science

fiction when compared to then. And

the days of bringing live bears into

crowded studios are long gone!

But one thing remains the same.

WKCT’s commitment to bringing you

up-to-date news, sports and weather

every day of the year...from 1947 to the

present and into the future.

From 930am ...to TALK 104.1

A Bowling Green man

now represents Kentucky’s

franchised new-car dealers

on the board of directors of

the National Automobile

Dealers Association.

Danny Renshaw’s term

started in January and runs

until January 2020.

Renshaw is president

and chief executive officer at

Renshaw Automotive Group

in Bowling Green. He started

in the automotive business in

1973 as a salesman at North

City Ford in Madisonville.

He served as chairman

of the Kentucky Automobile

Dealers Association in 2012

and has also served on the

Ford National Dealer Council

and Toyota Regional Dealer

Council.

Renshaw has been on

the Western Kentucky

University Foundation Board

of Trustees since 2011. He

Dan Renshaw

Elected by

Automobile Dealers

as NADA KY

Representative

served as director at First

United Bank from 1996 to

2012.

Renshaw was named

Madisonville Chamber of

Commerce Small

Businessman of the Year in

1985 and received the WKU

Distinguished Service Medal

in 2015.

NADA represents nearly

16,000 new-ccar and new-

truck dealerships.

Bowling Green works to retain college grads

Students’ ambitions drive the type of career coaching they receive,

said Robert Unseld of Western Kentucky University.

14 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By DEBORAH HIGHLANDdhighland@bgdailynews.com

Foam body armor capable of stopping bullets, including those that can pierce body armor, direct-ed energy devices that send out signals to disrupt and stall a vehi-cle’s electrical system and porta-ble drug testing kits capable of identifying more than 300 sub-stances are just a few of the new or emerging technologies of inter-est to police.

Like nearly every other field of work, technology has led to several advances in law enforce-ment. DNA evidence has not only helped police solve all types of crimes, it also speaks volumes to juries.

Digital evidence has been around since the advent of cellular telephones and before that pagers.

But it has only been in the last 20 years that small police agen-cies have started paying closer attention to that type of evidence that is available in almost all crimes.

Most recently, police agencies large and small have been buying body cameras to place on officers to document evidence and any issues that arise regarding an offi-cer’s behavior on the job.

And for several years, many police departments have been using in-car computers so police can write their reports, print cita-tions and file paperwork directly from their cruisers.

The Bowling Green Police Department, in addition to in-car computers, has also issued tab-let computers to its officers on motorcycles. The tablets are stored inside the saddlebags along with a portable printer. Late last year into early 2017, BGPD offi-cers were given body cams.

“Technology and technologi-cal advancements are extreme-ly important in law enforce-ment,” Bowling Green Police Department spokesman Officer Ronnie Ward said. “New proce-dures and processes in the way crime scenes are investigated allow better analyzation of par-ticular pieces of evidence such as DNA and finger printing. You think about the advancements that have already been made and what does everyone think is in store for the next 10 years, we all wonder what tools we will have 10 years from now that allow our jobs to be more thorough or easier, being more exact in being able to deter-mine someone’s identity.”

Some new technology such as enhanced drug testing devices

have been introduced while other items are being researched.

“There are a couple of devices out there to test drugs on site,” Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force Director Tommy Loving said. “They run about $15,000 to $20,000 each. They at this point have not been approved to use in court.”

One device, TruNarc, tests for more than 370 substances, he said. Even though it hasn’t been approved for use in court in Kentucky, the proliferation of powder fentanyl makes this device attractive.

Clandestine-produced fentanyl is an opioid many drug sellers are using to add bulk to their heroin and to make their own pills they then pass off as more expensive pain pills.

The substance can be absorbed through the skin or could inad-vertently be inhaled by an officer during an arrest of someone who has the drug in powder form.

“From a safety standpoint with the increasing threat of fentanyl and carfentanyl, we could know immediately what we’re dealing with,” Loving said. “It would also, for initial charges, be help-ful when you encounter a powder substance, you would know what that substance is immediately.

“With fentanyl if it’s ingested by breathing or touching the pow-der substance ... it can cause an immediate overdose requiring an administration of Narcan. So if we went into that type of environ-ment, we could use this device to immediately determine how dan-gerous the environment was, then we could back out until we have proper protection on to deal with it,” Loving said.

Carfentynal is “multiple times more potent that fentanyl. And as dangerous as fentanyl is, carfen-tanyl is much more dangerous. We have seen a little fentanyl in Warren County,” he said.

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., Loving learned about a lightweight material that could be used for ballistic vests.

“I was shown a very lightweight material that can be used for bul-letproof vests that hopefully will be in production in the next few years that will hopefully make them more wearer-friendly,” Loving said.

A professor at North Carolina State University developed a composite metal foam that pul-verizes armor-piercing bullets on impact, according to an online article on the university’s website. That material has been studied for

several applications.The National Institute of Justice

is testing technology for police pursuit management.

In 1995, a tire deflation device was created to immobilize mov-ing vehicles on the roadway. Commonly referred to as spike strips, police have been using that technology since it became avail-able, but setting the strips out can be hazardous to officers on the side of the road with traffic whiz-zing by at 70 mph.

The NIJ recently provided money for research of electronic devices that can be used to stall cars. One of the devices, like stop sticks, require that an officer place it on the road.

Other devices, directed energy devices, send out directed energy to stall a vehicle.

“As with electronic discharge devices, directed energy devices use an (electromagnetic) pulse to short a vehicle’s electrical sys-tem. Unlike the electronic dis-charge and tire deflator devices, however, directed energy devices avoid the operational limitations that come with devices that must be close to the targeted vehicle,” according to the NIJ website.

This technology offers a safer alternative to tire deflation devic-es.

“If it was available and afford-able to law enforcement agencies,

that would be an invaluable tool, as regular tire deflation devices are extremely dangerous to the deploy-ing officer,” said Stephen Harmon, former Warren County Sheriff’s Department spokesman who was appointed jailer. “For an officer to be on the side of the road and deploying that device puts their life in danger just by the sheer proxim-ity of the fleeing vehicle.”

The NIJ is worked with a Virginia company and sever-al federal and municipal law enforcement agencies to test a remote tracking system on fleeing vehicles.

The company, StarChase, cre-ated a tiny GPS system that uses laser targeting and a compressed air device to fire the GPS system at a car. A special adhesive holds the GPS in place on the car and the GPS transmits the car’s loca-

tion every few seconds, according to the NIJ website.

“Police work is certainly like technology in that it changes daily,” Harmon said. “A lot of times techniques that are taught are outdated from year to year. Law enforcement work hinges upon technology in this day and time. Without a computer and internet access from a police cruis-er, law enforcement officers’ abil-ities are decreased tremendously. An example would be serving a warrant, a protective order, work-ing any type of criminal case or collision and even identifying a potential suspect with a photo is all done routinely today from the cruiser.”

– Follow Assistant City Editor Deborah Highland on Twitter @BGDNCrimebeat or visit bgdailynews.com.

POLICE TECHNOLOGYAdvances provide new tools for law enforcement

DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO

Bowling Green Police Department Capt. Charles Casey holds a body camera.

SUMITTED PHOTO

Thermo Scientiic’s TruNarc Handheld Narcotics Analyzer can allow police to determine the identity of drugs.

“From a safety standpoint with the increasing threat of fentanyl and carfentanyl, we could know immediately what we’re dealing with. It would also, for initial charges, be helpful when you encounter a powder substance,

you would know what that substance is immediately.”

Tommy Loving

Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force director

Bowling Green Police Depart-ment oficers for several years have been using computer laptops in their cars. Now some oficers who ride mo-torcyles also have them.SUBMITTED PHOTO

By JACKSON FRENCH jfrench@bgdailynews.com

GLASGOW – With a lab dedicated to hands-on learn-ing with science, engineering and art projects on a balco-ny overlooking the school’s main atrium, Red Cross Elementary School is taking the first steps toward prepar-ing Barren County students for technical careers.

Justin Browning, a sixth-grade math teacher at the school who’s been operat-ing the lab since it opened in February, said he wants it to encourage students to design their own approach-es to solving problems and find multiple ways to work around the resources they don’t have.

“We’re trying to develop 21st century skills, which means we’ve got to chal-lenge them to think,” he said.

The space is a STEAM lab, meaning it incorporates science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics, commonly known as the STEM disciplines, as well as art.

Most of the lab’s materi-

als, which include two crates of Chromebooks, a 3-D printer, LEGOs and plenty of supplies used for artistic projects like aluminum foil, several kind of tape and con-struction paper, are located on tables pushed against a wall emblazoned with brightly-colored words such as interact, innovate and col-laborate.

“You’re looking at $25,000 worth of community spon-sorship,” Browning said. “It cost the district nothing.”

Donations for the STEAM lab came from local compa-nies including conveyor belt manufacturer SpanTech, the Red Cross Parent Teacher Organization, Dart Container Corp. and the Glasgow-based RBG Foundation, as well as a host of private donors, he said.

On April 5, Browning hosted a science camp that roughly 15 children attended. About half of the session was dedicated to lessons involv-ing gravity and outer space.

The lessons mostly revolved around the idea of larger objects exerting a greater gravitational pull and

included the students being instructed to build a LEGO structure that demonstrates gravity and watching a pair of educational You Tube vid-eos on the two TVs in the lab and culminated with a sec-tion where the students were tasked with building satel-lites out of boxes, foil, pipe cleaners, tape and all manner of other materials.

Fourth-graders Baylee Bryant and Maci McDaniel and third-grader Serenity Simpson prided themselves on building the largest sat-ellite, using foil-wrapped cereal boxes as solar panels, attached to a central shoebox with pipe cleaners and tape.

Baylee said she signed up for the camp because she was interested in working with others to learn more about science.

“I just thought it would be fun to do this with other peo-ple and learn new things,” she said.

Anna Kate Alexander, a fourth-grader at Red Cross, said she signed up for the camp because she was inter-ested in learning about sci-ence.

Nearing the end of the construction of her satellite, she said she was enjoying the session.

“I love how we get to cre-ate things,” she said. “It’s really fun.”

Anna Kate, who had never used the STEAM lab before, said she loved the meth-ods of teaching it allowed Browning to use.

“I just think it’s an amaz-

ing experience,” she said. “I never experienced anything like this. You get to have fun while you’re learning.”

After the gravity lesson, Browning introduced the students to code.org, a web-site dedicated to teaching computer science.

The lab is mainly designed to teach computer coding skills, which the laptops help with, Browning said.

“That’s the direction I see 21st century jobs going,” he said.

Currently, there’s a huge demand for young work-ers with coding skills, one that has been rising over the years and doesn’t show signs of slowing, Browning said.

“When I was in school, PowerPoint was the thing.

Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Thrive Sunday, April 23, 2017 15

Lab at Red Cross Elementary School teaches STEM disciplines

PHOTOS BY BAC TOTRONG/photo@bgdailynews.com

Red Cross Elementary School students work April 5 on a project. “We’re trying to develop 21st century skills, which means we’ve got to challenge them to think,” said Justin Browning, a sixth-grade math teacher at the school.

Above: Red Cross Elementary School students Serenity Simpson (from left), 9, Maci McDaniel, 9, and Baylee Bryant, 9, make a model satellite April 5 at the school. Below: Red Cross students work on a project.

See STEAM, 16

16 Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thrive Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky

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Now kids are learning to code,” he said.

Scott Harper, the district’s director of instruction and technology, said the STEAM lab appeals to students because it fosters learning by catering to a wide set of interests.

“When it encompasses all the STEM disciplines, including art, there’s some-thing there for everyone,” he said.

Bo Matthews, the dis-

trict’s superintendent, said he thinks opportunities the STEAM lab provides are valuable for the students.

“I think any time you can merge science, technolo-gy, math, it leads to a deep-er learning experience,” he said.

Because the students are learning about science, engi-neering and computer cod-ing, it helps the students prepare for the district’s focus on career readiness, Matthews said.

“It’s a forerunner for what’s to come,” he said. “It needs to occur if students

are going to maximize what they’re going to do in high school.”

According to Matthews, the STEAM lab is already an in-demand space for instruc-tion among Red Cross teach-ers, and something he hopes to replicate elsewhere in the district.

“We look forward to incor-porating this kind of instruc-tion in all our elementary schools,” he said.

– Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.

From Page 15

STEAM

BAC TOTRONG/photo@bgdailynews.com

Red Cross Elementary School students work on a project April 5 at the Barren County school.

“I think any time you can merge science, technology, math, it leads to a deeper learning experience.”

Bo Matthews

Barren County Schools superintendent