Russell County, Kentucky

And Russell County is always on the lookout for more industrial newcomers. Its Lake Cumberland Regional Industrial Complex, supported by the RCIDA, contains over 100 acres of available property in a Federal Opportunity Zone, a 43,750-sq.-ft. spec building, and a 150,000-sq.-ft. build-ready pad. In touting the County’s many advantages, Garland adds that, “We are in the position here of having the only certified, shovel- ready food and beverage industrial site in the State of Kentucky, due to the Cities of Jamestown and Russell Springs having an unlimited supply of water and wastewater capacity.” Nicholas Shearer, the mayor of Jamestown, elaborates on the water situation: “The City is in the process of replacing its 70-year-old water and sewer lines and upgrading its state-of-the- art water treatment plant. That will give us even better water quality; it will be better than the bottled water in the stores, and it will provide the higher capacity of water that our region needs. And the City of Jamestown’s wastewater treatment plant became green about three years ago. We treat our wastewater with peracetic acid, which is a more environmentally-friendly dilution to treat wastewater. We’re growing by leaps and bounds. In the northern end of the County, we’ve had almost 60 percent more water taps and sewer taps in that area. In south Russell County, we have almost 65 percent more water taps and sewer taps. When we do a water or sewer tap, that means we’re growing in residential properties.” According to Garland, some of that growth can be attributed to new retirees moving into communities near Lake Cumberland, after having visited the region as tourists over the years. “So, our tax base has increased from that aspect,” he notes. “We do have a dire need for more construction of single family residential housing, though. The existing contractors in our area are about two or three years ahead of schedule right now and cannot take on any more demand at this time. And when you look at the population projections for Russell County, it is projected to