Lawrence County, Kentucky

LAWRENCE COUNTY , KENTUCKY hub for all the surrounding counties. Crime is low, schools are good. Proving that, is there are literally no houses for sale in this county.” Slone explains how this problem is two-fold; he is grateful people want to move to the area, yet dislikes there aren’t more houses available. It highlights the need for additional middle- income housing, which is now underway. There is property on the outskirts of the county ready for development; already equipped with infrastructure for water, sewer, and power. And Foothills Communications is installing broadband throughout the county. Many areas already have high-speed internet, and those that don’t, soon will. The current challenge with housing is the cost of building materials. Slone reports, “I’ve talked to the developers and 2x4 lumber went up to $7 a piece. I’m not sure right now is the easiest time to get anything built. If those materials start to come back down drastically in price, I think you’ll see a big flux of building.” One of the other factors playing into the housing shortage is the sheer number of employers in the area. One of the largest is the Three Rivers Medical Center, a 90-bed acute care facility. It has an emergency department (ER), inpatient and outpatient surgery, an intensive care unit (ICU), imaging department, as well as specialty departments such as imaging and sleep services. The medical field employs hundreds of people in the county. For example, Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) has its headquarters in Louisa. Operating a network of over 30 addiction treatment centers across Kentucky, it employs approximately 200 people. The Lawrence County School Board, as well as the local government, are also major employers. Along with Brown Foodservice Inc., a proud Louisa business delivering foodstuffs since 1942. A strong economy means ensuring a strong workforce. Slone admits, “I think we were hitting a plateau with our skilled workforce. There