Story by guest columnist Andy McDonald
Kentucky State Senator Jared Carpenter (R-34) and State Representative Josh Bray (R-71) surprised the Berea City Council Tuesday, announcing $1 million in funding for a Kenway Street connector to the Berea Bypass.
Both Carpenter and Bray briefly addressed the council’s business meeting last night, having concluded the current legislative session in Frankfort earlier that morning. Bray also announced that the Mayde Road extension to Menelaus Road has been included in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s six-year road plan, as well as funding for a study to extend the Berea Bypass from Kentucky Highway 21 to U.S. 25 Mt. Vernon Road. The biggest news of the night, however, was the Kenway extension, which will add a second access point to the Roselawn and Dixie Park subdivisions. Currently, there is only one street to access that neighborhood.
“We allocated a million dollars toward that project to help the City of Berea,” Bray said. “We’re very grateful for your advocacy for that. We feel like it’s a great project that’s going to have a huge impact on traffic safety and flow, so we’re really happy about that.”
Berea Mayor Bruce Fraley had previously asked Bray, Carpenter and several others to write letters of support for the Kenway connector, a project citizens have been pushing for since at least 1976. Officials said the lack of access points to Roselawn and Dixie Park presents both traffic and safety hazards that can be remedied if Kenway Street is extended to the Berea Bypass.
Fraley noted that Congressman Andy Barr is assisting to secure additional funds for the project, which is estimated to cost between $2.5 million and $3 million. If those federal funds are secured, the project could begin as early as next year, Fraley said.
Bray and Carpenter expressed thanks to Fraley for his continued advocacy for Kenway and other Berea projects, while thanking councilmembers Ronnie Terrill, Cora Jane Wilson, and Teresa Scenters, who lobbied to have approximately $300,000 allocated for the study of the next phase of the Berea Bypass. Bray also thanked Katie Startzman for her advocacy to help stop legislation that would have been particularly burdensome for local governments.
Carpenter stated that when local officials make their voices heard in Frankfort, it can be crucial when it comes to securing state funding for a project.
“It makes a difference when you guys are involved,” said Carpenter, stating that engaged local officials tend to get noticed. “We appreciate your efforts, and we were glad to be able to bring some of your taxpayer money back home.”
City officials, in turn, thanked Carpenter and Bray for being responsive and accessible.
“You make it easy to be engaged. When I call, you answer the phone,” Fraley said. “Thanks for the quality of representation that we get from both of you.”
Terrill, Scenters, Wilson, Scenters and Caudill echoed those sentiments.
“Thank you for answering those calls. I appreciate that you follow through and care, and appreciate what you do for Berea and this area,” said Cora Jane Wilson.
Steve Caudill, meanwhile, noted that some Berea infrastructure projects like the Berea Bypass and Kenway connector seemed to languish for lack of funding in years past, but not lately.
“I don’t think it should go unnoticed that in the last 5-10 years, there’s been more investment from the state in Berea’s infrastructure than we’ve seen since the 70s,” Caudill said.
Lobbying for intergovernmental funding of infrastructure projects has been a particular focus of Fraley’s administration since he was elected mayor in 2018. That approach has yielded results such as funding for the Chestnut Street Pavilion, Mayde Road extension, as well as economic development projects in the Berea Industrial Park, the Berea Bypass, and now the Kenway connector, among others. Crediting Carpenter and Bray for their attentiveness and work, Fraley added the council and City Administrator Rose Beverly were also instrumental in securing money for the much-needed projects.
“It’s a good investment, and I think it’s good that we bring those tax dollars back to Berea,” Fraley said. “It’s important to our citizens to do that. You have to advocate, you have to show up, be present, be positive, and you’ve got to work with your legislators. That’s what happened.”
