By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times
GLASGOW —
Local legislators are pleased that money to replace the Glasgow State Nursing Facility is in Gov. Steve Beshear’s proposed budget.
The proposed budget, which was released last week, allocates $20 million for the project.
“I’m very pleased. It’s something I worked on since I went up [to Frankfort]. I think it’s long overdue. I’m very happy it’s included,” said Rep. Johnny Bell, D-Glasgow. “I think he made the right decision there.”
The state conducted a masonry project on the facility in 2004 that revealed it had several problems.
The masonry project was followed by a structural analysis in 2006, which was the impetus for the Cabinet of Health and Family Services to ask the General Assembly for $18 million to fund the replacement of the facility.
The General Assembly approved $2 million for the project in its 2008 special session.
Closing the facility would have meant the relocation of 69 patients and a loss of 121 state jobs, plus 33 more contract labor jobs.
Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, said, he too, is pleased that the project has remained in the budget.
“It has been the number one capitol construction project for the Cabinet of Health and Family Services for a couple of budget cycles,” he said. “It is not what I consider a local project. It is a statewide impact project. I’m pleased that all of my colleague are in agreement with that to date.”
Neither Bell nor Givens foresee any possibility that the project may be deleted from the state’s budget.
Not only is the Cabinet of Health and Family Services committed to the project, but so are local legislators, Givens said.
