Board of Education Closes on 61 Acre Purchase for New Kyrock Elementary

Supt. Says Current School Building Will Not Be Demolished

Artist's rendering of the new Kyrock Elementary.

Darren Doyle, story:
Another step in the long process of building the new Kyrock Elementary has been completed with the purchase of 61 acres directly across from the current school, with construction being planned to begin in the early summer of this year.

According to the Edmonson County Board of Education, the tentative date for school to begin at the new building will be August of 2027.  Initial plans were to build next to the existing Kyrock Elementary, but the availability of the new site brought new options that the board deemed as better. The new Kyrock is slated to be built for a 550 student Pre-K through 6th grade facility.

According to School Superintendent Brian Alexander, the new land purchase will allow the current building to remain intact during the construction, and then repurposed after the school moves location.  The cost of demolishing the current Kyrock school would have been more than the cost of purchasing the new property, per required guidelines.

The property is the former farm of the Joe Don Patton family, which borders both Hwy 259 N and Black Gold Road.

“The Board and I would like to thank the Patton family for working with us on this property purchase," said Alexander. "It was important to Mr. Patton’s family (widow Sherry, and children Coty Patton and Verena Tracy) that this property be used for something meaningful to honor his memory. I think they’ve done that. Also, a huge thank you to Cindy Hudson McCombs, their realtor, for her diligence in making this purchase a reality."

Property layout for the new Kyrock Elementary.

Satellite photo of new property (approximate).

Alex Ulm, Edmonson County Board of Education Board Chairman, described the new Kyrock project as "extremely exciting," which is now more than eight years in the making.

"(Former) Superintendent Patrick Waddell and Superintendent Brian Alexander have both put an immense amount of time and effort into getting us this far," Ulm said. "Edmonson County School District has had over two decades of excellent leadership from these gentlemen and we are in such an excellent position because of them.  Superintendent Waddell was so incredibly mindful of our budget and making the most of our bonding potential during his tenure and Superintendent Alexander has been a vital champion lobbying Frankfort, and getting the best opportunities for our students.  These men have truly taken what we teach our students, “Begin with the end in mind” to heart," he said.

Discussion and negotiation on the purchase of the property began late last fall, and the purchase became official last week. Alexander said the purchase of property by any public board of education involves a thorough process outlined by the Kentucky Department of Education.

"We would like to thank our local government and municipalities for their help in cooperation in making this process a reality," he said.

While the new property purchase was not in the original plan, Alexander said there were multiple factors in making the decision to build across the road.

"This will allow us to build faster and more safely for our students and staff. Additionally, with only eleven total acres at the current Kyrock Elementary, certain parts of construction such as parking lots couldn't be completed until the current Kyrock Elementary was demolished."

He said this will allow the current school building to remain and its purpose would be announced at a later date.

Board Chairman Ulm also added, "We had multiple community members reach out to request we search for options that did not require demolishing a building that is so vital to the community, as well as one that held so much valuable history."

The exact location of the property will allow for the utilization of Black Gold Road for buses and Hwy 259 N for parent drop off, staff parking, and visitor parking, he said.

“Anyone who has been at Kyrock at morning drop off and evening pickup will understand the need for improvement.  The safety and ease during these times will vastly improve.”

Ulm also credited the cooperation and assistance from multiple sources, bodies, and individuals. 

"The City of Brownsville made the decision to collaborate with Caveland Environmental to improve local sewer capacity," said Ulm. "Edmonson County Water District agreed to assist with expansion of the sewer lines they have, all to make it possible over the next two years to get sewer service to the new facility.  We currently spend a great deal of money on service for our current package plant and will be able to save this monthly expense once the new facility is open.  This huge benefit required over a year of work from, and meetings with, Judge-Executive Scott Lindsey, State Representative Michael Meredith and CEO of Caveland, David Peterson.  Superintendent Alexander, Director Lannie Deweese, and Director Callie Beliles have worked tirelessly to investigate requirements and get everything in order for this to be possible."

Beliles, who serves as school director of facilities and safety, said she is a former Kyrock student who is looking forward to the continuing process of a new school in the county.

"It is the honor of my career to have the opportunity to work alongside our Board of Education, Sherman Carter Barnhart, Alliance Corporation, Shrout Tate Wilson Engineering, Arnold Consulting and Engineering, and Baird to make this long awaited dream a reality for our staff and students," she said. "Kyrock is where I spent six years of my childhood. It is such an exciting time for our Blackhawks, Bulldogs, and Wildcats."

Lannie Deweese, director of maintenance and transportation for the school system said they are happy to have completed the land purchase.

"We feel like the steps we are taking in construction over the next couple of years will really improve our schools for many years to come and we are excited to get started."

Ulm said because the new location will touch two roads, one county, and one state, it required cooperation from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet as well as the Edmonson County Road Department. 

"I cannot stress enough how much cooperation and collaboration went into this process," he said. "On behalf of our students, I am immensely grateful for all this hard work."

In addition to the new multi-million dollar Kyrock, more improvements are headed to Edmonson County Schools.

Plans are also underway to undergo a major renovation at South Edmonson Elementary that will see added classrooms, roof improvements, HVAC updating, and advancements for drop offs and pick ups.  South Edmonson will be adjusted to a Pre-K through 6th grade facility as well.

This will allow the school district to transition away from the 5/6 Center, which was built in 1959.  Future plans for the 5/6 Center will be announced at a future date.

"The Edmonson County School District has always put our children first, so much time and effort goes into these big decisions, we are so very lucky to have so much teamwork and support," Chairman Ulm said. "Thank you to the Patton family for reaching out and thank you to everyone, in and out of district, who have made this possible."