THE EDMONSON VOICE
  • Home
  • News
  • Community
    • VOICE Calendar >
      • About VOICE Calendar
    • County Schools Calendar
  • Obits
  • Sports
    • WildcatsLive/Schedules
    • Recorded Game Videos
  • Weather
  • Features
    • Recipe Of The Week
    • Opinion
    • Ask Mongoose
    • Arts/Entertainment
    • Legal/Professional Policy
    • Our Staff
    • Contest Rules
    • Our Sponsors
  • FAQs
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Edmonson County's Number One Source For Local News and Information

Possibility Of New Gas Facility Coming Near Industrial Park

2/9/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
Dr. Lowell Hellervik (right) addresses fiscal court as Gary Minard (center) and Jim Brown (left) look on.
Darren Doyle, story and photo
The Atmos Energy Gas Plant in Rocky Hill has shut down and is being dismantled after negative reaction from the Rocky Hill community discouraged selling of the plant, but that doesn't mean the interest in the area's natural gas wells has blown away. Dr. Lowell Hellervik, Chairman and CEO of Hellervik Oil Technologies, along with company team members Gary Minard and Jim Brown, appeared before fiscal court yesterday to discuss possibilities of gaining public- private partnership bonds (P3) from Edmonson County.

Dr. Hellervik spoke briefly about his company's interest in the area, but allowed Minard, an industrial engineer and manager with the company to better describe the intentions of Hellervik.

Minard said the company was aware of the backlash that occurred in Rocky Hill when they attempted to purchase the existing plant, but that they felt like there were now better options that would have many positive results for Edmonson County.

"We thought, would it be feasible to build a new gas plant, if it could be put in a place where it doesn't bother anybody?" Minard said. "Our personal favorite, although the community would have to approve, we like a 9 acre parcel in the old industrial park, which is up against the railroad tracks and the south side of an industrial building. It's not really visible from the road."

He went on to say that anything regarding a new plant that makes noise would be enclosed in what he called an "acoustical covering" and that the entire facility would look like a barn from the outside.

"There would be in no way where the county would be responsible for any of the bond funds," he said. "We have to structure it so there's no doubt that the proceeds from outside any of the county's funds are going to be used to retire the bonds."

Minard said that one of the best ways to make the project work financially is to first secure more bond funds to run more pipelines to customers, but for the county to set up a special taxing district where Hellervik would be the only ones required to pay the tax, no county resident, nor anyone else.

So how would the bonds work, and what role would the county government play in this project? There are many different possibilities in how P3 bonding could work as well as numerous outcomes in which the language could be established. However, in the event that fiscal court granted P3 bonding to Hellervik, a possible scenario would be that Hellervik is granted rights to natural gas services by the county, Hellervik pays the county a tax in exchange for that service, while Hellervik receives income generated from their plant and services.

​Minard also said that a new facility, approved by the county, would also create county jobs while providing the county with several hundred thousand dollars per year of tax revenue. 

Judge Cannon said he wanted to make his thoughts clear on the issue. "I did say (in earlier discussions) that I thought this could be a win-win-win situation for Edmonson County IF, we can locate it in a strategic place where it doesn't affect residential neighborhoods like it did in Rocky Hill. To us, our job is to protect our people, so that would be the number one thing that we'd be concerned with."

Cannon went on to note that residents who have natural gas on their property aren't currently benefiting from it because there is no one to buy it. He was also aware of job possibilities, ranging anywhere from 20 to 50 new jobs to the county. He added that natural gas options would also be available to new industry, which could be more economical for other small factories looking to come to Edmonson County, which could create even more jobs and tax revenue.

One remaining fact is that without industrial zoning, there is still nothing that the county can do to prevent a business from being built anywhere in the county. At this point, it appears as though Hellervik is trying to incorporate the community's best interest into their current plans, however, the discussion is brand new and there are still miles to go before final decisions will be made.
2 Comments
Mark Morrow link
3/22/2017 11:11:58 am

Where is the old industrial park? Has there been anymore developments on this?

Reply
Jeremy Thompson link
10/20/2017 02:10:32 am

Thanks for the interesting on the development on the possibility of a new gas facility coming near the industrial park. It's amusing to learn that even if the Atmos Energy Gas Plant in Rocky Hill has shut down and is being dismantled after negative reaction from the Rocky Hill community discouraged selling of the plant, but that doesn't mean the interest in the area's natural gas wells has blown away. It does seem well for natural gas options to also be available to new industry, for it could create more jobs and tax revenue. Personally, as long as it's safe and secure it's okay with me. Additional jobs would be a great help to the community too.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    COMMENTING/LEGAL
    Deadline INFO
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
HOME
NEWS 
COMMUNITY


OBITS
FEATURES
WEATHER
​​
WILDCATS LIVE
​
SPORTS
CONTACT
copyright 2014-2023 The Edmonson Voice.
Call or text: 270-597-6550 ​editor@edmonsonvoice.com
PO BOX 94
BROWNSVILLE, KY 42210
CLICK HERE FOR DEADLINE INFO
  • Home
  • News
  • Community
    • VOICE Calendar >
      • About VOICE Calendar
    • County Schools Calendar
  • Obits
  • Sports
    • WildcatsLive/Schedules
    • Recorded Game Videos
  • Weather
  • Features
    • Recipe Of The Week
    • Opinion
    • Ask Mongoose
    • Arts/Entertainment
    • Legal/Professional Policy
    • Our Staff
    • Contest Rules
    • Our Sponsors
  • FAQs