Warren County Fiscal Court on April 20 approved purchase of property at 2325 Airway Court for $1,940,000 as the county’s planned Emergency Operations Center and training facility, and the court approved multiple emergency repairs tied to recent flooding at Basil Griffin Park and other county recreation facilities.

Ronnie, the county’s emergency management representative, told the court the property was selected for proximity to the airport and for regional staging needs during large-scale disasters. Ronnie said the county has a $3,000,000 hazard mitigation grant allocated for design of the facility and that there is a July 26 deadline to move the project forward under the grant. He cited KRS 39 as placing responsibility for emergency management at the county level and said the proposed site would also provide a public safe room option and training space.

The court approved the purchase by roll call (motion by Esquire Lasley, second by Esquire Lawrence). County staff said the existing building on the site offers roughly 10,700 square feet (reported as an existing building on the parcel) and a large adjoining parcel for other uses; county staff described the purchase as a long-term investment for training and response.

On flood recovery, the court approved an emergency determination of $110,800 to Buck Electric for electrical repairs at Basil Griffin Park after panels and wiring were submerged during the recent flood. County staff described the park repairs as “band-aid” fixes to keep facilities playable and said a longer-term capital project plan will recommend relocating the inline hockey rink and converting the surface to a larger pickleball configuration and building insulated conduit and elevated electrical systems to avoid repeated flood damage.

Specific park repair determinations approved at the meeting included $21,000 for resurfacing and crack repair of the Griffin Park inline hockey rink, $67,000 for the pickleball courts and $24,000 for the tennis courts. County staff said insurance claims will be submitted for flood damage and that the total parks damage estimate could exceed six figures. Ronnie said county staff are pursuing a presidential disaster declaration through FEMA; he said Warren County was “mid-queue” with other states awaiting a decision and encouraged local officials to contact federal representatives in support.

The court also discussed ongoing tracking of roughly 80 sinkholes countywide since the event and noted coordination with local responders during multiple recent incidents. The purchase of the Airway Court property and the emergency repair determinations were both approved by unanimous roll call as recorded in the transcript.