State Allocates $11.5 Million For Wilkinson Farm Industrial Park

Robert Moore
Herald Staff
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been edited to include John Trisler’s correct title.

Federal, state and local officials celebrated the allocation of $11.5 million in state funding for the development of the Wilkinson Farm Industrial Park. Officials attending the event included U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, State Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, State Rep. Kim King, Mercer County Judge-Executive Sarah Steele and Harrodsburg Mayor Bob Williams, as well as representatives from the Mercer County Fiscal Court, the Harrodsburg City Commission and the Harrodsburg-Mercer County Industrial Development Authority, among others.

The allocation is part of more than $21 million in state funding that will be invested in Mercer County thanks to appropriations made during the Kentucky General Assembly’s recently concluded legislative session. The $11.5 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2025 comes from legislation that makes one-time investments towards paying down public pension liabilities, improving water infrastructure and preparing rural areas for economic development opportunities.

In addition, Greyson Evans, an economic development specialist with the Bluegrass Area Development District, announced the project would also receive federal funding in the form of a three-year U.S. Department of Transportation grant for planning and marketing.

“This is a true partnership,” Rep. Barr said Monday. “This is a true collaboration.”

Last year, the fiscal court and the city commission voted to enter into a purchase agreement with Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company to purchase the 958-acre site. The primary focus is the development of a large-scale industrial factory that officials say could employ thousands. So far, the local stakeholders have invested more than $22 million in purchasing and planning for the site.

John Trisler, chair of the industrial development authority and former county judge-executive, said officials have been in discussions to do something to spur local development for decades.

“I had gray hair—not white—when this started,” Trisler told the audience Monday. Trisler also announced they were close to signing a contract with American Engineers Inc. to create a master plan for the site, including infrastructure.

While some residents have criticized the purchase of the site and development of the industrial park, Trisler said it was vital for jobs and economic prosperity, “not only for our community but for our region and our state.”