By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Trust, but verify. It’s a phrase based on a Russian proverb that gained popularity in the Reagan years as the President worked with his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev to soften relations with the Cold War rival.
It’s an interesting idea, not only because you may find yourself dealing with someone who has different interests and priorities than you. But because even if your interests and priorities align, people can make honest mistakes. It doesn’t mean they are trying to mislead, deceive, or cheat you. It just means they were incorrect.
So, trust, but verify. And if I could add to that, I’d add “hope, but hedge your bets.”
It’s a lesson that shouldn’t be hard for most Eastern Kentuckians to take to heart. After all, we’ve often gotten our hopes up only to have them dashed. Braidy Industries promised us an aluminum mill. First they got South Shore’s hopes up, then they moved the planned project to the Industrial Parkway. Then, once we all got our hopes up again, well… we all know what happened with the project next. The site sits empty and none of the promised jobs, in construction or aluminum production, ever came to pass.
Now, another aluminum smelter is looking to locate in the region, and though they haven’t named any potential locations other than the vague “Northeastern Kentucky” (probably a smart plan given the repeated disappointments from Braidy Industries), the fact that the Boyd County Judge Executive was present at Governor Beshear’s press conference on the proposal means they could be looking at someplace close by once again. Maybe the old AK Steel location. Maybe something on the Industrial Parkway.
As I feel a small prickle of excitement at the possibilities that would be created by more than 5,000 local construction jobs, and another 1,000 full-time positions once the operation was up and running, I remind myself “hope, but hedge your bets.”
The same feelings come up when I think about the possibilities of the grants the Business Cultivation Foundation (BCF) is pursuing for the Olive Hill area with their Sound2Sky project. That group plans to apply for around $10 million (at last count) in grant funding through the state’s opioid abatement fund. It’s a huge pool of money – nearly $900 million – with less than $23 million awarded so far. It isn’t necessarily restricted to non-profits either, though they are still free to apply, and because it’s from a settlement fund instead of government funds, there isn’t the same matching investment requirement often seen with federally or state funded grants.
But there are restrictions. You have to show that the project you are proposing, through your business or your non-profit, will benefit victims of the opioid epidemic and their families. While that seems fairly broad, it isn’t enough to say, “I’m going to hire a recovered addict.”
You have to demonstrate, specifically, how your project benefits that population. There will be documentation required, and follow-ups. While the executive director of the BCF is correct when she says that if we even get a fraction of what we ask for, it could make a significant impact on the community, there is a chance that none of the projects submitted will be approved.
It’s one thing to say, “This project will provide increased opportunities to the children of addicted parents, helping them break the cycle of poverty and addiction.” It’s another thing to satisfy the state that your project will meet those goals. Particularly when it is only tangentially related to addiction and recovery services.
Don’t get me wrong, I hope Parsons is able to get all of those funds for our communities. Not just some of them. I want the entire $10 million to pour into Carter County and the incoming tide to raise the entire community’s ships.
I hope they find ways to help families rise above addiction, and get their lives back on track.
I hope they find ways to keep kids from slipping into addiction in the first place.
I hope. But I plan for a future where we still have a hard uphill slog. Because then, if we do get the money, it’s a surprise and a blessing. If we don’t, we still have other plans to help meet the various needs of our communities.
So, while I sit here with fingers crossed, reading over KRS and examining the language that governs the release of these funds, I’m just trying to practice what I preach.Trusting, but verifying.
Hoping, but hedging my bets.
