On Monday, the funeral service was held for Mr. Frank Hamilton, Jr. Mr. Hamilton was a KBT Board member who served as Chair of our organization in 1993. He dedicated many years to KBT, serving on our Board since the organization was formed in the late 1970's. Mr. Hamilton also gave his time to other trade associations, serving as Chair of the Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors, Chair of the Kentucky Crushed Stone Association, and President of the Plantmix Asphalt Industries of Kentucky.

Mr. Hamilton worked - and he worked hard - for many years, building the infrastructure that nearly every Kentuckian depends on each and every day.

He didn't do all that work alone - his family business employed hundreds of Kentuckians over the years. From engineers to administrative staff to truck drivers - there was an opportunity for all skill levels - in a part of the state that was more rural than it is today.

But work isn't all he did. 

Mr. Hamilton was heavily involved in his community. He donated his time to civic groups including the Hope Center, Bluegrass Tomorrow, and the Kentucky Historical Society as well as business groups like the Georgetown-Scott County Chamber of Commerce. He donated all this time to help make his community better.

He loved his family and his friends - and there was certainly proof of that on Monday.

While we mourn the loss of Mr. Hamilton, we at KBT can take comfort in the fact that so many of our members exhibit these same qualities.  In every community in Kentucky, there is a family business that operates the airport, runs the railroad, or builds the roads.

These family businesses, just like Nally & Gibson Georgetown, employ several people in the community while they provide much needed services. Then - these family members and their employees - volunteer in the community. They work with local charities, organize and participate in local events, and serve on the boards of their local business groups.

These small family businesses didn't just build Kentucky's communities and leave - they stayed in Kentucky's communities and made them better.

For all that, I'd like to thank Mr. Hamilton - and all the other small family businesses that are KBT members - for giving so much to make our entire Commonwealth better.

Juva

Public Transit

How Northern Kentucky is effectively using public transit to boost economic development

In a simpler time, public transportation connected communities by moving residents from Point A to Point B quickly and cheaply.

In today's fast-paced world, public transit - like most government-funded services - is now expected to play a major role in economic development efforts. Suburban employers are trying to attract and retain talent by making jobs more accessible via targeted bus service, while urban centers are adding streetcars and bikes to attract younger residents and the apartments, restaurants and stores that follow them.

All the while, people across Greater Cincinnati (and the country) continue to drive their cars - often alone - and clog the highways and byways, creating more and more traffic delays, air pollution and frustration.

Back in 2013, the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) developed the  Transit Network Study to look at NKY's public transportation system through the prism of existing and future travel patterns, population density and employment centers. The resulting plan pushed short-term service changes and a long-term transit vision.

With a number of changes now implemented and others on the way, TANK General Manager Andrew Aiello is optimistic that the agency has helped position Northern Kentucky for growth and success.

"Job and population centers move all the time, so it can be difficult to keep up with the changes," he says. "I think we're very responsive to the community's needs, though of course we still have a long way to go."

Meanwhile, hoping to strike while the streetcar iron is hot, a group of Newport re sidents is looking to bring a spur of the Cincinnati Streetcar across the river as one more transit tool to drive economic development.

'I'm proud that we're so responsive'

The Network Study Plan has tried to simplify the vision behind TANK's complex system timetable and planning process by focusing on a few core goals: Service should operate at regular intervals, and routes should be symmetrical, operate along a direct path and serve well-defined markets.

As a result, Aiello says most of TANK's attention has been trained on high-capacity traffic corridors linking work and residential centers. More here.

Air

After record year, Blue Grass Airport plans $35 million in updates

Blue Grass Airport is planning nearly $35 million in updates including additional hangars for private planes, a new baggage system and additional parking.

The regional airport based in Lexington needs to make the updates to remain competitive and better serve a growing number of passengers, said Eric J. Frankl, the executive director of the airport.

"We had 637,000 departures last year," Frankl said. "That's a new record."

The construction will take two to three years to complete, he said.

Much of the money, nearly $20 million, will go toward a new rental car maintenance garage that will serve the four rental car companies on the airport's grounds. The current maintenance building is outdated.

A new baggage belt system - which moves luggage from behind ticket counters to the aircraft and from the aircraft to baggage pick-up - also will be part of the upgrade.

Passengers don't see the belt system, but it's a key part of the airport's operations. And it's more than 18 years old.  More here.

Air

Ashland Regional Airport receives $3.3M grant for upgrade

WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday awarded a $3,389,437 grant to the Ashland-Boyd County Airport Board in Worthington.

The Airport Improvement Program, or AIP, funds will be used to construct a new taxiway at the Ashland Regional Airport.

"It is great news not just for Ashland, but for the whole region," said U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, the lone congressman from Kentucky on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. "The new taxiway will modernize the airport and allow increased traffic."

Airport board chairman David Mansfield said the board had purchased nearby property and sought the funds to relocate the airport taxiway. After eight years of working to secure the funds, board members will officially sign an acceptance letter for the award on Thursday.

The project will allow the airport to comply with Federal Aviation Administration safety requirements, Mansfield said. Taxiways connect runways with aprons, hangars and terminals.

Focus can now shift on expanding the airport further to add new terminals and other facilities, Mansfield said.

"This airport is vital for economic development. These companies that want to locate in our area, one of the things they need is an airport that they can come into with ease," said Mansfield. "We are the airport for northeastern Kentucky."

The 63-year-old airport serves general and private aviation. It's also a frequent landing spot for business executives and elected officials, from the state to national level. President Bill Clinton previously used the airport during a campaign stop in Ashland.

The federal airport grant program provides funding to develop public-use airports included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which is a list of airports crucial to public transportation, civil aviation, national defense and the U.S. Postal Service.

The London/Corbin Airport has been awarded a $764,040 grant to fund the construction of a new hanger.  More here.   

Waterways

Paducah Riverport receives award