These first four months back in the chair have been fulfilling for Trigg County Judge-Executive Stan Humphries.
Following in the footsteps of the former court, economic growth abounds in Cadiz — and it starts with the up-and-coming spec building at the I-24 Business Park.
Humphries recently told the News Edge that he’s spoken with constituents who might be “unsure about growth,” but that it’s simply hard to ignore the rest of the region’s explosion — including Christian County, Todd County and the Clarksville area.
Furthermore, Humphries doubled down on the due diligence necessary for the WestPark development in Lyon County, which could bring about a large industry near I-24 and the Eddyville Riverport.
The state-owned property near the prison farm, he said, has a chance to be a unique opportunity for the entire Fifth District.
Certainly the county’s budget has increased plenty since his last stay in office, up now to nearly $14.4 million. Humphries, though, said the change from this year to last is minimal (1.4%), and everything remains either close to status quo or is well in check.
What’s going to be a big focus in the next three-to-five years, he said, is an impetus to widen I-24 in certain portions, in order to improve log-jam traffic north of Nashville.
A pair of upcoming meetings, one with transportation officials at the PADD office and another with the Kentuckians for Better Transportation in Washington D.C., will help Humphries and other delegates bring this issue to a forefront.
Humphries said early estimates indicate that widening I-24 could cost as much as $26 million per mile, based on labor and supply, so any and all targets would need to be precise and effective.
Trigg County Fiscal Court next meets May 1, with a second reading of the budget scheduled for May 15.
