Perry County could get $24 million in federal infrastructure funding

Perry County’s flood recovery and economic development plans got a potential boost as nearly $85 million in Eastern Kentucky projects cleared the House Appropriations Committee, putting $24 million on the table for county priorities at Wendell H. Ford Airport and Skyview housing. The money is not final. It still needs approval from the full House before any local project can move from proposal to funding.

Of that amount, $20 million would go to the Hazard Airport Runway Project and $4 million would support the Skyview Phase II Housing Development Project. Hal Rogers said the federal package is part of the Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill, and said the projects would help give flood survivors a safe place to live while also improving rural roads, airports and water systems.

At the airport, the money would extend the existing runway from 5,500 feet to 6,500 feet, a change county leaders have tied to both safety and growth. Perry County materials say Wendell H. Ford Airport serves an industrial park with tenants including Sykes, Inc., FedEx Distribution Center, Forrester Joseph Trucking, Hurley Electrical Contracting and Dajcor Aluminum. A longer runway would reinforce the airport’s role in attracting commercial and industrial activity around Hazard and the broader county.

The housing piece would push forward Skyview Phase II, a phased effort to build high-ground, flood-resilient homes in Perry County. Planning documents describe a 95-lot affordable subdivision in Hazard for flood survivors and other income-qualified buyers at or below 80% of area median income. A state notice says Sky View Estates Area 1 could include 90 to 153 single-family detached housing units. Gov. Andy Beshear joined local leaders at Skyview in April 2025 as five new homes were being raised, underscoring that the recovery from the July 2022 floods remains active.

The proposal also fits a longer funding pattern in Perry County. In 2022, Beshear and Rogers announced $11.6 million in county infrastructure funding, including $1,789,000 for a new ambulance station. Rogers also said in 2019 that a new master plan for Wendell H. Ford Airport would help prepare the county for future growth. Kentucky’s disaster-recovery program has made nearly $298 million in federal HUD CDBG-DR funding available for the 2022 floods across Eastern Kentucky, and residents will now be watching to see whether this latest promise turns into runway work, housing starts and lasting local jobs.