Perry County says grants topped $100 million since 2015, fueling infrastructure projects

More than $100 million in grant money has flowed to Perry County and the City of Hazard since 2015, and the payoff is showing up in places residents use every day, from sewer lines at Perry Plaza to culvert repairs in District 2 and a new ambulance facility.

County officials say that funding has gone toward water and sewer improvements, waste cleanup, recycling, homeland security, economic development, transportation alternatives and recreation. One of the biggest recent awards is $1,254,320 in Appalachian Regional Commission distressed-counties funding for Perry Plaza infrastructure, money tied to a project in Hazard that already has a 12-inch sewer line, 8-inch water line, electrical service and natural gas in place for future shopping centers, restaurants, hotels and other retail development. The county also says it has been approved for Kentucky Product Development Initiative funding, part of a broader push to prepare sites for private investment.

The infrastructure work is not limited to commercial development. Perry County Emergency Management says the county applied for FEMA Public Assistance funding for washed-out and damaged culverts in District 2, the kind of repair that matters the first time a heavy rain closes a crossing or cuts off a neighborhood. Emergency management is also pursuing infrastructure for the proposed Sky View Housing Development site, a sign that county leaders are trying to keep both housing and business growth moving at the same time.

For residents looking for something usable right now, the county’s solid-waste operation is one of the most practical services on the page. Recyclables can be dropped off at the Perry County Garage from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the site accepts plastics marked #1 or #2, aluminum and cardboard. The county also says it has set up options for electronic waste and hazardous waste drop-off, and large trash items can be taken in by residents who show proof of paid garbage service.

The county’s emergency system is another underused tool. Perry County 911 says residents can sign up for CodeRED alerts, which can send targeted or countywide emergency messages at a rate of 1,000 calls per minute. Perry County Emergency Management lists Director Jerry Stacy at 481 Main Street, 1st Floor, Hazard, Kentucky 41701, and the office can be reached at (606) 439-1816.

The pressure behind all of this is easy to see in the numbers. Perry County’s population was 28,473 in the 2020 census, and the Census Bureau estimates it at 26,739 on July 1, 2024. In a county named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, where the seat began as Perry Court House, got its first post office in 1824 and became Hazard in 1854, outside money has become central to keeping services, sites and emergency systems working.