Project 3>>>30 Breaks Ground!
The CORE hosted their groundbreaking ceremony for their new multipurpose facility for Project 3>>>30. The ceremony drew several people from the community, including members of the project’s board, supporters from Scottsville, and elected officials who brought the project’s mission to Frankfort. Photo by Damon Stone.
By Chris Cole,
Staff Writer
For 25 years, The CORE has provided a place for Scottsville, Allen County and surrounding area residents a place where faith, family, fellowship and fitness has been actively promoted. Having rebranded from the YMCA that was located in the old Allen County High School, The CORE has been on a growth trajectory that led to Project 3>>>30, an ambitious plan to raise $5 million (originally $2.2 million) over a three-year time frame that would positively impact Scottsville, Allen County and the South Central, Kentucky region for the next 30 years. The big push is for a completely brand new facility that will include basketball courts that meet high school and junior high school dimensions, have dedicated meeting spaces, can host regional and area tournaments, will include pickleball courts and provide recreation and community opportunities that couldn’t exist before.
Stafford also envisions the formation of recreation leagues, whether they be church or other organization based. There will also be room for archery, volleyball, indoor soccer and gymnastics classes.
On Thursday, April 17, a groundbreaking ceremony took place behind The CORE’s 40,000 square foot facility as generous donations from the community and matching grants from corporate and foundation partners have put Project 3>>>30 ahead of schedule.
“I just want to start off by thanking our good Lord, Jesus Christ for everything that He’s done for me and for what this (project) right here means to me. We’re very, very blessed. God’s number one and we wouldn’t be doing this today, any of this, without Him,” said Ernie Stafford, Executive Director of The CORE, as he got up to do his “two-minute speech” that stretched into 15 plus.
In a planned two-minute speech that extended to fifteen-plus minutes, Ernie Stafford, the executive director of the CORE, thanked those that donated and supported the project. “I had a vision, I dreamed thirty years ago that we was gonna have this (…)I said ‘Boy, I’d love to have a community center.'” Stafford expressed in his speech. “We got all kinds of kids playing sports and we can use it for a lot of other things. I’m just so appreciative of what all those people have meant to me.” Photo by Damon Stone.
Stafford then went on to thank the members of The CORE’s board, Katherine Sikora of the Laura G. Turner Charitable Fund, corporate sponsors such as Halton and Belmark, who is the process of building their own new facility in Allen County and community partners such as the Allen County-Scottsville High School who helped facilitate some of their ambition even before there was money to put shovels into the ground. They all saw the vision even when Stafford wondered if it could be done.
“I was just blowing a lot of smoke. I didn’t think that it could happen. I had a vision, I dreamed 30 years ago that we were going to have this…I said ‘Boy, I’d love to have a community center.’ We got all kinds of kids playing sports and we can use it for a lot of other things…I’m just so appreciative of what all those people have meant to me.”
Largely due to the number of people who contributed either one time or continuing donations and the companies and foundations that offered matching donations throughout Project 3>>>30, Kentucky House of Representative Shawn McPherson and Kentucky Senator Max Wise were both on hand to share how that impacted a “mess up” on some state government money for the project.
Reflecting the support from the local community and state government, Representative Shawn McPherson spoke about how the community’s dedication to the CORE helped allow for state officials to show their support as well. “This doesn’t happen without all of you all,” McPherson explained. “When we go up there (Frankfort) and we’re sitting in meetings, when we’re asking people to invest in our community, they first and foremost want to know what are you all doing.” Photo by Damon Stone.
“This doesn’t happen without all of you all,” said McPherson. “When we go up there (Frankfort) and we’re sitting in meetings, when we’re asking people to invest in our community, they first and foremost want to know what are you all doing.”
Because of what he and Wise were able to show lawmakers in tangible ways, a “mistake” was made.
“When we went up there and asked for $250,000, when the budget numbers came out it was in there twice,” said McPherson. “I called Senator Wise and asked, ‘Do you recognize that?’ Most of you heard this story but we talked them into leaving that alone.”
McPherson went on to say that eventually someone caught on to the request being in the budget twice and that he was asked about it. McPherson then said, “Let me explain to you what this community has done. Let me explain to you what a new factory that’s just coming in was willing to do. Let me explain to you what the factories that are here (are doing). Let me explain to you what $5 and $10 has meant to this community. Before we got off the phone, he said ‘We’re gonna fight to keep that in there.’ I got word a week or two later that they agreed to keep it in.”
Joining McPherson, Senator Max Wise spoke about what it means for communities like Scottsville to grow, and for state officials to give back to said communities. “Days like today don’t just happen, I will be honest, with state government,” Wise explained. “(…) Our leadership said ‘Let’s return that investment back to the communities.’ You all can find one-time projects that you think the state can get behind, but we’ll need to make sure the communities are contributing, private sector is contributing and that’s what Shawn said is gonna be one of the projects.” Photo by Damon Stone.
Wise then got up and added his part. “This community, I know what you stand for. You stand for conservative values. You stand for families and you stand for the next generation that’s gonna be growing up in a community like Allen County. I’m glad we still have communities like Allen County.”
He then continued, “Days like today don’t just happen, I will be honest, with state government. This was in my 10 years, the first time in a budget, I ever got to put forth a wish list of projects in my senate district. The reason we were able to do that is we did some tax reform, we’ve done some things since 2017 to build up that capital. Our leadership said ‘Let’s return that investment back to the communities. You all can find one-time projects that you think the state can get behind. But we’ll need to make sure the communities are contributing, private sector is contributing and that’s what Shawn said is gonna be one of the projects.”
Katherine Sikora, the executive director of the Laura G. Turner Charitable Foundation, reflected on the foundation’s dedication to the CORE over the years, and supporting their future. “Who could’ve imagined that there’d be over five thousand members, over one hundred kids and two hundred senior citizens on average walk through the doors daily,” Sikora expressed. “The CORE touches from the youngest to the oldest. The CORE is the definition of a regional community center that is bursting at its seams and the new building and center was needed years ago.” Photo by Damon Stone.
Katherine Sikora, Executive Director of Laura G. Turner Charitable Foundation, also got up to speak.
“We first funded what was then the YMCA in 1997 in Allen County to help launch what we know now as The CORE. My uncle, Steve Turner, helped cut the ribbon at the opening of this wonderful organization. He stated during remarks that he hoped this community would emulate the example of his parents and my grandparents, Cal and Laura Katherine Turner. They’d shown that God is a priority, each other, family and community. He said the citizens could do so and show their love for this wonderful gift by using this facility in forming enduring relationships with fellow members. My goodness, I think their socks would be absolutely blown off,” she said.
Sikora continued, “Who could’ve imagined that there’d be over five thousand members, over one hundred kids and two hundred senior citizens on average walk through the doors daily. The CORE touches from the youngest to the oldest. The CORE is the definition of a regional community center that is bursting at its seams and the new building and center was needed years ago.”
With the investment, Sikora also envisioned the economic impact The CORE will have on the region.
Sarah Keltner, one of the board members of the CORE, reflected on how she initially planned to be on the board for six months of the project to get funding secured, eventually staying for the full three years. Keltner urged that while the building process has started, the project still needs more funding, and that they are over halfway to their ultimate goal. Keltner expressed that they could not have been able to do the project without the support from the community. “(It has) been a blessing to work for the community,” Keltner expressed. Photo by Damon Stone.
“I could not be more proud to stand up here today and see the groundbreaking on this facility. We worked hard for this day for quite some time. I’m extremely pleased that the Laura Goad has invested and loved The CORE for 28 years. It fulfills a huge need in this community and area and that fulfills a healthy mind, spirit and body,” she said. “This is truly an amazing day for this community.”
Construction of the new facility will be undertaken by Scott, Murphy & Daniel, Inc., out of Bowling Green. For the project manager, Natalie Holder, it’s a personal project as she’s a member of The CORE whose kids also spend time there.
“This project is for the kids, in my opinion,” Holder said. “This is a great place for them to come and do all kinds of different sports, stay active and be social. That’s really what I see as the importance of this project is. My kids go to The CORE after school every day. Their mission and organization is all about the kids.”
From left to right, Ernie Stafford, Katherine Sikora, Sarah Keltner, and Carri Barman. Photo by Damon Stone.
Holder also sees being the project manager as “Very rewarding because I’ll be here every day to see from the beginning to the end and many years after that with being local and my kids being young. It’s a really cool project.”
The earliest that both The CORE and Holder are hoping to have the construction done is by the end of the year. However, Stafford did say that there’s a possibility it may not be done until Valentine’s Day of 2026.
Several members of the community came out to support the groundbreaking, with several of them having supported the CORE through donating or being members. “This project is for the kids, in my opinion,” Natalie Holder, the project manager for Project 3>>>30, and a member of the CORE, said. “This is a great place for them to come and do all kinds of different sports, stay active and be social. That’s really what I see as the importance of this project is. My kids go to The CORE after school every day. Their mission and organization is all about the kids.” Photo by Damon Stone.
While Project 3>>>30 has come to the point where construction is ready to begin and they’ve surpassed their initial goal of $2.2 million, COVID and inflation combined to drive the cost of material up. This has meant increasing the total cost to $5 million. A little over $2.5 million has been raised as of this date, through the combined efforts of donations, matching grants and donations from local companies, foundations and state government money. The CORE is still taking donations though through giving at their facility or by donating online at their website.
Continue to follow The Citizen-Times for updates to The CORE and Project 3>>>30.
With shovels in the dirt, and vehicles on the ground, the earliest that both the CORE and Natalie Holder hope to have construction done is by the end of the year. However, Stafford explained that it might not be done until Valentine’s Day next year. The CORE is still accepting donations through giving at their facility or donating online at their website. Photo by Damon Stone.
