The Winchester Sun - Progress 2019

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Contents 6 • UNSUNG HEROES

12 • IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Honoring those who go above and beyond in Winchester and Clark County

GenCanna credits quality, local people for success

18 • HUMBLE HISTORY Local plumbing company celebrates 80 years in business

26 • IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING 56 • QUILTS FOR KIDS

GRC athletics complex nears completion

Local sewing group donates thousands of quilts to hospitalized children

32 • HOMETOWN FAVORITE Winchester transplants brought life back to South Main Grocery 30 years ago

36 • MAJOR UNDERTAKING Agencies partner to rehab long-neglected neighborhood

44 • FOSTERING SUCCESS Area Technology Center guides Clark students to employability

48 • HOPE FOR A CURE 22 • MORE THAN TIRES Local tire business focuses on creating family atmosphere

Local Relay For Life raises thousands for cancer research annually

52 • THE VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAINS Jean Brody finds purpose in writing

54 • CLASS REUNION More than 70 years after graduation, class of 1948 still meets monthly

58 • IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD 38 • LEAVING A LEGACY Imaginative greenspace set to open this year

Civil, serious discussion takes place at library’s monthly Meeting of Minds

60 • BUSINESS DIRECTORIES

PROGRESS 2019 | 5

FROM THE PUBLISHER

All that’s golden doesn’t always glitter

T

he Winchester Sun has been on a mission to find some of the priceless elements of our community, those that may be overlooked or forgotten. We have spent four months looking for “Community Treasures.”

That is the theme of our 2019 Progress edition, the single largest, best and mostread publication the newspaper will produce all year.

Mike Caldwell It has been a four-month process culminating with the section you hold in your hands.

What are “Community Treasures?”

They are the people, organizations, businesses and heritage that truly makes our community shine.

In many cases, we wanted to find the hidden gems.

This was in no means meant to

this without our amazing advertiser support that allows this project to be a success each year.

that have been hidden all along.

All that glitters is not gold, and many things that are golden to our

...many things that are golden to our community aren’t always the shiniest or sparkling element. That makes them no less important.” be an exhaustive, comprehensive list. There are so many people, businesses, organizations and projects that stand out that we would never be able to showcase them all, even if we had 500 pages.

We wanted to showcase those that may not get the recognition they deserve or that are timely right now.

We would not have been able to do

Each and every business here is a community treasure in their own right and we certainly want to celebrate their community support.

Our staff worked hard to produce Progress 2019, with a little blood, lots of sweat and maybe even some tears going into it.

We hope you enjoy reading it and find some “Community Treasures”

community aren’t always the shiniest or sparkling element. That makes them no less important.

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living magazine. He can be reached at (859) 759-0095 or by email at mike.caldwell@winchestersun. com.

UNSUNG

heroes

MELISSA

Stocker M elissa Stocker is the coordinator for the local Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP) — a community board comprised of various civic, human service, faith-based and local government representatives.

The focus of the group is the substance use/abuse issues within our community with an emphasis on education, prevention and treatment.

Melissa has been our coordinator for more than five years and in that capacity has contributed greatly to our community.

She coordinates efforts of the local youth group associated with Clark County ASAP and has assisted that group in achieving a statewide award for their efforts in education and increasing awareness.

She coordinates the grant request process that has assisted in funding local community education projects including the public forums on opioid use, harm reduction efforts and overdose prevention training.

She worked diligently on behalf of Clark

County ASAP to assist in presenting the three-part series “Dangers In Plain Sight” this past fall and winter.

She has assisted in efforts to obtain much-needed Narcan (an overdose prevention medication) for law enforcement and first responders.

She works in partnership with numerous community representatives to maintain and update a website and resource directory for substance abuse services in WinchesterClark County.

Melissa also serves on the Substance Abuse Task Force in our community — working with others to develop a strategic plan with goals and objectives to continue to address this problem in Clark County.

Her efforts have been tireless and she is very passionate about what she does. She loves this community and has given much of her time and energy to making it a healthier community.

For these reasons, I nominate Melissa as an Unsung Hero.

— Ron Kibbey

PROGRESS 2019 | 7

RALPH

Oliver R

alph Oliver was born in Clark County July 23, 1930. He attended local public schools, and at an early age worked with his father delivering livestock in one small truck to the local stockyards.

From that meager beginning, Ralph expanded the trucking operation into a highly-profitable business and later became involved in buying and selling large volumes of gas pipeline and engaged in the commercial warehouse business. He also purchased controlling interest in a local bank and encouraged numerous friends to join him in this endeavor.

Each of his entrepreneurial ventures provided many jobs and gains for those who worked for and with him, all of whom benefited greatly from his knowledge and willingness to share.

He departed this life and his community Jan. 16, 2001, but his legacy will be with us forever.

Ralph was a kind man, benevolent and loved his community. His last will and testament provided that $4 million be granted to the Clark County Community Foundation Endowment Fund for the benefit of Winchester and Clark County.

Since his passing, more than $3 million dollars have been distributed to local nonprofit organizations and the initial $4 million is in place and will continue to earn and benefit this community forever.

Ralph Lisle Oliver was, and will always be, a true hero for Winchester and Clark County.

— Will Hodgkin

We’re here for you.

At Peoples Exchange Bank, we believe in people who give their all. We believe in local businesses that do their best. We believe in a community that supports each other. You exceed expectations every day - and that’s why we work to exceed yours. We’re here for you Winchester/Clark County.

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Estes

KELLY

Kelly Estes, director of Winchester Players, has given children in this community a home away from home, an area to make friends, but most importantly, a space to express themselves artistically. Kelly puts on three productions yearly for all those who wish to audition. Since meeting her, my life has changed immensely, as she has helped me and several others with school, life choices and even everyday decisions that stress out teenagers. I believe Kelly is the perfect person to receive this recognition as she has constantly supported any soul in need of support and would do anything for the arts in Winchester.

— Charli O’Dell

GRAHAM

Johns

T

o say Graham Johns was an Unsung Hero would be an understatement.

His actions, achievements and involvement in the community were wide-ranging and innumerable.

His unexpected death left a vacuum not only in our organization and downtown, but in the community as a whole.

No one cared about Winchester more than Graham.

After his retirement, he turned his volunteerism into a full-time job.

This was a surprise to no one. He was a servant to his community his entire life. He volunteered at his church. He sat on the board of Hospice. He coached Little League for nearly 20 years. He served on committees with the Chamber of Commerce.

When asked to emcee a charity event, play Santa or participate in a Leeds Theater production, he always said yes.

He led the local Toastmasters Club. He considered a mayoral run.

The list goes on and on. But he focused his passion on downtown Winchester.

He joined the Main Street Winchester board in 2014 immediately after his retirement, quickly taking over the role as board president.

His enthusiasm, positivity and commitment were unmatched, even as downtown struggled and Main Street Winchester struggled to create a new narrative.

When naysayers came knocking, he was able to tick off our accomplishments and downtown assets with the dexterity and precision of the accountant he had been and with the good humor of your favorite drinking buddy.

While he sometimes found these conversations to be discouraging and frustrating (why weren’t people able to see the vision for downtown that he could so easily see?), he never gave up.

He came up with new arguments. New tactics.

Wrote op-eds for the newspaper. Strategized with the board. He took what he learned from each conversation and did something with the frustration every time.

Graham volunteered for or attended every MSW event. He never missed a board meeting, which he chaired deftly. He spoke to civic groups and

organizations about MSW all over the county and as far away as La Grange.

He recruited volunteers.

He participated in the Harwood Innovators Lab to learn about how to better tap into the community’s wants and needs.

Through his short illness, he courageously continued to be intensely involved, always with a smile, despite being in obvious pain and without a diagnosis.

When hospitalized for emergency surgery the night before the Beer Cheese Festival, he finally received his diagnosis after weeks of tests: cancer.

In that situation, it would have been understandable if not expected for Graham to be unconcerned with a downtown event. Instead, he anguished over not being on hand to help and texted me throughout the day for updates and with apologies for not being there.

He passed away, at home, just two weeks later.

I had the good fortune of coming to MSW just after Graham was elected board president. He was on the hiring committee that brought me to the community.

I’m grateful to have been a part of his short tenure and to have been able to witness his many achievements.

Graham conceived of and spearheaded the Local Legends Banner Series to recognize Clark Countians who achieved state-wide or national success while still living. He felt as a community, we did a great job of recognizing people after they died, but not a great job of doing so during their lifetimes. We currently have eight banners featuring athletes, actors, military heroes and more displayed on Main Street.

Graham would probably not list the Downtown Development Master Plan as one of his achievements, but the truth is without him at the helm, we probably would not have been able to gather the support we needed for the project.

He didn’t seek the spotlight, but when he became involved with something, his peers naturally gravitated to him as a leader because he was kind and fair, but also incredibly intelligent, sharp and world-wise.

If it had the Graham Johns stamp of approval, you could trust it. Graham’s involvement in any project gave people confidence, and with good reason.

Even before we had a final document, Graham

was focused on beginning the implementation of the 10 Priority Recommendations. He added them to each month’s board agenda for updates, and within months, each recommendation was in motion.

When Graham joined the MSW board, investment in downtown was about $600,000. In 2018, reinvestment exceeded $7 million. That kind of growth doesn’t happen without tremendous hard work and many people — Graham was the steward and leader bringing people together around a common cause to help this program and downtown thrive.

Graham Johns was exceptional. As a man. As a friend. As a leader. And as an advocate for his community.

His influence went well beyond downtown Winchester. He was a natural leader who didn’t rest on his innate ability to relate to people. He actively worked to be a better leader, to craft his public speaking skills, to learn more about whatever project or problem was at hand.

He touched the lives of everyone he met, because he never met a stranger. He was full of love for the place he called home with his whole being and it radiated from him. It was unmistakable. Special. Rare.

Graham Johns was exceptional.

A deep regret is that Graham didn’t receive the accolades for his dedication to the community that he deserved while he was still living. He was right. We are so much better at acknowledging someone’s achievements once they have passed.

We had no way of knowing his life would be cut so short and we would never get a chance to honor him in the way he deserved.

They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. With Graham, I think we all knew. We just took for granted that we’d have him for many, many more years.

We weren’t prepared for the empty space he left in our hearts and our community — but he also left an incredible legacy. Every kid he coached. His many, many friends. His beautiful family. The time and effort he put into his community will have ripple effects for decades. He is an Unsung Hero.

— Rachel Alexander, Executive director of Main Street Winchester

MARIE

Jones

Dixon

DODD

I

would like to nominate Dodd Dixon as an Unsung Hero.

The dedication and time he takes out of his own life and schedule to coach and mentor is astounding.

He has spent countless hours and days with children in Winchester, from coaching cross country, track, indoor track and the speech team — he is so selfless.

He goes above and beyond for these kids and would do anything for them.

He does all this while also working as an attorney in Winchester.

Dodd deserves recognition for what he does for the kids in our community.

He is just an all-around amazing man. I’m so proud to have him as my uncle, and my son’s coach.

— Amber Smith

M

arie Jones has been a stakeholder with Fountain Circle Care and Rehabilitation Center in Winchester for more than 30 years.

During that time, she has worked in the business office, served as the staffing coordinator, and now works in medical records.

Marie is truly an advocate for the residents at Fountain Circle. She is compassionate, shows genuine concern for each resident, and has their best interest at heart.

An example of this is Marie brings in a sausage biscuit for our residents on the day they go to dialysis.

Her dedication and commitment to this facility is unprecedented.

She is a true asset to the Fountain Circle family.

In the past, Marie has received the “Above and Beyond” award and in 2013 she was honored for professional and personal accomplishments when she was inducted into Fountain Circle’s Hall of Fame Café. This award is given once a year to an outstanding stakeholder in our facility.

Marie’s coworkers say “she is the most kind-hearted person” and “the most generous person you would ever want to meet who would give you the shirt off her back.”

The residents and stakeholders are very fortunate to have Marie as a stakeholder. Our lives are for the better with her serving here.

— Staff and residents of Fountain Circle Care

SHAWNA

Mitchell I

would like to honor Shawna Mitchell as an Unsung Hero. She is a grade school teacher at Shearer Elementary School and a youth leader at First Christian Church. She gives a children’s sermon every Sunday.

She is a special person and all children and adults are drawn to her and rightly so.

— Mary Buckner

SARAH & WILLIE

Perry I

would like to nominate Sarah Perry and Willie Perry.

They own Pilot View Store and Rimar Electric.

They go above and beyond to help anyone they can in our community.

They donate to all the auctions done by the schools, or when anyone asks, they donate.

They are truly amazing people.

— Jessica Kidd

PROGRESS 2019 | 11

MARY

Ferguson

M

ary Ferguson has been the director of dining services at Rose Mary C. Brooks Place for more than three years.

Mary is the driving force behind our amazing kitchen and dining staff.

Her warmth and smile brighten everyone’s day.

Mary works hard to ensure our residents, families, visitors and staff enjoy delicious meals with gracious service.

She understands the importance of comforting, wonderful food that provides health and vitality to everyone, regardless of age.

Mary always seeks feedback to make the dining experience better the next time.

Her compassion for residents and dedication to quality food and service is an inspiration to the entire staff.

Mary’s quiet effective leadership and dependability is a blessing to the entire community.

Brooks Place is honored to nominate Mary Ferguson as an Unsung Hero.

— Tim Janes

IN THE SPOTLIGHT GenCanna credits quality, local people for success Story by LASHANA HARNEY | Photos submitted

PROGRESS 2019 | 13

G

enCanna is putting a national — and even global — spotlight on Clark

County.

The hemp production company has grown significantly since its inception in 2014.

Last year, and as recently as the past few months, GenCanna executives have announced its latest innovations and plans to expand, marking Clark County as one of the world’s premier homes to hemp.

GenCanna President Steve Bevan said GenCanna — founded by industry pioneers who champion the world’s leading hemp genetics, cannabidiol (CBD) formulations and groundbreaking legislation — focuses on scaling premium agricultural hemp production for food products to promote easy availability locally, nationally and globally.

In addition to the 150-acre hemp research campus on Colby Road, GenCanna has administrative offices on Venable Road in Winchester.

“We come from very humble beginnings,” Bevan said.

Bevan said the three founders — including himself, Chief Executive Officer Matty Mangone-Miranda and

Chief Science Officer Christopher Stubbs — had considered Colorado, California and Canada before settling on Kentucky as the place to grow their vision.

After meeting the former agriculture commissioner, James Comer, and touring the area, Bevan and the other founders saw the potential Kentucky — and

most notably Clark County — offered.

“What was amazing is everything we could possibly want and need for the growth of GenCanna and our mission is already here,” Bevan said.

GenCanna, which was an inaugural member of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s industrial hemp pilot program and the first hemp pilot program participant explicitly dedicated exclusively to researching and commercializing hempderived CBD in the state, officially opened its second facility in Winchester in 2018. The building at 321 Venable Road houses the company’s marketing, administrative and sales departments.

Its first location, the GenCanna Hemp Research See GENCANNA, page 14

GENCANNA

Continued from page 13 Campus (HRC), is on nearly 150 agricultural acres off Colby Road, which was formerly used by a multinational tobacco firm as a research facility in Winchester.

“One of the great things is we repurposed a lot of these underutilized former tobacco resources,” Bevan said. “We’ve also revitalized or re-energized a lot of the people who were working around that tobacco business at the stage where hemp is right now, in terms of an agricultural commodity.”

At the HRC, GenCanna conducts groundbreaking research and commercialization of hemp processing methods and product development, resulting in the creation of more than 60 jobs and $20 million in economic impact in Kentucky.

GenCanna uses whole-plant hemp extracts which are either full-spectrum — such as CBD and a natural balance of cannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenes — or isolated Crystalline Cannabinoid CBD. “We want to make a reliable, sustainable supply of products including the CBD we manufacture,” Bevan said. “And by reliable and sustainable, we mean top-quality.”

These bulk, wholesale products are available to customers in crystal HempDerived CBD powders and oils and can be prepared as proprietary water dispersible powder to support large-scale manufacturing needs.

Mangone-Miranda spoke at the ribboncutting ceremony for GenCanna’s second location, and said the new facility was a nod to the company’s growth.

He said the company started with only a few hundred plants in the ground in 2013, and this year, GenCanna has about 3 million. Mangone-Miranda said he hopes GenCanna is listed as one of the large hemp business on Nasdaq within the next two years.

Bevan said the first few years were hard.

“We have very few plants outdoors, like literally less than a quarter of an acre,” he said. “It’s funny. This past year, we had almost 1,000 acres. Next year, we expect to do a lot more than that.”

The new facility brought about 30 to 40 new jobs to Clark County. As of January 2019, the company employs about 120 people, and Bevan said there’s plenty of room to grow.

GenCanna also recently announced its first patentable non-GMO hemp genetics with 0.0 percent THC. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the

PROGRESS 2019 | 15 substance in marijuana which produces the “high.”

Industrial hemp naturally has low levels of THC, but not enough to produce the “high” reaction.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, who has been an outspoken supporter of GenCanna’s efforts to secure the Commonwealth as a leading hemp producer, said the innovation “could be a revolutionary game changer to industrial hemp production.”

The announcement created an opportunity for Outdoor Cannabis Genetics to debut through GenCanna’s Certified Farming Network. Farmers in the network will be the first to have access to Outdoor Cannabis (OC) genetics.

GenCanna also announced earlier this year it would sponsor masters and Ph.D. fellowships at the University of Kentucky.

Students will focus on genetic improvement of hemp for enhanced CBD levels, metabolic engineering to increase production of minor cannabinoids, remote cannabinoid analysis and variety development and characterization for certified seed See GENCANNA, page 17

GenCanna’s new facility brought about 30 to 40 new jobs to Clark County. As of January 2019, the company employs about 120 people.

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| PROGRESS 2019 16 GenCanna recently announced it will be aligning cultivation operations

with its strongest farming competitor and partner at the Hemp Research Campus, Atalo Holdings. GenCanna and Atalo will each have access to 10,000 acres of farmland for the 2019 cultivation season.

PROGRESS 2019 | 17

GENCANNA Continued from page 15

production.

In late 2018, GenCanna announced significant expansion plans including the build-out of a $40 million facility in Graves County that will bring more than 80 new jobs to the region.

“It’s a scaled-up version of what we’ve done here,” Bevan said.

The company also has plans to begin aligning cultivation operations with its strongest farming competitor and partner at the Hemp Research Campus, Atalo Holdings. GenCanna and Atalo will each have access to 10,000 acres of farmland for the 2019 cultivation season.

Bevan said even among the significant growth of the company, quality and science remain at the forefront of GenCanna’s mission. That sense of quality must start in the greenhouse or the farm all the way through to the finished product.

Bevan said GenCanna assembled a team of inhouse developers, scientists, farmers, operators and botanists to ensure industry leading quality.

All of its products are tested for safety and quality by independent laboratories.

“We are vertically integrated, and with our small group of people, that means you have

learned in every part of the value chain,” Bevan said.

GenCanna partners with research scientists from local universities, including the University of Kentucky, to create cutting-edge programs in specialized genetics, agronomic practices and novel wholesale product formulations.

“We’ve become very proficient at marking a very high-quality product right here in Clark County because we didn’t rush to put something out for sale,” Bevan said. “We waited until it was excellent.”

GenCanna also offers a full suite of packaged, white label products including custom-bottled oil drops, capsules and topical creams, for general and specific health-related uses.

Bevan said one of the most integral parts of the company is its farmers, especially those in Clark County.

“We learned from every farming experience because every farmer has a little different insight, a little different history, little different ideas,” Bevan said. “Farmers have amazing ideas ... they’re very creative people. And I don’t think most people understand how creative farmers can be, especially when things are a little tougher.

The farmers in Central Kentucky have had a tough economic road for a long time, and they’ve learned to do an awful lot with very little.”

Over the past five years, GenCanna Global has slowly and steadily grown on the outskirts of Clark County, hidden away from the downtown hustle-and-bustle that usually attracts attention.

And the goal, Bevan said, is to keep growing because many people are finding CBD products to be helpful.

“If that’s the case, I would say our mission is to increase access,” he said.

As it continues to increase access to hempderived products, the world’s eye will remain on GenCanna, and in turn, Clark County.

Bevan said GenCanna’s success thus far can be attributed, in part, to Kentucky’s history with hemp. Its future success further solidified with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed industrial hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act and gave hemp growers access to USDA programs such as crop insurance.

But above all, Bevan said GenCanna’s “secret sauce” has been its people, the greatest treasure of Clark County.

“We haven’t tried to reinvent anything,” Bevan said. “We tried to use that which is around and give especially farmers a new crop and a new way of monetizing that crop. So our best ability is that we’re able to identify good people that we can work with … it really is about the quality of people locally.” §

18 | PROGRESS 2019

Humble History Local plumbing company celebrates 80 years in business Story and photos by FRED PETKE

PROGRESS 2019 | 19

W

alking into Humble Plumbing’s office on Wall Street is like walking into a workshop.

Shelves filled with cubbies and boxes line the small store. Every available space, every surface, is filled or covered with fittings, pipes, parts and pieces to keep anyone’s plumbing working properly.

For more than 80 years, the Humble family has helped customers and plumbers alike.

Walker Humble started the business in 1933, the beginning of the Great Depression, and kept working into his 90s.

These days, Steve Humble works in the office and handles sales while his brother Phil is out in the world handling plumbing repairs and other calls.

Though both are well into their 60s, they say retirement is still a long way away.

“Retirement at Humble Plumbing is 90 years of age,” Steve said. “I’m 68. Phil is 66, and unless they pat us in the face with a shovel first, we have 24 years left. Our father taught us to focus on the now and do the best we can each and every day.”

“What I learned from my father was don’t dwell on what hurts,” Phil said. “My father came in at age 92 and said his back hurt, but he still worked.”

See HUMBLE, page 20

Walker Humble started Humble Plumbing in 1933. These days, his sons Steve and Phil keep the business going.

Humble Plumbing is located at 120 Wall St. in Winchester in what used to be a garage for Ford Model Ts.

HUMBLE

Continued from page 19 For the Humbles, the business is a labor of love.

“What we do is very arduous, physically strenuous and mentally challenging,” Steve said. “If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”

The standard was set early by their father, the brothers said.

“It looks cluttered, but it’s ours,” Steve said.

The office is Steve’s domain, where he works with customers, places orders and runs the business.

“He does inventory once a year,” Phil said.

Meanwhile, Phil spends his days working on plumbing jobs from his truck.

Originally, Steve worked in the field as well, but took over the office about 20 years ago.

“By giving each other different roles, we gave each other the space to successfully spend 50

turned for their careers.

“In college, we all took different courses,” Steve said. “Our sisters are college professors. I think we contribute in a very professional way as plumbers.

“Dad’s attitude was, ‘I have something to do here.’ He would attempt to solve the problem.”

At the end of the day, that’s what Steve and Phil do: solve problems.

Whether it’s helping another plumber or contractor locate hard-to-find parts or walking a home handyman through a toilet repair or completing a job themselves, if they fix the problem, it’s a good day.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to fix someone’s problem,” Steve said.

Often, the two can figure the solution out together.

“I’ll come in with a problem and ask him for help,” Phil said.

“There’s very little we haven’t seen,” Steve said. “At the end of the day, there’s a sense of accomplishment because you are presented with a problem to resolve.” §

“At the end of the day, there’s a sense of accomplishment because you are presented with a problem to resolve.”

After Walker graduated from Transylvania University, he returned to Winchester and opened the business on Main Street. He wanted to be a sheetmetal worker, but plumbing was a way to be of service to the community, they said.

Throughout the current shop, which was built as a repair garage for Ford Model Ts, there are still traces of Walker, whether it’s pencilled notes on shelves or his hand-made corner shelves designed to fit in corners behind an open door.

years in business with each other,” Steve said. “It has been a very complementary shared experience.”

In years past, they had other employees, but these days, it is just the two brothers.

“A few years ago, we had 10 employees,” Steve said. “Now it’s just us. We’ve found we like it this way.”

Plumbing was all they wanted to do. Both spent time working in the shop as children and re-

22 | PROGRESS 2019

Mike Paynter, far right, owner of Paynter Tire and Service Center with his family, from left, Tina, Hailey and Aaron.

MORE THAN TIRES Local tire business focuses on creating family atmosphere Story by LASHANA HARNEY | Photos submitted

D

ay after day, Winchester native Michael Paynter makes the long trek up the hill to his shop on Daytona Drive.

Mike, 52, said the hill might be a pain, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Paynter Tire existed long before he was born, Mike said. His grandfather owned a “Paynter Tire” in the 1960s; it was downtown, close to where the post office currently sits.

“That closed up in the early ‘70s, but that name

and tire business has been here for a while,” Mike said.

Mike never met his grandfather, as he was only 2-years-old when his grandfather passed away.

But he feels like he knows him, thanks to his loyal customers.

“I have 90- and upper 80-year-old customers who come in and tell me about how they did business with my grandfather,” Mike said. “It’s amazing.”

Paynter tries to hold onto the stories. It’s a way for him to connect to the grandfather he never knew. He also added wooden floors to his building, a nod to the old wood floors his grandfather had at his store.

“A lot of people who knew my grandfather are passing on now, so the stories get a little bit more special when I hear them,” he said.

But the Paynter Tire business that people love and know today officially opened in 1984.

PROGRESS 2019 | 23 Mike’s older brother, Rick, started the company as a wholesale tire business.

“I was still in high school when he started there,” Mike said.

The business, in those days, would distribute tires to retail stores.

“We were in a chicken coop out in the Yeiser Industrial Park right out on Rockwell Road,” Mike said.

Eventually, the word got out about Paynter Tire, and folks would come to the shop wanting to purchase tires. Rick saw the need for Winchester to have a retail store, so he purchased Paynter Tire’s current property at 101 Daytona Drive and built the store in 1986.

Two years later, and while in college, Mike was working alongside Rick.

“I found I was very interested in it,” he said. “I knew nothing about automobiles at the time. It was all about getting in there and learning.”

When Rick was ready to move on from ownership in 1999, Mike seized the opportunity to purchase the business. Now, he and his brother laugh that Mike, as of 2019, has owned the business more years See PAYNTER, page 24

Mike Paynter’s grandfather owned Paynter’s Tires in the 1960s and he keeps the tradition alive with his tire and service center now located on Daytona Drive in Winchester.

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24 | PROGRESS 2019

Paynter Tire and Service Center is located at 101 Daytona Drive in Winchester.

PAYNTER

Continued from page 23 than Rick.

“I do owe him,” Mike said. “He took the first risk.”

It was a learning curve at first, and much has changed since its humble beginnings, he said.

“When we purchased the company, we were still old school,” he said.

“Computers weren’t a big part of our store at that point, so I’ve personally had to bring that in.”

As of 2019, Paynter Tire offers basic auto services, excluding internal motor services.

Over the past few years, Mike has incorporated social media into his daily business practices, which he said has been a hit among his customers. Post after post on Paynter Tire’s Facebook page incites laughter as he uses the page to share memes or poke fun at one thing or another. Many jokes are at the business’ own expense.

“I have people all the time complain about my hill,” he said. “I decided to take this a different way. I had a company design me advertising that made fun of my hill. We had an ad made where a person is on a rope climbing it on a mountain.”

PROGRESS 2019 | 25 Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the business, Mike said, is sales have increased every year.

“That’s the biggest thing I’m proud of,” he said.

The secret is being kind to people. Humor helps too, he said.

“Sometimes we look back at the history of our customers, and I’ve had one gentleman that claims he was our very first customers and I believe him,” Mike said. “I do. To know that someone has come for 33 years, that’s amazing. I’m proud of that because that means something is being done right.”

And even after 33 years, Mike still enjoys his job.

“If I ever get to a point where I don’t enjoy it anymore, then I’m leaving,” he said.

Paynter’s eight full-time employees have also become his family. His service manager, Scott Ferguson, and employee Carl Reese have been working in the service department for more than 20 years. Rick Roland has been the front end technician for 15 years, starting at Paynter Tire as a teenager.

Mike’s nephew, Brent Chapman, has also worked at the front counter in sales for several years.

“I’m very proud to note we don’t have much turnover,” he said.

Mike’s wife, Tina, helps with the business’s accounting and booking. His 19-year-old son, Aaron, recently started working for the company.

Mike said he hopes to one day pass it on to him.

He also has a 15-year-old daughter, Hailey.

“I’m letting him know it’s there for him if he wants,” Mike said. “I would like to keep it going.”

When his children were young, Mike would take them to the shop. Often, they would return home dirty from playing in whatever they could get their hands into while he worked.

Mike said the business has always felt like a home away from home, and he hopes his customers feel just as comfortable. He lets his customers freely roam the shop, allowing them to watch the technicians repair their car.

“I think a lot of people these days have a lot of negative experiences with our industry that sometimes they are surprised when they get to our place that we are so relaxed,” he said.

He usually develops a personal relationship with his customers; he tries to stay in touch, asking about their families and their well-being.

The hardest part about doing what he does, Mike said, is losing people.

“In the past year or so, I’ve lost some of my oldest customers,” he said. “Us guys get to know these people. We get close to them.”

As an owner, his work never seems to stop. He’s

always trying to improve the business or try out new ideas. The main thing, though, is keeping his customers happy, he said.

Mike said he hopes to keep the business open for another 30 years and then some.

“Every time someone new opens, like a new chain, everyone looks at me and is like, ‘What are you doing to do now?’” he said. “I say, ‘I’m not doing anything.’ If you spend too much time worrying about the other guys, then you spend too much time taking away time from focusing on yourself.”

And he has spent the last 33 years focusing on Paynter Tire. Mike thinks of it as more than just a tire business, as its motto indicates; it’s home to his family, a place of laughter and love. And it’s made possible by the precious people of Winchester, he said.

Mike, who left Winchester for a few years to work at another tire store decades ago, said there isn’t a better place to be.

Winchester, as Mike noted, is a lovely, small town because of its people.

He wants to do his part to keep it that way.

“I look at my customers, and I’m surprised, so many people want to turn that corner and come up this hill, but I guess I’m doing something right.” §

26 | PROGRESS 2019

IT’S BEEN A

long time

COMING Story and photos by LASHANA HARNEY

PROGRESS 2019 | 27

GRC athletics complex nears completion

I

t’s been a long road, but the end is finally in sight for the George Rogers Clark High School gymnasium, field house and athletic fields project.

“The overall project has been a long time coming,” project manager John Hagan Codell, of Codell Construction, said.

Codell said original plans called for the construction of the athletic complex at the time of the high school’s construction.

“This was altered for a variety of factors including costs, Department of Education stipulations and other needs of the district at the time,” Codell said.

Since 2014, GRC’s nearly 300 athletes have shared the facilities at what is now Campbell Junior High School, creating issues with scheduling and access. The lack of a competition gymnasium also left the high school without a space large enough for the school body to meet.

With that in mind, and after a lengthy facility planning process, the Clark County Board of Education named the high school’s athletic facilities as the sole priority-one project on the district facility plan in 2016, which was phase two and phase three of the high school’s overall plan.

“I know the students of GRC will appreciate the completion ALE8_MAINSTREET_AD.pdf

1

See ATHLETICS, page 28

1/17/19

2:48 PM

Construction continues on the new athletics facility at George Rogers Clark High School. The facilities have been the Clark County Board of Education’s top construction priority since 2016.

M A I N S T R E E T W I N C H E S T E R AT W O R K A P R O V E N G R O W T H S T R AT E G Y

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28 | PROGRESS 2019

An artist’s rendering shows the proposed football complex at GRC from above and ground level.

ATHLETICS

Continued from page 27 of this complex,” Codell said. “Playing home games on the high school campus will finally be a reality.”

For years, the board has continuously worked to see through the nearly $28 million project — phase two costs $21,286,557 and phase three costs $6,580,396.

“The need of these facilities is well known, and all involved are working diligently to continue toward final completion,” Codell said.

Codell said the contractual completion date of phase two, which began in December 2017, was February 21, 2020, but because of weather, the actual completion date may be later in the spring or summer.

“This date will adjust because of working days lost to adverse weather,” Codell said.

Codell said construction crews are approaching 70 working days lost since the start of construction because of weather, namely record-

breaking rainfall, but the project is still making progress. Phase two is currently 55 percent complete overall, Codell said.

“Even with this timeline contractually, we are hoping to complete the football stadium in time for the upcoming regular season, weather permitting,” Codell said. “The gymnasium progress, however, has been severely slowed because of the rain and cold temperatures. “ In January, Codell told the board crews had completed the roof decking for the gym.

The mechanical, electrical and plumbing work is continuing as scheduled in the gymnasium as well.

The front radius foundations and stem wall are also nearly complete.

Spray foam insulation is underway on days the temperatures allow for proper adhesion. Following the membrane roof installation, the stone will begin going on the exterior following final inspection of the foam insulation.

See ATHLETICS, page 30

An artist’s rendering shows the proposed athletics complex, which would include a football stadium and baseball and softball fields in addition to the new competition gymnasium being constructed at the school, which is located on Boonesboro Road.

30 | PROGRESS 2019

ATHLETICS

Continued from page 28 “The membrane roofing system that is to be installed can only take place when temperatures are 40 degrees and rising for 24 hours before and after installation,” Codell said. “This is the stage we are in currently.”

Interior MEP rough is 75 percent complete inside the buildings. Construction crews placed the interior radius curb of the track and stone is now down on the field.

Crews also poured concrete walks at both the home and visitors grandstand areas.

Bleachers are substantially complete, and crews installed the press box. Drying in the stadium buildings will allow interior finish work to begin while the gymnasium work continues toward enclosure of the structure.

“Work is proceeding inside the gym where available but until the roof is dried in, no fireproofing of the structure can take place,” Codell said. “Everything hinges on the weather at this point.”

Phase three is the construction of the field house, baseball and softball fields, and is set to begin soon. Codell said phase three would take about 14 months, which puts projected

Construction continues on the new athletics facility at George Rogers Clark High School. The plans include a 60,000-square-foot facility to house a gymnasium, complete with exposed 140-feet-long roof trusses, that will seat about 4,300 people.

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

(Disciples of Christ)

FIRST

CHRISTIAN CHURCH

(Disciples of Christ)

PROGRESS 2019 |31 completion in summer 2020.

The board first approved the athletic complex design schematics from RossTarrant Architects and Codell Construction in March 2017. However, over the past two years, the board has voted on some design changes and have looked at the project in more detail.

“Once the green light was given to move forward,

as a trophy showcase and a lobby. It will also be large enough to host graduation ceremonies and regional tournaments.

The home seating for the football stadium is 3,500 seats and visitor seating is 1,000. The football field is a turf system with a safety shock-absorbing system below the surface, and the field is of a size to accommodate soccer.

a weight room, batting cages and interior turf multipurpose space for drills and more. Both baseball and softball have an individual press box, lighting and sound systems.

The tennis courts will be one of the last parts constructed. Currently, crews are storing the soil and other materials in the spot where the courts will be.

Plans also include a multipurpose room that will be used by the school’s JROTC program.

Codell said the new athletic facilities, once completed, will allow Clark County to host regional tournaments for all sports, something they have not been able to do in the past.

“Home track meets will be a reality, which is something that wasn’t even possible when I was in high school at GRC,” Codell said.

For a long time, the school administration has worked hard to bring the project together, Codell said, and it’s exciting to see the finishing line in sight.

“It’s something the community has been interested in and involved in from the very beginning and something residents of Winchester can be proud of,” Codell said. §

“It’s something that the community has been interested in and involved in from the very beginning and something that residents of Winchester can be proud of,” the design team and Codell have moved as quickly as possible to start construction to complete the complex,” Codell said.

The plans include a 60,000-square-foot facility to house a gymnasium, complete with exposed 140-feet-long roof trusses, that will seat about 4,300 people.

The competition gym at the high school — which has an auxiliary gymnasium for practices — will also have weight rooms and meeting rooms, as well

The facilities also include an eight-lane track and new athletic equipment for all track and field events. There are locker rooms, office and storage space and concession areas beneath the home grandstand.

“All of the new buildings encompass the same building materials as the high school including the matching stone and metal wall panels,” Codell said.

The 18,500-square-feet field house also includes

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32 | PROGRESS 2019

favorite HOMETOWN

Winchester transplants brought life back to South Main Grocery 30 years ago Story and photos by FRED PETKE

PROGRESS 2019 |33

T

hree decades ago, James and Audra Young were looking for an opportunity.

Their son was getting ready to attend Eastern Kentucky University and play football.

They wanted to be closer to Richmond than Pike County, so they started looking for a business.

James was a teacher and Audra was selling used cars, so it made sense to buy South Main Grocery in Winchester. Not quite.

But 30 years later, Audra is still working the front counter, greeting her regulars and keeping the store open.

“We contacted a realtor about a business to buy,” Audra said. “We knew our son didn’t get to come home much because of football, but we could visit him with food. We wanted something where we could have access.”

South Main Grocery was already a well-established business when they bought it from Mary Tyler and Dolores Christy in 1988.

At that point, the store had been around for at least 30 years, but business was starting to drop off, Audra said.

The first year, she said was just the start of the learning curve for the couple. It helped that their son was red-shirted as a freshman, which let them focus See SOUTH MAIN, page 34

in ch es te r.

S. M ai n St . in W 5 38 at d te ca lo er y is So ut h M ai n Gr oc

34 | PROGRESS 2019

SOUTH MAIN Continued from page 33

on the store.

“It’s not as easy as you think,” Audra said. “The business had been going down. You had to work on building it up. We had a boom back then. We catered to a lot of farmers.”

Good local help, including Liz Elswick and Michelle Turner, would run the store on weekends so Audra and James could travel with the EKU football team.

“If they went to Florida, we went to Florida,” she said. “We only missed one game.”

Audra and James kept upgrading the store.

They started offering full meals at breakfast and lunch. They stocked it like a full grocery.

And the people kept coming.

Like everything, times change and customers’ habits change. Bigger chain stores moved into town and started offering full grocery stores. The business community changed as well.

“I built it up and it went down after the tobacco workers left,” she said.

Still people kept coming and they kept holding on.

“We have a lot of very loyal customers,” she said.

Audra Young talks with customers at South Main Grocery after a busy lunch hour.

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PROGRESS 2019 |35 “We have a good following. We have people who eat lunch here every day.”

Knowing your customers is something that’s not always possible with larger chain stores, Audra said.

When one of her daily customers suddenly missed for two days, Audra went to her house to check on her.

When no one answered, they called the police. They made their entry into the home and found she had died, she said.

“If you don’t come in and I know you, I’ll call the police,” she said.

The other side, she said, is she knows what her customers want.

“You tell me what you want and I’ll do my best to please you,” she said.

If you are a regular, she will remember how you want your sandwiches prepared, what kind of cheese, how thick you want the meat sliced and what you want on it.

Audra said she has considered retirement, but doesn’t know what would happen to the store or some of her customers. She said she would like to find someone who is committed to the store and the business.

“You have to stay with it,” she said. “It’s hard to get people who are dependable. I work most of it myself.

“I just enjoy it. I enjoy my people.” §

Sue Woodruff dishes a plate of macaroni and cheese during lunch at South Main Grocery.

36 | PROGRESS 2019

undertaking A MAJOR

Agencies partner to rehab long-neglected neighborhood Story by FRED PETKE | Photos by WHITNEY LEGGETT

T

here are a lot of issues with Lincoln Street in Winchester.

The short answer is it doesn’t meet current standards and guidelines.

The street is too narrow for two-way traffic.

The lots are too small to fit the current zoning ordinance. Some of the lots are too close to the railroad tracks.

Many of the houses along the street are vacant or in poor condition, some even considered dilapidated. The utility lines are outdated and need to be replaced.

For a one-block street, there are a lot of major, expensive problems.

But the City of Winchester and Habitat for Humanity have a plan.

If all goes according to that plan, Lincoln Street

will be remade over the course of the next several years.

A proper two-lane street will be built. All new utility lines and infrastructure will be installed.

Lots will be combined and redrawn.

Most importantly, seven new homes will be built and some others will be brought up to code.

It’s a major undertaking and one that’s too big for just one entity.

The project has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner said the project was actually started by the city’s Urban Renewal Board, which has overseen at least five other neighborhood rehabilitation projects around the Poynterville community since the late 1970s.

“The board wanted to go into another neighbor-

hood and the one they had their eye on was Lincoln Street,” Burtner said. “The housing stock has been in decline for several years. Some of them were demolitions the city has done and some private owners have done.”

In the early 2000s, then-mayor Dodd Dixon had a special city commission meeting in the middle of Lincoln Street, Burtner said, and the commission voted then to make it a one-way street.

In 2017, the commission began pursuing the project in earnest and applied for a $1 million community development block grant for the project. In March 2018, the grant was approved by the Kentucky Department of Local Government.

As part of the grant, the city pledged $632,000 for infrastructure improvements and Habitat pledged another $400,000.

PROGRESS 2019 | 37 Winchester City Manager Matt Belcher said the first phase, which would rehabilitate one side of the street, is still in its early stages.

“We continue to do all the work required for the release of funds,” Belcher said, which includes working on the archaeological survey and analysis of the property by the University of Kentucky.

“A lot of that has to be approved by the Kentucky Heritage Council,” Belcher said. “This is all part of the up-front work so we can start. Once we have all that, then we can start doing appraisals and start talking to property owners about acquisitions.

Once everything is bought, then we can start construction.”

In all, the project will involve 30 properties between Flanagan and East Hickman streets, including vacant lots and abandoned homes.

Seventeen different parcels would need to be obtained, and the city donated a lot it owned at 20 Lincoln St. for the project.

Charlene Stone, interim executive director for Habitat for Humanity for Madison and Clark Counties, said the agency will build at least five new homes along Lincoln Street.

With owner involvement, the houses usually take about six months to complete.

“We at Habitat are very excited to be involved with the project,” Stone said in a statement.

Multiple home developments are not new to Habitat, Stone said.

“Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties has actually completed a 26-home project in

As part of the Lincoln Street rehabilitation project dilapidated homes will be torn down to make room for seven new homes. The street will also be widened to two lanes and brought up to code. (Sun file photos)

Berea called Hope Estates,” she said. “The project began in 2002 with the final home being built in 2009. (It is) an amazing project that truly brought people together, as will

the Lincoln Street Project.”

Homeowners and residents will be offered assistance for moving, down payments or relocation. They will also have top priority to repurchase

their lots when the project is completed.

Initially, only the west side of the street will be reconstructed, but will include all the infrastructure including water lines, sewer lines and demolishing the street, Belcher said.

“It’s kind of like starting over,” Burtner said, for both Lincoln Street and the Urban Renewal Board. “With this project, we’re shifting to the other side of town.

“I think you’ll see good structures.

You’ll see homes built on the west side of the street. In my judgement, you may see additional building and development before we get to phase two. I’m hoping that’s the case.” §

38 | PROGRESS 2019

legacy

LEAVING A

Imaginative greenspace set to open this year Story by LASHANA HARNEY | Photos by SERENA CASSIDY

PROGRESS 2019 | 39

C

lark County will soon become home to the most ambitious and imaginative public green space in the region.

Or at least that’s what The Greater Clark Foundation is striving to achieve.

While rain has continuously delayed construction of the much-anticipated Legacy Grove park, formerly known as Project 1107 for its address at 1107 W. Lexington Ave., GCF officials hope the space will be open later this year.

Beth Jones, program officer at GCF, said the 30acre public park under construction is a gift from Foundation to the community.

She said the idea for the park first came about once the old hospital that sat on the property was sold. The profits of the sale were put into an endowment to be used for community projets.

“It was determined we would build a great community park,” Jones said.

The determination came after years of surveys, focus groups and research into how to best use the space, and whether the building that formerly housed Clark Regional Medical Center could be repurposed.

The name Legacy Grove reflects GCF ’s long-term intentions for the park, Jones said; it evokes a sense of tribute to the former community hospital that was on the property.

“The name Legacy Grove was selected as a tribute to past and as a hope for the future,” Jones said.

“The term legacy, to us, embraced the legacy of the hospital, what it was and is for the community, a place of healing, wellness and economic development. So, ‘legacy’ was a tribute to the past of what it was, but legacy was also for the future. It’s a legacy for future generations.”

The park is about 80 percent complete, and Jones said GCF expects the park to open in the early summer, but inclement weather could delay its official opening.

Jones said she hopes the park will provide beautiful space for the people of Winchester and Clark County to play, exercise, reflect and connect with their neighbors.

The urban park will include a two-acre children’s adventure play area designed by Learning Landscapes Design as well as other features designed by landscape architecture firm CARMAN including paved walking paths, Clark County’s first ever dog park, more than 200 newly planted trees and open lawns.

“We hope people come from far away to visit the adventure play area,” Jones said.

Dean Builds is developing the park, which will be ADA-accessible with a paved walking path throughout, and the play area will have options for children of all abilities.

“We’re excited about the power of play and what it does for children,” Jones said. “Play has the power to stimulate their minds, develop their problemsolving skills, foster that sense of wonder and social See LEGACY, page 40

40 | PROGRESS 2019

LEGACY

Continued from page 39 interaction among children of all abilities.”

Jones said the park would also have accessible entrances from surrounding neighborhoods.

The park design and features stem from the input of nearly 200 Clark County residents over the past five years about how to repurpose the land where the former hospital once stood through discussions, committee meetings and even a Youth Design Team made up of area youth.

“It’s been a community process from the beginning,” Jones said.

The design initially shown to the community has some slight changes, Jones said, but the essential elements of open spaces, connectivity, inclusiveness and adventure remain the focus.

“Inclusiveness has been imporSee LEGACY, page 42

Drone photos taken (see next page also) by Serena Cassidy show the construction progress at the Legacy Grove property. Progress has been delayed significantly because of heavy rains throughout the year.

PROGRESS 2019 | 41

42 | PROGRESS 2019

LEGACY

Continued from page 40 tant to us from the very beginning,” Jones said.

The play area will include many unique features, including a custom-designed dulcimer climber. It pays tribute to the famous Appalachian string instrument and Kentucky’s most renowned dulcimer-maker Homer Ledford, who called Winchester home. Children can climb on, in and throughout the dulcimer and make music, songs and dance.

Jones said she knows Legacy Grove will be a great park, in turn, impacting the community more than people realize. She recalls a two-year neighborhood park study that showed the benefits of a park with an accessible walking trail, play areas and organized programs.

Parks that are intentional in their design to emphasize inclusivity and connectivity, unite people. They bring communities together, Jones said, and that is the hope for Legacy Grove.

“Legacy Grove will be a community treasure because great communities have great public parks.” §

Legacy Grove will feature a custom-designed dulcimer climber. Children can climb on, in and throughout the ADA-accessible dulcimer and make music, songs and dance.

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success Skyler Embs, a George Rogers Clark High School senior, works on equipment in the information technology lab at the Area Technology Center.

FOSTERING

Area Technology Center guides Clark students to employability Story by LASHANA HARNEY | File photos

PROGRESS 2019 | 45

T

he Clark County Area Technology Center is ensuring the community’s future is bright.

Principal Todd Wilson said the center has grown significantly over the past 20 years, with more than six times the students enrolled than in 1999.

“We want to get as many kids as employable as we can,” Wilson said.

In 2019, nearly 625 students are enrolled in one of the many pathways at the ATC, studying in classes and gaining on-the-job experience with one of center’s many community partners.

Wilson said the ATC currently offers automotive technology, carpentry, health sciences, industrial maintenance, information technology, integrated engineering technology and welding. Nearly all pathways provide an option for students to get certified.

The new building was finished in 2014 and is part of the new George Rogers Clark High School campus on Boonesboro Road.

Wilson said tacking the ATC on the high school was one of the best decisions, offering exposure to the many programs offered at the center.

“Every kid has to walk in these hallways, and they can see what’s going on here,” Wilson said. “That’s the best thing.”

ATC first opened in 1969. It was formerly known as a vocational school; students would travel down the hill behind what is now the Campbell Junior High School to attend classes.

“The high school has always had some sort of vocational program,” Wilson said.

However, Wilson said he has seen exponential growth in recent years as many students realize the benefits of choosing a trade in light of the rising cost of college tuition.

“Students still have a choice to go to college if that’s what they want, but the technical side is becoming very big,” Wilson said.

The technical field is growing, too.

Kentucky is experiencing a greater need for qualified tradespeople.

The ATC’s automotive technology program trains students in the repair and maintenance of automobiles.

Most of the course is hands-on work, but getting a base knowledge of function is essential. The students work on everything from brake systems to electricity.

Bryce Thomas, a graduate from the ATC’s automotive program, now works

at Subaru full-time. He completed his co-op at the dealership in their automotive department and was hired on after graduating high school.

“He has moved (high) up the ladder very quickly,” Wilson said.

Most students take at least four classes in their chosen pathway, Wilson said.

The carpentry program prepares students for employment in the residential and commercial construction industry. Students are involved in blueprint reading, layout, fabrication, foundation, walls, floors, ceilings and roofs of structures.

“It gives students the real-world experience, shows what really happens,” Wilson said.

Students use several forms of materials such as wood, metal, plastics, fiberglass, Styrofoam, and concrete in the construction process. Training emphasizes instruction in the care and safe use of hand and power tools.

The health science program, which the center’s largest program, provides secondary students with orientation, exploration and preparation into the health care industry.

Courses are sequenced to provide continuous student progress toward achievement of a career goal in any of the health science pathways.

The integration of literacy, numeracy, science, employability, 21st Century skills and technical skills is a vital component of each course offering, he said.

The information technology program provides its 120 students with the concepts and skills needed to diagnose and repair personal computers.

The program is also intended to allow students to view other parts of the technology industry such as networking and security.

Robbie Barnes, the primary instructor in the IT program for about five years, said the classes are designed to provide students with concepts and skills needed to diagnose and repair personal computers as well as to allow students to view other parts of the technology industry such as networking and security.

Barnes said if students choose the college route, those certifications may count as college credit.

The typical cost of the certifications is more than $400.

See ATC, page 46

46 | PROGRESS 2019

ABOVE: Health Sciences teacher Teresa Cowan works with students at the Area Technology Center using a phlebotomy chair donated to the ATC by Dr. Shanda Morris. RIGHT: Integrated engineering teacher Henry Carl watches as former GRC student Tyler Bowman works on an engine.

ATC

Continued from page 45 Barnes said the IT industry is booming and there aren’t enough qualified workers to fill the vacancies.

Barnes often receives calls from employers looking for workers with a robust knowledge of computers. He said it’s important to have this program available to students because of the prevalence of technology.

Jacob Green, a student in the IT pathway, said the classes inspired him to go into computer science as a potential career.

Welding students learn to weld various types of metal using several methods and processes.

Students train in oxy-fuel cutting operations, layout and blueprint reading, job site safety, shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding and gas tungsten arc welding.

Wilson said one student has been welding on the new gymnasium after completing his classes for the day.

Wilson said Clark County ATC also has active chapters of SkillsUSA and Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. It was formerly known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America).

HOSA’s mission is to enhance the delivery of compassionate, quality health care by providing opportunities for knowledge, skill and leadership development of all health science education students, therefore, helping the student meet the needs of the health care community, according to ATC’s website.

In the coming years, Wilson said he would like to see more dual-credit options for students as well as growing the

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859-744-7834

Dylan Weir and Caden Easterling work on a Pac-Man arcade game in the Information Technology lab at the Area Technology Center.

PROGRESS 2019 | 47 partnerships in the community.

“We want kids to be employed [in Clark County],” Wilson said.

Current partnerships include Leggett and Platt, Sekisui, Winchester Municipal Utilities, Subaru, Chamber of Commerce, Freedom Realty and more.

About 80 seniors participate in a co-op partnership.

“We’re in the process of starting an internship

like that,” Wilson said. “We can do the more realworld, hands-on type of stuff.”

Wilson said the ATC is mostly funded through federal grants; however, he noted ATC sometimes requests funding from the district for new equipment.

ATC is also funded via donations; Wilson said the ATC wouldn’t survive if it weren’t for his teachers asking for donations in their spare time.

“We had the hospital give us six or seven hospital

as ATC grows. Wilson said the center is going to have a learning curve while it adapts to Kentucky’s new accountability system.

“We will likely have to add new programs for our kids to be transition ready,” he said.

Wilson said he would like to explore adding an HVAC program, a business program, fire and law enforcement training and more.

“We just need to keep growing and move forward,” Wilson said.

Clark County hasn’t seen much growth in the 21st century, with the population stagnating as surrounding communities continue to grow, and Wilson said the reason is many students leave for better opportunities elsewhere.

That is why the ATC is important, Wilson said.

The center is actively working to shape the community’s future by providing students the tools to gain real-world experience as well as giving many students opportunities to work within the community; hopefully, enticing the students to stay in Clark County after they graduate.

Without the ATC, Wilson said, many students may be lost in a sea of career options.

The ATC is a guiding force, leading students to a golden discovery: a pathway to a prosperous future. §

“We want kids to be employed.” program or co-op with Valvoline,” Wilson said.

ATC is also finalizing a partnership with GenCanna.

Wilson said the more internships, apprenticeships and co-ops, the better.

“Of course, my ultimate goal would be at some point in time, I would love to see every senior in the school at noon be out doing some sort of internship, co-op or community service,” Wilson said.

Wilson said ideally, the ATC would grow into an academy where students can also complete core classes within the school, with core classes emphasizing the technical parts of English, math, etc.

“Sometimes kids struggle with that … that oldfashioned way of doing math and science and stuff

beds,” Wilson said. “Those beds were about $10,000 a piece.”

Some folks even donate cars for the automotive students. Wilson said those types of donations are essential because it allows the students to work and learn in an environment that is identical to one in which they would work once they graduate.

“It’s a good learning tool for the kids,” Wilson said.

Wilson said of the nine teachers ATC employs, most of them come from the trade industry so they have to go back to school to teach, but most are making less teaching than what they were while working in their trade.

Funding will prove to be a continuing challenge

Cure Hope for a

Local Relay For Life raises thousands for cancer research annually Story by LASHANA HARNEY | File photos

PROGRESS 2019 | 49

A

fter more than 20 years, the WinchesterClark County Relay for Life chapter hasn’t stopped its quest for a cure.

Becky Manley, community development manager for the American Cancer Society, said over that time, the community has helped raise more than $1 million for the American Cancer Society to help fund research for a cure to cancer.

“We keep fighting,” Manley said.

All money raised through the annual event supports cancer research, patient care services, education and prevention initiatives through ACS. The end goal, Manley said, would be to put her in the ranks of the unemployed.

“I tell people all the time, ‘I want you to put me out of a job,’” Manley said. “I don’t want cancer here either. If we can do that, let’s do it.”

Manley said there is a need for renewed enthusiasm among chapters throughout the U.S. as many chapters — including Clark County — have seen participation decrease in recent years.

However, the Clark County Relay for Life chapter is addressing the issue head-on by attempting to reconnect with the community.

She said the committee wanted to go back to See RELAY, page 50

Luminaria bags are lit at each Relay For Life event to pay tribute to those who lost their battle with cancer and those who are still fighting the disease.

50 | PROGRESS 2019

RELAY

Continued from page 49 the basics and ensure it stays true to its mission: cultivating hope in Clark County.

The 2019 Relay for Life event, under the theme “Hometown Hope,” will take place in downtown Winchester, allowing vendors to set up on Main Street. Manley said she hopes this will make the event more accessible.

coming years.

Dee Wooley, who spoke at the 2018 Relay for Life, told the crowd about her journey with cancer, which began nearly seven years ago.

Wooley was getting ready to go on a cruise, but feeling abnormally fatigued, she decided to see a doctor before leaving the country on her vacation.

She went in for a well-being checkup and came out with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Wooley had a double mastectomy after return-

“We want to honor survivors but still keep everybody in our memory that we lost,” Manley said.

About 10 individuals are on the planning committee for the annual Relay for Life event, and about 15 teams typically participate in the event.

About 200 people usually come out to the event, with even more donating and participating in fundraisers throughout the year.

“We hope to find a cure,” Manley said. “Until then, we have to make baby steps along the way.”

Manley said she hasn’t met one person whose life hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way.

“If they’re out there, they’re very lucky,” Manley said.

Each year, nearly 1,000 bags light the track at the Clark County event, signifying lives lost, and more than 100 survivors typically attend the event.

“It’s very dear to everybody’s heart,” Manley said.

For many, the Clark County Relay for Life chapter begets hope.

Even after 20 years, and among the many organizational changes, Manley the event is a continuing reminder to treasure life.

“It’s good to see the hope it brings people.” §

“We hope to find a cure. Until then, we have to make baby steps along the way.”

In previous years, Relay for Life has held the event at Campbell Junior High School.

The 2019 event, which marks the 23rd year locally, will also take place in September instead of June. Manley said she thinks this move will enable more families to attend who typically leave for vacation during the summer.

Last year, the event raised about $50,000. Manley said she hopes to top that this year and in

ing home from the cruise, and she was thankful for the American Cancer Society for their research and events like Relay for Life that helped raise the money that allowed her to get the medication she needed.

Each event usually features games, vendors, food, live music and more. However, the Manley said the most impactful part of the night is honoring the cancer survivors and caregivers and remembering loved ones lost.

52 | PROGRESS 2019

tm en t at t, P, fro m he r ap ar ca r he th wi o ot ph ra r ne ar ly 30 Je an Br od y po se s fo itt en fo r Th e Su n fo wr s ha an Je . do Lo ng tim e co lu mn ist ra Co lo n As sis te d Liv in g in Br oo kd al e Lit tle to itt ed ) ye ar s. (P ho to su bm

mountains

THE VIEW FROM THE Jean Brody finds purpose in writing Story by WHITNEY LEGGETT

W

hether it be from the coast of Florida, the hills of Kentucky or the mountains of Colorado, Jean Brody has been sharing her views on life, love and the pursuit of happiness with the world for than 30 years.

Jean began contributing her weekly “The View From The Hills” column to The Winchester Sun

in 1990 after she moved to Clark County with her husband, Gene.

“We moved to Winchester from Florida in 1990,” Jean said from her cozy assisted living apartment in Littleton, Colorado, with photos of her family and friends covering the walls behind her. “I had been writing for the Miami Herald and the newspaper in Key Biscayne.”

When she arrived in Winchester, Jean decided to pitch her columns to then-Sun editor Bill Blakeman.

“I walked into his office and asked if he thought he might carry my column,” she said.

“At the time he said no and that he didn’t think they had the room. He called me back a little later and said they would try it.”

Try it she did, and almost three decades later, Jean has contributed nearly 1,500 columns about everything from spirituality to relationships, animal welfare, connections with nature, motherhood and everything in between, delighting readers with humor and heartfelt observations of the world around her.

Jean said her passion for writing stems back to her childhood, one that was plagued by illness.

“Writing is who I am,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t write. I need to get it all out on paper. When I was three years old, I was diagnosed with Rheumatic fever. It messed up my life in a way.”

Jean said she was limited by the disease as a child. She couldn’t play sports or be as physically active as others her age. But she could write.

“My mother would bring me paper and a pen and I would write,” she said. “At just three years old, I would write. And I realized then what I was meant to do.”

Her foray into published works began when she was 19 years old.

“I wrote something deeply personal at the time and sent it to a publisher — the nerve of me,” she said with a laugh, her cats P and Bella fumbling around at her feet and lap. “If he hadn’t bought it, I don’t think I would be writing today. I would have taken it too personally. I was young and stupid, and I would have stopped there.”

The publisher did end up buying Jean’s story, one about the sea and how she connected with it on a deep level. The sea was something she was familiar with as a child growing up on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

She eventually moved with her family because of her father’s job.

She would go on to be a teacher in St. Louis and then in Kentucky, teaching everything from preschool to fifth grade, middle and senior high school and adult creative writing. These days she even teaches a writing and discussion class at her assisted living facility.

While it was illness that inspired Jean to write, it was also what brought her to Kentucky.

“I always wanted to live on a farm,” she said.

“When I got sick with a degenerative disease, my husband, Gene, asked me if there was anything I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to live on a

PROGRESS 2019 | 53 farm and have lots of animals.”

Gene’s response? “Let’s go buy one!”

As she faced a degenerative spine disease, her

Even with the move from the hills to the mountains, Jean remained dedicated to her weekly column, changing it to “The View From The

“Writing is who I am. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t write. new home on a farm in the hills of Kentucky gave her something to look forward to.

“It was a brand new experience,” she said. “But God bless Gene, it gave me a reason to get better.”

Jean said Winchester felt like home from the very start. She made lifelong friends, including the late Betty Smith who also wrote beloved columns for The Sun for many years.

“We were just supposed to be there,” she said.

When Gene was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, the couple moved to Littleton, to be closer to her children. They moved to Brookdale Littleton, an assisted living community in the suburbs of Denver.

“I needed help with Gene,” she said. “He was getting very sick. My family, they were just angels.”

Mountains,” which still runs in The Sun weekly.

In her 80s, Jean’s ability to continue writing is thanks in large part to her son-in-law, Steve.

After several bouts with pneumonia and worsening macular degeneration, Jean began to have difficulty seeing her computer or even a pen and paper.

She confided in Steve and her daughter, Phoebe, that she may need to put the proverbial cap on her pen and stop writing.

Steve refused to let that happen. For two and half years, Steve and Jean have been meeting each Wednesday for dinner, fellowship and writing.

Jean dictates her columns to Steve, who types them, edits as needed and then sends them to be published in The Sun. “I’ve always believed in her writing,” Steve

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said. “She’s the master of the short-short story.

Writing brings so much meaning and purpose to her life. I would hate to see that end. As a writer myself, I’ve been able to glean a lot from Jean about the importance of details in writing.”

While writing has brought purpose to Jean’s life, she also aims to help others with her stories and memories. She prides herself on her honesty in her writing.

“If you’re honest about it all — no matter how bad or good — the readers will respond,” she said.

She said her favorite column is one she wrote recently about holding her first great-grandchild, Holden, for the first time. But the ones that receive the most response are the ones that others can relate to.

“The ones I like the best are when I throw caution to the wind and say what I feel,” she said.

“And hope others also feel what I feel.”

Her goal is to make others feel like they are not alone in the world, no matter what they’re facing.

“I believe I am fulfilling my purpose,” Jean said. “When I think about having to quit, I get a knot in my stomach. I’ve been sharing my stories with three generations of readers now. I feel blessed that I have a way to fulfill my purpose.” §

54 | PROGRESS 2019

ABOVE: The Clark County High School Class of 1948 poses for a photo in their caps and gowns prior to graduation.

RIGHT: Members of the Class of 1948 gathered for lunch recently at Blue Isle Restaurant. The group meets monthly.

reunion CLASS

70 years after graduation, class of 1948 still meets monthly Story by WHITNEY LEGGETT | Photos submitted

PROGRESS 2019 | 55

T

wenty years ago, a group of graduates from Clark County High School gathered monthly to plan for their 50th class reunion.

That group of Class of 1948 grads enjoyed the time together so much they decided to continue meeting even after celebrating their milestone anniversary.

Two decades later, about a dozen members of the CCHS Class of 1948 continue to meet monthly, remaining intentional about staying connected even 70 years after they received their diplomas.

The group gathered most recently for their monthly luncheon at Blue Isle Restaurant at the Winchester Country Club.

Taking up two tables at the back of the restaurant, the group’s laughter could be heard from the door.

They giggled as they passed around photos taken on the front steps of their former school at the start of their freshman year and another in their caps and gowns during their senior year, pointing out classmates they loved and lost.

They talk like they’ve known each other all their lives, and really, they have.

“Some of us grew up together in the same areas of town,” Eunice Yarber said. “We rode the bus together. Some of us were in grade school together. Some of us worked together at our first jobs at restaurants in town that no longer exist.

We were a really close class.”

Their high school, which was located on Lexington Avenue on the site of the current AT&T building, closed in 1963 and was eventually torn down. A monument was placed at the site in 2008, but has since fallen over. The group is raising money to replace the marker, making it their mission to keep the memory of their high school alive.

Yarber said at least a dozen of her former classmates and their spouses gather on the first Wednesday of each month to keep that connection alive.

Each member of the lunch club is at least 88 years old, Yarber said, and most of their classmates have passed away at this point.

According to a count from Betty Berryman, who married Class of

ABOVE: The Class of 1948 gathers for a photo in the freshman year in 1944 at Clark County High School.

LEFT: Members of the class gathered for their 25th high school reunion at East Kentucky Power in 1973.

1948 graduate Bob Berryman, there were 58 students in the Class of 1948, and 21 are still living.

In addition to periodic transfers from St. Agatha Academy, the class also merged with Trapp school in 1946.

They would go on to be educators, principals, accountants, journalists, ministers, engineers, telephone technicians, government employees and more. Some moved away to surrounding communities and others left the state to start their careers and raise their families.

“Education was important to all of us back then,” Yarber said. “We’ve

all gone on to do pretty well for ourselves. We’ve had all types of careers and it’s a great blessing to be able to keep in touch.”

For the dozen who still keep in touch and meet monthly, it just seems like the right thing to do.

Yarber said the meetings offer fellowship and something to look forward to.

“From month to month it’s an exciting outing for each of us to look forward to,” she said. “I think a lot of it is our age. We came up in a time when we didn’t have all this technology to keep up with each other.”

They had to be intentional about cultivating and maintaining connections with one another.

Yarber calls each member once a month to remind them of the meetings and gauge where the group wants to gather for lunch. Some regulars travel from other cities to keep up the tradition. They frequent various restaurants in Winchester, Lexington, surrounding towns and even travel to Red River Gorge at times.

“God has given us a long life,” Yarber said. “And at 88, we feel like we just had to do this — to keep meeting together.” §

Quilts for

kids

Local sewing group donates thousands of quilts to hospitalized children Story and photos by FRED PETKE

PROGRESS 2019 | 57

R

osemary Campbell planned to start quilting when she retired from teaching.

She took classes at a local quilting shop, joined a quilting club and got to work.

When she saw a magazine article about a national organization called Quilts for Kids, she brought the idea to her local quilting club to see if anyone was interested in participating.

Quilts for Kids makes items for children in hospitals, including quilts, sheets, hats for infants and other items.

From that point in 2010, the Bluegrass chapter started sewing and started growing.

Today, the chapter has donated more than 2,400 quilts, mostly to the Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington, and has about 25 active members spread throughout central Kentucky.

The club, she said, fills several needs beyond the recipients.

It is also an outlet for quilters.

“There are (only) so many quilts we can make for our families,” she said. “It’s a chance to keep serving children. I think it’s a gift to the families as much as the children.”

Campbell said the club meets monthly at the Clark County Extension Office to sew, though many members work on their own at home and send the finished items to Campbell.

About every three months, the club will deliver quilts and other items to University of Kentucky officials, who distribute the items as needed.

“Every time we make a quilt, we sit … and say prayers,” she said. “We never know who will receive the quilts.”

See QUILTS, page 58

Quilts for Kids member Deb Evans puts the final touches on a bear, which will be given to a child staying in a hospital. The group was recently asked to make the bears as a special request, among the quilts the group usually makes.

58 | PROGRESS 2019

QUILTS

Continued from page 57 “May they be wrapped in grace and strength and healing,” the group prays.

At one time, club member Deb Evans was on the receiving end of others’ generosity and compassion.

“I had a son who was born with problems,” Evans said, “so we were the parents in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). There were lots of groups that brought things in for the parents — people they didn’t know. It really meant a lot to me when we were parents.”

When Evans was preparing to retire and move from Chicago to Versailles, she was looking for a service group and found the national Quilts for Kids website and then the Winchester chapter.

“I wanted to be on the other end of the spectrum,” and help those who are where she was with her son, she said.

Evans thinks she’s made about 60 quilts so far, but has branched out into other items as requested.

“I also knit and crochet so I make the little hats for the babies,” she said. “I’ve made some of the sheets for the NICU. We’ve been asked by the foster care system to make bears. I have 12 bears to turn in this Saturday.”

Campbell said most of the members are mothers and grandmothers, though there is a husband and wife couple who are quite active.

“We have several nurses who worked with fragile children in the past who have been part of the group,” she said.

The chapter is open to anyone who wants to participate.

“We have a nice supply of fabric that was donated,” she said. “We have kits people can take home.”

For more information, go to www.quiltsforkids.org. §

ABOVE LEFT: Sharon Holbrook looks through a stack of quilts turned in during a Saturday meeting of Quilts for Kids.

BELOW LEFT: Chapter founder Rosemary Campbell sews a quilt with an alphabet decor. Campbell said they work with donated material.

BELOW RIGHT: Club member Cindy Bond starts on her next quilt.

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IT’S ALL

in your head

Civil, serious discussion takes place at library’s monthly Meeting of Minds Story and photos by FRED PETKE

The Meeting Of Minds meets monthly at the Clark County Public Library to provide a safe, open environment to discuss a variety of mind-boggling and eye-opening topics.

S

ometimes there needs to be a space to discuss some of the bigger ideas in life. A place where ideas, controversial or different, can be discussed without bile or vitriol. Where there can be a serious discussion and everyone leaves as friends, hopefully with a different perspective or a new outlook on things.

Meeting of Minds is one of those rare spaces.

For about seven years, librarian John Maruskin has hosted the group once a month to tackle ideas of the day.

Whether anyone would show up was a question.

“I got an idea it might be fun,” Maruskin said. “About that time, there were groups going on around the country called Socrates Cafe. A guy started doing philosophy nights. I thought it sounded like a good idea. We had a lot of patrons who I had good conversations with.”

It seemed like all the ingredients were there.

“I didn’t think anyone would show up,” he said. “Fifteen people showed up the first night.”

Since those early meetings as the Tuesday Night Philosopher’s Club, Maruskin said there has been a consistent

group of 10 to 15 people, though some members have come and gone.

“The neat thing about this group is we like talking with each other,” he said. “The core is we enjoy talking about things people usually don’t talk about.”

On one recent Tuesday night, more than a dozen people came to discuss the concept of negative capability. It is an idea first noted by poet John Keats in 1817 about observing things, thinking about things or acting upon things without your usual conditioned response.

It’s critically analyzing why you think the way you do about something. Is it an original thought or something you picked up from someone else?

On this night, a new person was in their midst, observing for the first time.

“We don’t have confrontations here,” Sue-Z Early said.

“I keep trying to find someone to bring conflict but I’ve not had any luck,” laughed Chuck Witt.

From there, the discussion began, with Maruskin as facilitator. Negative capability, he said, could be described a number of ways including being in a state of indecision, of being comfortable with

the mystery of a subject or creative art.

“We need to have a balance of the past and the moment,” Ron Kibbey said. “That’s what I take … there is a need for now. Stop and smell the roses as the old saying goes.”

IF YOU GO

Meeting of Minds usually meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6:30 in the Clark County Public Library’s conference room.

For more information, call the library at 744-5661.

Eventually, the discussion turned to politics, which is not uncommon, Maruskin said.

“Lots of times I’ll say something to get people riled up or play devil’s advocate,” he said.

The topic changes each month. Past sessions have included the electoral college, totalitarianism, and psychocosmology to local issues like race relations and Main Street. Other months there isn’t a plan.

“Sometimes we’ve found the best meetings were when we didn’t have a topic and let the conversation flow,” Maruskin said. §

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