Several years ago, while working on the cleanup grant for the Seale, I overheard a presenter make a comment that "blighted buildings are a representation of the lack of well-being of a community." I mulled that over and even though I had never framed it that way, I guess I had always believed that as well. It was that hopelessness, disparity, and our youth's mindset that “as soon as I'm old enough to leave here, I’m gone" determination that provided me with enough proof to reasonably believe that the closing of the Seale was the symbolic starting point for the decline in Owsley.
Admittedly, that isn't the only thing that caused the rampant substance abuse, broken families, and a poorer economy, but it definitely was a contribution. Add that ingredient to a large decline of family tobacco farms, with no crop that could monetarily replace it and now you have a crumbling community. Coal was king in other counties, but in Owsley, tobacco had been. Despite the taboo aspects of tobacco, no one could ever find an economically suitable replacement crop. So, what will save Owsley?
We frequently hear folks saying - "We need a factory." "We need places to shop." We need stuff to do." "Someone needs to clean our county's roadways up." Etc., Etc., Etc., We do need a lot of different things, but there are some hard truths to face. We struggle due to population decline, aging citizenship, rampant substance abuse, a smaller than necessary workforce, and no (working on it) formal childcare for those needing it. We sadly do not have the available working age population to support a large-scale factory (statistically evident, but also some of my opinion). However, my message today is about hope. There’s plenty of evidence for it and granted...some of it that’s a little harder to see unless you’ve been looking for it. I’m not naïve to believe that the following things are the answers to all our problems, and some may disagree with me (and that’s okay), I feel like Owsley is a glass half full instead of half empty. We also can’t wait for someone else to fix what’s broken. If we continue to look past a problem we can fix, doesn’t that mean that we are part of the problem? Our county, our community, our solutions.
Recently, Owsley has become a place for those who want to escape the big cities for a simpler life. More of our younger citizens are seeking careers with college and trades jobs that are vital to a growing Booneville economy. Probably more students than ever are attending colleges and trade schools, but they’ve opted to do it online so they can stay local. Additionally, while many families are busy earning or working their way towards upward mobility, they are raising much larger families than their predecessors. And... Although the statistical data is not available at the moment, there is still evidence that substance abuse is back in the declining phase in our community - even though COVID disrupted and derailed it for a bit.
For those who still can't see the remarkable place where we live, I'm going to spin a few sentences trying to convince you (smile). The South Fork River is one of the best kayaking and tubing rivers in the eastern part of the state. We are also home to part of the famous 76 Transatlantic Bicycle Route and people from all over the world ride through our community every single year. When the Seale is up and running, it will be unique in the fact that not many of the counties around us have a theater. The Lincoln Rock is listed in the Smithsonian Institute of Folk Art in Washington, D.C. We also have several unique historical facts about Owsley, that I might dive into in another blog. So many good things here.
We also sit between two very busy state parks, and we can now be in London in less than 35 - 40 minutes from town. And... several years ago, during a Highway 30 West planning meeting, a fellow from the Kentucky DOT referred to our new highway as the "gateway from I-75 to eastern Kentucky." Now I'm not naive to realize that this does change things for our local economy, by opening doors to other places for us. However, it doesn’t hurt as bad to get to a hospital, or to the interstate from here. Not only that, but it opens our door to other people as well. Is our economy going to be driven from within, or from outside? Can we be a place that others are interested in visiting for a day trip or a weekend? Although I'm not a golfer and probably never will be – but I have heard that there are people that come to our golf course (Sag Hollow) because they prefer it over many in the state. How do we make ourselves appealing to our fly-by visitors? Do you know how important innovative entrepreneurship is going to be here in our county? New spaces and places for people to create and entice people to come here. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a fancy restaurant operated out of the Long House, or a sandwich wrap and salad shop on the square? Maybe even an ice cream parlor? If you have a dream of something you think would thrive here and bring charm to the community, you have picked the best time to collaborate to make it happen!
We also have an unseen workforce. We have an abundance of Teleworks jobs that are available in our county. Thanks to our great internet, and those who did the footwork to get it here, Owsley is home to roughly 400+ in home jobs. We have more wealth and earning potential in our county than ever before. Is this a replacement for tobacco farming? Or is this the alternative to 'factory work?' Possibly...
Now in the last six months. Booneville has seemed kind of like a whirlwind of activity. Everywhere you look lately, you can see something happening on almost every street off the square. Although we at OCARE are very excited to have the work taking place at the Seale, we can't help but get extra excited to see all the things that make us feel hopeful and happy about our little town's future. The success of the town is of great importance to our project. We also hope that people feel like our project is important to their businesses as well. When we did our sustainability/feasibility project at the BEC with our black box theater and movie house, we hosted people from Wolfe, Breathitt, Perry, Lee, Clay and other counties all the time. It always made us happy to hear them say that they had stopped for supper at the Ole' Bus Stop Diner, or they picked up a special at Spencer's. We are connected and interdependent upon each other. What helps you, helps me and what hurts you hurts me. That's why were so happy to see how the City of Booneville has been pressing into a lot of different projects and the Owsley County Fiscal Court has been taking on some different things around the county themselves. They've also assisted with some demo in town and got rid of the out of sorts, Tudor style overhang, on the building beside the firehouse. The City of Booneville and the Owsley County Fiscal Court have helped us at the Seale to overcome some obstacles as well. Maybe I'm the only one feeling it but doesn't Booneville have an air of excitement right now? Everything has potential!
Our little town square and the remaining houses that line our streets are idyllic of the 1940s and 50s. I see, what I refer to as an Americana style of home, that is quaint and inviting. They have front porches like those you see on the Andy Griffith show. Wouldn’t it be nice to see the remaining houses polished up and ready for front porch company? I’m anticipating that we’ll see that at Mayor Long’s old house. Which ranks as the next notable projects currently underway as well as the Seale. (Please forgive me if I miss some).
There are many who are invested in “Building Booneville Better” and that number is growing every day. Not only in town but around the county. It seems like you could turn your head just about any direction and see something good happening. You know what that is? That’s hope and vision.
1. Currently, the former home of Mayor Charles and Mrs. Ruth Long is undergoing foundation work. There is a great deal of history in that house and it's so wonderful to see the new work going on. If you’ve driven by, you may have noticed that the old porch was being removed and some temporary bracings put in. The foundation work should be finished by this coming week.
2. If you've driven down Old Highway 11, you may have seen work going on there as well. You also may have caught a glimpse of an uncovered sign beckoning the public that it was the “Charles E. Long Service Station.” Although it's not my decision and I know some of the plans for the building, and the sign doesn't reflect the upcoming enterprise, I sure hate to see the sign go. I've been researching ideas for suggestions. Any other takers?
3. The Bates Building(s) on the town square are all getting some revamp and redevelopment. Over the years they had fallen into great disrepair and the talk had been to tear them down. I for one am grateful that the City has decided on a new purpose for them and I can’t wait to see the new business ventures that they’ll host.
4. Then there is the upcoming Owl's Treehouse Childcare and Learning Center in what was formerly known as the BEC. Walls have been going up this past week. Plumbers have checked on what additional plumbing we need and hopefully we'll have a ready building soon.
5. The Legacy Tree Dedication Ceremony will FINALLY take place sometime within the next few weeks. The final pieces of work on the tree will be done and the trunk placement will be part of the ceremony. (The Legacy Tree contains as many handprints as we could collect of the youth in our community).
Now I know that not everyone shares my enthusiasm (or craziness) about the hope for our future. But…if you ever wanted proof that your community is healing, or getting healthy, just look at the condition of the buildings.
In conclusion, I just want to uplift a message I heard the other day in a Facebook Reel no less. There was a fella talking about how being depressed made him feel like not doing anything. However, he had learned that the cure to his depression was to be doing something. Getting started is and was the hardest part. The cure was to just start somewhere. We have a lot that needs fixing, but not as much as we did have. We have had the cure all along. Us.
