Old Nevisdale school could be transformed into recovery center

Whitley County may be getting an additional substance abuse recovery center.

During its April regular meeting, the Whitley County Fiscal Court authorized Judge-Executive Pat White Jr. and County Attorney Bob Hammons to enter into an option agreement to purchase the old Nevisdale Elementary School.

White said that the county is working on a grant project in conjunction with Cumberland River Behavioral Health and Kentucky Highlands that would utilize the building to start a substance abuse recovery center.

In 2016, the Whitley County School District sold the building for $35,526 to Danny and Vickie Rickett, who still own the building.

The school district quit using the building in 2007 after the opening of Whitley East Elementary School, which merged the Nevisdale and the old Poplar Creek Elementary School. Poplar Creek was torn down in part to make room for parking for Whitley East.

Since that time, the building has been used as a community center by at least two different groups, including the Christian Appalachian Project and the KEN-TENN Relief Team.

The building has about 10 classrooms, a kitchen and about seven acres of land.

Also, during the fiscal court’s April 19 meeting, the fiscal court approved an agreement with CTC Technology and Energy to conduct a broadband survey.

“When it comes to Internet providers, they say one of the most difficult things in applying for grants is that they don’t have exact data and mapping on what services are available in what parts of the county. You can’t apply for a grant in an area if the federal census data shows they have better service than what you are going to provide as the result of a grant,” White explained.

White said that he was told the best thing the county could do in regards to applying for grant funding to improve Internet service is to get a geographic information system (GIS) interactive map made regarding what providers are where and what is available on each street.

White noted that this agreement hasn’t been finalized yet.

Since the fiscal court meeting, there is another group, which has approached the county about possibly doing the survey just so they could provide the Internet service to some areas.

“The general idea is that we are trying to do anything that we can to make ourselves eligible for that broadband money that the state legislature and federal government have appropriated because we know there are people here in need,” White added.