Community Planning - Clinton and Wayne Counties, Kentucky by Duane Bristow - 1995 The Clinton-Wayne county area of South Central Kentucky has historically during the twentieth century been a geographically isolated rural area with an economy based primarily on agriculture. The area has suffered thoughout the century by an outmigration of the best of its youngest generations to the industrial areas of Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan where high paying jobs were available. As a result the area is behind the rest of the nation in economic opportunities and in leadership talent. The improvement opportunities afforded to the area by its designation as a part of a Federal Empowerment Zone are a one- shot chance to erase a century of failure to develop economically and intellectually. The money and other incentives available must be used efficiently to fulfill the primary function of government, especially local government. That function is to provide a decent environment and maximum life enhancement opportunities for citizens of the community. Planning should define members of the community in terms of in and out migration and absentee members. It should encompass the economic structure, the governmental structure, the civic structure, the infrastructure and technology, and the natural environment of the community. Planning should include economic development in the areas of industry, agriculture, construction and maintenance services, and other services such as tourism, financial and legal services and retail establishments. It should also include the effects on the local economy of government spending in the areas of welfare, education, medical assistance, and government employment. In economic planning the emphasis should be first on expanding and enhancing existing businesses and then attracting new businesses. Ideally, new businesses would be high tech, labor intensive, high paying, non polluting, service oriented. However, this might require higher skill levels than are available in the present work force. Planning should include an inventory of infrastructure needs such as buildings, transportation, communications, energy, water and sewer, solid waste disposal, and police, fire, and EMS structures. Buildings would include both governmental structures and community structures such as conference facilities, meeting areas, hotel and motel space, etc. Transportation would include road, rail, air, water, bus, taxi, and other public means. Communication infrastructure would include phone, TV, radio, satellite, postal, and print media. Energy infrastructure includes supply of electricity, gas, oil, coal, wood, solar, wind and other sources of energy. Environmental planning should include the physical environment in which citizens live, the natural resources available for development and use, and the political environment which provides opportunities for personal involvement and development. The physical environment includes climate, air and water supply and quality, topography, and biological diversity. Natural resources include soil, water, wood, mineral resources, labor supply, etc. The political or cultural environment includes, not only government, but educational, recreational, and health opportunities. Government should provide for public involvement, forums, debate, etc. It includes the tax structure and the services provided. It provides for welfare, civil rights, public relations, promotion, advertising of the community, land use planning, and beautification. The educational system includes elementary, secondary, and college opportunities, libraries, museums, and adult education. The recreational system should provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, sports, parks, culture, art, music, churches, festivals, and civic groups. The health structure would include doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, home health agencies, nursing homes, ambulance and emergency services, as well as public health services. The development process should involve all citizens to as great an extent as possible and should result in a series of specific realistic goals and a plan for achieving them. The Empowerment Zone program should then be used to efficiently carry out such plans. The end result after the ten year period of the EZ would ideally be citizens who would live in a secure community provided with life's necessities including food, clean air and water, housing, health and nursing care, and protection from crime and natural disaster. Job security and a vastly improved tax base are key to this. Another result of the planning process would be improved opportunities for education, recreation, culture, religions, and a better natural and social environment.