The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. held a public meeting Jan. 18 at its facilities in Ravenna, as part of its application for a Brownfields Program cleanup grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Kentucky group President Chris Campbell said the grant funds, which could top out at $500,000, would be used to convert the property of the former CSX Transportation Ravenna Shops from an industrial site to that of a multi-use campus, and the home of to the steam group’s interactive heritage center and museum.
Campbell said the public meeting was a requirement by EPA as part of the application process. The grant funds, Campbell said, would largely be used for cleanup of the Ravenna Shops, formerly a Louisville & Nashville facility, and repurposing the property.
“It’s been a railyard for a hundred years, and if we wanted to continue using it as a railway yard, we wouldn’t have to apply for any additional funding for the cleanup,” Campbell said. He added that since the property will be repurposed, the additional funding is needed.
Campbell said 26 people, mostly locals from the Ravenna community, attended the public meeting. He said that although some questions were asked about the grant and the project — questions which will be entered into the official record and included in the grant application — the project received universal support from an excited and interested community.
“Every single person in that room supports us,” Campbell said. “This is a big deal for Estill County. It’s a community that’s suffered from the downturn of the coal industry, so anything that can help with that is welcomed there. There’s a lot of support and understanding.”
The group’s heritage center is being billed as a planned interactive educational center, covering operating aspects of railroading, including steam operations. The former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 Kanawha No. 2716 is planned to be an operating centerpiece of the facility.
The John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust application deadline is Feb 1st, 2019.