March 21, 2022

The City of Cave City has broken ground on three sites in Chapatcha Industrial Park.

Chapatcha Park is a 44-acre industrial park located in Cave City off I-65. Over the last several years, Park developments have included an access road and utility installation including water, sewer, electric and gas. The Park has also undergone significant due diligence including Phase I Environmental, Geo Technical and Geo Physical testing. All this preparation has prepared the park for this next step to include grading roughly 30 acres making the Park shovel ready. The investment will provide up to three marketable sites and add an industrial park gateway sign.

In the fall of 2021, Cave City, Barren County, and the Barren County Economic Authority partnered on an application for Community Funding through Congressman Brett Guthrie’s office, it was announced last week that the Cave City project was selected for funding in the amount of $1,000,000. “This funding award is very much appreciated” said Barren County Judge Executive Micheal Hale. “Cave City is a gateway into Barren County, and we are excited to be able to work with Cave City’s leadership to develop three industrial sites.” The Park development was to be funded through a partnership with the Barren County Fiscal Court to borrow bond funds for the project, these funds can now be redirected to further other developments in Barren County.

“We are developing this park in order to bring new jobs and capital investment to the community,” said Cave City Mayor, Dwayne Hatcher. “With great access to the interstate and centrally located between two international airports, our location sits in the heart of Southcentral Kentucky.”

Working with the Barren County Economic Authority, Cave City put the project out to bid and has selected Vincent Excavating, LLC to complete the project. It is anticipated that the sites will be ready within the next 100-days. The Park, which is in an Opportunity Zone, will be marketed to small-medium sized industrial customers that will benefit from the site’s location along I-65, proximity to larger markets, a lower cost of doing business, and an excellent transportation network.

Barren Inc & BCEA President & CEO Maureen Carpenter stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Cave City on this project and are extremely grateful to Congressman Guthrie and his team for their support in helping to secure the needed funding.” She went onto say “We are diligently working on property development to meet the needs of our local industry and to attract new industry to the area, creating high-quality jobs for our community”.

About the Barren County Economic Authority: Established in 1984, the Barren County Economic Authority is the lead economic development organization in Barren County to attract new business and industry, retain and support existing business expansion and support infrastructure development that meets the needs of business and industry and advance the overall well-being of the community.

BCEA Investors in Economic Development: Champion: T.J. Regional Health Visionary: American Engineers, Inc. Advocates: German American Bank, Green Mechanical Construction, Inc., and Kelley Construction Inc. Supporters: Edmonton State Bank, The Peoples Bank; The Murphy Construction Group, Alliance Corporation, ATM Media Solutions, South Central Bank, and US Bank Contributor: Gray Construction/Gray Ohio Valley

About Cave City: Cave City is a small town nestled in the rolling hills of cave country and serves as the entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park. The corridor to Mammoth Cave is filled with gift and craft shops, hotels, great restaurants, and amusement for the perfect family get-a-way or vacation. In Downtown Cave City there is an abundance of antique stores where you can find new and old. We have a great group of city employees, Chamber, and council members who are constantly working very hard to recreate our city and make it even better. We also have a very hard-working committee of citizens that have formed a Cave City Proud group and they work hard to making our town a growing success.