'There would be irrevocable damage' - farm owners unite to stop runway expansion

Several hundred residents, farmers and horsemen in Kentucky's Bourbon County have begun organising opposition to a state-owned "airpark" runway expansion project they believe could irreversibly damage their way of life.

What's being proposed is a $320 million, 2,000-acre runway expansion at Bluegrass Station, an industrial park for aircraft that straddles the Bourbon/Fayette county line. Private government contractor Lockheed Martin is Bluegrass Station's largest employer and uses the facility to retrofit helicopters. With a larger runway, the company could work on larger fixed-wing aircraft, such as its four-engine transport planes known as the C-130 Hercules.

Supporters of the expansion project have said the public-private initiative could bring an estimated 4,000-6,000 new jobs to the area.

Bourbon County's agricultural community, however, foresees more harm than good from the project.

"What is being considered is not compatible or harmonious with our peaceful way of life in Bourbon County," said Arthur Hancock III, the owner of Stone Farm and a fourth-generation Bourbon County farm owner. "This industrial complex will change our very existence and it's not just about the horse farms, it's about all farms.

"If this goes through in this area, the horsemen and the farmers of Bourbon County are going to suffer irrevocable damage from the pollution, the nerve-racking noise, and the chaos. Once we lose the soil and the groundwater, they can never be replaced.” 

Walker Hancock, president of Claiborne Farm, said many streams and springs flow throughout his farm that are fed by aquifers.

He said: "If there's an airport, no-one knows where that runoff and pollution is going to go. That doesn't even take into consideration the noise, air and light pollution. It seems very short-sighted to place the airport right in the middle of pristine prime farmland. 

"They claim to bring so many jobs, but what's not taken into account is how many farmers and landowners are going to be affected, not just directly but indirectly."

Those opposing the runway expansion formed an advocacy group called ‘Citizens for Bourbon County’. The 501 (c)(4) is a form of non-profit that allows groups to raise money for political activities, such as message advertising against the project.

Walker Hancock: 'Seems very short-sighted to place the airport right in the middle of pristine prime farmland'Credit: Anne M Eberhardt

Along with the environmental impact concerns, Bourbon Country landowners also face the prospect that land for the expansion could be acquired through eminent domain, which allows the government to force the sale of private land for public use. Also, a presentation reportedly submitted to the Kentucky General Assembly in November 2022 states "future market conditions justify expansion up to 4,000 acres," according to a report by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Ike Van Meter, who raises cattle at his High Tide Farm and Low Tide Farm and is a thoroughbred breeder and owner, would be directly affected if eminent domain is exercised for the project. He also faced this fight in 2017, when a similar expansion was proposed and eventually nixed by the Bourbon County Fiscal Court. 

"It started for me in 2017 and 2018 at the local level in Bourbon County," said Van Meter. "When the citizens found out about it, there was uproar and the project was immediately stopped. In the past six years they have been building this project back up. We learned about it a couple of weeks ago, and now it's the state pushing it forward.

"The land that we have, a portion of it was purchased by my great-grandfather in the 1950s. It was farmed by my grandfather, my dad, and now me. Our three kids have been raised going out to the farm, learning about the land and the respect it deserves as it's a priceless commodity that, if destroyed, is gone forever. 

"About 20 years ago my dad bought an adjoining piece of property because he believed in farmland, he knew the worth of the grade A prime central Kentucky farmland, not only as an investment, but something you can farm and make an income from as a long-term asset. I feel like that’s being taken away here and missed by people."

The expansion project is included in the most current version of the House budget, which includes $55m in bonds from the state to cover land acquisition. The project also appears in Gov. Andy Beshear's budget proposal, but the budget still requires approval by the Senate before legislators adjourn on April 15. If passed by the Senate, the investment could occur in the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.

"The worst part of it all is that this well-baked plan was hatched under a veil of secrecy," lamented Hancock. "Apparently, this has been going on for years without any knowledge of the people of Bourbon County.

"I hope that the rest of the people in our state will take notice of what is happening here in Bourbon County and will always remember those who came secretly and slyly like thieves in the night to rob us of our way of life, those who instigated this plan and those who are trying to carry it out.”

Van Meter added: "We are very fortunate, know what we have, and are very thankful that we have it. It's amazing that you have to defend something that you bought legally, have taken care of and been a steward of for so long . . . and have it taken from you when something else is deemed more important."

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