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The Paducah-Area Community Reuse Organization (PACRO) was formed in August of 1997 by regional community representatives from western Kentucky and southern Illinois, in
an effort to mitigate potential downsizing and restructuring of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) workforce, as a result of the end of the Cold War and changing Department of
Energy (DOE) priorities.
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| Membership of the PACRO is designed to represent the counties in which the majority of the PGDP workforce lives. The PACRO impact area includes McCracken, Ballard,
Graves, and Marshall Counties, in western Kentucky, and Massac County, in southern Illinois.
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| PACRO commissioned a study to develop and utilize programs and resources to maintain the region's economic climate. The programs developed from this study include the
following: Entrepreneurial; Existing Business and Industry; Facility Reuse; Industrial Parks, Sites, and Speculative Buildings; Workforce Reuse and Facility Reuse.
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Useful External Links and Materials
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Timeline of PACRO Activities
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In April 1997, the Purchase Area Development District (PADD) sent a representative to the Fifth National Stakeholders Workshop of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Worker
and Community Transition (OWCT). The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) was on the DOE OWCT Map for closure.
Membership of the PACRO is designed to represent the
counties in which the majority of the PGDP workforce lives. The PACRO impact area includes McCracken, Ballard, Graves, and Marshall Counties in western Kentucky and Massac County
in southern Illinois.
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Section 3161 of the National Defense Authorization Act created and funded Community Reuse Organizations beginning in 1997 in order to mitigate the social and economic impacts
of workforce restructuring activities at the Department of Energy.
Federal funding for these programs ended in 2006.
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The PACRO applied for and received a DOE OWCT 3161 Planning Grant for $400,000 to formulate and implement effective initiatives to mitigate the employment and economic impacts
resulting from the conversion of the DOE facilities and to lay a strong foundation for the future development, growth, and diversification of the area economy. In 1998, the PADD
issued a Request for Qualifications for the following four Regional Initiatives:
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- Analysis of existing industrial sites and buildings in the Paducah Region and possibly recommendations for the development of a Regional Industrial Park;
- Formulation of an Entrepreneurial Development program and Business Incubator Feasibility Assessment;
- Preparation of a Workforce Reuse and training initiative; and
- A Facility Reuse Assessment.
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PACRO Finance Committee Chairman, Mr. Clyde Elrod presents a check to the Paducah Economic Development Corporation from the PACRO Industrial Parks program.
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PACRO Finance Committee Chairman, Mr. Clyde Elrod presents a check to Metropolis Mayor Beth McClanahan from the PACRO Industrial Parks Program to establish a spec building in the
Industrial Park.
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Purchase Area Regional Industrial Park Chairman, Mr. Tony Goodman briefs the PADD Board on the acquisition plan for a 2200 acre regional industrial
park located in Graves County, KY.
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In early 1998, the firm Lockwood Greene Consulting was awarded Initiatives I-III for $221,500 and ELR Consultants, LLC of Oak Ridge, TN was awarded Initiative IV for $61,512.
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In 1999, the PACRO received a DOE OWCT 3161 implementation grant of $8,000,924.76 to prepare the five impact counties and the region for PGDP downsizing, using the following
programs developed by the Lockwood Greene Study to mitigate the impact on the area’s economic climate (the following DOE OWCT 3161 Program funds were expended and the grant ended
in 2006). At the grant's end, 1,722 jobs were reported to DOE as created or retained.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$863,983.87
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The Entrepreneurial Program provides technical assistance and funding opportunities for eligible small businesses and entrepreneurial start-up projects, targeted to PGDP employees
and immediate family members. The program established a revolving loan fund to assist with this effort. Loans in the amount of $585,775 have been made to USEC or former USEC
employees and others.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$161,899.13
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The Exiting Business and Industry Program was developed to assist the impact counties in developing their own programs to keep those businesses that are currently located in the
region here, including sub-grants to the five PACRO counties created county-specific Existing Business Industry Programs.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$256,685.21
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The Workforce Reuse Program provided industry training assessment to the PGDP workers; provided industry training referral services; establishment of an industry training consortia;
as well as training and re-employment assistance services to the PGDP workforce. The Skills Assessment Survey Database was developed and utilized by PACE, now USW Local 550, to
assist some of their members in transitioning employment to the on-site contractors.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$75,000
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The development of a Regional Marketing Program was to benefit the whole region. The project was designed to develop an identity for the Paducah region in the minds of corporate
prospects. The goal of the Regional Marketing Program was to provide seed funding to get the area’s message out to bring prospects into the area.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$39,999.40
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The Paducah Chamber of Commerce developed a regional communications plan that included a crisis communications plan for the region; media relations training for the key business
and political leaders of the PACRO primary and secondary counties; a press kit development for each of the counties; and media relations advice and counsel to those said counties
when called by the national media.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$214,992
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The Facility Reuse Program identified assets on site at the PGDP to benefit the plant workforce and region. The program identified the assets on site such as buildings, land,
equipment, infrastructure, metals, depleted uranium hexafluoride, fluorine cells, and workforce. The objective of the program was to utilize those assets to mitigate the downsizing
of the PGDP. The PACRO Facility Reuse Program identified the assets on site. However, since the PGDP was a working facility, the fluorine cells disposition was the only asset that
was reused.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$2,872,482
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The Industrial Park Sites Program invested funds of $2,872,482 in the five PACRO impacted counties in order to assist in the development of a product marketable to industry
to assist in the mitigation of job losses which occurred at the DOE site. These funds were used to acquire land and develop infrastructure. Additionally, a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
of $2,460,000 was established for those impacted counties. The Industrial Park Sites Program developed an industrial park with infrastructure in each of the five PACRO impacted
counties.
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Total 3161 Funds:
$2,460,000
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The Industrial Parks Speculative Buildings Program provided a $2,460,000 RLF that provided low interest loans to each of the five PACRO impacted counties to build a
speculative building. That program allowed each county to create a building to show and sell to prospective clients. Today this RLF has been made available to each county in the
region.
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| County |
Investment |
| McCracken County |
$783,409 |
| Marshall County |
$391,711 |
| Ballard County |
$470,000 |
| Graves County |
$496,167 |
| Massac County |
$731,195 |
| Total |
$2,872,482 |
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Total 3161 Funds:
$446,175
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The Regional Park Program provided initial funds necessary for the creation of a regional industrial park. This program identified property by Lockwood Greene in the PACRO five
county region for a "world class" industrial park. The objective of the program was to put in place a park that could accommodate large industries and their suppliers which could
mitigate the job loss created by the downsizing of the PGDP. With the help of Lockwood Greene, a site was located within the five county PACRO area. The initial $446,175
PACRO grant was matched by the state of Kentucky with $10,235,000, the Delta Regional Authority with $1 million, the Department of Energy with $1.02 million, and HUD with $248,000.
There is now a 2200 acre Certified Megasite Regional Industrial Park established and being marketed.
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| County / Entity |
Investment |
| Graves County |
$734,970 |
| Marshall County |
$463,747 |
| Ballard County |
$457,923 |
| Graves County |
$496,167 |
| City of Metropolis |
$500,000 |
| City of Paducah / McCracken County |
$704,834 |
| City of Paducah / McCracken County |
$500,000 |
| Greater Paducah Economic Development |
$500,000 |
| Greater Paducah Economic Development |
$100,000 |
| Total |
$2,460,000 |
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