By Marty Finley Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 4:27 pm (Updated: March 24, 10:06 pm) Another prominent Hardin County entity has emerged in favor of placing increased alcohol sales to a public vote. Hardin County United formally endorsed the efforts of Yes for Economic Success, arguing the debate is one of economic development and should be taken to voters to decide. Y.E.S. is a collective of local organizations and residents working to change existing alcohol laws in Hardin County because, Y.E.S. argues, they are unnecessarily stringent and an encumbrance to business growth. In an effort to revise the laws, Y.E.S. is leading concurrent petition drives in Elizabethtown, Radcliff and Vine Grove to authorize a local option election in the three cities at the same time. Hardin County Judge-Executive Harry Berry, chairman of Hardin County United, said Thursday that he respects alcohol use as an issue of personal choice. He said HCU’s steering committee voted to endorse Y.E.S. and its effort because it recognizes the issue as one crucial to economic development. Berry said the county is giving up revenue to surrounding counties that allow alcohol sales because Hardin County residents are traveling and spending their money despite the inconvenience. “The purchase of these products is happening whether it is allowed in Hardin County or not,” he said. HCU also argues that being dry gives other areas a competitive advantage over Hardin County from a tourism perspective. Luke Schmidt, president of L.B. Schmidt & Associates LLC, the consulting firm that conducted the Hardin County Vision Project and provides consulting services to HCU, said many of the cities Hardin County competes with have more accessible alcohol sales, everywhere from Bardstown and Bowling Green to Lexington, Louisville and Nashville. Berry said loosening these restrictions could generate more interest in Hardin County as a tourism destination and attract new businesses. Schmidt said it also could change a perception businesses may have in terms of quality of place. According to the statement released by HCU, the availability of alcohol in restaurants and pubs is important to developers looking at sites to place businesses. “Changing the law will make it easier to open new establishments in the historic buildings in downtown Elizabethtown and Vine Grove and in commercial areas in Radcliff,” the HCU statement read. HCU identified 24 strategic goals to consider as part of the Hardin County Vision Project that weighs core areas, from government to education and health care. Expanded alcohol sales is one of those goals. Schmidt said the firm polled more than 100 community leaders about the alcohol issue and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of Hardin County going wet. For example, when respondents were asked if they feel the dining and entertainment scene in Hardin County is robust, 72 percent voted no. Further questioning revealed 67 percent of respondents felt current alcohol laws are cumbersome for development of new restaurants and entertainment venues and 90 percent of those responders felt the laws should be changed. Both Berry and Schmidt said the research and polling data led to HCU’s decision. “It seems consistent with the goals of Hardin County United,” Berry said of the endorsement. Schmidt said HCU will not proceed as an active arm to market or promote the expanded alcohol effort but rather offer its vocal support to Y.E.S. in its role. HCU is the latest in a long line of local organizations to endorse the effort, including the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau, North Hardin Economic Development Authority, Elizabethtown Industrial Foundation, Elizabethtown Heritage Council, West Point City Council and all four county chambers of commerce, which recently united to form the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce. But everyone is not crazy about the plan. Liquor store owners in Bullitt and Meade counties have said the emergence of package liquor stores and other alcohol-friendly venues in Hardin County could hurt businesses in nearby counties. Some also have argued the Y.E.S. group is misguided in its belief that the expansion of alcohol will lead to large financial success. Pat Donnelly, an Elizabethtown resident and owner of Turnpike Liquors in Shepherdsville, said much of the revenue will be funneled out of the county because corporations will apply for most of the alcohol licenses. Meanwhile, taxes generated from the licenses will be minuscule, Donnelly said. On another front, the Hardin County Christian Coalition has stepped out in opposition to the plan. Founder Will Stolz said the push for alcohol is an unimaginative way to produce revenue in the county and a faulty form of progression. Hardin County, Stolz added, should strive to stand out from the crowd rather than join its neighbors. Y.E.S. and HCU maintain gains will be found for the county should it reach a ballot and find voter approval. “Research indicates millions of dollars are being left on the table in surrounding counties by Hardin County citizens when they travel to Bullitt, Jefferson, Meade and Nelson counties to purchase alcoholic beverages,” HCU said in its written statement. “It’s time to put these dollars in local cash registers along with the taxes that such sales generate.” Y.E.S. needs to gather more than 3,600 signatures total to place the issue on the ballot. State law requires petitions from each city to have enough signatures from eligible voters to equal 25 percent of the voter turnout in the last general election. That translates to 1,990 signatures in Elizabethtown, 1,182 in Radcliff and 468 in Vine Grove, according to Hardin County Clerk Kenny Tabb.

Contact:
The Honorable Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive
270.765.2350

Luke B. Schmidt, President
L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC
502.292.2898

Hardin County United Announces Support for YES for Economic Success (Y.E.S.) Committee’s Petition Drive,

Initiative to Change Alcoholic Beverage Laws in Elizabethtown, Radcliff and Vine Grove

 

Elizabethtown, Kentucky (March 23, 2011) – Hardin County United (HCU) today announced that its Steering Committee has voted to support the ongoing petition drive of the YES for Economic Success (Y.E.S.) Committee to gather signatures of registered voters in Elizabethtown, Radcliff and Vine Grove in order to allow for a referendum later this year and changing existing law to allow alcoholic beverage sales in all three cities.

Y.E.S. is a collaborative group of organizations and concerned citizens which is working to allow voters the opportunity to vote on changing the existing alcoholic beverage laws in all three cities.  While each campaign is separate, each campaign is running concurrently, allowing voters the opportunity to express their view on the same day later this year with the same ballot question.  To date, nine organizations in addition to HCU have endorsed the activities of Y.E.S.

“HCU fully respects the view that the consumption of alcoholic beverages is a personal choice,” said HCU Chairperson Harry L. Berry.  “However, HCU believes that it is entirely appropriate to allow voters to express how they feel about the issue and therefore we support the ongoing petition drive to obtain the required number of signatures to bring this issue to a vote in all three cities,” said Berry.

Members of HCU believe the issue of alcoholic beverage sales has become an economic issue.  Research indicates millions of dollars are being left on the table in surrounding counties by Hardin County citizens when they travel to Bullitt, Jefferson, Meade and Nelson counties to purchase alcoholic beverages.  It’s time to put these dollars in local cash registers along with the taxes that such sales generate.

Changing existing law to allow alcoholic beverage sales will enhance economic development efforts in all three cities. The availability of alcoholic beverages in restaurants, pubs, etc., is an issue which is often considered by professional site selection representatives and business decision makers to be a quality of place issue.  Changing the law will make it easier to open new establishments in the historic buildings in downtown Elizabethtown and Vine Grove and in commercial areas in Radcliff.

Finally, changing the law will make the community more competitive when it comes to attracting tourists along the I-65 corridor.  Most tourists would like a choice when it comes to the opportunity to consume alcoholic beverages.  Most of the communities that Hardin County competes with in the tourism arena, such as Bardstown, Bowling Green, Columbus, IN, Jeffersonville, IN, Lexington, Louisville and Nashville allow alcoholic beverage sales.

“Hardin County United was established to follow-up, prioritize and implement various strategic goals which were established as part of the Hardin County Vision Project in 2010,” said Luke B. Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, the consulting firm which conducted the Vision Project and provides consulting services to HCU.

“During the Vision Project, we asked community leaders many questions pertaining to ‘quality of life/place’ including their views of the current dining scene.  Only 28% of the respondents found the dining/entertainment scene to be ‘robust,’” said Schmidt.

“When asked if current alcoholic beverage laws hinder the development of new dining and entertainment ventures, nearly 70% said YES.  For those who answered YES to this question, 90% said that the laws should be changed in order to attract new dining and entertainment ventures (and improve the quality of place for the community),” Schmidt stated.

Additional information on this issue can be obtained by visiting the Y.E.S. Web site (www.2011yes.com).

Hardin County United (HCU) was established for the purpose of examining the various strategic goals which were established by the Hardin County Vision Project in 2010.  The intent of HCU is to prioritize the goals and to develop implementation strategies.  HCU’s leadership team includes Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry Berry who chairs the Steering Committee; One Knox Executive Director Brad Richardson, who chairs the Community Development Subcommittee; North Central Education Foundation President/CEO Al Rider, who chairs the Education Subcommittee; and Hardin Circuit Court Judge Ken Howard who chairs the Governance Subcommittee.  Luke Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, provides management and consulting services to HCU.

 

 

Hardin County United Posts Educational Roadmap to Web Site

Document Provides Unique, Detailed Overview of Educational Opportunities in Hardin County from Birth through Adult Education

 

Elizabethtown, Kentucky (February 3, 2011) – Hardin County United (HCU) today announced that it has posted the Hardin County Educational Roadmap on its new Web site (www.hcu.lbschmidt.com).  The Roadmap provides a detailed summary of virtually every educational opportunity available in Hardin County today.

The Roadmap is the first project to be completed by HCU and was developed and managed by the organization’s Education Subcommittee, chaired by Al Rider, President/CEO of the North Central Education Foundation.  The Roadmap is designed to serve as a resource for all citizens of Hardin County as well as employers and businesses and industries which might be contemplating a move to the community.

“Education has always been an important driver in this community,” said Al Rider.  “The Education Subcommittee wants to build upon the educational strategic goals adopted in the Hardin County Vision Project.  In order to do this, we agreed that we first needed to fully understand what educational opportunities currently exist in the community.  In doing this, we established a life continuum starting at birth and concluding with adult education.  Every opportunity is listed in this document.”

The Roadmap will significantly assist ongoing economic development efforts in the community.  Local economic development officials will now be able to provide detailed information on educational opportunities to companies that are considering expansion into Hardin County.

The benefits to existing citizens of Hardin County will be enormous.  For the first time in the County’s history, citizens will be able to go online and see a listing of all educational opportunities.  From birth through three years, the opportunities include such programs as Books for Babies, HeadStart, First Steps, etc.  Various public and private elementary and private school programs, such as gifted and talented, and special education are listed, along with adult education for later in life.

For those citizens who may be wishing to add to their current educational credentials, either through obtaining an associate or technical degree, a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree, they will quickly be able to see what is possible without leaving the community.  Degree opportunities range from an Associate Degree in Applied Science for such things as Business Administration, Accounting, Real Estate Management, etc., to Bachelor’s Degrees in Child Studies, Human Services and Counseling, Public Safety Administration, etc., to Master’s Degrees in Criminal Justice, Mathematics Education to Theology.

“In compiling the Roadmap, we learned that Hardin County has the largest number of institutions on a per-capita basis that offer post-secondary degrees in Kentucky,” said HCU Chairperson Harry L. Berry.  “This clearly becomes a selling point for our economic development officials.  There are nearly 340 post secondary credentials which can be earned right here at home,” said Berry.

“The development of the Roadmap fits right in with HCU’s mission,” said Luke B. Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC and consultant to HCU.  “One of the Vision Project goals is to develop a “leading edge” education platform in the community, beginning at Kindergarten and extending through post-secondary offerings.  The Roadmap clearly indicates that Hardin County has a lot going for it in terms of education, and it will help the community to identify gaps which might exist so that the platform can ultimately be strengthened.”

The Roadmap can now be downloaded by visiting HCU’s Web site.

Hardin County United (HCU) was established for the purpose of examining the various strategic goals which were established by the Hardin County Vision Project in 2010.  The intent of HCU is to prioritize the goals and to develop implementation strategies.  HCU’s leadership team includes Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry Berry who chairs the Steering Committee; One Knox Executive Director Brad Richardson, who chairs the Community Development Subcommittee; North Central Education Foundation President/CEO Al Rider, who chairs the Education Subcommittee; and Hardin Circuit Court Judge Ken Howard who chairs the Governance Subcommittee.  Luke Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, provides management and consulting services to HCU.

 

Hardin County United Launches New Logo and Web Site

Web Site Will Provide Platform for Community to Follow Progress

 

Elizabethtown, Kentucky (January 28, 2011) – Hardin County United (HCU) today unveiled its new logo and Web site.

The logo, designed by Heartland Communications Consultants of Elizabethtown, features a stylized map of Hardin County, surrounded by an arrow, indicating a county and its citizens which are working together to address new opportunities.  The subtle green color is also intended to convey the strong partnership that the county enjoys with Fort Knox.

The Web site (www.hcu.lbschmidt.com), also designed by Heartland, is designed to serve as a platform for the Greater Hardin County community to follow the progress of various projects undertaken by HCU.  As projects proceed, postings to the Web site will be made from time to time which will allow those who are interested to stay up to date on issues related to the projects.  Interested parties will also be able to sign up for electronic updates and submit comments and questions to HCU via the Web site portal and also through linked HCU Facebook and Twitter sites.

“HCU is delighted to provide the community with this opportunity to follow our progress,” said Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry, Chairperson of HCU’s Steering Committee.  “Each of our three subcommittees are actively engaged in projects related to the strategic goals which were established by the Hardin County Vision Project last year.  Our three subcommittee chairpersons will periodically provide updates and/or solicit feedback from the general public regarding these projects through this Web site.”

The Web site features the usual “About” page which provides a brief overview of HCU and also the recently concluded Hardin County Vision Project.  Each HCU committee and subcommittee also has a page, making it easy for visitors to find information that they are most interested in.  HCU will also post information through its “News” and “Blog” pages. The News page will feature news articles and press releases related to HCU projects and issues.  The “Blog” page will feature news as well as columns and comments written by HCU personnel.  The “Blog” page may feature guest postings from time to time.

Finally, the site also features a “Community Profile” page as well as links to virtually every key organization in Greater Hardin County.

“Even though HCU is a young organization, the site already contains a robust amount of content,” said Luke Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC and consultant to HCU.  “The site is intended to be a work in progress and it will be updated periodically.  In fact, we will be posting a major report from the Education Subcommittee within the next week and we encourage visitors to come back and check this out.”

“Not to be overlooked is the link between the HCU Web site and HCU’s Facebook and Twitter sites.  There are an estimated 60,000 Facebook users in the Greater Hardin County area and we want to reach as many people as we can,” stated Schmidt.

The Web site is now live.

(Note: members of the media that would like a JPEG file of the new HCU logo may request a copy by contacting Luke Schmidt: 502.292.2898; lbschmidt@lbschmidt.com)

Hardin County United (www.hcu.lbschmidt.com) was established for the purpose of examining the various strategic goals which were established by the Hardin County Vision Project in 2010.  The intent of Hardin County United (HCU) is to prioritize the goals and to develop implementation strategies.  HCU’s leadership team includes Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry who chairs the Steering Committee; One Knox Executive Director Brad Richardson, who chairs the Community Development Subcommittee; North Central Education Foundation President/CEO Al Rider, who chairs the Education Subcommittee; and Hardin Circuit Court Judge Ken Howard who chairs the Governance Subcommittee.  Luke Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, provides management and consulting services to HCU.

 

Hardin County United unveils logo, website

Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 10:00 pm (Updated: January 31, 4:32 pm)

The organization formed out of the Hardin County Vision Project announced its expansion into the online world Friday with the launch of its official Web site, which will directly link users to the latest news and happening surrounding the groups aimed at fleshing out the 24 strategic goals identified through the visioning process.

The site, located at www.hcu.lbschmidt.com, provides a modern look with subtle color flourishes and an easily accessible format. It was designed by Heartland Communications Consultants of Elizabethtown, which also created the One Knox website.

A number of dropdown boxes gives users the option of learning about Hardin County United and the Hardin County Vision project in detail, while another area provides more in-depth information on the subcommittees — community development, education and governance — and the primary steering committee chaired by Hardin County Judge-Executive Harry Berry.

“HCU is delighted to provide the community with this opportunity to follow our progress,” Berry said in a news release. “Each of our three subcommittees (is) actively engaged in projects related to the strategic goals which were established by the Hardin County Vision Project last year. Our three subcommittee chairpersons will periodically provide updates and/or solicit feedback from the general public regarding these projects through this website.”

Luke B. Schmidt, a consultant for HCU, said the site will be an interactive portal for residents of Hardin County to use to follow projects as they proceed, with a blog and news function built into the site to provide those updates.

Schmidt in an interview also said HCU will use the site to publish reports from the committees and attempt to capitalize on the successes of Twitter and Facebook by linking the website with those social networking functions. On Facebook alone, it is projected there are around 60,000 users in Hardin County, Schmidt said.

To stay informed, website users also can sign up for electronic updates.

The site, too, provides a touchstone to the county through a community profile option, giving visitors a synopsis of the Hardin County area.

And a links function has been designed to bring other local agencies and organizations together through the site.

“Even though HCU is a young organization, the site already contains a robust amount of content,” Schmidt said in the news release. “The site is intended to be a work in progress.”

A major report from the education subcommittee is expected to be released this week and will be published on the site shortly thereafter, Schmidt added.

HCU on Friday also unveiled its new logo, designed by Heartland Communications Consultants. It includes the organization’s name and a “stylized map” of the county surrounded by a circular arrow.

Berry said the arrow represents the unity the county is working toward with the project and the uniform-sized dots on the map further that notion.

Also, the touches of green within the logo, Berry added, are a nod to the county’s link with the military and Fort Knox.

Marty Finley can be reached at (270) 505-1762              (270) 505-1762      or mfinley@thenewsenterprise.com.

Video news report on the launch of Hardin County United’s study of consolidated government.

Elizabethtown, Kentucky (November 10, 2010) – Hardin County United (HCU) today announced its first formal project which will include a study of consolidated government and its potential for the Greater Hardin County community. The study of consolidated government options for Hardin County follows-up on one of the principal themes from the previously concluded Hardin County Vision Project which calls for a unification of purpose for the community by streamlining areas where duplication now exists and more importantly beginning to speak with one voice.

 

Luke Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, has joined the Steering Committee of the Parklands of Floyds Fork