City Gets New Police Car
“It’s a great day to get a new car,” Jackson Mayor Mike Miller said with a big smile last Thursday. Thanks to Rural Development Funds from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the city was handed over the keys to a new vehicle for use by the Jackson Police Department. With federal, state and local officials on hand at the ceremony at City Hall, Miller was proud of the accomplishment between Jackson and the U.S.D.A. “It’s the first time we’ve gotten any piece of equipment this way.”
“It’s a great day to get a new car,” Jackson Mayor Mike Miller said with a big smile last Thursday. Thanks to Rural Development Funds from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the city was handed over the keys to a new vehicle for use by the Jackson Police Department. With federal, state and local officials on hand at the ceremony at City Hall, Miller was proud of the accomplishment between Jackson and the U.S.D.A. “It’s the first time we’ve gotten any piece of equipment this way.”
The new vehicle is a white 2006 Chevrolet Impala Police Special, with a V-6 engine and built specifically for law enforcement use. The original price was over $19,000, but by working through GMAC and Cardinal Chevrolet-Cadillac in Hazard, the actual price was $14,720. As Miller noted, that’s when the U.S.D.A. came in to play. “When funds came available, we were able to get it from the U.S.D.A. Rural Development Office. Their funding pays for 75% of the cost, with the rest coming from other sources. Then we got the car from Larry Turner at Cardinal cheaper than the state contract price.”
Turner was on hand at the ceremony and was elated by their decision. “This is the sixth car the city has bought from us, and we appreciate the opportunity that Mike’s worked with us, and with GM to get the car the city needs.” Inside the new police cruiser was Officer Thomas Miller, who spoke glowingly of the latest addition to the police fleet. “It’s nice. I’ve been inside it and I’ve given it a test drive or two over the past few weeks. Once we put the decals and striping on it, we’ll begin to use it more as we get it broken in. It does indeed fit our needs.”
Also on hand to present the keys to the new car was Jimmy Hall, the Area Director of the U.S.D.A. in Morehead. In his remarks, Hall spoke of some of the projects they’ve helped to fund in Jackson and Breathitt County - some of which all of us are familiar with. “The Water Treatment Plant, the Breathitt County Water District, and the renovation of the old Jefferson Hotel into the present Like Skills Center. All those were funded by the our office. Rural Development can just about build a community from the ground up.” At a luncheon afterwards, Hall added, “This is not a large project, but we’ll work with the city to bring more projects to them. It’s your tax dollars coming back to Jackson.”
Another person who complimented on the cooperation between the various agencies and offices was County Judge-Executive Lewis H. Warrix, who told the crowd before the keys were turned over, “This is the first time I’ve seen the city and the county get together and work together.” City Councilman Alfred Turner was also in agreement. “It’s evident you can see teamwork in action here. There was a need, and thanks to cooperation from all involved, it’s paid off.”
Among those who attended last Thursday’s ceremonies were City Councilmembers Rose Wolfe, Mildred Rogers and Steve Bowling, as well as State Representative Ted Edmonds.
