By Hayes - Lytle
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-872493.mp3
Lexington, KY – On Monday state officials announced the Horse Park is using a combination of stimulus funds and low-interest loans to, as First Lady Jane Beshear explains, become leaner and greener.
"These projects are critical to making the park more environmentally friendly and creating budget savings."
Those green initiatives feature three solar-powered projects including installation of new tracking skylights for the Horse Park's new indoor arena, a state of the art trash compactor, and two new domestic water heating systems. The campground's 160-thousand gallon swimming pool will get a new chemical-free water purification system, and the Horse Park says it will also install a system that turns animal waste into energy.
Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Jonathan Miller says the projects bring jobs to a state dealing with double-digit unemployment.
"It uh will help us create these green collar jobs that everyone is talking about. But these are the 21st century jobs that pay well, that can't be outsourced to India and China and that will help make Kentucky competitive into the 21st century."
Horse Park officials estimate the total annual cost savings for all the initiatives to be around 582-thousand dollars.