Visitors to Owensboro today will discover a bustling downtown and riverfront, an acclaimed Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum, and popular barbecue and bourbon destinations.
But less than a decade ago, Kentucky’s fourth largest city was mired in debt from years of overspending. When Mayor Tom Watson took office in 2016, Owensboro had a general fund deficit of more than $17 million. Using a combination of conservative budgeting and an increased occupational license fee, Watson and his team have finally righted the city’s finances.
“We just had an audit about two weeks ago from our auditor and I’m proud that he said this is the best financial shape Owensboro’s ever been in its history,” says Watson, who is a Daviess County native and long-time businessman there.
That turnaround included $50 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell to build a new downtown plaza and walkway along Ohio River. Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce CEO Candance Castlen Brake says that project is a prime example of the collaborations and partnerships that have fostered growth in Owensboro.
“To me it’s the story of success when you have state, federal, local, everybody coming together, the business community and our citizens,” says Brake. “Our community, we will figure it out if you tell us that it can’t be done. We can be a little ornery.”
Addressing a Regional Need for Health Care Workers
While there’s pride in what the city has achieved recently, civic officials want to keep the momentum going. State Rep. Suzanne Miles (R-Owensboro) says the docket of projects includes work on the local riverport and airport as well as a new Ohio River bridge crossing for Interstate 69 from nearby Evansville, Ind., to Henderson.
“As a legislator and as community leaders, we’re enjoying the rewards at this moment, but our mindset is what’s next,” says Miles. “As long as we get all the things in place infrastructure-wise, government-wise, then everything else works out.”
Another initiative looks to grow the region’s health care sector, which has struggled to find workers to staff open positions. HealthForce Kentucky is a partnership among nine postsecondary educational institutions in the region as well as school districts in 16 western Kentucky counties to create a pipeline of students to enter medical professions. Mark Marsh, president and CEO of Owensboro Health, says students can explore 31 clinical pathways, and more are in development.
“We’ve been in front of 7,500 high school students in the last year,” says Marsh. “Now we’re seeing eighth and ninth grade, tenth grade students who are seeing an occupation, having a career path.”
Brescia University is one of the partners in HealthForce Kentucky. Brescia President Rev. Larry Hostetter says the project fits the mission of the Ursuline Sisters who founded the school nearly a century ago.
“They’re guided by a saying from their founder: Read the signs of the times and adapt,” says Hostetter. “Health care right now is just part of the signs of the times. We’ve got to do something.”
The Catholic university with about 1,000 students already offers master’s degrees in speech language pathology and clinical psychology. Hostetter says new graduate programs in mental health counseling and physician assistant studies are in the works. With an average of two American colleges or universities closing each month, Hostetter says it’s critical for students, especially those in smaller communities, to have options like Brescia that can provide a quality education.
A Future Built on Young Professionals
But will younger generations want to stay in Owensboro once they get their college degrees? Mayor Watson says it’s understandable that local youth who go away to college may want to venture out into the wider world. But he also wants to keep some of that homegrown talent in Owensboro and attract other youth from neighboring counties to his community.
“I say we replace that brain drain with some more brains, it’s just coming from a different area,” says Mayor Watson.
With a population of about 60,000 people, Owensboro is big enough to offer a vibrant downtown and good job opportunities, yet small enough to allow easy access to city officials. Jake Boswell of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce says those are significant lures for young professionals.
“If we have an opinion, if we have an idea, if we have a voice we feel like that needs to be heard, reaching the right people who are decision makers in our community is super simple,” says Boswell.
“We’re not just interested in you coming here and paying your taxes,” adds Hostetter. “We’re here wanting you to flourish.”
Owensboro also offers a safe environment to raise a family, quality schools, diverse recreational opportunities, and affordable housing, according to Boswell. He says the housing stock is especially important for younger workers during a time of escalating rents and home prices.
“In this town, when you look at the places where people want to live, there is affordability for people who are just starting out,” he says. “The cool part is you are living in a neighborhood with other young professionals and other young families.”
Another key indicator of the kind of quality of life that Owensboro offers, says Boswell, is when students who attend local universities from other states or nations decide to stay in the area after graduation.
But city leaders aren’t just working to connect with college students and recent graduates. They are also cultivating high school students to be engaged with community affairs and leadership. Impact100, a philanthropic organization of Owensboro women, has a subgroup specifically for high school girls called NextGen. Sara Hemingway, originator of the Impact100 NextGen program, says student-participants must commit $100 a year to the project. They then use those funds to make grants to local causes that the girls have researched.
“It was really a leap of faith when we started it… We didn’t know what would happen, but we had a wonderful experience,” says Hemingway. “I left the first year thinking, my goodness, if these are the leaders of tomorrow, I can just retire. “
Challenges do remain for Owensboro, though. Marsh says he wants to see local employers and universities prepare the community for what he sees as the coming revolution in artificial intelligence. Miles says she thinks the city needs to create more child care options, improve its jail system, and provide more second-chance employment opportunities for those who have completed a jail sentence or are in substance abuse recovery. She also wants to ensure that Owensboro remains a welcoming place for the refugee populations that have chosen to settle there.
“I feel like our community has been a tapestry, and it’s a tapestry that will never be completed. We continue to add to it,” says Miles. “I don’t know what the next big thing is, but I know it’s going to be great... We are absolutely ready for it.”
