Downtown West Liberty was one of the hardest hit communities devastated by the March 2 tornado outbreak in Eastern Kentucky. Twenty-three Kentuckians were killed in the storms.

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WEST LIBERTY West Liberty and Morgan County will get about $30 million to help rebuild from last year's devastating tornado in what could be Kentucky's biggest recovery project, Gov. Steve Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers announced Monday.

The money would come from various state and federal sources, such as the Appalachian Regional Commission, plus local and private contributions, they said. Rogers and Beshear estimated it would be about $30 million. Morgan County Judge-Executive Tim Conley's estimation was about $34.5 million.

Conley said storm recovery projects to be funded include a new Cooperative Extension Service office in West Liberty, about $2.3 million; completion of the partially built new Morgan County Judicial Center, about $10 million; and a new wellness and youth center in West Liberty, about $9 million.

Also included, according to Conley: repairs on the Morgan County Office Building and Community Center in West Liberty, about $7 million; rebuilding the old Morgan County Courthouse, about $2.4 million; and a new parking garage for West Liberty, about $3.8 million.

The grants were announced Monday at Morgan County High School, where students, county residents, and local and area officials gathered to hear the news. Afterward, officials ceremoniously turned shoveled up dirt in a wood trough in the school gymnasium, symbolizing the breaking of ground for the new projects.

Rogers, Beshear and other officials emphasized that cooperative efforts by government agencies at different levels, from Washington to Frankfort, made funds for the rebuilding projects available.

"With what Congressman Rogers has been able to pull together from the federal side of this, what we have pulled from the state side, the local part and private sector participation ... it amounts to about $30 million that will be invested back into this community," Beshear said.

"We still have a long way to go," the governor said, "but this is a great start."

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$30 million West Liberty, Morgan County rebuilding effort could be Kentucky's largest