The City of Owensboro began revitalizing the Triplett Twist district in 2015 and, four years later, the project is nearing its end. The project has seen renovations on both commercial and residential properties across the area.
City of Owensboro Community Development Director Abby Shelton has been spearheading the project which, thus far, encompasses 81 total projects — 44 projects residential properties and 37 commercial.
One of the biggest projects involved a partnership with Regional Water Resource Agency (RWRA) to remove downspouts from many homes in the area due to flooding issues.
“People would complain that there was standing water in the streets for hours, which was combined with sewer water,” Shelton said, adding that a harsh ditch project with RWRA helped alleviate the problem.
Shelton said the community development department and RWRA put a lot of money into removing the sewer system from the rest of the water system where this issue affected residents. Holland Contracting administered grants to help fund the project. Shelton said the local government spent $30,000 on that project.
Moreover, Shelton said the first Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) allowed focused efforts to concentrate on revitalizing the Gabe’s Shopping Center in the Triplett Twist district.
“We wanted to make sure dilapidated buildings were taken care of,” Shelton said.
Of the 37 commercial projects involved, $2,951,294 in public funds went toward revitalization, while $1,925,494 in private funds were used. For the 44 residential properties, $634,396 in public funds were used while $498,442 in private funds went toward revitalizing the area.
Because of this revitalization project, property valuations have gone up for both residential and commercial properties since 2014. In 2014, single-family homes that had a property valuation of $20,999,560 now have a property valuation value of $25,359,627, whereas multi-family homes increased their property valuation from $196,300 to $208,100 over those five years.
Commercial properties have seen an increased property valuation as well, standing at $33,563,066 in 2019 as compared to $30,831,446 in 2014. Vacant lots, however, have seen a decreased property valuation over those five years, totalling $1,668,500 in 2019 as compared to $3,499,300 in 2014.
Shelton also spoke about Gabe’s Tower, explaining that a plan hadn’t yet been finalized for the structure, but that the City didn’t have the necessary funds to renovate and restore the building.
“Whether you like Gabe’s Tower or not, it’s an eyesore,” Shelton said. “We’ll see what the future holds.”
Shelton feels like the revitalization of the Triplett Twist district has been an overall success, and hopes that more private funding can allow it to become the highest-funded community development project the City of Owensboro has seen.
