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Ashland Builds Up Its Offerings
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ASHLAND -- As far as Phyllis Dale is concerned, Ashland is one place she intends to visit again.
This Boyd County city on the Ohio River hosted the legendary Delta Queen steamboat earlier this fall as part of a cruise.
"What a welcome we had from Mayor Steve Gilmore," said Dale, who helps book river tours for three steamboats, the Delta Queen, the Miss-issippi Queen and the American Queen. "We've never been greeted by a mayor before. This stop was definitely a highlight of the cruise. I am hoping that the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. will make this historic and beautiful town a regular stop when cruising the upper Ohio River. We'll be back."
The city brought buses for about 150 riverboat tourists to visit local attractions including the Paramount Arts Center, the Kentucky Highlands Museum and Discovery Center, Central Park, the Ashland Town Center Mall, floodwall murals and downtown Ashland, she said.
The city is working on a $30 million project on Melody Mountain that includes a new, Super Wal-Mart, an Outback Steakhouse, O'Charley's restaurant and two other restaurants along with another $30 million project called Providence Hill that will include 214 apartments 42 upscale condominiums and 60,000 square feet of retail space, Gilmore said.
"We're in the midst of a downtown streetscape program to put utility wires underground," he said. The city also has received a $10 million commitment from the federal government for a riverfront development project.
Another project currently under way at the park adjacent to the main branch of the Boyd County Public Library, Gilmore said. The city and the library district are putting up $50,000 each to put in trees and shrubs, walkways, an ampitheater and a reading gardens adjacent to the library, he said.
Boyd County is a good place to raise a family, said County Judge-Executive Bill Scott. "The housing costs are as low as anywhere you'll find in the country."
The development isn't confined to Ashland, he said. The county is looking to build a courthouse annex across the street from the current courthouse in Catlettsburg.
Meanwhile, the U.S. 60 corridor from the Ashland city limits west to Interstate 64 is providing new businesses and development. A new anchor at the Kyova Mall, Steve and Barry's, is expected to open prior to Thanksgiving, a new hotel, several restaurants and a new car dealership are bringing new jobs to the area, Scott said.
Jim Purgerson, executive director of the Ashland Alliance, the chamber of commerce for Boyd and Greenup counties, said Ashland is the retain center and health care in this part of the state. King's Daughters is one of the largest employers between Lexington and Charleston with its 3,200 employees.
Retail is strong, and the city has a lot of restaurants, he said. The Tri-State has weathered some tough economic times, but the economy is stable. Two of the area's long-time employers, AK Steel and Marathon Oil, also have stable employment levels in the past few years, he said.
By David E. Malloy - The Herald Dispatch
Photo provided by Cabell County Schools
Ashland Organizations
Ashland Alliance is an economic development organization that involves the city of
