EASTERN KENTUCKY EXPO CENTER SCHEDULE DRIVER

Officials also discussed the possibility of further state funding for additional expo center renovations, which Lynn estimated could add up to $400 million. Lynn added that the board will work with private partners to provide 50% in matching funds for the $180 million project. Not the sole one, not the only one that’s out there, but sure as heck a major one,” Lynn said.

EASTERN KENTUCKY EXPO CENTER SCHEDULE DRIVER

“We have an opportunity to be that economic driver that the state so desperately needs.

He also said his agency had started turning a net profit just before the pandemic, and that it still wants to be a financial asset. Mark Lynn, chair of the board, said changes would take place in phases to prevent any events from being impacted, and that groundbreaking could begin by late 2023. The plan also calls for expanding the center’s north wing, which contains its largest exhibit hall, and tearing down the west wing - which hosts events like trade shows - to create green space and more parking spots. The expo center renovation plan includes shifting the facility’s main entrance from the south to a new design in the north and adding at least a dozen sports fields. The agency oversees the exposition center and the Kentucky International Convention Center, both in Louisville. In March, the state legislature passed a two-year budget that included $200 million for the fair board to use toward property improvements. Members of the Kentucky State Fair Board, as well as state and city lawmakers, met at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Tuesday to discuss plans for $180 million in upcoming renovations at the facility. One of the country’s largest convention centers is slated to see big changes in the next several years.

Eastern kentucky expo center schedule