Pickett County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said he believes Pickett County is moving forward despite the county recently being classified as distressed.
Bilbrey said being a distressed county is not where he wants to be. Bilbrey also said he believes the county is moving slower than some of the other counties in the Upper Cumberland.
“I think we have some good things go on here,” Bilbrey said. “We’ve got some good things coming in the horizon. You know, tourism is our number one industry, and unlike you know, a big industry or a big company coming in you know, those wages don’t pay as well, but they do employ a lot of people.”
The classification is based on poverty, income, and unemployment. Bilbrey said he believes the economic conditions over the past few years have set Pickett back.
“I can kind of blame maybe on the federal government just a little bit,” Bilbrey said. “We had a great company here that was a glider kit industry (Fitzgerald Glider Kits), but because of some federal regulations and stuff, that industry is kind of no longer around. They were great for our community and employed a lot of people, you know, paid good wages, but because of federal regulations, that company just couldn’t, you know, is no longer in existence, and so even though the federal designates this, I think they played a role in this.”
Industry is one of the major factors in helping a struggling economy. Bilbrey said Pickett County struggles to attract industry.
“We’re rural, we don’t have a four-lane highway in our county, you know, we don’t have an airport, we don’t have a railroad or a rail spur, you know, we are 40 miles from an interstate,” Bilbrey said. “When we get these RFIs (Request For Information), you know, from the state, you know, a lot of companies are looking for those things, which puts us at a disadvantage.”
Bilbrey also said a lack of flat land in the county that can be provided with sewer services has contributed to the struggles of attracting industry. Bilbrey said Pickett County will have a meeting with the UCDD on July 8 to discuss how the county can move forward.
