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Johnny Webb (at podium), the former Bowling Green mayor who founded the Operation PRIDE nonprofit, is flanked by Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon (left) and Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday after Operation PRIDE's "BeautifI-65" project was announced as winner of the 2022 Beautify the Bluegrass Governor's Award.

Operation PRIDE developed this southern gateway along Interstate 65 near exit 20 and is developing a similar northern gateway near exit 30 as the centerpieces of the "BeautifI-65" project.

Johnny Webb (at podium), the former Bowling Green mayor who founded the Operation PRIDE nonprofit, is flanked by Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon (left) and Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday after Operation PRIDE's "BeautifI-65" project was announced as winner of the 2022 Beautify the Bluegrass Governor's Award.

Operation PRIDE developed this southern gateway along Interstate 65 near exit 20 and is developing a similar northern gateway near exit 30 as the centerpieces of the "BeautifI-65" project.

Just as he is preparing to develop the northern gateway that will be the principal piece of Operation PRIDE's ambitious "BeautifI-65" project, Johnny Webb learned Wednesday that the years-long effort to beautify Bowling Green's five Interstate 65 interchanges has earned a statewide award.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday in Frankfort that the project Webb initiated in 2019 and is still continuing won this year's Beautify the Bluegrass Governor's Award.

In its sixth year, Beautify the Bluegrass is an initiative of the Governor's Office, Kentucky's electric cooperatives and the "Kentucky Living" magazine produced by those cooperatives.

Each of the state's 26 electric cooperatives nominated a project for the award. Five were chosen as finalists, with the winner determined by online votes.

BeautifI-65 beat out projects from Liberty, Pleasureville, Paducah and Hodgenville to win the award.

"Warren Rural Electric Co-op nominated us," Webb said. "The five finalists were all very worthy projects, so we didn't know if we would win.

"It was tough competition, but I think our project had a much greater reach than the other projects. It was a wonderful day, and it's going to bring a lot of recognition to our community."

Bringing recognition to Bowling Green and Warren County has been the goal of BeautifI-65 since Webb launched it in 2019 as an outgrowth of the Operation PRIDE organization he started in 1993 while Bowling Green's mayor.

The idea from the beginning was that sprucing up the interchanges will entice travelers to pull off the interstate and visit Bowling Green restaurants, tourist sites and hotels.

"I love Bowling Green, and I know this project is going to have a major impact on Bowling Green and Warren County," Webb said. "I think it will cause people to have more pride in the city, and I believe it will be a huge economic development tool."

Beautifying the I-65 interchanges with landscaping and four-plank fencing and building the two gateways that include decorative stone structures, large signs, flags and landscaping has been a long and costly process.

"We've raised about $4 million, all private funds," Webb said. "We really need another $1 million to complete it, but I have no doubt we'll be able to do it."

Webb believes the Beautify the Bluegrass award will give him more fundraising momentum, as will an agreement approved last week by Warren Fiscal Court that will provide access to the former rest stop property near I-65's exit 30 that has been identified as the site of the northern gateway.

The easement agreement with Kentucky Outdoor Advertising, Webb said, will "give us the greenlight to start work on the northern gateway."

"The flagpoles and flags are already in, as well as the lettering," Webb said. "And the contractor is on board."

Webb said the northern gateway will be similar to the southern gateway that is near the Carter Sims Road bridge over I-65.

"The only difference is, the view field will be far greater for the northern gateway," Webb said. "We have more than nine acres there, and people will be able to see it from a far greater distance."

Developing the northern gateway will cost about $500,000, Webb figures. Fencing, which costs about $60,000 per mile and will eventually stretch from exit 20 to exit 30, is another expense still to be covered.

While Webb has raised all the funds for the project, the ongoing maintenance of the I-65 corridor is being funded at a rate of $450,000 per year, with the Bowling Green and Warren County governments and the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau anteing up $150,000 each.

Once it's completed, Webb believes BeautifI-65 will be the envy of the state.

“We hope to make other communities in Kentucky jealous of us, but jealous in a good way," he said. "We would like for other communities in Kentucky to do what we've done because we want to elevate the commonwealth of Kentucky."

​– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.

More than three years in the making, Johnny Webb’s plan to transform Bowling Green’s Interstate 65 interchanges into showpieces for the city i…

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