Frank
Downing named Owen Countian of the Year
 By
LAURA HAGAN
lhagan@owentonnewsherald.com
On Wenesday night, Frank
Downing was scheduled to work the gate at the fair. When it was
about time for him to leave, he was told that someone wanted to
talk to him about the gas line. They eventually got him over to
the Pavilion, where during the intermission of the Miss Teen Pageant,
it was announced that he was Owen Countian of the Year.
Rotary President Darla Baker said there were 20 different people
nominated for this year’s award, which is chosen by a secret
committee made up of Rotary members. This year there were four
members on that committee.
Baker said the committee received more than one letter discussing
Downing’s accomplishments.
Downing said he was both surprised and very pleased to hear he
had received the award.
Downing has been married to his wife, Libby, for 55 years. He
is the 55th recipient of the Owen Countian of the Year award.
He has been instrumental in a number of projects in Owen County.
Most recently, he has helped bring a natural gas line to the county
that is currently in phase two of three.
Having grown up in Fayette County, Downing didn’t move to
Owen County until 1979. Since he’s lived here, he has served
as a past Rotary president, President and CEO of Owen Electric,
on the board of regents of Northern Kentucky University, executive
secretary for the Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors
of First Farmers Bank, and on the industrial foundation. He’s
helped get money to widen Hwy. 127 and bring a natural gas line
into Owen County. He’s also an elder at First Christian
Church.
Of all that he’s been a part of, Downing said he is most
proud of the gas line project, that he’s worked on longer
than anything else.
He’s also been a part of the community assessment and 20/20
Vision Project and already has ideas for his next few community
projects.
First and foremost, Downing said he wants to work on building
a community center for both senior citizens and teens. He wants
to work on the parks in the county and also work to revitalize
downtown. He said he is currently looking into grant programs
and his number one priority is the community center.
He wants to build something that is adequate for both teens and
senior citizens, so they can both enjoy it. He said the location
and type of facility must be determined first, and he wants to
make sure the building is handicap-accessible.
“The biggest complaint we hear is that there’s nothing
for teens to do,” Downing said. “This would be a supervised
place for them to go, with games and activities.”
Downing doesn’t know who nominated him for this award but
said he wants to find out.
Baker said she believes he is a good choice to receive the award
because of all the work he does in the county, none of which he
gets paid for.
“He’s doing something for the betterment of Owen County,”
she said.
|
