Kevin Cotton, Mayor of Madisonville, KY, and Secretary of the PeADD Board of Directors, accepts the 2025 NADO Impact Award.
The Pennyrile Area Development District and the City of Madisonville have received the 2025 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations.
The honor was given for the Madisonville Regional Law Enforcement Training Center, a groundbreaking public safety facility serving western Kentucky.
According to a release, the success of this project was the result of dedicated teamwork between the City of Madisonville, the Madisonville Police Department, Hopkins County Fiscal Court, the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department, the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, the Kentucky General Assembly, Governor’s Team Kentucky offices, and PeADD. Together, officials said these organizations brought together support and resources from all levels of government, transforming a 20,000 square foot city-owned facility into a regional law enforcement training hub, reducing travel and financial burdens previously faced by agencies that had to send officers to Richmond for 20 weeks of basic training.
PeADD officials said the center, supported by the Department of Criminal Justice Training, now provides hands-on instruction in de-escalation, defensive tactics, and building entry for over 1,600 officers in western Kentucky. Soon, the facility will also feature an upgraded 911 center and Real Time Crime Center, enhancing regional emergency response and crime prevention.
The National Association of Development Organizations Impact Awards honor regional organizations and partners for innovative work that builds stronger communities and economies. This year’s winners were celebrated at NADO’s 2025 Annual Training Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The National Association of Development Organizations is a Washington-based group that supports programs and policies to help local governments and communities grow.
The Impact Awards are given in honor of Aliceann Wohlbruck, NADO’s first executive director, who dedicated her life to supporting regional solutions and rural economic development
For more information about the Madisonville Regional Law Enforcement Training Center, contact PeADD’s Director of Community & Economic Development, Amy Frogue, at (270) 886-9484 or amy.frogue@ky.gov.
