Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley provided an update on a proposed wellness center during a recent meeting of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re currently looking at funding avenues for a proposed Harlan County Wellness and Recreation Center,” Mosley said. “We need this type of project for our youth and for the health of all our citizens.”

According to Mosley, a feasibility study has been commissioned.

“The feasibility study is still ongoing,” Mosley said. “It should wrap up anytime. They’ve already got the construction site that they’re going to recommend figured out.”

In addition to a proposed site, work has been completed on additional aspects of the feasibility study.

“They’ve got the building plan lined out,” Mosley said. “What they’re recommending is not something that will embody things we already have in our community. It won’t have a gym/fitness perspective. It won’t be competing with people that are doing other things from a wellness perspective. But it will address things that need to be addressed.”

Mosley said he will show the plan to the public as soon as possible.

“I think it’s something people are going to be impressed with,” Mosley said. “I hope it’s something we can afford. We have about $500,000 sitting there that doctors forfeited years ago as part of a plea deal.”

Mosley explained a total of $1 million was forfeited.

Of the money forfeited, “$500,000 went the sheriff’s office, $500,000 went to the county,” Mosley said. “The previous sheriff spent the $500,000 that was given to them. Ours is sitting in a certificate of deposit at Home Federal Bank.”

Mosley said cost of operations is a major factor for deciding if the proposed facility is feasible.

“I mentioned $500,000 is there,” Mosley said. “People think that’s a whole lot of money, but when you get into a project like this, that’s not a lot of money. That $500,000 will be about a 10 percent down payment on a project like this, just to put it in perspective.”

Mosley said he would not support building something the county could not afford to maintain.

“The last thing I want to do is build something, have it go broke,” Mosley said. “That doesn’t make sense. This pro forma will show the cost of operations, and that will help us figure out if this is something we can do.”