By: Radcliff Local Business Network

Two Public Projects Could Mean Business for Radcliff Contractors

By T.W. Shortt

Small-business opportunities sometimes appear in the least glamorous part of the newspaper: the legal notices.

Two recent announcements—one from Hardin County Fiscal Court and another from the City of Radcliff—deserve attention from local contractors, tradespeople, and suppliers. Both involve public improvement projects that could translate into paid work for businesses in our community.

Hardin County Animal Shelter Kennel Improvements

Hardin County Fiscal Court is requesting bids for Animal Shelter Kennel Improvements.

Depending on the specifications, the project could offer opportunities for businesses providing kennel systems, fencing, concrete work, construction materials, or installation labor. These are potential connections; interested businesses must obtain the bid documents to determine exactly what is required.

Bids must be received by November 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time at the Office of the Judge/Executive, Hardin County Government Center, 150 N. Provident Way, third floor, Elizabethtown, KY 42701.

The notice requires a sealed envelope prominently marked “Sealed Bid for: Animal Shelter Kennel Improvements.”

Direct questions to John Bowen, Buildings & Grounds Supervisor, at jbowen@hardincountyky.gov.

Saunders Springs Storage Tank Roof Installation

An auction price is only the beginning of the calculation.

By T.W. Shortt, CRB®, CRS®, Principal Broker

REALTY WORLD® Knox Realty Group, LLC — The Fort Knox Office™

A foreclosure notice catches your attention. The property is in Radcliff, Elizabethtown, Vine Grove, or Rineyville—in a neighborhood you know. You begin wondering whether this could be your next home or rental investment.

Before you decide what to bid, determine what you would be buying and what obligations could follow.

Four decades in real estate and property management have reinforced a practical lesson: the purchase price is only one part of a property’s cost. Repairs, financing, carrying expenses, and unresolved legal questions belong to the calculation.

Start with the court order

Veterans Day, November 11, 2026

By T.W. Shortt

I was in Army basic training when my father was hospitalized for his mental health. I was just learning how to be a soldier. The man we had counted on all our lives needed somebody to take care of him, and I was away from home.

Dad had served as a U.S. Navy corpsman in World War II. He had gone to war to care for other people. Years later, when he needed care himself, I didn’t know how to talk to him about it. I was young, I was worried, and I wanted my dad to be all right.

Dad did recover. I was grateful then, and I’m grateful now. But I wish that after he got better, I’d found the words to ask him what he’d been through.

Growing up in Copeland Park in Hampton, Virginia, I knew Dad as the man who got up and went to work to provide for us. After the war, my parents had settled in their hometown of LaGrange, Georgia. When work was scarce, they moved the family to Newport News, where Dad found a job in the defense industry. He later went to work for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and stayed there until he retired.

By T.W. Shortt, CRB®, CRS®, Principal Broker, REALTY WORLD® Knox Realty Group, LLC — The Fort Knox Office™

The closing is tomorrow. The seller has packed, scheduled the movers, and made plans for the sale. Then the buyer calls to say they are backing out and wants the earnest money returned. The listing agent relays the seller’s position: “My client will sign the release if the deposit goes to the seller.”

In forty years in real estate, I have seen this situation many times in Kentucky. I have also seen earnest money sit in a broker’s escrow account for years after the deal fell apart. The sale was over in every practical sense, but the dispute over the deposit was still open.

Was the buyer in default?

Every Fort Knox project creates opportunities for local contractors, suppliers, and workers. Let’s connect local businesses with these projects, compete for the work, and keep more of that investment in our community.

By T.W. Shortt

Former Radcliff City Council Member, retired U.S. Army veteran, and longtime Radcliff business owner

Two construction opportunities at Fort Knox deserve the attention of contractors, suppliers, and economic-development leaders throughout Radcliff and Hardin County.

The first is a major roof-replacement project at the Bluegrass Challenge Academy, located at 114 Conroy Avenue on Fort Knox.

According to Kentucky’s Division of Engineering and Contract Administration, the project will remove the existing roof down to the deck and install new insulation, gypsum cover board, and a two-ply modified-bitumen roofing system. The work also includes new gutters, downspouts, coping caps, flashing, and related components.

By T.W. Shortt

Former Radcliff City Council Member, retired U.S. Army veteran, and longtime Radcliff business owner

Many area residents may not fully appreciate that behind the gates of Fort Knox is another thriving economy—one that functions much like a small American town.

Fort Knox has housing, schools, shopping, restaurants, fitness centers, recreation, medical services, churches, public works, police and fire protection, transportation, and maintenance operations.

At times, the installation resembles a movie set depicting small-town America: orderly neighborhoods, public buildings, athletic fields, and families going about their daily lives—without many of the visible street-crime concerns associated with civilian communities.

My connection to Fort Knox is both personal and professional. I served there during my Army career, and today REALTY WORLD® Knox Realty Group, LLC—The Fort Knox Office™ is located just outside the installation, only a few feet from the Wilson Road gate.