Paducah

Kitchens Inc. has donated its former facility in Paducah’s Lower Town area to the West Kentucky Community & Technical College, which plans to convert the 50,000-square-foot building into a school for the arts. An official opening date will hinge on funding for the renovations and programs. In 2008, the college will ask state legislators for $2.1 million to plan programs and make the building compliant with earthquake codes; in 2010, the college plans to ask for money to compete renovations and start the program. College officials estimate that it will cost up to $6 million to convert the entire facility to a state-of-the-art school, with classrooms, studios and artists-in-residence lofts and say funding for renovations will need to come from public funding, private donations and grants.