By Ralph Derickson

LG&E Energy Corp. CEO Vic Staffieri, left, watches as UK President Lee Todd signs a lease on the KU building in downtown Lexington. Mayor Pam Miller is at right.

"We are happy to be one of the first companies to come forward and help fulfill Dr. Todd's wish to draw downtown Lexington and the UK campus closer together. It also continues a long-standing partnership KU has had with UK in fulfilling the university's role as the state's education leader."

-- Vic Staffieri,
chief executive officer,
LG&E Energy Corp.

Feb. 28, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) -- The University of Kentucky and LG&E Energy Corp. of Louisville announced today that UK will lease two floors of office space in the Kentucky Utilities building at One Quality Street in downtown Lexington.

UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. said the new office space gives UK much needed space to expand and the opportunity to offer educational services tailored to a specific downtown Lexington clientele. It also signals a continuing new spirit of cooperation between UK, Lexington and the business community, he said.

"At our first meeting, President Todd made it clear that improving the relationship between UK and the city is a priority for him," said Lexington Mayor Pam Miller. "He has wasted no time turning those words into action. We're delighted."

In the presence of Mayor Miller, President Todd and LG&E Energy Chief Executive Officer Vic Staffieri signed an agreement for LG&E to lease 34,000 square feet of space on floors seven and eight of the nine-story KU building. The agreement was signed during a ceremony at the KU building attended by about 200 people from the utility company, the university, and the city.

"We are happy to be one of the first companies to come forward and help fulfill Dr. Todd's wish to draw downtown Lexington and the UK campus closer together," said LG&E's Staffieri. "It also continues a long-standing partnership KU has had with UK in fulfilling the university's role as the state's education leader."

A new sign to be attached to the Quality Street side of the KU building was unveiled at the lease signing ceremony. It reads "KU UK, Partners in Education."

President Todd and Mayor Miller announced Feb. 5 that UK and the city were entering into a new joint planning venture in which a "College-Town" concept will be developed for an area near the KU building bordered by Rose and Limestone, Euclid and High streets.

"UK is delighted to have Kentucky Utilities as a corporate friend," Todd said. "It is important to develop strong partnerships with companies like KU that understand the needs of the community and the true impact of education."

Noting the affordability of the lease price, Staffieri said, "This announcement offers a glimpse into the future of corporate giving as we find new and exciting ways to support education, research and the entire community."

About 60 persons from UK will make up the first group of tenants moving to the KU building. They are employees in various departments of Lexington Community College (LCC), the College of Social Work, and UK's Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (IHDI). UK College of Social Work departments moving to the KU building include the Training Resource Center, the public service arm of the college; the Foster Parent Training Program, the Adoption Support Network, Successful Transitions and the Field Education Program that supports employees for the Cabinet for Families and Children.

LCC will locate its Continuing Education and Workforce Development Coordinators in the new KU offices. In the long-term, LCC plans to offer office skills training classes, computer courses and, eventually, credit courses leading to the two-year associated degrees offered by the community college.

IHDI programs to be relocated in the KU building; a Kentucky-Supported Employment Training Project; the Kentucky Business Leadership Network, the Community-Based Work Transition Project, the State Improvement Planning Project, and the Multi-State Mid-South Regional Resource Center, a program that provides technical assistance to nine states to help them implement provisions of the federal Special Education Act. IHDI programs have the goal of helping states, organizations and businesses that interact with persons with disabilities.

The UK departmental relocations will begin soon.