ELSMORE — One of Elsmore’s biggest blessings—a calm and friendly lifestyle, where everybody knows everybody—can also pose as its biggest challenge.
With a population struggling to stay above 50 residents most years, Elsmore does not have the population to support infrastructure upgrades.
Its aging electric grid needs improvement across the board, from utilities poles to transformers, and everything in between.
Cell phone providers are leery of erecting towers near town because of a lack of potential customers, leaving many without service if they step indoors.
Heck, they can’t even convince vendors to put a soda machine in town, especially after one was installed not long ago in nearby Savonburg.
Still, that did little to douse the enthusiasm among the crowd of 15 that gathered for a community conversation at Elsmore United Methodist Church, where the focus was on the community’s strengths and its challenges.
TUESDAY’S hourlong discussion, hosted by Thrive Allen County, started with a look at Elsmore’s strengths.
It’s a quiet, safe place to live, where family connections abound.
The community’s food pantry has grown by leaps and bounds, offering those in need a helpful gift each month.
Civic pride is evident from the annual Elsmore Day celebration, to the Elsmore Alumni Association, which over the past 11 years has doled out more than $30,000 in scholarships.
Workers are nearing the completion of upgrades to the Community Building, and the area is a popular destination for outdoors enthusiasts, with nearby Rocky Branch Ranch and other Airbnb locations hosting out-of-towners on a regular basis.
That’s not to say the appeal of the Bourbon County State Fishing Lake—still known affectionately as Elsmore Lake to the locals—which offers a scenic spot to enjoy an afternoon or three.
BUT LIKE other rural communities, Elsmore’s housing stock is aging, and many homes are falling apart.
Attendees were quick to agree Elsmore’s biggest need is to improve its electric grid, noting other improvements, from housing to prospective businesses, won’t occur with basic services in place.
Speaking of infrastructure, longtime resident Sandy Murrow said driving to the aforementioned fishing lake can be an adventure because of the crumbling road.
“You ride to the lake, and you feel like you’re in the ocean,” she said.
