To view the entire meeting, visit https://youtu.be/MzvpqhyUIOc.
Entertainment Destination Center Discussion
Business Development Specialist Kathryn Byers provided an overview of the proposed Entertainment Destination Center (EDC) program. The goals of the EDC are to draw people to Paducah's downtown, strengthen existing local businesses, and attract new entrepreneurs. This license through the State would boost existing restaurant and hospitality industries by allowing customers to take to-go alcoholic drinks in designated cups from participating businesses and stroll our historic streets, browse the windows of our local boutiques, watch the towboats on the river, and partake in outdoor events. This could be in place by summer. For more information about the proposed EDC including a list of frequently asked questions and a map of the proposed area, visit Entertainment Destination Center. To provide input, send an email to edcpaducahky.gov.
Remote Workers Program
Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Mary Hammond updated the Board on the public relations services through the Lou Hammond Group. The City engaged the company through the CVB in December 2020 for a targeted campaign to highlight Paducah’s quality of place for tourism and relocation. Lou Hammond Group has had 312 targeted pitches about Paducah with 11 resulting articles in national publications that have had a total reach of 210 million people. Paducah Power System and the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce are partners in this six-month campaign. Those interested in visiting or relocating to Paducah are encouraged to visit https://www.paducah.travel/about-paducah/relocation-information/.
General Fund Key Performance Indicators
Finance Director Jonathan Perkins provided an overview of the City’s main operating fund, the General Fund, and revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year through the end of January. At the end of January 2021, the General Fund had received nearly $17.9 million in revenue from property tax, payroll tax, insurance premium tax, and business licenses. This amount is more than 9 percent ahead of the year-to-date expected budget.
Grant Applications
- Approval to apply for the 2021-2022 Kentucky Household Hazardous Waste Grant to help fund the annual Paducah-McCracken County Spring Clean Up Day. The grant request is for $25,545. This year’s Spring Clean Up will be April 24 from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
- Approval to apply for the National Park Service’s Park Steward Grant Program. This grant request for $3000 would help establish a volunteer program with the City’s Parks & Recreation Department.
- Approval to apply for the 2021 AARP Community Challenge Grant requesting $31,066 to replace water fountains in the City’s parks with water bottle filler style fountains.
- Approval to accept the FY2020 Certified Local Government grant through the Kentucky Heritage Council in the amount of $22,500. The funds are being used to prepare the nomination for the Northside Neighborhood’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Approval to accept the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security grant in the amount of $314,450 for radio equipment upgrades for the Paducah Police Department.
Additional Meeting Information
- New City of Paducah employees were introduced to the Board including Deputy Fire Marshal Nathan Simmons and Police Office Recruits Jeremi Bumpus and Julia Sutterfield.
- City Manager Jim Arndt presented Assistant City Manager Michelle Smolen with a poster from the Kentucky City/County Management Association signed by the State’s city managers and assistant city managers. The poster shows Smolen’s cover on PM Magazine which featured her award as Assistant City Manager of the Year through her professional organization, ICMA.
- Municipal order approved to purchase a one-ton transit van for the Police Department.
- Ordinances approved for alley closures as requested by adjacent property owners: 1) alley extending northwest of Irvin Cobb Drive between 2170 and 2190 Irvin Cobb Drive; and 2) alleys extending north of Kentucky Avenue between 1039 and 1041 Kentucky Avenue and between 1034 Broadway and 1039 Kentucky Avenue.
- Ordinance approved accepting Jim Smith Contracting’s bid for the City’s 2021 and 2022 street resurfacing projects.
- Ordinance approved for the three-year contract between the City and AFSCME Local 1586 effective July 1, 2021.
- Ordinance introduced to amend the professional services contract with Strand Associates. Strand has been assisting the City with the requirements of its stormwater permit (MS4) through the Kentucky Division of Water and various stormwater projects.
- Ordinances introduced to amend two sections of the Code of Ordinances: 1) Section 126-87 to clarify the definition and exceptions regarding mobile food vehicles and 2) Section 126-115 to update language for the Historical Zones (H-1 and H-2) including allowing multi-family dwellings as conditional uses in H-2.
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