Proclamation for National Donate Life Month
Mayor George Bray presented a proclamation to Vanessa Dallas proclaiming April as National Donate Life Month in Paducah. Dallas serves as the Family & Partnership Services Liaison with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates. More than 100,000 people in the United States currently need life-saving organ transplants. Every 10 minutes a new name is added to the list of those in need.
Discussion of Terrace Hills Preliminary Subdivision Plat
Mayor Bray and the Board discussed the role of the City Commission and the Planning Commission regarding approval of subdivisions. This topic surfaced with the February public hearing and approval of a preliminary subdivision plat by the Planning Commission of a proposed subdivision called Terrace Hills on Pecan Drive. Mayor Bray stated that the Planning Commission has the legal authority to approve a proposed subdivision pursuant to KRS 100.277. In other words, the Planning Commission is acting as an agent of the City Commission in the approval process. There is case law that supports approving a proposed subdivision if it conforms with zoning and subdivision regulations. If a subdivision developer meets the regulations and addresses stormwater and erosion control, the Planning Commission is obligated to approve a preliminary plat. Mayor Bray said that in this situation, the developer performed everything as required in the subdivision process.
Convention Center Roof Discussion
In response to comments made at last night’s McCracken County Fiscal Court meeting regarding the needed repairs to the Convention Center’s deteriorated roof, Mayor Bray said the City is researching the use of the transient room tax and how previous repair and improvement projects on the Convention Centers were funded. Mayor Bray also stated it is the City’s understanding that the 2% transient room tax for the Convention Center is to support debt for capital improvement projects and that ceasing that practice is a change in direction. City Manager Daron Jordan emphasized that the transient room tax is collected primarily from visitors to the area and that the funds are project dollars, not City or County dollars. Plans are moving forward on addressing the needed repairs to this important City and County asset with an expectation that the Convention Center roof will be replaced this summer.
McCracken County Stage Assembly
Another topic that was discussed at Monday’s McCracken County Fiscal Court meeting involved the County’s stage that is used for various special events. The County owns the stage and charges organizations a rental fee for its use. In the past, the City has assisted in the assembly of the stage for city-sponsored events. A decision has been made to not use City employees on the County’s stage since the City is working to reduce liability and workers’ compensation claims and increase internal departmental efficiencies.
Relocation of Dog Parks from Stuart Nelson Park to Noble Park
Since the Outdoor Sports Complex that is under design will use a portion of Stuart Nelson Park, the design team recommends the relocation of the dog parks to Noble Park. On February 28, the Board authorized the relocation. After reviewing and visiting several site options at Noble Park, the Board approved at this meeting a municipal order authorizing the relocation of the dog parks to an area adjacent to the Anna Baumer building and behind the amphitheater. This area, which is similar in size to the current dog parks, has natural shade and open running space for dogs. Plus, it is secluded from Lake Montgomery and associated waterfowl. The next steps will be to complete the design and construction documents with the goal of opening the dog parks at Noble Park before the closure of the existing dog parks at Stuart Nelson Park. The access road into the area also will need to be improved.
Outdoor Sports Complex Project Update
Architect Jeff Canter with Peck Flannery Gream Warren provided an update on the outdoor sports complex that will be constructed at the former Bluegrass Downs site and Stuart Nelson Park. The project has included research and analysis, stakeholder engagement, and master planning. Currently, the schematic design includes five multi-use rectangular soccer fields, four multi-use diamond-shaped ball fields, and one championship diamond-shaped ball field which can incorporate a football or soccer field. There are approximately 1700 parking spaces with additional space for overflow parking. The design phase will continue to finalize a variety of details and then construction documents will be created. The expectation is for construction to begin late this year and continue through 2024 with a spring 2025 opening.
Robert Cherry Civic Center Renovation Project
The Board approved a municipal order accepting the bid from Midstates Construction for the Robert Cherry Civic Center Renovation Project. This work will repair the facility following a traffic crash in 2022 that caused a vehicle to significantly damage the building. The project also includes rehabilitating the community center area and providing office space for the relocation of the Parks & Recreation Department’s administrative employees. After the notice to proceed is issued, the expectation is for the project to be completed in mid-December.
Adopt 2023 Commission Priorities
After holding a strategic planning session on March 10, the Board determined 10 Commission Priorities and five Continuous Improvement items. At this meeting, the Board adopted the following priorities:
- Bike Lanes & Trails
- City Facilities
- Community Growth
- Downtown
- Housing
- Minority Inclusion
- Neighborhoods
- Quality of Life
- Revenue Equity
- Southside Enhancements
The following are Continuous Improvement items:
- 911 Radio Equipment Upgrade, Governance, and Revenue
- City/County Outdoor Sports Complex
- Continue Efforts to Improve Operational Efficiencies in the Development Process and Throughout All City Departments
- Protecting Key Historical and Cultural Resources
- Stormwater
Additional Meeting Information
- Appointment of Kathy Montgomery to the Civic Beautification Board.
- Municipal order approved authorizing the 2023 Crumb Rubber Grant. If awarded, this $48,419 grant would cover a portion of the cost of a rubber safety surface for a new playground at Robert Coleman Park.
- Municipal order approved authorizing the purchase of virtualization hardware for the Technology Department to convert 27 physical servers that are at the end of life or end of service life status into virtual servers.
- Ordinance approved amending the fleet plan budget.
- Ordinance approved amending the City’s budget to reflect the $200,000 Community Development Block Grant on behalf of Four Rivers Recovery Center.
- Ordinance approved accepting the contract with Jim Smith Contracting, LLC for unit prices including milling and asphalt paving for the 2023-2024 street resurfacing program.
- Ordinance approved amending the City Police Officers Educational Incentive Plan to increase the educational incentive payments by 50 percent in order to assist with the recruitment and retention of police officers.
- Ordinance introduced to approve the three-year agreement between the City of Paducah and the Professional Fire Fighters of Paducah, Local 168, International Association of Fire Fighters.
- Ordinance introduced to approve the three-year agreement between the City of Paducah and the Paducah Police Department Bargaining Unit.
- Ordinance introduced to amend Paducah Code of Ordinances Chapter 106 Taxation. The amendment would require payroll companies that file more than six returns per quarter to submit them electronically rather than on individual paper returns. This would save time since revenue technicians would not need to manually process approximately 2700 accounts that submit using a paper return.
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