Note: Due to the COVID-19 situation and the need to maintain social distancing, all members of the Paducah Board of Commissioners participated by video and/or audio conferencing.
Update from Midtown Alliance of Neighbors
Executive Director Sharon Poat with the Midtown Alliance of Neighbors provided an update to the Paducah Board of Commissioners. Midtown Alliance of Neighbors is a 501(c)(3) that began in 2008 out of the City’s revitalization efforts in the Fountain Avenue Neighborhood. Since that time, Midtown Alliance has been involved in a variety of initiatives to support potential and current homeowners including neighborhood workshops, the cleanout and maintenance of city-owned properties to prepare them for new owners, the salvaging of building materials, repair affair events, and rehabilitation assistance for low-to-moderate income homeowners. Poat said, “What has happened here with neighborhood revitalization is a model for other communities to follow.” New programming for Midtown Alliance includes the quest to become designated as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) which would qualify Midtown Alliance for housing funding. In 2019, Midtown Alliance also launched the Fountain Avenue Neighborhood Homebuyer program with homes under construction and to be constructed at the corner of North 14th and Harrison streets near the Pat & Jim Brockenborough Rotary Health Park. Poat also outlined the City’s catalyst funding over the past few fiscal years and how the funds have been assisting Midtown Alliance’s mission.
Professional Services Contract for South 25th Street and South 24th Street Projects (vote November 24)
The Paducah Board of Commissioners introduced an ordinance for a professional services contract in the amount of $89,180 with BFW Engineering, Inc. for the South 25th Street Project. The South 25th Street project would redesign the roadway from U.S. 60 (Jackson Street) to Alabama Street. The project is funded in part by a $650,000 grant from Kentucky’s contingency funding. The Board also approved the $70,595 engineering design option for the South 24th Street Project.
The South 24th Street project would improve the roadway from 25th Street to South 28th Street. This summer, the City approved a contract with Jim Smith Contracting for the rehabilitation of the South 24th Street Bridge which was the first step in the road project. The bridge over Cross Creek not far from Brooks Stadium had received damage from flooding events. It received new bridge decking and was widened to accommodate ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides of the bridge. The City of Paducah received funding for the bridge project through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program based upon the Major Disaster Declaration from the flooding and severe weather events that occurred in 2018. The City also has purchased the property at 2640 South 24th Street adjacent to the bridge with plans to remove the structure on the property and grade the land to improve the area’s stormwater drainage, stormwater storage capability, and management. This area was identified as one of the project areas during the Stormwater Master Planning process.
Quick Highlights
- Appointment of Lucas Bremer and James (J.T.) Crawford to the Paducah Main Street Board.
- Municipal order approved to enter into a two-year contract in an amount not to exceed $78,750 per year with Gall’s LLC for Police Department uniforms.
- Municipal order approved accepting the donation of property located at 729 South 13th Street.
- Municipal order approved for a one-year contract for services between the City of Paducah and Barkley Regional Airport with the City providing $120,000 in support of general aviation services.
- Municipal order approved to apply for the Thermal Imaging Camera Grant through the Kentucky Fire Commission. If awarded, the grant would cover half the cost (up to $3200) to purchase a new thermal imaging camera for the Paducah Fire Department. The Department currently has nine cameras; however, some need to be replaced.
- Municipal order approved to apply for the 2021 Litter Abatement Program Grant through the Kentucky Division of Waste Management. No local match is required.
- Municipal order approved authorizing a payment in the amount of $25,000 to the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) for tax increment financing consultant services. This amount is in addition to the $85,185 provided to KEDFA in 2019 for the consulting services. KEDFA discovered that the initial cost estimate was not enough to complete the consultant report resulting in the need for this additional funding. This report is required by KRS 154.30-030.
- Ordinance introduced (vote November 24) for the consensual annexation of 3660 Olivet Church Road which is owned by Hutson, Inc. This annexation will allow for the expansion of Hutson’s existing business adjacent to 3660 Olivet Church Road.
- Ordinance introduced (vote November 24) to amend the contract with HDR Engineering, Inc. for professional engineering services for the Floodwall Pump Stations No. 2 and No. 9. This amendment increases the contract by $81,500. The amendment is due to three main factors: two of the pumps were not able to be rehabilitated which led to the need for the development of pump specifications and the bidding of new pumps; grant and funding administration services support; and reimbursement for the time and effort in dealing with the default and termination of Huffman Construction from the project.
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