City Commission Meeting Highlights, November 9, 2021

To view the entire meeting, visit https://youtu.be/VcYmV94K59Q.

 

Mayor George Bray’s Opening Remarks

Mayor Bray announced that Washington Street Baptist Church under the leadership of City Commissioner and Pastor Raynarldo Henderson will serve as the warming center for the community this winter.  Currently, the Salvation Army and a local task force are working on the Mission Planning Study to assess Paducah’s homeless situation.  The study is expected to be completed early next year.

 

911 Communication Services Oversight Committee

The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved the appointment of Commissioner Carol Gault and Kevin Kauffeld and joint appointment of Jewel Jones to the 911 Communication Services Oversight Committee.  This committee will review the 911 project specifically reviewing the final report when received from Federal Engineering and recommending infrastructure improvements, project funding needs, funding mechanism, and timelines.

 

Paducah Civic Beautification Board Annual Business Awards

Members of the Paducah Civic Beautification Board presented the annual business awards to the following ten businesses:

Downtown

Grumley, Riley & Stewart, P.S.C., 1634 Broadway
Broussard’s Cajun Cuisine, 123 N. 2nd St

Fountain Avenue Neighborhood     The House of Ross Coffee Bar, 227 North 13th Street

Midtown

Third Moon Tattoo, 3029 Broadway
F.A.C.E. Makeup Artistry, 2121 Broadway
FNB Bank, Inc., 130 Lone Oak Rd., Suite 101

West End

Williams Park, 3901 Technology Dr.
LuCASAcare, 3025 Clay St.

Lower Town     Buddenbaum House, 618 Monroe St.

Southside     Divine Design Center, 600 S 3rd St.

 

Street Rehabilitation Inventory and Inspections Program

The Board introduced an ordinance for a multi-year contract with Bacon Farmer Workman Engineering & Testing to perform pavement inspections on City streets using the PAVER software program.  The City began using PAVER in 2018.  The program is used to prioritize the streets and determine the budget for the annual paving plan.  The inspections and the PAVER program are beneficial since they identify problems in early stages when they are easier and less costly to correct. 

 

Amend Code of Ordinances for Creative and Cultural Council

The Board introduced an ordinance to amend Section 2-258 of the City’s Code of Ordinances regarding the Creative and Cultural Council.  The amendments would increase the board from eight to nine members.  The number of citizens on the board would be increased from five to seven citizens while the number of City staff would be reduced from three to two with the removal of specific city job titles from the code.  The reduction in city staff on the board allows for greater public participation and representation from the community.  The amendment revises the terms so that each member serves a three-year term and may not serve more than two three-year terms.  The Creative and Cultural Council was established in 2019.  For more information, visit http://paducahky.gov/creative-cultural-council.

 

Additional Meeting Information

  • Mayor Bray presented a Duke of Paducah to Terry Jones.  Jones is a Master Barber who donates his time and skills to providing free haircuts to local students at their schools and to elderly folks.
  • Circuit Judge Tony Kitchen conducted the swearing-in ceremony for police officers Rachel Bertrand, Michael Foster; Caleb Kindred, and Austin Gruner.
  • Boards and Commissions:
    • Appointment of Joshua Tyler Parker to the Brooks Stadium Commission.
    • Appointment of Buzz Vontesmar to the Municipal Housing Commission
    • Appointment of Erna Boykin to the Board of Adjustment.
  • Municipal order approved to apply for the 2022 Litter Abatement Program Grant.
  • Municipal order approved for the purchase of a ½-ton pickup truck for the Paducah Fire Department.
  • Municipal order approved to apply for the FY2022 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant.
  • Ordinance approved for a contract modification with Pace Contracting for the Floodwall Pump Station No. 2 Rehabilitation Project.  This is a more than $5 million project to completely rehabilitate this pump station located at 1416 North 6th Street which has the largest pumping capacity of 313,000 gallons per minute. 
  • Ordinance approved to close a section of Vermont Street as requested by an adjacent property owner.
  • Ordinance approved to close an alley extending across the vacant property southeast of Executive Boulevard in downtown Paducah.
  • Ordinance introduced to refinance the McCracken County 2011 General Obligation Bond.  In 2011, the City of Paducah, McCracken County, and Murray State University (MSU) committed to the issuance of $10 million in bonds for the construction of the MSU Paducah Regional Campus.  The County issued the bond with the City providing a portion of the bond payment each year.  This refinancing is expected to save the City a total of approximately $120,000 over the next 10 years.
  • Ordinance introduced for a sanitary sewer easement at 1105 South 3rd Street.

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