Mayor’s Opening Remarks
- Mayor George Bray discussed the protest march held Sunday in downtown Paducah by a group of individuals wearing white facial coverings. Some of the people were carrying Confederate or white supremacy-related flags. Mayor Bray said the group was protesting a case that had been through the judicial system. He said the group acted legally and within their rights; however, Mayor Bray said this demonstration was unsettling. Mayor Bray added that Paducah is moving forward and that the protestors did not represent this community.
- Mayor Bray provided an update on the City Block project in downtown Paducah. He spoke with representatives of developer, Weyland Ventures, this morning about their work to secure a financing partner to launch the boutique hotel on the Jefferson Street side of the block. Weyland is talking to three different lending institutions and working with a sense of urgency to pursue the deal. Mayor Bray said the City of Paducah is supportive, but Weyland knows that this project needs to move forward as quickly as possible. The public parking area of the project is open.
- Mayor Bray also announced that the City and County are working on a draft interlocal agreement for the 911 project.
2024 Commission Priorities
The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved a Municipal Order to adopt the 2024 City Commission Priorities. On February 6 and 10, the Board met to discuss last year’s priorities and determine the highest priorities for this calendar year. The 10 priority items for 2024 are listed below alphabetically:
- Beautification and Wayfinding
- Downtown
- Housing
- Minority Inclusion
- Operational Efficiencies
- Protecting Key Historical and Cultural Resources
- Quality of Life
- Southside
- Stormwater
- Trails and Bike Lanes
The list of City Commission Priorities also includes several continuous improvements action items: 911; City Facilities; Mental Health Awareness; Paducah Sports Park; and Revenue Equity.
Contract for Demolition of Building at 1501 Broadway (Katterjohn Building)
The Paducah Board of Commissioners introduced an ordinance for a contract with Complete Demolition Services, LLC for the demolition of the main building at 1501 Broadway which is also known as the Katterjohn Building. The City received five responsive bids for the project with Complete Demolition of Carrolton, Georgia, providing the lowest, responsive bid. Earlier this year, the city worked with a contractor to complete the abatement of asbestos from the city-owned building. The City will also work with the contractor to save most of the trees on the site. The City purchased the deteriorated building in 2023 after previous owners had failed to properly maintain the structure.
Application for Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant
The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved a municipal order authorizing the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant application. A local funding match is not required for this grant. The City of Paducah is requesting $750,000, which if awarded, would be used to provide grants to non-profits to rehabilitate historic properties in the Central Business District, Market House District, and Southside community. Funds also would be used to provide environmental technical support to those receiving subgrants. If Paducah receives this grant, the City would develop a competitive application process and criteria for determining which buildings would receive funding. Furthermore, all properties awarded subgrants through this program must be listed in the National Register of Historic places by the end of the grant period. Properties may be listed individually or identified as contributing to a listed historic district.
Brett Woodall – Commonwealth Creative Entertainment
Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Mary Hammond introduced Brett Woodall to the Board. Woodall, managing partner at Commonwealth Creative Entertainment, is working to produce several projects in Paducah and the surrounding counties. Woodall said the goal is to have steady movie productions with trained local crews. The movie, Katilyn’s Chance, is a feature film which will be produced at Cassidy’s Cause, an organization that provides therapeutic horse riding. Filming begins in late March. A factor in the decision to produce movies in the Paducah area is the State tax rebate.
Additional Meeting Information
- Reappointment of Jennifer Colwell and Charles Leon Owens to the Civil Service Commission.
- Municipal Order approved for a contract modification with Valley Contracting Services, LLC for the project to upgrade the Probation and Parole Office Building.
- Municipal Order approved for a contract with Mott Electric for the Fire Station 5 Generator Project.
- Municipal Order approved authorizing the City Manager to coordinate with Stacey Blankenship with Keuler, Kelly, Hutchins, Blankenship, and Sigler, LLP to institute litigation against all potential liable parties who were involved in the September 2022 vehicle crash that damaged the Robert Cherry Civic Center.
- Municipal Order approved for the Interlocal Agreement with the City of Metropolis for automatic mutual aid. Paducah and Metropolis had a previous agreement for water rescue services. This agreement includes water rescue services and adds land-based incidents.
- Municipal Order approved for the Assistance to Firefighters grant application for fire ground survival training.
- Ordinance approved (with a 4 to 1 vote with Commissioner Buz Smith voting against it) creating Chapter 24 of the Paducah Code of Ordinances titled Natural Gas. This new section requires approved natural gas franchisees to make quarterly payments of 2 percent of the franchisee’s revenue. The ordinance also requires any franchisee to repair damage that they cause to the right-of-way. Kentucky’s Constitution, Sections 163 and 164, and Chapter 96 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes authorize cities to require public utilities, including providers of natural gas, to operate under franchise agreements and to grant them the right to use public right-of-way upon certain terms.
- Ordinance approved amending Paducah Code of Ordinances Chapter 108 relating to Telecommunications with updates to the applications, insurance and bond, compensation, and additional requirements sections.
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