Date of release: February 1, 2022
The Southside Steering Committee held its first meeting this evening at City Hall. This committee of ten Southside residents, business owners, and stakeholders will be assisting the Paducah Planning Department in gathering feedback and ideas as the City enhances the Southside region of neighborhoods.
Mayor George Bray said to the Committee, “The brain power here is what the City is looking for to bring ideas to fruition. This is not easy work; it will take time and persistence. We appreciate you taking time to serve.”
After introductions from each member, Planning Director Nic Hutchison and Business Development Specialist Melanie Reason provided an overview of the Committee’s purpose and vision with attention placed on each Committee member’s skills and community connections as vital components to the success of this initiative. In upcoming meetings, the Committee will be creating value statements for the Southside neighborhoods along with drafting goals and objectives that will be used to develop meaningful programs for the enhancement of Paducah’s Southside.
The Committee was asked to think about the following two questions prior to the next meeting:
- What do I value in a community?
- What qualities make up a great place to live?
The Committee plans to meet every other month in various locations. The next meeting date has not been set.
The members of the Southside Steering Committee are as follows:
Leslie Ballard
Rev. Charles Dunbar
Mark Fenske
Tommy Hollimon
Mike Muscarella
Kristian Prather
Connie Ragsdale
Sonya Thompson
Bryson Wells
Susan Ybarzabal
At the February 2021 Strategic Planning session for the Paducah Board of Commissioners, the Board selected the Southside as one of its Commission Priorities.
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