Public Hearing for City of Paducah Municipal Aid Program

A public hearing was held at the beginning of the meeting as required by KRS 174.100 prior to the expenditure of Municipal Aid Program (MAP) funds which are allocated annually through the KY Transportation Cabinet, Department of Rural and Municipal Aid.  The MAP funds are collected from the State gas tax and are allocated for maintenance, reconstruction, or construction of City streets.  Paducah maintains approximately 220 miles of streets.  Paducah’s allocation of gas tax funds averages nearly $550,000 a year.   

Sections of the following streets are scheduled to be rehabilitated this fiscal year:  North 7th Street between Washington and Oscar Cross; Noble Park entrance area; Harrison and Madison Streets from 32nd to 34th Streets; North 34th Street from Jefferson to Central; North 21st, North 22nd, and North 23rd Streets from Park Avenue to Mildred; Buckner Lane from 32nd Street to Minerva Place; Valley Road from Buckner Lane to Country Club; the Mayfield Road intersection; Wheeler from Joe Bryan to Mayfield Road; and Joe Bryan Drive from North 16th Street to South 21st Street.  The proposed road improvements total $1.5 million. 

City Engineer-Public Works Director Rick Murphy updated the Mayor and Commission about the study underway to determine the cause of the linear breaks in the payment along Broadway especially near the 2000 block.  With the help of Paducah Water, Murphy says the breaks in the pavement are due to moisture and soil conditions around an old buried trolley line.  Murphy will test a correction for the problem, and Broadway will be patched this summer.  If the correction appears to work, Broadway will be repaved in the next couple of years.

Mandate Alcoholic Beverage Server Training (vote at upcoming meeting)

The Mayor and Commissioners introduced an ordinance to amend Chapter 6 of the Paducah Code of Ordinances to require alcoholic beverage training for persons licensed for or employed in the sale of alcoholic beverages by the drink.  At the March 6 and 13 Commission meetings, the Mayor, Commission, and City Manager discussed requiring alcoholic beverage server training for those who sell and serve alcohol in Paducah.  Kentucky offers Server Training in Alcohol Regulations (S.T.A.R.) training.  Also, there are other similar training courses available.  This ordinance requires the training to include the identification of false documents, recognition of intoxication, and liability issues.  The goals of the training are to prevent youth access to alcohol and prevent over-service.  The training also explains retailer liability and how to handle different scenarios such as spotting a fake ID or confronting a patron who needs to be cut off.  Commissioner Gerald Watkins says, “I truly believe that lives will be saved with the passage of this ordinance.”  Current employees will be required to receive training within 90 days of the adoption of this ordinance.  All employees hired after the adoption of the ordinance shall complete server training within 60 days of being hired.  Re-certification shall be required every three years after the initial training with records maintained on-site verifying employment history and training. 

Contract Between the City and the AFSCME (vote at upcoming meeting)

The Mayor and Commission introduced an ordinance to approve a three year contract between the City and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1586.  The three year contract will be in effect starting July 1.  City employees who are members of the AFSCME union work in the City’s Engineering-Public Works and Parks Services Departments.  Adrianne Gleeson of Peel & Holland led the negotiations for the City of Paducah.  Gleeson says, “It was a very productive set of negotiations.  Everyone came to the table with a cooperative spirit.”  Negotiations were completed in four sessions over an eight-week period.  

Dogwood Trail Awards and Children’s Memorial Garden Announcement

Civic Beautification Board members provided photos and certificates to each of the winners of the 2012 Dogwood Trail celebration.  The theme for the 48th annual celebration was “Let’s Light Up Paducah and Support Our Troops”.  With early blooming this year, the judging took place in late March.  Each of the 12 winning homes has a sign in the front yard.  Photos of the winners can be found on the City’s website, www.paducahky.gov.  A flag also was presented to Boy Scout Troop 1 for its flag fundraising program during the Dogwood Trail Celebration. 

The CBB also presented a check in the amount of $372 to Carolyn Roof who was representing the garden clubs of Noble Park.  The money was raised during the recent dogwood tree sale held at five local nurseries.  More than 150 dogwoods were sold at the sale held March 31.  The funds will be used to plant dogwoods for the Children’s Memorial Garden located at Noble Park near the pool.  The Open Gate Garden Club started the memorial in 1996 by planting 19 dogwoods in memory of the 19 children killed in the Oklahoma City bombings.  Over the years, nearly all of the dogwoods have died.  These funds will help replace them.       

Quick Highlights:

• Boards and Commissions:  Robert “Bob” Bloomingburg, David Boggs, and Shulorn Jeter appointed to Paducah Human Rights Commission; and Glen Anderson appointed to the Paducah-McCracken County Convention & Visitors Bureau Board.

• Ordinance approved to purchase 24 hand-held radios, 24 chargers, and 11 extra batteries for the Paducah Police Department using a grant in the mount of $60,000 from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security.  The majority of the department’s hand-held radios were purchased from 1993 to 1995.

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