Targeted empowerment, engagement, and beautification of Southside neighborhoods and the business community.
Note: This was also a 2021 Commission Priority.
Planning Director Nic Hutchison
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Engagement
Visioning Sessions Mayor Bray and Commissioner Henderson along with several City staff met March 24, April 21, May 13, and May 26 to review the themes from the Neighborhood meetings and start working on an action plan. The 11 themes from the town hall meetings have been narrowed to five areas of development. Summary from April 21, 2021, Meeting Data analysis and modeling are in progress for the five areas of development: economic development, parks and recreation, infrastructure and connectivity, housing, and neighborhood vitality.
Businesses on the Southside The City has identified 460 businesses in the Southside region with the City holding business retention/expansion meetings.
Grant The City applied for the 2022 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant to cover the environmental assessment of brownfields. Information gained from these assessments will inform future development and to help gain access to additional EPA funds.
Southside Rise & Shine Neighborhood Spruce Up Since beautification emerged as one of the themes from the March neighborhood meetings, the City team established the Southside Rise & Shine Neighborhood events which began in June 2021. Through Southside Rise & Shine, the City initiated a partnership with CFSB to provide financial literacy in underserved neighborhoods. Rise & Shine was accomplished with 104 volunteers, 788 hours of volunteer service, and 815 city staff hours. More than 130 tons of garbage was collected in addition to the filling of 60 large dumpsters and the disposal of 1032 tires.
Infrastructure
Incentives Planning staff is developing an incentive program for housing stabilization and for beautification of the initial target area, the Walter Jetton Neighborhood. The Southside Steering Committee began reviewing the incentives in December 2022.
Award The Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) named Paducah as the 2022 KLC City Government of the Year in September 2022. The award recognizes a city that has elevated its community through quality governance or done something transformational for the city. An independent board of judges from around the state selected Paducah which applied based upon the City Commission’s decision to prioritize the Southside and develop the Southside Rise & Shine Neighborhood Spruce Up initiative. “Community innovation is a pillar of the Kentucky League of City’s mission statement, and we are excited that this year’s City Government of the Year award winner exemplifies that goal,” said KLC Executive Director/CEO J.D. Chaney. “Paducah city officials and employees made a unified commitment to embrace neighborhood empowerment and grow pride in areas of the city that have not always been at the forefront. The city’s impact is testament to the ability of city officials to reenergize communities, create new economic development opportunities, and enhance the quality of life. We are proud to recognize the City of Paducah and look forward to seeing the long-term impact of its Rise & Shine program.”
Leslie Ballard
Rev. Charles Dunbar
Tommy Hollimon
Mike Muscarella
Kristian Prather
Connie Ragsdale
Tami Snyder
Sonya Thompson
Bryson Wells
Susan Ybarzabal
Note: Meeting location is included on the agenda.
Steering Committee Agenda - January 23, 2023
Steering Committee Agenda - January 9, 2023 Steering Committee Summary - January 9, 2023
Steering Committee Agenda - December 5, 2022 Steering Committee Summary - December 5, 2022
Steering Committee Agenda - September 12, 2022
Steering Committee Agenda - July 25, 2022 Steering Committee Summary - July 25, 2022
Steering Committee Agenda - June 13, 2022 Steering Committee Summary - June 13, 2022
Steering Committee Agenda - May 2, 2022 Steering Committee Summary - May 2, 2022
Steering Committee Agenda - March 22, 2022 Steering Committee Summary - March 22, 2022
Steering Committee Agenda - February 1, 2022
Southside Paducah residents and business owners provided input about their neighborhoods at public meetings held March 4 and March 11, 2021. Approximately 100 people attended each meeting.
We want to hear from you! Tell us your thoughts and ideas about Paducah's Southside.
Read all Commission Priorities and Continuous Improvement Items including each action item's objective, key team members, and expectations by visiting Commission Priorities.