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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-08-2025Paducah Civic Beautification Board Minutes of September 8th, 2025, Meeting City Hall, Paducah, Kentucky Commissioners Meeting Room MEETING DETAILS The Civic Beautification Board members met on Monday, September 8th, 2025, at 12:00pm. The meeting was held at City Hall, 300 S. 5th St, Paducah, KY 42003. ATTENDEES In attendance were Kathy Montgomery (Chairman), Staci Drake (Co-Chairman), Denny Roof (Treasurer), Mary Dossett (Secretary), Jill Durham (HOM), Karen Petter (New Member), Fowler Black (Tourism), Misty Freeman, Wayne Armbruster, Kay Cochran, Leslie Haywood-Moore, Paul Grumley and Pam Spencer (City Rep). Board members not in attendance were Tim Story, Mark Anderson, Kathy McHaney, Michele Murphy, and Storm Wilson. CALL TO ORDER Kathy called the meeting to order at 12:01pm at City Hall with the pledge of allegiance and reminded members to silence their phones. The August minutes were presented and approved by the board. Treasurer: Denny stated that we have a balance of $7,265.08. Secretary: No report. Corresponding Secretary: No report. OLD BUSINESS New Member: Karen asked if anyone has any nominations. Kathy mentioned that we can look at past applications. Kay mentioned that someone she knows has applied to be on the board. House of the Month: Kay presented the house of the month. The owners are Rick and Linda Cochran. The house is located at 4711 Exall Lane. A photo of the home was passed around. Dogwood Trees: Tree Update from Tim. It's been extremely dry but cooler temps.  Kailer Park trees look ok, but tree closest to Broadway is struggling due to just drying out w slightly more sun exposure, weeks of very hot/dry, and having to carrying water in.  I have watered few times in last 2 weeks and added mulch to front tree trying to hold moisture.  I will water again this week.  I believe all will make it, but we just need a good soaking rain soon. Wayne mentioned he watered the dogwood trees and the trees at Noble Park have been damaged by a weed eater. He said seven of the nineteen are alive. Next, Wayne mentioned a new project he has heard about. Someone is planting dwarf apple trees in vacant lots in Paducah. He will send out the article to all members. Social Media: Misty said we have 10,202 new views in the last twenty days. There is a 6% increase of new followers on Facebook. Paducah Alliance of Neighborhoods (PAN): The following update was submitted by Leslie. The next house PAN is at 1314 Oscar Cross and is scheduled for a late October completion date, therefore, we will plan to donate and plant a dogwood in that time frame.  Will report again on progress at our next meeting.   Additionally, PAN is starting four new homes that should reach completion, if all goes according to schedule, sometime in late March 2026, so we can plan to donate and plant four trees in early spring which should coincide with and possibly be a part of our marketing campaign for our 2026 Dogwood Trail. Background:  The Paducah Civic Beautification Board will donate a dogwood tree to be planted in the front yard of the approximately 6 to 8 homes that will be completed by the Paducah Alliance of Neighbors from 2024 through 2026, if new owners are in agreement. All of these homes will be in the Southside area. Planting these trees in now a part of the Paducah Civic Beautification Board's focus on enhancements in the Southside area and, perhaps, also addresses our focus on promoting growth of our Dogwood Trail to include other areas of the city. These trees could serve as a baby step toward that purpose. We planted our first tree at a newly constructed home on Oscar Cross last year and checked in on the owner and the tree during the 2025 Dogwood Festival where the tree was just beginning to show some blooms. We also reviewed, at that time, tips for watering and maintaining the tree during the hot summer months. We will continue to check in as the year progresses to see how the tree is thriving and if the owner needs any. The Paducah Alliance of Neighbors (PAN) is a 501(c)3 with a mission to help our neighbors and to create stronger neighborhoods through home repair, home rehabilitation, and new construction. I have served on this board since 2019 and presently serve as board president. PAN goals include working in cooperation with the City of Paducah as they begin work in the first focused residential revitalization area in Paducah's Southside neighborhoods. PAN's efforts include both coordinating repairs for low-income homeowners and building new affordable homes for credit-worthy first time home buyers. Executive Director of PAN, Sharon Poat, and the entire board share the excitement about this collaboration. Tourism: Fowler mentioned that him and Denny will meet before the next meeting and count the signs. Welcome to Paducah Signs: Kathy said there was no meeting in August for the signs. But they have received a recommendation for what to plant. Chris Yarbro is head of the project. Wayne mentioned that we need a sign on John Puryear. There was discussion amongst the board. Citizen of the Month: Misty asked the board if they think it is a good idea to rename this committee to Citizen Spotlight. All agreed that we need to change the name. She also mentioned that the women’s work crew from the jail will be the next spotlight. Whitehaven Playground: No report. Wayne emailed the board pictures of a playground that he saw as an example. Business Awards: The awards are in early December. Jill, Kay, and Paul are on the committee. They mentioned to switch to certificates and a picture instead of the plaque due to cost. Staci offered to help the committee if needed. Dogwood Trail: Kathy said we need the trail map by December. If board members have any ideas for the route, send them to Staci. Jill offered to help with the trail map committee. NEW BUSINESS Open Discussion: No report. ADJOURNMENT Move to adjourn was made by Kathy at 12:40pm. Next meeting will be October 13th, 2025, at City Hall.