December 31, 2020 By Shelley Byrne
The city of Paducah (Ky.) expects to spend thousands of dollars soon to reapply for a permit for strategic dredging of a sediment deposit affecting a business’ offloading of liquid asphalt and threatening the transient boat dock the city built in the last few years.
The dredging would not remove the entire mud and grass island at Ohio River Mile 935.2, downstream of the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers and immediately downriver from the city’s boat dock, as that would cost too much, City Engineer Rick Murphy said. Instead, it would remove the interfering portion of the deposit and potentially extend the pier of the affected business, Midwest Terminal, he said.
The Paducah City Commission approved a 20-year forgivable loan up to $900,000 to Sprocket Inc. on Tuesday, seeing the move as an important investment in economic development.
The funds will be used to help build out more than 8,000 square feet at the Coke Plant in Midtown, where Sprocket, a nonprofit, currently operates in a smaller space.
An ordinance transferring the $900,000 from the cityâs debt service undesignated fund balance to the general fund was approved by a vote of 4-1, with Mayor Brandi Harless and commissioners Sandra Wilson, Brenda McElroy and Gerald Watkins in favor and member Richard Abraham voting no.
City and county officials met jointly Tuesday night approving an agreement both sides say will improve economic development efforts in Paducah and McCracken County for years to come.
Both the McCracken County Fiscal Court and Paducah City Commission unanimously passed an ordinance which repositions the Industrial Development Authority with regard to property ownership and related functions, on land to be used to attract new business or industry to the area.
The interlocal cooperative agreement makes IDA the owner of certain publicly-owned development sites within Paducah-McCracken County, including the Ohio River Triple Megasite.
The agreement also forgives the repayment by Greater Paducah Economic Development of notes totaling $911,375 for the megasite, from loans approved by the city designed to assist GPED in 2007 and 2008 for acquisition, development and construction of that property.
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