Mea Culpa….

I think I have let myself down.  I think I have let you down.  I’m talking about this whole city hall project.  As you know RATIO, the architectural firm, will have a public presentation Monday at the City Hall.  That’s why I’m blogging.  I expect a lot out of me, and right now I feel like my work, representing you, on city hall has been, well, let’s just say I’m not very happy with myself.

As you remember, one of my earlier blogs was about city hall dying.  Little did I know about the true state of structural disrepair.  We knew we had a problem when, by the late spring of 2014, the fourth engineering study was complete.  The first study was in 1978, a scant 14 years after the dedication of City Hall, and it said that the roof structure was bending down.  The engineers confirmed that and went on to say that doing nothing was probably not a long strategy worth pursuing. 

Having said all this, here is where I failed as your commissioner. Simply put, I got focused on the project of renovation or new build with all the intendant controversy, without really thinking ahead on the “how do we pay for this.”  And that‘s what really got to me.  I always think about the money.  Well, until this time.  Regardless of what the news media may opine, we cannot rebuild or renovate a complete City Hall, in my view, without a stable, long term funding source of unencumbered money.

I continued to fail you by not thinking clearly about a third alternative to new build or renovate City Hall, a step-by-step, pay as you go heavy repair of the existing structure.  Hopefully, this will be apparent by isolating those costs within the renovate model of City Hall provided by Ratio Architects.

Finally, I never really had a discussion with the other commissioners or the mayor about the road we were taking.  Of course, they didn’t engage me either.  So much for my acting in isolation and ignoring the benefits of collective wisdom.

Well, that’s about it.  As I said, I’m not very happy with me.  I think I could have been a better commissioner.  I’m sorry to have let you down.

Allan

Now, about that Aleve...

This morning as I began the daily ritual of shaving I noticed that the bottle of Aleve was upside-down.  I asked my wife, Johanna, if I should get more Aleve when I go grocery shopping.  (And yes, I do most of the shopping.)  She asked if I had a headache.  Given The Sun’s editorial that I had just consumed I probably needed some sort of a restorative. 

Last time I checked my pocket for coins and actually found one, it still had two sides.  That’s not counting the edge, so we will just say two sides-- that will suffice.

I can’t stress the point enough that my line of communication with the county is completely open on the subject of E-911, and that I want what we all want-- to get the best service for all of us.  There is a lot of conversation about regionalization of service.  Where is it said that only KSP can wear that mantle of offering “regional service?”  What if the city does such a superior job with E-911 that others would like to join in a city-sponsored regional service business model?  Nothing like a little good old American competition, is there?  Besides, with Frankfort in disarray, who is to say they will provide the best solution?  My head does throb at the thought of reorganization of E-911 and only getting a two-year contract for service from KSP.  How might the terms change after they have gotten us in?  I feel your local elected officials are far more reachable in managing our own local E-911 than the KSP would be when we are merely a contract customer with no representation on their board.

Now that I have brought up board members, I might point out there are 11 members on the local E-911 board.  Three are from the city, and eight represent the county.  If the city has about 60% of the call volume and 60% of the expense, as a businessman I think for us to have 27% of the board representation seems, well, unbalanced. 

As my headache continues, I might point out that the current inter-local agreement on E-911 expired in 2011.  Not a typo.  We are required to give six months notice to renegotiate the agreement, so we had to give notice by December 31 or wait another year.  Shouldn’t the city make a business plan on how an E-911 department would look?  With a plan, we might be able to go to the county to offer them a “better deal” on staying together on E-911 services. 

The KSP proposal is a very different one.  You might say it is like comparing apples and oranges.  My personal “Aha!” moment of the KSP proposal came when we learned that the addition of the city and county to KSP would increase the call volume by 100%, and yet the number of call answering people would only increase by 50%.   Fire Chief Steve Kyle, chair of the E-911 board, asked KSP for a new proposal recognizing the differences, and we are still without that proposal.  I’m not sure that exactly qualifies as the city “walking away.” 

Writing a blog post is a bit different to me than writing an editorial.  It’s not something to strike from my “to do” list and move on to the next thing.  I’ll keep this E-911 issue in the forefront every day until we get the best solution for all of us, city and county.

Now, where is that shopping list?  I really need that Aleve.

PSAD Paducah School of Art and Design

PSAD  Paducah School of  Art and Design

While this blog post may be brief, I just had to share the “crown jewel” in the PSAD Campus, the 2D and Graphic Design Building.  I am neither an architect nor a contractor, but I came away from my tour with an appreciation of good old-fashioned American craftsmanship.   It was industrial art in my eyes.  Specifically, it is the attention to detail in which the heating and air-conditioning system along with the electrical layout are just there to be appreciated.

Seriously, there is something about the art of all that HVAC/electrical “stuff” that is usually covered by so many ceiling tiles.  Yes, it is new and shiny, but it is the care, the way it was put into the ceiling of the building that just blew me away.  Really.  When you see long runs of silvery electrical conduit that are perfectly spaced, each run parallel to the next, it is impressive.  When those long runs curve in graceful arcs that they themselves are in perfect alignment, there is art going on.  At least to my eyes.  The “flat oval” shaped HVAC conduit is far away from the usual spiral wound duct that is often the norm.  Look closely at the way it is attached, and fine detail is there to appreciate.  No plumber’s strap here.  Stainless steel multi stranded wire carefully angled for strength and athletics is evident.

There are lots of really cool features in this renovated building, from earthquake strengthening to reuse of the wood from a hundred year old building, to white boxed walls.  It is all there in harmony.  But this Wednesday, it was all that “art and design” in the uncovered ceiling that did it for me.

Now go see what excites you in PSAD’s “crown jewel” at 9^th and Harrison.

I Just Don't Get It.

What am I missing in wanting the McCracken County Fiscal Court to allow use of the Transient Room Tax to pay for moving the dome, and later, for other scheduled renovations to the Convention/Expo Center?

Here are the facts:

The purpose of the Transient Room Tax, which is paid by those who stay in our hotels, is to pay for tourist related activities. Hence the dome relocation would be covered.

The Convention Center through the City will honor its contract to provide the dome space for the Quilt Show.  Quilts are what we are.

The City will bond the money to move the dome.  The fiscal obligation to repay the bond will be on City taxpayers if the Transient Room Tax falls short of what is needed to pay the bonds, not on County taxpayers.

The budget estimates for the bond payments were based on the Transient Room Tax growing at 3% per year.  The Transient Room Tax had an annual growth of 4.4% in 2012, 9.3% in 2013 and 12.2% in 2014.  The conservative growth projections of 3% to pay for the bonds through the Transient Room Tax certainly look, well, conservative.

The City will cover any shortfall on the operation of the dome for the Quilt Shows, as we have in past years.  Again, the fiscal obligation is on City taxpayers, not on County taxpayers.

So here is what I don’t get. Why can’t the Fiscal Court vote to let the Transient Room Tax be used to pay for the dome relocation instead of putting the entire burden on City taxpayers.  Remember, we City taxpayers are also County taxpayers.  And voters.

Tell me we are not shipwrecking a sound financial plan on the rocks of just politics.

Hoping for a Happy New Year.

Its Beauty is on the Inside.

I’m going to get this out there on the front end; people who spend the nights in our hotels should pay for the Dome relocation.

Let me explain as simply and briefly as I can.  As you know there is always a Transient Room Tax wherever you stay in a hotel.  This tax is 6% in Kentucky.  3% to the Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1% to the operation of the Convention/Expo Center and 2% to the debt service of convention facilities in the downtown area.  Not including the three announced new hotels, the Transient Room Tax is growing at 3% per year, and that is a very conservative number.

We are not going to water last year’s crops on what might have been.  What do we know today?  Paducah has a contract for adequate Quilt Show space. The April Quilt Show is 5 months distant.  Quilters love the Dome. I am committed to the Quilt Show. Kentucky Tourism Department numbers put the tourism dollars at north of $25 million dollars from visitors representing 46 of our 50 states.  You may also throw in 10 foreign countries.  However, the Convention/Expo Center is far from having a “no space available” sign out the rest of the year.

I’m pretty sure you like my fiscally conservative ways.  I haven’t gone off the rails on this one, I assure you.  The Convention Center Board has voted to accept the Dome.  This is a more fiscally conservative step than contracting for building out the old “Showroom” Lounge at a cost of up to $6 million depending on level of finish.  Now, the McCracken County Fiscal Court has to allow the Transient Room Tax to pay for three bonds to make this happen.  Briefly, these bonds will pay for relocation the Dome in 2016.  In 2020, bonds will be used for Convention Center upgrades, and bonds in 2023 will do additional Convention Center upgrades   The Transient Room Tax will pay off the bonds in 2032. 

The Convention Center has a contract to provide convention space, meaning the city is obligated to pay for the relocation expense.  But why not let the Transient Room Tax, a tax that is paid by non-residents, pay for the Dome relocation.  I’m asking the Fiscal Court to vote yes, to help the Convention Center Board to get this done.  

This is the real beauty of the Dome.