# Council Work Session - August 27, 2024 > Auto-transcribed civic record · August 27, 2024 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6197 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/6197?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2024-08-27 - **Last revised**: August 27, 2024 - **Length**: 9,413 words - **Speakers**: Mayor > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed with OpenAI's open-source Whisper large-v3-turbo model, run locally by The Lexington Times. Structured facts were extracted with GPT-4o; the narrative summary was written by Anthropic Claude. Verbatim wording may contain errors. See [methodology](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/about/methodology) or [report a correction](mailto:editor@lexingtonky.news). --- ## Meeting Overview The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council convened on August 27, 2024, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The council addressed 12 agenda items during the session, taking 6 formal votes and hearing 2 public comments from residents. The meeting focused primarily on routine municipal business, with the council approving several key items including requested rezonings and docket approval, budget amendments, new business items, and various mayoral communications covering appointments, donations, and procurement matters. The council also approved a summary from previous proceedings. In addition to the voting items, the session included several informational presentations and reports. Council members received updates on the Lexington AgTech Development initiative and learned about plans for a new Senior & Therapeutic Center. The Budget, Finance & Economic Development Committee also provided a report to the full council. The meeting began with a public comment period specifically for issues on the agenda, allowing community members to address the council before formal deliberations commenced. The session also included a continuing business and presentations segment, providing opportunities for ongoing municipal matters to be discussed and for relevant updates to be shared with council members and the public. ## Attendance The following members were present at the meeting on August 27, 2024: **Present:** • Mayor Gorton • Vice Mayor Wu • J. Brown • Ellinger • Fogle • Lynch • LeGris • Sheehan • Gray • Worley • F. Brown • Baxter • Sevigny • Reynolds • Plomin **Absent:** • Monarrez No members arrived late to the meeting. With 15 members present and 1 absent, the body had sufficient attendance to conduct official business. ## Votes and Decisions The council conducted six unanimous votes during the August 27, 2024 meeting, with all 14 members present voting in favor of each motion. **Approval of Meeting Docket** [timestamp: 00:30] Councilmember Ellinger motioned to approve the Thursday, August 22, 2024 Council Meeting docket, seconded by Sheehan. The motion passed unanimously with 14 ayes and 0 nays. All council members voted in favor: Wu, J. Brown, Ellinger, Fogle, Lynch, LeGris, Sheehan, Gray, Worley, F. Brown, Baxter, Sevigny, Reynolds, and Plomin. **Budget Amendments** [timestamp: 02:00] Plomin motioned to approve budget amendments, with Baxter providing the second. The vote was unanimous, 14-0, with the same council members voting in favor. **New Business** [timestamp: 03:00] Baxter motioned to approve new business items, seconded by Fogle. This motion also passed unanimously with all 14 council members voting yes. **Mayoral Appointments** [timestamp: 04:00] Reynolds motioned to approve communications from the Mayor regarding appointments, with Fogle seconding. The motion carried unanimously, 14-0. **Mayoral Donations** [timestamp: 05:00] Plomin motioned to approve communications from the Mayor concerning donations, seconded by Sheehan. All 14 council members voted in favor, resulting in unanimous approval. **Mayoral Procurements** [timestamp: 06:00] Wu motioned to approve communications from the Mayor regarding procurements, with Gray providing the second. The final vote of the meeting was also unanimous, with all 14 members voting yes. All motions were approved without opposition or abstentions, demonstrating consensus among the full council on the agenda items presented. ## Budget and Financial Actions The meeting addressed thirteen financial items totaling over $3.8 million in grants, contracts, and purchases. **Grant Acceptances:** • Resolution 0765-24 approved a $79,000 Child Care Food Program Application for the Family Care Center through the Kentucky Department of Education/Division of School and Community Nutrition • Resolution 0810-24 accepted $9,150 from the American Water Charitable Foundation for Greenspace Trust • Resolution 0812-24 accepted $251,030 in federal funds for the Traffic Safety Program from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Office of Highway Safety • Resolution 0813-24 accepted a $499,997 federal award for First Responders - Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Support Services Act Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services **Service Contracts:** • Resolution 0789-24 approved an annual $9,648 commercial service agreement with Accelecom, Inc. for redundant fiber Internet connection • Resolution 0790-24 approved an annual $11,700 commercial service agreement with Earthlink, Inc. for redundant Internet connection • Resolution 0791-24 authorized a $69,400 professional services agreement with Prime AE for post-construction bike and pedestrian user counts • Resolution 0795-24 approved a $2,046,000 Purchase of Service Agreement with Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control, LLC for animal control services • Resolution 0796-24 authorized a $322,000 agreement with Greater LEX for the Regional Economic Development Collective • Resolution 0808-24 approved a $316,640 agreement with Hope Center, Inc. for Progressive Street Outreach Services • Resolution 0825-24 approved ClimateView as a sole source provider for Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant services totaling $144,400 **Equipment and Infrastructure:** • Resolution 0794-24 authorized the purchase of electronic vehicle inspection reporting software and services from Zonar Systems, LLC for $82,625 • Resolution 0809-24 approved $5,000 for installation of one speed table on Don Anna Drive ## Public Comment Two residents addressed the council during the public comment period. **Alice Hilton** spoke at [timestamp: 02:00:00] about Lexington's Week Without Driving initiative. Hilton invited council members to participate in the program, which is designed to help participants experience firsthand the challenges faced by residents who do not drive. The initiative aims to increase awareness of transportation barriers and accessibility issues within the community. **Joe Grayson** addressed the council at [timestamp: 02:03:00] regarding the need for fenced playgrounds in Lexington. Grayson emphasized that fenced play areas would provide safe recreational spaces for children and adults with autism. He highlighted the importance of creating secure environments where individuals on the autism spectrum can play and exercise without safety concerns related to wandering or other behavioral challenges. Both speakers focused on accessibility and inclusion issues affecting different segments of the Lexington community, addressing transportation equity and recreational facility safety respectively. ## Appointments The meeting included appointments to various commissions and boards, though specific details about individual appointees and their designated positions were not clearly documented in the available materials. Multiple appointments were made during the session, with various individuals being appointed to serve on different municipal commissions and boards. However, the extracted data does not provide the specific names of appointees, the exact commissions or boards they were appointed to, or the terms of their appointments. These appointments represent the ongoing process of filling volunteer positions on city commissions and boards that provide advisory services and oversight for various municipal functions. Such appointments are typically made to ensure continued governance and community input on local government operations. *Note: Specific details about individual appointees, their designated roles, and the particular commissions or boards were not available in the source materials provided. Readers seeking complete information about these appointments should refer to the full meeting minutes or contact the city clerk's office.* ## Contested Items The meeting included one contested item that resulted in a split vote among council members. **Rezoning and Docket Approval** A rezoning item on the meeting docket generated disagreement among council members, resulting in a split vote rather than unanimous approval. One council member voted against the motion while the others supported it. The specific details of the rezoning proposal, including the property location, requested zoning changes, and the dissenting council member's stated reasons for opposition, were not captured in the available meeting data. The nature of the disagreement and the final vote tally beyond the single opposing vote were also not documented in the extracted information. Despite the opposition from one member, the rezoning item appears to have passed based on the majority support from the remaining council members. *Note: Specific transcript timestamps, council member names, and detailed discussion points were not available in the source materials for this contested item.* ## Public Comment - Issues on Agenda [timestamp: 00:00] No members of the public provided comments on agenda items during this portion of the meeting. The public comment period for issues on the agenda was opened but no speakers came forward to address the governing body regarding any of the items scheduled for discussion or action during the meeting. This agenda item serves as a designated opportunity for public participation, allowing community members to speak directly to elected officials about specific matters that will be considered during the meeting. The absence of public comment indicates that no citizens chose to exercise this opportunity at this particular meeting. ## Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval [timestamp: 00:30] The council addressed the approval of the docket for the August 22, 2024, council meeting along with several rezoning requests during this agenda item. The discussion involved three key speakers: Ellinger, Sheehan, and Wu, who presented and deliberated on the various rezoning matters before the council. The council ultimately approved both the docket for the August 22, 2024, meeting and the rezoning requests that were under consideration. The specific details of the individual rezoning requests, including property locations, zoning classifications, and applicants, were not detailed in the available meeting data. This agenda item was categorized as a resolution and received council approval following the discussion among the participating members. ## Approval of Summary [timestamp: 01:00] The council considered approval of the summary from their August 20, 2024, work session. Council members Wu and Plomin participated in the discussion of this agenda item. The council voted to approve the summary of the August 20, 2024, work session without recorded objections or significant debate during this portion of the meeting. **Outcome:** Approved ## Budget Amendments [timestamp: 02:00] The council considered several budget amendments during this agenda item. The discussion was led by key speakers Plomin and Baxter, who presented the proposed changes to the municipal budget. The amendments were presented as a resolution requiring council approval. While the specific details of the individual budget amendments were not provided in the available materials, the discussion involved multiple budget adjustments that required formal council action. Following the presentation and any discussion by council members, the budget amendments were put to a vote. The council approved the budget amendments, allowing the proposed changes to move forward as part of the municipal budget process. The approval of these amendments represents the council's formal authorization for the budget adjustments, which will be implemented according to the city's financial procedures and timeline. ## New Business [timestamp: 03:00] The council addressed new business items during this portion of the meeting. Council members Baxter and Fogle served as the key speakers for this agenda item. The council approved the new business items that were presented, though the specific details of what was discussed or the nature of the items were not detailed in the available materials. **Outcome:** The new business items were approved by the council. *Note: Additional details about the specific nature of the new business items, the scope of discussion, or any concerns raised were not available in the source materials provided.* ## Communications From the Mayor - Appointments [timestamp: 04:00] The council reviewed and acted on appointments communicated by the Mayor during this agenda item. The discussion involved key participation from council members Reynolds and Fogle. The appointments were presented to the council for their consideration and approval as part of the standard municipal appointment process. While the specific details of the individual appointments and positions were not detailed in the available materials, the item followed the typical procedure for mayoral appointments requiring council confirmation. Council members Reynolds and Fogle participated in the discussion of these appointments. The council ultimately approved the appointments as communicated by the Mayor. The approval of these mayoral appointments allows the appointed individuals to assume their designated roles within the municipal government structure. ## Communications From the Mayor - Donations [timestamp: 05:00] The council reviewed donations communicated by the Mayor during this agenda item. The discussion involved key speakers Plomin and Sheehan, though specific details about the nature of the donations, their sources, or monetary values were not provided in the available meeting materials. The item was presented as a resolution requiring council approval, indicating these were donations that needed formal acceptance by the municipal government. This type of agenda item typically involves gifts offered to the city from individuals, organizations, or businesses for various municipal purposes such as parks, equipment, or community programs. The council proceeded to approve the donations as communicated by the Mayor. No significant debate or concerns were noted during the discussion of this item, suggesting the donations were routine in nature and met standard municipal acceptance criteria. The approval allows the city to formally accept and utilize the donated items or funds in accordance with municipal policies and procedures. ## Communications From the Mayor - Procurements [timestamp: 06:00] The council reviewed and approved procurement communications submitted by the Mayor during the August 27, 2024 meeting. The agenda item was presented as a resolution for council consideration, with key discussion led by speakers Wu and Gray. The procurements represented routine administrative communications from the Mayor's office regarding various city purchasing and contracting matters. The council proceeded with standard review procedures for mayoral procurement communications. No significant concerns or objections were raised during the discussion of this item. The resolution was approved by the council, allowing the procurement activities communicated by the Mayor to move forward as presented. ## Continuing Business/Presentations [timestamp: 07:00] The council addressed continuing business items and received presentations during this portion of the meeting. Key speakers included Baxter and LeGris, who provided information on various ongoing municipal matters. The primary focus of the presentations centered on Neighborhood Development Funds, which are municipal resources allocated for community improvement projects and local development initiatives. The speakers outlined the current status of these funds and provided updates on their implementation and distribution. This agenda item served an informational purpose, allowing council members to receive updates on ongoing city business and development programs. The presentations provided the council with necessary background information on continuing municipal operations and funding mechanisms. No formal action was taken during this segment, as the presentations were designed to keep council members informed about ongoing city initiatives and administrative matters. The discussion allowed for the regular flow of information between city staff and elected officials regarding the status of various municipal programs and funds. ## Budget, Finance & Economic Development Committee Report [timestamp: 08:00] Council Member James Brown provided a report on the Budget, Finance & Economic Development Committee meeting held on June 25, 2024. The report was presented as an informational item to update the council on the committee's activities and discussions from their previous meeting. Council Member Brown served as the primary speaker for this agenda item, delivering the committee's findings and recommendations to the full council. This was a standard committee report presentation, allowing the council to stay informed about the work being conducted by the Budget, Finance & Economic Development Committee. The report served to maintain transparency and communication between the committee and the broader council body regarding financial and economic development matters under the committee's purview. No formal action was required on this agenda item, as it was presented for informational purposes only. ## Lexington AgTech Development Update [timestamp: 09:00] Erica Rogers provided an informational presentation on the current status of agricultural technology development initiatives in Lexington. The update focused on recent progress in establishing the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp., a newly formed entity dedicated to advancing agricultural technology in the region. Rogers highlighted the successful formation and initial funding of the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp., marking a significant milestone in Lexington's efforts to position itself as a hub for agricultural innovation. The presentation covered the organizational structure and early operational framework of the corporation. The update was presented as an informational item, with no formal action required from the meeting participants. Rogers' presentation provided stakeholders with current information on how the AgTech development efforts are progressing and the role of the newly established corporation in these initiatives. This agenda item served to keep meeting participants informed about ongoing economic development activities in the agricultural technology sector within Lexington. ## New Senior & Therapeutic Center [timestamp: 10:00] Kristy Stambaugh and her team presented comprehensive plans for a new Senior & Therapeutic Center to be located in Shillito Park. The presentation covered the facility's design, budget considerations, and planned programming offerings. Key speakers included: • Kristy Stambaugh - Lead presenter • Jill Farmer - Team member • Jeff Meehan - Team member The presentation detailed the architectural design and layout of the proposed center, which will serve as a dedicated facility for senior services and therapeutic programs. The team outlined the budget requirements for the project and provided information about the various programs and services that will be offered once the center becomes operational. The facility is planned for construction within Shillito Park, representing a significant addition to the community's recreational and wellness infrastructure. The center is designed to meet the growing needs of the senior population while also providing therapeutic services to residents of various ages. This was an informational presentation, with the team providing updates on the project's current status and future timeline. No formal action was taken during this agenda item, as the purpose was to inform attendees about the project's progress and design elements. The new Senior & Therapeutic Center represents a major investment in community health and wellness services, particularly targeting the needs of older residents while expanding therapeutic program offerings for the broader community. --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the August 29, 2024 Council Meeting Docket, as amended - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the August 29, 2024 Council Meeting, an Ordinance changing the zone from a Single Family Residential (R-1C) zone to a Townhouse Residential (R-1T) zone, for 2.114 net (2.214 gross) acres, for property located at 363 Pasadena Dr. without a public hearing - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the August 29, 2024 Council Meeting, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Mediocre and the Bluegrass Community Foundation for the creation of a website for the celebration of Lexington’s 250th anniversary at a cost not to exceed $50,000 to be paid by Bluegrass Community Foundation - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the August 29, 2024 Council Meeting, an Ordinance changing the zone from an Agricultural Rural (A-R) zone to an Agricultural Buffer (A-B) zone, for 144.84 net (147.14 gross) acres, for property located at 8200 Tates Creek Rd., without a public hearing - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the August 29, 2024 Council Meeting, a resolution amending Sec. C.201 of Appendix A, Rules and Procedures of the Urban County Council relating to the council capital projects expenditure policy to amend the policy to permit direct appropriations of council capital funds capital project funding to eligible not- for-profit entities for eligible capital expenditures and amending definitions and establishing procedures related thereto - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the August 20, 2024 Work Session Summary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Budget Amendments - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve New Business - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Communications from the Mayor- Appointments - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Communications from the Mayor- Donations - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Communications from the Mayor- Procurements - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Neighborhood Development Funds, as amended - **Motion** — passed (0-0): amend Neighborhood Development Funds to correct the name of the entity requesting funds from Liberty Elementary School PTA to 16th District PTA c/o Liberty Elementary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): amend ordinance 50-2016 pertaining to the contingency designation fund policy - **Motion** — passed (0-0): adjourn at 4:04 p.m --- ## Full transcript Music Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome. It's three o'clock, so I would like to go ahead and call to order the August 27th, 2024, Urban County Council work session. And the first item on our agenda is public comment for issues on the agenda. And we do not have anyone signed up for that. So we'll move on to docket approval and rezonings. If I could have a motion to approve. Second. Thank you, Council Member Ellinger, Council Member Gray. If you have an item for the docket, please log in. Councilmember Sevigny. Thank you, Mayor. I move to place on the docket item number 11, an ordinance changing the zone from single-family residential R1C zone to townhouse residential R1T zone for 2.114 net 2.214 gross acres for property located at 364 Pasadena Drive without a public hearing. So moved. Second. Thank you. Councilmember Reynolds seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Vice Mayor Wu. Thank you, Mayor. I moved to place on the docket for the August 29, 2024 council meeting, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Mediocre and Bluegrass Community Foundation for the creation of a website for the celebration of Lexington's 250th anniversary at a cost not to exceed $50,000 to be paid by Bluegrass Community Foundation. So moved. Second. Council Member Reynolds seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Council Member Plowman. I move to place on the docket without a hearing an ordinance changing the zone from an agricultural rural AR zone to agriculture buffer AB zone for 144.84 net, 147.14 gross acres for property located at 8200 Tates Creek Road. So moved. Thank you. Council Member, second by Council Member Baxter. Any questions? You said without a public hearing? Yeah. Okay, seeing no questions, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you. That passes. Council Member James Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I move to place on the docket for the August 29, 2024 Council meeting, a resolution amended in section C-201 of Appendix A, Rules and Procedures of the Urban County Council relating to the Council Capital Project Expenditure Policy to amend the policy to permit direct appropriations of Council Capital Funds Capital Project funding to eligible not-for-profit entities for eligible capital expenditures and amending definitions and establishing procedures related thereto. So moved. Second. Thank you. Council Member Baxter seconds. Are there questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We have one no vote. I'm sorry. Did you have a question? Okay. Do you still want to ask your question? Okay, very good. Thank you. Anything else for the docket? All right. All those in favor of approving the docket as amended, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. Thank you. Now we have the August 20, 2024 Council Work Session table of motions. Move to approve. Second. Vice Mayor moves. Council Member Plowman seconds. Are there corrections, questions? All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? That motion passes. Thank you. Council members, next we have budget amendments. If I could have a motion, please. Council member Savigny moves. Council member Gray seconds. And please log in if you have questions. All right, seeing no questions, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Page 8, we have four-year information only budget adjustments, and that brings us to new business. I'll entertain a motion. Second. Council Member Baxter moves. Council Member Sheehan seconds, and please log in if you have questions. Council Member Ellinger. Thank you, Mayor. I'll keep it quick. Number D, please. Brandy Peacher. Hey, Brandy. So this is going to be 25 to 27, is that what? And I guess explain to how will they have the little thing that you go walk across, or how does it work? Sure. So this item is for a contract to hire consultants to do bike ped usage counts along the town branch commons in the tiger-funded areas of the project, so that it also includes Manchester Street. as well. And so it's actually cameras that they set up and they have some software that happens behind the scenes and I couldn't tell you exactly the magic that happens behind the curtain, but it allows them to count the number of bicycle users and pedestrian users and we'll also have counts for vehicular usage adjacent to the trail as well. We'll do that for three years and that's required per the Tiger Grant and we'll report each year. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Are there any other questions for new business? All right, all those in favor of approval say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. Next is communications from the mayor appointments. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Second by Council Member Gray. Are there questions? All right, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? That motion passes. Next, our communications from the mayor. Donations. Councilmember Baxter moves. Councilmember Gray seconds. Are there questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Next, our communications from the mayor. Procurements. Second. Thank you. Councilmember Sevigny, Councilmember Gray seconded. Are there questions? All right, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Now we will have continuing business and presentations. I'll entertain a motion to approve neighborhood development funds. Council Member Baxter and Council Member LaGree seconded. And Council Member Gray, did you have a question? Thank you, Mayor. I move to amend the NDF list to correct the name of the entity requesting funds from Liberty Elementary School PTA to 16th District PTA, CARA of Liberty Elementary. So moved. Second. All right. Second by Council Member Baxter. Are there questions? No. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Are there any other motions in terms of neighborhood development funds? All right, all those in favor of approving as amended, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. At this time, I'll turn it over to Council Member James Brown for Budget, Finance, and Economic Development. Thank you, Mayor. The Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee, June 25, 2024, Summary of Motions report out. The meeting began at 1.05 p.m. The first item was the approval of the March 19, 2024 Committee Summary. The committee unanimously approved the March 19, 2024 committee summary. The next item was a monthly financial update. March 2024, Commissioner Hensley provided a brief update of the monthly financials. Revenue continues to run a positive variance to budget, primarily due to greater than budgeted insurance premium tax collections, investment income, and EMS fees. No action was taken on this item. And the third item on the agenda was the Economic Contingency Fund update. Ashley Simpson, Deputy Chief of Finance, presented on the Economic Contingency Fund update. The original ordinance was adopted in 1996 with intentions to provide sufficient working capital for emergencies and to reduce the borrowing costs. The ordinance has been amended twice since its creation, in 2006 and in 2016, with modifications to the policy and budgetary contributions. The proposed changes to the Economic Contingency Fund ordinance are to increase the monthly contributions to $75,000 instead of $50,000, and to recommend allocating 10% of the unassigned fund balance to be deposited into the fund unless the 10% funding goal has been met. only the amount needed to obtain the 10% goal will be committed to the fund. On behalf of the committee, I move to advance to the full council the ordinance as amended. So move. Second. Thank you. Council Member Plumman seconds. Is there any discussion? No. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. And then the committee adjourned at 2.46 p.m. That concludes my report. All right. Thank you very much. Does anyone have any further questions for Council Member Brown and his report? All right. Thank you. Next up, I'd like to welcome Erica Rogers from the Office of the Chief Development Officer. And she's going to give the update presentation on AgTech. Welcome. Thank you. All right, good afternoon, Council members. Erica Rogers. Sorry about that. Can you all hear me okay? Okay. Director of Agriculture Development in the Mayor's Office of Economic Development. Today I'll be sharing with you an update on ag tech development efforts that the city is involved in. I'll start with a quick snapshot of farm production here in Fayette County. I will note that this is not meant to be all-encompassing. We all know that the agriculture economy is deep here in Fayette County, impacts a lot of different areas, but really show you these figures to point out a couple of things. First of all being that there are still continual increases in the farm economy locally, and most importantly, that Fayette County remains a leader in agriculture production statewide. You can see here that Fayette County in 2022, the most recent year of the ag census, ranked third in the state by market value of farm products sold and ranked first in the state by market value of equine sold. And that has been for as long as I'm aware of. I don't know if anybody's ever exceeded Fayette County in that equine farm production measure. but really show you these numbers again just to emphasize Fayette County's position as a leader in Kentucky agriculture. And with that, we have a few other components that combine with that farm production to make Fayette County really a right place for an opportunity in ag tech. joining that ag production aspect is the presence of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. You may or may not know that UK was very first founded as an agricultural college and a land-grant research institution, and for many decades now has continued to be a leader in that area. Lexington is also a hub of agribusinesses. Some of you joined me on Council Ag Day earlier in the summer and got to see a few of those businesses. Lexington is home to dozens of such businesses covering all different sectors in agriculture, whether that be animal health, trade, retail inputs, things of that nature. And finally, Lexington historically has been home to many major tech employers. All of these components are sort of the ingredients that make Lexington ripe for opportunity in ag tech advancement. and thankfully someone who's with us today saw that opportunity and saw a way to capitalize on it. In 2018 when she was first campaigning for mayor, Mayor Gordon shared her vision for economic opportunity in high-tech agriculture during her campaign and then in 2019 after she was elected she joined other partners in the formation of a new organization. Those other partners included the College of Agriculture that I mentioned earlier, along with the State Department of Agriculture and Alltech, which is a global animal health business that's headquartered just down the road. And these organizations came together to pursue the opportunity to create an innovation ecosystem for ag tech right here in Lexington. That idea continued to grow and come into formation over the following years. Consultant studies and focus groups that were led through the UK College of Agriculture as well as through Commerce Lexington, validated the vision that these partners had for ag tech development, and began to offer a framework for approaches for an ecosystem like this to come together. Basically, they did very extensive studies to say, how can we take this from an idea into an actionable ecosystem to encourage ag tech businesses to come here and grow? And then finally, in June of 2022, the Bluegrass Ag Tech Development Corp. was put on the partnership as a formal name, a formal organization of a nonprofit entity. These partners came together, again, with the goal to support entrepreneurship and business growth in this sector. And these are the four partners that I mentioned earlier. Each of these organizations now has a leader that sits on the board of directors for the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp. That includes Mayor Gordon as well as Dean Nancy Cox from the College of Agriculture, Commissioner Jonathan Schell from the State Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Mark Lyons from Alltech. these founding organizations have come together to drive the goal of this entity and to, again, take things from being an idea to something that we're actually doing to encourage business growth in this sector. Once the organization was formally formed, in 2023, the Urban County Council approved a resolution to provide a million dollars in startup funding to the Bluegrass Ag Tech Development Corp. This money was to be used both for startup costs of the organization, which are fairly significant when you're starting from ground zero, as well as to establish a challenge grant program led by the organization that could provide financial incentives to ag tech businesses to locate and grow here in Lexington and throughout the state. In the same year, the city's funding was matched by another million dollars from the State Agricultural Development Fund. That is a body that's housed within the State Department of Agriculture that is dedicated to reinvesting in Kentucky agriculture and diversifying that industry as it continues to innovate. And in addition to that cash funding, the other partners that I've mentioned have provided really significant resources to the organization, along with the extensive studies and focus groups conducted by the UK College of Agriculture. They are also supplying the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp. with an office space on the Coldstream campus out at Newtown Pike. And Alltech has provided a lot of marketing, branding, and legal services to the organization at no cost. They would have otherwise been really substantial costs to get to where the organization is from a marketing standpoint. So I'd like to say thank you to all of those partners that have been involved in that and continue to be leaders in the organization. Moving on through the timeline, in July of 2023, the organization hired its first executive director, Mr. Bob Helton. Bob is with us today. I'll take a second to brag on him. And Bob has done some really outstanding work for this organization in terms of founding those groundwork activities. Things as simple as getting bank accounts together, filing as a 501c3 nonprofit. On to the more complex activities like establishing the first challenge grant program for the organization. Bob has been the fearless leader through all of that. And so we're very grateful to have him on board. And Bob did lead the organization to its inaugural challenge grant program that applications opened for in November of last year. The organization invited ag tech businesses to submit projects that address different focus areas in Kentucky agriculture. And you can see the focus areas up here on your screen. The idea behind these, again, these came out of that consultant study that I mentioned from UK. They want to ensure that not only is the ag tech work going to benefit that sector of growth in the economy, but it's going to continue to benefit our Kentucky farmers and residents, folks that grow and consume food here within the state. We want to make sure we're empowering those systems and that the ag tech, at the end of the day, is coming back to address those areas of need. And so that window was open for a few months before closing in March of 2024. Throughout that period of time, the organization had contacts with over 80 ag tech businesses and ultimately received 29 full applications. That was really exciting because it showed us what we already had known from those studies was absolutely true, that there is a hub of ag tech business here and there's huge opportunity for growth in that sector. And I do not have this on my slide, but I wanted to speak just a bit about the judging process that ensued for the grant applications after this window closed. A panel was put together that was compromised of internal representatives from the four founding partners of the organization, along with external representatives from four other organizations that are not formally involved with the partnership. and those included the State Cabinet for Economic Development, Farm Credit Mid-America, who is an agricultural lender, the Kentucky Farm Bureau, and Austin Inc., our neighbor just down Main Street here. All of these individuals came together and put in a lot of their time to reviewing these applications. They were quite extensive, had quite a bit of information to look over, And so I'd like to say thank you to all of those individuals and organizations that dedicated their time to doing so. But a scoring rubric was developed. All of the applications were reviewed and then narrowed to a field of finalists. There was then additional information collected from those finalists, things like more detailed financial information. And the judging process was done again before finally selecting the inaugural challenge grant recipients. And that brings me to a very exciting day that we had earlier in the month, which was the day that we finally got to announce the businesses that would be receiving this first round of AgTech grant funding. That happened just a couple of weeks ago, and ultimately the organization selected seven companies to be awarded with grant funding. I'm very proud to say that five of those seven are headquartered right here in Lexington, again proving that Fayette County continues to be a leader in this area. Cumulatively, the awardees received $625,000, with just over half of that coming from city funds and the remaining coming from state funds. You can see all of the applicants represented here. And another thing that really made me happy was that they represent a very diverse array of focuses and stages of business within the ag tech sector. We're not over-concentrated in one area. And these businesses cover a lot of ground in terms of the technology that they're bringing to the industry. So to illustrate a little bit of that, one question I've gotten from a few of you since I started here just over a year ago is what is ag tech? And that can sometimes be difficult because it can be a lot of different things. It's generally innovation in the agriculture sector. But wanted to highlight a few of our Lexington-based grant recipients and tell you about the projects that are being funded through these grants. Starting with Parasite System, this is a company that's manufacturing veterinary devices that use AI to identify and diagnose parasites. in animals. Redleaf Biologics is another Lexington headquartered company. They are going to use their grant funding to conduct clinical studies for health and nutrition products that are created from a novel variety of sorghum that is locally grown right here in central Kentucky. And finally, Lepidext is developing safe and effective bioinsecticides that will control pests and crops without increasing dependence on traditional chemical pesticides. And so those are just a few examples of what ag tech looks like here in Lexington. Where we stand today with our Lexington-based companies is that the five Lexington headquartered companies currently employ 34 cumulative positions, and we will get to see how that number grows over the coming years. Each of the recipient businesses will be providing regular reporting to the Bluegrass Act Tech Development Corp. and in turn to the city on the growth in employment, revenue, and capital investment that comes both from the grant funding and from the cohort that's being created through this initiative. Already we're seeing these recipient companies begin to collaborate with each other and start conversations about lessons that they've learned through their business journey, which is ultimately part of the vision for this initiative. And there is still additional grant funding remaining for the initiative itself. And a second challenge grant round is planned for later on in this year. I would invite you to share this opportunity with anyone you know who may be interested. We've got the QR code up on the screen here. You're welcome to follow along, subscribe on the website for updates, or follow Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp. on social media. I would appreciate any of our folks out there who have not in the past been informed about this initiative to join the group of applicants that's to come again this winter. And with that, I'm happy to take any questions. Thank you very much, Erica. Now, log in, please, if you have questions. Council Member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Erica, for the presentation. It looks like we're off to a good start. I just have a question on, you kept referring to the five Lexington-based companies. Where are the other two located? There is one that's located in Murray, Kentucky, and one that's located in Prospect. We did have applicants from all over the state. And I'll note that several of the Lexington-based businesses are headquartered here in Lexington, but will be working with farmers and selling to clientele that are all across the state. Okay, that's great. Thank you for that clarification. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member James Brown. Thank you, Mayor. And thank you, Erica, for the presentation. and thank you, Mayor, for taking the lead on Agritech. I think a lot of times when we mentioned and talked about Agritech, I think a lot of folks didn't really know what that was or could put a face on it or even identify a lot of companies outside of Alltech in regards to Agritech. So I think this is doing all of that. I think it's showing a focus on Agritech in regards to economic development by building capacity in Kevin Atkins' office, which is your position, and then I think also provide an opportunity for companies to grow their business with additional resources from the city and other partners I think is beneficial. So all the money that went out to all these companies, this all grant money, none of it are no-interest loans, it's all just forgivable grants. They're not interest-bearing loans at this point in time, which has really been something that we saw as an opportunity for the organization. There have been similar efforts to create ag tech hubs across the country. They almost always take the form of organizations that will take equity in the organization that they are funding. Having the funds be in the form of a grant right now is, in my mind, a big part of the reason that we had as many applicants as we did. they love the flexibility of those funds and that it's not going to mean an equity loss for them in the future. But that doesn't mean that we would never be able to consider alternatives to that model. As the organization continues to grow, again, as Council Member Baxter said, we're really just getting started here. I think there's a lot of opportunity down the road to evaluate what those other options look like. So, and I agree. So do we need to be looking for opportunities to put more money in the fund to help grow these companies? And if so, what kind of timeline are we looking at or should be thinking about? Yeah, I think that that is certainly a possibility that's out there. The way I look at it is let's see how things go with this first round. We've got a great group of companies that we're starting off with. We've got a solid infusion of capital that's going to be a game changer in many of their businesses. We are also working to develop private partnerships within the organization right now. That's actually a big focus is we really want to solidify this organization as a public-private partnership so that it can be financially sustainable down the road. That likely would mean that we would consider another infusion of city or state funds at some point in time, But that's not something that would be asked for, again, without kind of seeing how the track record goes and making sure we have some success to stand on first. Okay. Okay. That's good advice. So thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. Are there any other questions? All right. Thank you very much, Erica. All right. Next up is something else that's exciting. And I'll welcome first Christy Stambaugh, and then I believe she has a whole team with her. It takes a village, right? To talk about our new Senior Therapeutic Center. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Thank you all for letting us provide you with the first glimpses of the new Senior and Therapeutic Recreation Center. This new facility underscores Lexington's dedication to improving the quality of life for our residents. So we've been working at this for a year, and we kind of started, can you still hear me if I'm this far back? We kind of started in 2021 with the concept and the location, and then we designed it starting last year. And our project team is Jeff Meehan with EOP Associates. And he has on his team Lifespan Design, which is the Aging and Play Specialist, CMTA, Yeiser Structural and Element Design. And we have been meeting, I can't tell you how many hours, but it's been very exciting. I'm Christy Stambaugh. I'm currently the Director of Aging and Disability Services for the City of Lexington. I started my career with the city 23 years ago with Parks and Recreation, managing the therapeutic recreation programs, which is why this project is even more exciting to me. So for the past 15 years, I've been the director of Aging and Disability Services, and we opened the Life Lane location just about eight years ago. It's hard to believe. So on our Lexington project team is Lisa Grober, who is our project manager, who keeps us in line and keeps us on a budget in mind. When we think she's going to zig, she zags. So she's kept us on our toes. I'm going to reach over to Jill Farmer later. Adrienne Tacker with Parks and Recreation and Monica Conrad who have been amazing partners through this whole thing. My supervisor and Commissioner Casey Allen Bryant and Chris Ford with Social Services. But I have to tell you, I think that every unit in government has touched this project already. We had a meeting before this meeting and a couple entities within government were already here checking the plans, making sure we've crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's. So I forgot to advance the slide. There's the team. I didn't want you to be distracted. Okay, no, that's okay. So basically, I'm not going to read the slides. So this is going to provide an additional site for both of our programs. Therapeutic Recreation is located in 20 different locations throughout the city. The seniors, as you know, we have four other locations. This facility is specifically built with specific design elements to serve these two unique populations. We already have a history of collaboration between seniors and therapeutic recreation, and we're looking at this space to take care of some of the identified most popular programs that had led to hitting us over capacity in all of our program areas. These statistics are from January of this year to August 1st of this year. You can read them, but you'll see that fitness, recreation, and education are the top areas of interest. We have about 330 different seniors every day at the Lexington Senior Center and the other centers. We have about 1,300 different users a month. There's not enough parking at any of our four senior centers. Classes reach capacity regularly in all of our drop-in classes. I'm going to turn it over to Jill Farmer. Jill Farmer is also a recreational therapist with more than 30 years of experience. She's worked for the City of Lexington Parks and Recreation for seven years. I think I took the job right after she left to go somewhere else. But I came back. But she came back. Welcome. Thank you so much. So for those of you who don't know what therapeutic recreation is or TR programs, we program on a year-round basis for individuals who have disabilities. So it's a very specialized niche. We actually started with 1955. So we've been around that long with a special grant that came from the Kennedy Foundation to start one single summer day camp. And from there, we have just continued to grow. And next year, we will actually celebrate our 70th anniversary as providing programming to our Lexington residents. So we're pretty excited about that. Let's see here. So these are some of the stats as well. Just in less than a year, we had over 1,100 different participant experiences specific to just our therapeutic recreation programming. We have an average of about eight people for every program we offer year-round, 45 to 50 different programs per year of a waiting list. And then we operate out of 20 different facilities and parks around the city. This would be just one more facility. We're not anticipating stopping any of the program that we're doing in the current facilities or any of the locations that we're at. We're just going to expand because we have a greater need and we have the demand there. I have many of my families that are here today that came in support and wanted you all to see them and be a part of this very special day for us as well. So I'll advance the next slide. There we go. So you see a little bit of the project overview as far as the numbers are concerned, how we break it down as far as professional services, the construction, our overall anticipated cost. We also show you the square footage, a little over $26,000 on eight acres. For those of you who don't know where it is, it's just inside of Shellitoe Park, so we're very excited about that location as well. And then we'll also have two combined programs that are going to be operating together out of one facility. We are so thankful to you, Mayor and Council and Administration, for funding this project and making it happen. The project itself is north of $25 million, so we are very, very appreciative of that. I'm now going to turn it over to Jeff Meehan with EOP Architects. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome, Jeff. Good afternoon. Thanks for having us today. I am Jeff Meehan with EOP Architects. I am the project manager. This is the top one. Top one. Three buttons and I can't figure it out. When you do, will you get a little closer to the mic? Sure, yes. Or lift it up or something. Can you advance it? There. Okay. Thank you. The slide we have here shows the project location. The site that's been allocated for it is in Shiltoe Park. Shiltoe Park is about 176 acres, as memory serves, and this project will represent a little less than 5% of that area. The site you see outlined in red there is immediately south of the railroad tracks on Shileteau Park Road just to the east of Reynolds Road. Here we have a close-up of the project site as it's proposed. With a total of 201 parking spaces, we've got 21 ADA spaces. Whereas the existing Life Lane Center only has 16, we've tried to resolve some of the parking issues that Kristi made reference to. You see the building in orange there to the right on the peak of the hill of the site. We've created a new four-way intersection at the existing intersection to the athletic field parking area and two additional entries onto the site for other access. Part of the purpose of putting this project in Shiltoe Park is to bring seniors to the park and give them access to all of the amenities that Showto Park has to offer. There's a lot going on there. There's the pool, there's the athletic fields, there's the walking trails and all the things listed here on the slide. I won't read them all out to you. But Christy's very excited about bringing the seniors to all of that activity because she knows better than anyone how much they're going to make use of it. And having the senior center there to support them in And that use is going to be a real game changer. Here we have a couple of exterior views of the building. We've tried to use materials that speak more to the park context. And we've laid the building out to make use of the beautiful views around Chilloteau Park as well as the light. So we've oriented the building to get as much of the diffused northern light as possible into the major program spaces. We have the rec room under that big gabled roof there. That's the, well, we'll see the floor plan in a second. And then on the back of the building, we have some more secure areas for accessing the site and using it for outdoor activities. And here's the floor plan. So in tan, we have circulation and support areas. The orange spaces are the program spaces. So you can see that's the vast majority of the floor plan are spaces actually allocated for the program functions. Blue are bathrooms. Green are offices, which are also distributed throughout the building to make sure that facilitators have immediate access to the spaces where they're running their activities. Brown is just storage space because Jill and Christy have a lot of stuff. And here we have a couple of interior views in the space. So this will be the view as one enters the main lobby. We've tried to maintain that clear story ribbon window around the top of the space to bring some of that light in to keep a large, airy, bright space as welcoming as possible. And here we have the art studio, another one of the program spaces, a flexible space that accommodate all sorts of different art media, including music, painting, all kinds of stuff. And now I'm going to hand it back to Jill. Jill So what's going to happen in this space? All kinds of really cool things with all the stuff that we have and we're bringing to the storage space. So the great thing about this facility and combining these populations is that we're going to be able to not only program during the day when the seniors are typically at programming, but we're also going to be doing evening and weekend programming as well. So this is going to be very busy all the time, which we're very excited about too. So in the recreation room, what Jeff pointed out is that we are truly calling it a multifunctional space. It's going to have everything from a fitness program to an archery program that's going to be new to our seniors. They've never done archery before, but we're bringing that there for them. Some of our fitness programs, like the beat drum boogie classes, we're going to start a heavy bag training program that's been very beneficial to seniors and their balance and ability to maintain that balance and that stability throughout their lifespan. We're also going to have three indoor pickleball courts, and we all know how crazy our pickleballers are in the city for wanting more space. But that will be lined out in this space as well. We'll also be able to do parties and dances and opportunities for multifunctional kind of activities that we'll be doing together. We are also planning to do a summer camp program focused on elementary and middle school ages at this location specific to therapeutic recreation programming. And then we will also begin to start reviving our wheelchair and adaptive sports programming, bringing those sports back to the city of Lexington that we used to do so well. In the, there it is, okay, here you run it. Next I'm going to talk a little bit about the classrooms. We're going to provide additional opportunities for inclusive programming in the classrooms, But we'll also have respect for the individual needs of both of these two very different and sometimes crossing over for educational purposes for them. We will offer music in this program. We also have a very robust music program in therapeutic recreation. We have our own rock band if anybody ever wants to come out and hear them. We will also have community education and resources to be able to teach to that, technology assistance, book clubs, card games, life skill training, language skills, and the like. Now I'm going to turn it back over to Kristi and she's going to wrap this up for us. Okay, so we talked about all the program spaces, so we've touched on the recreation room, the classrooms, the art studio. We're going to have one art studio currently at Lexington at Life Lane. We had 256 available spots last Tuesday. 91% of them were filled before the end of the first day. so we know the arts are something that our participants want to engage in. TR already does arts, they do crafts, they do projects throughout the city, so they'll be able to bring some of those to this location. Then this is something we did not really anticipate at Lifelane, in that our equipped fitness, just since January 1st of this year, we've had 704 different people participate in the equipped fitness space 12,000 different times. So in our new space, it's slightly larger than over at LifeLane. Does that mean I have to stop? Do you want me to keep going? I have two slides. Okay. Okay. The Equip Fitness Room, it's slightly larger. We have a little bit more space around the equipment to accommodate the many needs. We learned some lessons from our LifeLane location. And then the next most popular, or maybe even more popular, is group fitness across all of our programs. therapeutic recreation needs to stay fit, they need to be active, they need to stay independent, as do the seniors. And so in our group fitness classes, we currently can serve up to 40 people at a time, and we have 56 group fitness classes across the city. With the addition of this space, we'll be able to practically double that. And so the group fitness studio will be pretty much for all of these activities and more. The project schedule, this is what we've all been waiting for, is we're going to go to bid for advertising for construction on September 9th. The bids will open on October 7th. Construction will be from November 2024 to April of 2026, about 18 months. And then the ribbon cutting will be in May of 2026. It's going to be here before we know it. Does anybody have any questions? Thanks for that extra half second. Thank you so much to all three of you. Questions? Councilmember Fred Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I think this is an exciting project, and it's certainly an addition we need in this community. You know, when I look at it, it's really another senior center. Is that not correct? We're counting it as a satellite center to both of our programs. So we have the Bell House, we have the Charles Young Center, we have the Elder Crafters, we have Life Lane, and now we'll have Shilatoe Park. So for seniors, we will be in every quadrant of the city, so nobody has to travel far distances. For therapeutic recreation, it's another opportunity for them to provide program in a part of town that they don't often have opportunity, and in a facility that was designed with elements specific to the needs of both of these populations. What are we going to call it? Currently, we're calling it the Senior and Therapeutic Recreation Center. Well, that's a long name, but anyway, it's going to have an age situation where you can be a member, right? Just like our other... So the way we're looking at it, and nothing has been set in stone at this moment, But seniors generally are drop-in services, and therapeutic recreation are generally pre-registered so that they are sure to have the right staffing levels for the needs of their participants. When I'm looking at the cost there, have we actually, we're showing a number there for anybody that's bidding on it. Are we confident that we'll be able to get a decent bid? or I mean, what's the thoughts on that? Jeff, do you want to take that one? I care about the program. Yes, as part of the original RFP, we were required to provide cost estimation at multiple phases of the project. So we've checked our estimates twice now through the process, and our estimator keeps a pretty close eye on the construction industry in this area, so we're pretty confident that we're in the right area. Okay, and so you're pretty much going to have the same type of programs that we have in the other existing facilities. What about manpower or personnel that you're going to need, Christy? What have you all projected there? So we kind of projected that therapeutic recreation would have three to four staff. Some of them would be existing staff, and it may be an addition of a program staff person or so. We'll need a facility person to clean and maintain the building. We'll need a manager for the building. We'll need a couple recreation staff. So when we first planned this with Monica and our budgeting team back in 2021, we were looking at seven or eight new positions. So that's going to be a future budget situation that we'll have there. Correct. We'll start working on that for the January, February, March budget season next year. Now, is that going to have the same board overview that we have now? You have a senior commission. We have the Senior Services Commission, and many of them are here, and I thank you all for being here. The Senior Services Commission was, they're a board, a mayor appointed board, and they're tasked with identifying gaps in services. So they help us to identify, but truly these programs are gonna be driven by our participants. In fact, on September 4th, we're having our first community engagement opportunity for both parties, for TR participants and senior participants to provide us some feedback on programming and to give us their ideas of what other things that we haven't thought of that will fit into this space. We'll still have the same board that will, this will just be another item under that board's overview? I think that this is, our position is under the Division of Aging and Disability Services. The Friends of the Senior Center plan to continue to support all. Well, that's a nonprofit. That's the board you're talking about. As far as a board that the mayor appoints, this would be another facility under that board. Is that not the idea? Sure. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. I serve on the Senior Services Commission along with several of the folks in the audience today, so I am also excited about this and I'm happy to support. I have a question about the building design, and I'm not sure if you can tell me you don't have the answer today if that's okay, if that happens. But we just released our Empower Lexington plan, which is a sustainability plan for the community. And one of the components of that plan is for us to set sustainability standards for LFUCG buildings. And I know some of that was incorporated into the Lifeline building eight years ago. So I was wondering what conversation around sustainability you've had about this design. I'll let Jeff talk about it. We've certainly talked about it a lot, and Jeff has the technical knowledge. Thank you. Yes, sustainability has been a topic of conversation from the very outset of the project. We've talked extensively about primarily energy consumption. So the building will be heated and cooled primarily by geothermal well. The building is also being designed for a photovoltaic system that would meet most of the power needs. Now, because of the budget of the project, we've actually set up the documents for that to be bid as an alternate, meaning if bids come in low enough and we have the extra money, we can accept that alternate and add the photovoltaic system. If not, if bids come in high on bid day, the building is designed in such a way that that system can be added in the future without too much effort. Thank you. Of course. Councilmember Lynch. Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to share that I had the awesome honor of interviewing Christy on the Senior Minute and interviewing her about our new Senior Recreation and Therapeutic Center, so I encourage all my neighbors to be on the lookout. Turn on your TV screens for the Senior Minute so you can learn more about our new Senior and Therapeutic Recreation Center. Thank you. Vice Mayor Wu. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you all for your presentation. I think we're pretty excited about the Senior and Therapeutic Center. I was most excited to see, I immediately recognized the rectangles on the gym map, that they were pickleball. So I'm excited about that. So I have one question. My favorite people to play with in pickleball is seniors. I turned 50 this year. Am I old enough to come and play pickleball at the senior center? You know, we haven't really determined that in our city currently. A senior is 60 years old. Okay. So, colleagues, I'll be bringing an ordinance change soon. Thank you all. Thank you, ma'am. You could volunteer to teach our seniors. Great idea, Jill. That does remind me, though, if I'm correct, and Christy, you'll know this, the most recent numbers we saw for Fayette County for people 55 and older, we are 25 percent. 55 and older. A fourth of our people, Dave. I mean, I can say it, right? That's right. And you may not know, but by 2034, there'll be more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 18. So the timing on this is spot on. And one of the things, just if I might quickly say that because there's several council members who were not here, when we did the study in order to site this facility, we looked at where the senior population was growing the most. and it is right in that quadrant of our city where this will be located. Yeah, if anybody wants the GIS drawings, but these are back from 2021. The total population age 60 and over, and I had them look at Tates Creek, just at New Circle and South, over to Lee's Town, and it was 26,550 seniors. Back then, I looked at the data of the seniors who participate at all four of our centers, and it's about 1,600 of our current users who actually live in this quadrant, Tates Creek to Leastown Road. And so the heat map that GIS created is pretty significant, and I could email this to you if anybody really wants it. Now, Council Member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. I'd be remiss if I didn't say anything. since it's in my district. But I cannot thank you guys enough for all of your hard work on all of this. As you can hear, we're all very excited about it. And representing the majority of the 25% in my district, we have the largest aging population in the city. So this will be well served. And so looking forward to the opening day. So thank you all. And thank you, colleagues, for all your support on this project. Appreciate it. Thank you, Mayor. Any other questions? All right. Christy, thank you. Thank you. Jill, Jeff, thank you so much. We're all excited, but I think Christy has been the most excited from day one. I have to say, as a career rec therapist and rehab counselor, this is a dream opportunity for our community and for me professionally. So thank you. Yes, thank you very much. All right. Now it's time for council reports. If you have a report, please log in. Council Member James Brown. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Just real quick, I think we activated the hot weather advisory. Can we have Chief Larkin maybe come and tell us about what that means and what's going on? Director Larkin, thank you very much. Welcome. Good afternoon, Mayor, Council. So, yes, we've got some weather. Really, we're looking, we've opened the Phase 1 of the heat plan, and that's going to be in effect from today and through Friday. that's activated for heat indexes in excess of 95 degrees. And we're looking to be 97 to 99 degrees this week. LexTrain will be offering free rides for the unhoused to cooling centers. They're located at Dunbar, Kenwick, Castlewood, and Tate's Creek. And then volunteers and with homeless prevention will be distributing water. for those individuals. This is not the first time this year. This will be with the addition of these four days about 26 so far this year. So it's been a hot summer. I'm optimistic about as September rolls around that we'll be going down a little bit. But just remind folks to take care of themselves and their neighbors. Likewise drink plenty of fluids. I'd be remiss for my good friends at the Humane Society to mine your pets and that type of thing. And just know your limitations if you're working outside. So subject to your questions, ma'am, or anyone from the council. Are there any questions? No. Thank you very much for that. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Yes, sir. Okay, thank you. Any other council reports? All right. That moves us to public comment for issues not on the agenda, and we have a couple people signed up. The way this works is when I call your name, if you'll please come to the podium, and you'll need to restate your name for the record as well as your council district, and you'll have three minutes. First is Alice Hilton, followed by Joe Grayson. Welcome. Hi, can you hear me okay? Pull your mic just a little. There you go. Now? Good, okay, perfect. So my name is Alice Hilton. I'm in District 11. Thank you for allowing me to speak here today. We have sent a council-wide email. I'm part of a group of residents who is organizing Lexington's Week Without Driving, which is September 30th through October 6th. And so we've sent a council-wide email. We've had some really great individual meetings and conversations with several of you. But I wanted to come today to just invite you in person to participate in this week. So I'm also a little bit nervous. So the Week Without Driving is a national kind of a national initiative. It's organized by America Walks, which is a national nonprofit, and it invites elected officials and transportation decision makers and also just regular drivers to try and go a full week without relying on a car to get around. And it's a way to experience firsthand the barriers and the challenges that non-drivers in our community face. We do not have specific data. We haven't been able to find specific data for Lexington, but according to the Federal Highway Administration data that we have access to, as much as 44% of Kentuckians don't have a driver's license. That includes children, which I see sometimes people discount that number when they're like, oh, well, it's children. But children also have bodies that they have to move through time and space safely. And then counting people who are of driving age, it's as high as 20% who don't have a driver's license. And that doesn't even include folks who do have a driver's license but don't have access to a car. And many of our members volunteer with BrokeSpoke, interact regularly, cross paths regularly with folks who don't have access to driving. So I want to acknowledge that the Complete Streets policy is super exciting. As a resident, I'm deeply grateful for the work that everyone in this room has done towards that. But we have a ways to go, and there's really no replacement for experiencing firsthand what it's like to try and get from point A to point B without a car. So yeah, I hope you participate. You cannot fail. If you find that you have to drive, then we just invite you to think about what someone without a car would do in that scenario and to imagine what alternatives could exist. So it's just a tool in our toolbox to add to the conversation and move us closer to that goal, which selfishly I would really like to see materialize in my lifetime. So thank you so much. Thank you very much. Next up is Jo Grayson. Welcome. Thank you. Hello, Council. I am here today with Autism Society of the Bluegrass to address a parks and rec issue, and I love what Therapeutic Recreation is doing. That's wonderful. Do you mind to state your name and your council district for the record? Joe Grayson, and my council district is District 8. Thank you. Sorry about that. So I'm really thrilled with the Senior Center and the Therapeutic Recreation, But one of the things that I have noted is an issue with Parks and Rec is that Lexington does not have any playgrounds that are fenced in. And as a result, our children and adults who are on the spectrum who have issues with elopement have no safe place to play outside. If they live in an apartment building or they live in a place where there is no fenced backyard, They just don't have any place to play. And that has been a huge issue, a huge challenging issue for the autism community in Lexington. So I just wanted to bring that up as something that could be considered in regards with therapeutic recreation, which is a great program, but also with changes that are being made to the parks in the city. and I've brought this up to Parks and Rec a few times over the last few years, and what I'm told is that there's one park that is accessible, and I think it's Castlewood maybe, I'm not sure, but one of the things that I've found that is an issue with that is that ramps and wheelchair accessibility are really great, and having additional parking spaces for those who have disabilities, who have handicapped placards is a really great thing to do. But also, there is a real need to cater to individuals who have autism as well, because we do have a high population of neurodivergent people in this city and children who would wander away if they didn't have somebody right there with them all the time. Thank you so much for those comments. Thank you. Council, that brings us to a motion to adjourn. Thank you. Council Member Gray, second Council Member Plowman. All those in favor say aye. We are adjourned. Thank you for coming. Thank you. Thank you. You're my reality Yet I'm lost in other dreams You're the first My life