Music Thank you. 16th, 2026, and the first item on our agenda is public comment for issues on the agenda. And we have two folks signed up to speak. And the way this works is when I call your name, you'll come to the podium here. And you will need to restate your name for the record as well as your council district. and you'll have three minutes and the buzzer will go off when your three minutes is finished. And so first we have Diane Parrish followed by Casey Woods. Diane? Welcome. Well, we're pretty efficient here. Go, go, go. I was expecting to talk when the committee. You may lower the mic if you need to. Thank you. Okay, can you hear me now? Yes. Okay. I am a surprise Diane Parrish. I am founder of a small animal welfare nonprofit based in Lexington, making a difference now. And I live in the 5th District. And I'm here today because I want to applaud, we want to applaud the council for taking up the important issues you guys are discussing today about animal welfare and enhancements to your animal control ordinances. We are grateful to you for being mindful of the issues that animals face. About anti-tethering, hopefully the idea that animals need to be brought inside in extreme weather is sort of self-evident and speaks for itself. Having an ordinance that clearly specifies animal control's authority to enforce that ordinance is truly, literally, life-saving. So we are delighted that you are addressing that. Dogs are social animals, so long-term tethering or isolation or restraint is not a great idea anyway. but putting them at risk in extreme weather circumstances is just asking them to suffer harm and possibly worse. The cost of care provision is amazing that you are dealing with that. It is so important from an animal welfare perspective, but it is also an issue of fairness and economic justice. Either outcome that you guys have outlined in your proposed ordinance revisions is a vast improvement over what is now. The bond option, I'm pretty sure I have your terminology correct, The bond option, which requires the responsible party, the party responsible for the cruelty or abuse that caused the animals to be seized in the first place, as opposed to the taxpayers of Fayette County. That responsible party would be responsible for paying for the cost of care while their animals are in protective custody. The second option, the forfeiture option, means that the responsible party gives up their right to ownership and relinquishes them to the shelter. This is a wonderful outcome, too, because it means we get to reduce the length of stay that those animals have to remain in shelter custody so they can move much more quickly into homes or rescues or sanctuary. So either outcome is terrific. So that pretty much covers... There you go. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Casey Woods. Welcome. Hello, I'm Casey Woods. I'm here with District 4. I'm speaking today in support of the proposed ordinance changes regarding the animal cruelty cases and care of animals held pending court proceedings. But I want to paint a personal picture. I want to tell you about a dog named Chaco. Chaco has been in protective custody since November 21st, 2024. As of today, he has spent 572 days in a kennel while awaiting the outcome of his case, which is 52% of his life. To be clear, Chaco is safe. He receives food, medical care, enrichment, and attention from dedicated staff and volunteers. His current situation is far better than the conditions from which he was removed, where he was reportedly kept outdoors with an embedded chain collar in his neck. But safe is not the same as thriving. Research published in Science Advances has shown that dogs possess genetic traits that make them uniquely social animals. Their ability and desire to form relationships with humans is one of the defining characteristics of the species. Dogs are not solitary creatures. Social interaction is fundamental for their behavioral and mental health. So when animals remain in shelters for extended periods, especially under legal holds, we face a difficult challenge. We can meet their physical needs, but it becomes increasingly difficult to meet all of their social and emotional needs while they remain in limbo. Because Chaco is still legally owned and has not been relinquished, he cannot access many of the programs that help shelter dogs remain mentally healthy. He cannot be neutered, he cannot be placed in foster care, and he cannot participate in many of the enrichment opportunities available to the adoptable dogs. Our staff and partners work hard every day to compensate for those limitations. Employees rotate him in office spaces and provide special enrichment activities. They bring him treats and toys and spend time with him whenever possible. and they do this because they care deeply about his well-being. But no amount of dedication can fully replace what Chaco truly needs, a permanent resolution to his case and the opportunity to move forward with his life. Meanwhile, the financial burden of his care continues to fall on our community while the case remains unresolved. This ordinance would help address that imbalance by requiring owners to contribute the ongoing cost of care during these proceedings. It creates accountability and encourages timely action, and it recognizes the animals. Thank you. Thank you very much. That concludes our public comment. And we do have a docket, so I'll ask for a motion to approve. So moved. Vice Mayor Wu, is there a second? Second. Council Member Savigny? Seconds. Are there any questions about the docket, or is there anything to add to the docket? Council Member Morton. Thank you. On behalf of the administration, I move to place on the docket for the June 18, 2026 council meeting a resolution authorizing the mayor, on behalf of the urban county government, to execute certificates of consideration and other necessary documents, and to accept deeds for property, interests necessary for the construction of a public plaza directly adjacent to the recently commissioned statute towards freedom, at a cost not to exceed $1,500 plus usual and appropriate closing costs. So moved. Second. All right. I think I heard Council Member Brown as the second. Are there any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Is there 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. We do have a table of motions for the June 9th, 2026 work session. Motion approved. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger, Council Member Sheehan seconds. Are there any questions? Corrections? Additions? All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you, that passes. We do not have any budget amendments or budget adjustments. So that brings us to new business. Is there a motion? Move to approve. Council member Reynolds, second by council member Hale. And if you have questions, please log in. Council member Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I have a question about item A and it looks like it might be commissioner Ford or Martin. Mr. Dugas. Richard Dugas, Environmental Quality and Public Works. I'm the project manager for the water quality renovation building. So Richard, this is an additional property at that location that we're purchasing? If I'll ask her to bring up the slide. So essentially, if you're not aware, the Transportation Cabinet has a project where they're going to be widening 27, their Broadway 27, they're going to be replacing the railroad bridge, and as part of that project, they approached us earlier, right after we purchased this property, and they're going to be taking about a 20 to 30 foot slice of our property, which is going to result in a loss of about 17 parking spots on the property that we just purchased that we're developing. So this is to purchase 21 parking spots or roughly six-tenths of an acre from Goodwill at the back of the building that's adjacent to our property that they don't need. So it's going to be annexed on and it'll be part of that. And additionally, by purchasing that small slice of property, it will allow us to extend our fence line down and then all of the back of our building will be inside the fence line. So it's a dual purpose. We get the parking spots back and we add additional security. Okay. Okay. All right. Thanks. I appreciate that explanation. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger. Thank you, Mayor. M as in mayor. Director Slayton, welcome. Hey, sir. Could you explain? I understand the state changed the statute, and we're just trying to accommodate what they did from $40,000 to $50,000. Can you explain the $2,500 to the $5,000? What is that? So that's not dictated by the state. They actually changed their lower dollar amount threshold several years ago, and we left ours the same. But, yeah, the $40,000 to $50,000 is model procurement code, how they modified theirs in this past session. And the lower dollar amount, we're just looking to kind of keep up with the times. You know, $2,500 doesn't buy you what it used to. So that will open up the pro card to more transactions, which will increase our rebate that we get from both J.P. Morgan and other, like, Amazon and Loves and those types of things. So that's kind of what, so the pro card up to that point you'll use? Yeah. So that just raise that to $5,000? Exactly. Okay, that's what I thought. Okay, thanks. Thanks, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Morton? Thank you. And then just item S. And can you just share, just from my knowledge, I guess if there's any recruitment philosophies, including what type of businesses are being recruited, and if there are pathways to possibly intro-level jobs and careers within these businesses that we're recruiting? Council Member, we talk to companies who express an interest in being here. We do try to, when we know about it ahead of time, try to make sure that in some cases it may not be a good fit. I think we've just seen one in the last few weeks that's like that. And that's a message that we did deliver because we try to be honest with those who are looking. But, you know, we have a list of companies, you know, some pharma, biosciences, manufacturing, those kind of things we talk to on a regular basis. So, you know, we'll talk to anybody, but we'll try to be honest with them on whether it's a natural fit or not. Okay. And within that, is there expectation tied to hiring local or retaining local? Or is that not even discussed? We hope they hire as many people locally as possible. Most companies will tell you that they will look at a work watershed of about 30 to 45 minutes in general around that area. But, you know, I will say if you look at our workforce numbers in the last couple of years where we have repeatedly hit record numbers on an annual basis, we've got our companies hiring a lot of local Lexington folks. Okay, good. Thank you. Is there a system that tracks the recruitment efforts and measures success, like tied to information on business recruited, business pursued, or recruitment outcomes that council could be privy to? The recruitment process, those companies, that's not a released item unless they so choose for it to be released. the way the state laws are written. That is protected information until they make their decisions. And the outcomes are what you hear when Commerce Lexington comes and does their annual report. And then I know Council Member Brown and Council Member Savigny get a periodic update as part of the Economic Development Investment Board from Commerce Lexington as well. Okay, so confidential more so, that recruitment conversation stuff more so confidential? Right. Okay. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Are there any more 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 very much. And that brings us to our communications from the mayor. We do have appointments. Move to approval. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Second by Council Member Baxter. Are there any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. We also have communications from the mayor for donations. May I have a motion? Council Member Lynch. Second by Council Member Curtis. Are there questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. And the final communications from the mayor is procurements. Could I have a motion? Council Member Curtis, second by Council Member Hale. Any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. This brings us to our continuing business and presentations. and the first item is the council capital projects. Second. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Council Member Reynolds seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Next up is the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee report and I'll call on Council Member Dave Savigny. Thank you, Mayor. The May 12, 2026 Environmental Quality and Public Works Submitting meeting was called to order at 1 o'clock. The committee unanimously approved the March 3rd meeting summary before receiving four presentations. The committee received updates on the fiscal year 27 pavement management plan, including a proposed $13 million paving program and ongoing ADA and pothole improvements. Members also reviewed progress on the Complete Streets design manual, which will come to full council later this year. Lex Park presented proposed winter weather parking enforcement procedures, and staff provided an update on sanitary sewer consent decree, noting that approximately 81% of the required projects have been completed and that the compliance deadline has been extended to 2030. The committee voted to remove the winter weather parking citation item from its list of referred topics and adjourned at 2.25 p.m. Thank you. All right, thank you. Are there any questions for Councilmember Sevigny? All right, thank you so much. Next, we have the Social Services and Public Safety Committee, and I'll call on Councilmember Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. The regular report out for the June 9, 2026 committee meeting will be August 11, 2026. However, in the interest of moving forward on one action item, I would like to provide a partial report out. During the June 9 committee meeting, Lieutenant Jay Hamilton with Animal Care and Control and 4th District Legislative Aid Sarah Ritter presented proposed updates to the Animal Care and Control Ordinance. Pursuant to the actions of the Social Services and Public Safety Committee at its June 9, 2026 meeting, I move to place on the docket for the June 18, 2026 Council meeting an ordinance amending Chapter 4 of Sections 4-2, 4-9, 4-12.4, 4-12.5, 4-14, and 4-21 of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Code of Ordinances to define unsafe weather conditions, set standards for tethering and confinement of domestic animals, implement a statutory scheme for the impounding and custody of victimized animals, and adopt Urban County Animal Control Officer as a uniform identification within this chapter. For officers of Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control, all effective following the passage of counsel. So moved. Thank you. Vice Mayor Wu seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. That concludes my over-parter shield report. Thank you. All right, thank you very much. At this time, I'd like to welcome our Commissioner of General Services, Chris Ford, who has the project update on the execution and activation of our new government center. Welcome. Thank you, Mayor, and good afternoon, Council. We're glad to be here to provide an update on the new government center project. I have just a few slides to go through, and we'll get started. This has been a long process, but before we begin in our slides, I just want to remind the Council, which I know is fully aware in the general public, The primary purpose of this project, and the primary purpose is to address a major longstanding capital facility need for our local government. The current building here at 200 East Main Street is no longer fiscally sustainable to operate and maintain for civic purposes. Today's government center is a cost burden to taxpayers and has diminishing value for accessibility and functionality. And I know these are things that we've all discussed previously, but to set the stage for today's update. And after 40 years as a temporary station, the former Lafayette Hotel has exceeded its useful life as an office building and public meeting space. However, the new government center project provides an opportunity for a viable solution to a lingering and well-documented problem, which has proven elusive for too many years. So the good news is that a future site has been identified in the heart of downtown Lexington. The map shows our project site at 200 West Vine Street. It's 1.77 acres, which nearly encompasses an entire city block bordered by Vine, Upper High, and Mill Street. The property includes a newly reconstructed parking garage just short of 290 spaces. Our project proposes a full reconstruction of the office tower that you see there. We're going to take the structure all the way down to the steel frame and reconstruct the 90,000 square feet that encompasses that eight stories. In addition, we will expand the facility by constructing an additional 10,000 square feet of public-facing community space, including a larger council chamber. We are pursuing this project based upon a P3, a public-private partnership, and you've seen the previous slide and this slide before. It just talks about the advantages of a public-private partnership to leverage the private expertise and investment to deliver a project efficiently and responsibly. And so shared risk, cost savings, facet delivery, higher quality, and a focused government. Our current efforts started in earnest back in the fall of 24, September of 2024, when we issued RFP number 51-2024. We received three competitive proposals and concluded the evaluation and selection phase in April of 2025. Both Vice Mayor Wu and Council Member Brown served on the selection committee, along with other members of our senior leadership. We are appreciative of that. And it's also noted and appreciated, I believe Council Member Baxter served on the previous RFP selection committee. So there's a lot of work that goes into that public procurement process. Our public-private partnership is with the Lexington Opportunity Fund. They were the one of the three firms that came of that process. The Lexington Opportunity Fund, LLC, is a joint venture of the local web companies and the Greer Company. LOF, as we refer to the Opportunity Fund, owns the property at 200 West Vine Street. We began those negotiations last spring and concluded those late last fall, and they were long negotiations, intense at times, but most importantly and ultimately, they were fair. And our negotiating position at the city was based in practicality and cost containment for the taxpayer. That was top of mind throughout our internal discussions and discussing across the table with LOF. This is a recap of the budget. $86.6 million is our cost estimate to bring this project to fruition and to activate our move to a new site just a few blocks away. I'll go over the numbers in just a moment, but the project cost represents a capital investment. It's an asset that we will gain and secure for LFUCG. The project is not elective. It is not simply a want. The project is not excessive, as I discussed in our negotiations. It's not luxurious by any means. The new government center project is essential as it meets a real and truly defined need. The lease term for the project is over 35 years with an annual lease payment of $3.5 million. And going right back to the budget, that annual lease payment represents less than 1%, actually far less than 1% of LFUCG general fund revenues. The cost summary is broken up into three parts. to gain site control to the building and parking garage is $23.6 million. That is based upon appraised value, and that's what we negotiated, which was a million-dollar savings based upon negotiations. The redevelopment cost is $54.6 million, and we're going to come back to that number in just a moment. And last but not least, the financing cost in the developer fee represent another $8.4 million for a total project just north of $86 million. And I'm going to come back to the slide in regards to the redevelopment costs. error. Forgive me for just one second. I got ahead of myself. I would briefly want to go back to the public-private partnership. because there's a lot of team members contributing to this. LOF has a design services partner of Champlin EOP. Their general contractor is locally DW Wilburn Contractors. Working on our behalf as a legal advisor, Frost Brown Todd Gibbons, Jason Halligan, has been our direct point of contact, and Bayard is our external financial advisors. We've committed $30 million in cash equity investment towards this project. And to date, we have incurred just shy of $840,000. $100,000 of that is towards the purchase deposit of the building and the remaining $739,000 are for design fees. Apologize about that. All right. You've seen this slide before when we were here back in September. And it reiterates that our current and active pursuit of a new government center began in the early stages of Mayor Gordon's administration back in 2019. As I look around the horseshoe, Council Member Brown, Council Member Elliger, Council Member Reynolds were here joined with us then as we began that effort. Council leadership and community engagement were key then and it remains ever so more valuable today. Also on that timeline is the post-pandemic Ernst Young Program space study. And it answered a key question. How much space do we truly need in a new government center? That was one of the questions the mayor posed to our team back then. And that space study is yielding great dividends as we speak. Because as it's played in our recent work on the schematic design relative to office space needs. And so we fast forward to calendar 25. We concluded our negotiations. And this, where we are now, is what I like to describe the activation, excuse me, execution and activation phase. Ordinance 110 of 2025 is the outcome of council approval in December. And it was a key step to press the project forward beyond negotiation phase and closer to becoming reality. In the next two slides, we'll discuss both completed tasks since council's approval, as well as key milestones in the months ahead. In summary, we are on schedule to close on the purchase of the site in late fall calendar 2026 and break ground for reconstruction in winter of 2027. Since that time, since the council vote back in December and going through the winter in the first six months of this calendar year, we've completed several key activities of performance and deliberation. Performance and deliberation. We have fully executed agreements. The development agreement, the purchase and sale agreement, the ground lease, and facilities lease. And our legal team at Frost Brown Todd Gibbons has been our lead on that. They have great experience in pre-3 projects, and we've leaned on their council and followed it, I think, for the most part there. We've also completed a P3 study, which was performed by Commonwealth Economics. In that study, it reveals that LFUCG will save $2.2 million in cost over the traditional project delivery model by pursuing the P3 method, and will accelerate delivery in the completion of the project by 12 months. It also proposes that our P3 method as opposed to the traditional design bid build method will result in an annual cost savings to the government of nearly $500,000 during the first 30 years of the project. The 100% schematic design phase was completed by EOP Champlin. They had 90 days. They completed it exactly on 90 days and budget. It accounts for work areas for approximately 350 employees who are actively working here at the government center in the Swayto building. And that includes a mix of 160 offices and 190 open space workstations. Lastly, regarding to the due diligence period, we have completed our due diligence. We've worked our title work, our appraisal, our environmental site assessment. We feel satisfied there. That will commit us to very soon remit the $100,000 deposits over to LOF. Perhaps there's an asterisk there on our next key milestones. The most immediate milestone is guaranteed maximum price, and that's the reconstruction cost. And Haley, I'm going to ask, can you go back to the budget slide? I don't want error again. $54.6 million is the estimate that DW Wilbur provided during our negotiations. And that includes $44 million in reconstruction. 8% of that cost is in design services for EOP. There's a 15% contingency. That's high for a capital project of this nature. We negotiated to bring that $54 million number forward for the purposes of moving the project forward. But we also negotiated moving forward with schematic design. The purpose of schematic design, which has completed last Monday and has been delivered to D.W. Wilburn, will allow his contracting firm to bring us back a guaranteed maximum price. It is our hope and our intent that that cost estimate based upon schematic will be in that neighborhood of $55 million. We anticipate that construction costs will go up from what's proposed originally back in the fall. By factor, design costs will go up, but that contingency number should go down. The benefit of the guaranteed maximum price, and particularly in today's economic environment, it will lock in and secure that cost to the government. Moving forward, if material or labor costs were to move up, that would be the risk that the general contractor would bear and our taxpayers would be kept hold there. I'm kind of short on time and I want to speed this up. Community engaged holder and stakeholder engagement is also key. We've met very recently with all the council members. Brandy Peacher has been playing a key role along Chris Linton of our staff. during this execution and activation phase. We have a plan to go to the public very soon after receiving a guaranteed maximum price that we anticipate will be affirmative. And by that time, we would have great confidence that this project is going to become a reality and move forward. We have everybody that's here planned to go to the new space, so that's a good thing, in the tower, floors three through eight. So our space allocation, for the most part, is fixed. But there are many things that we still want to get the advisement and the engagement and feedback of the public from, particularly on the new building, the new addition, the first and second floors. There's going to be a bank of community rooms, the council chambers, there's going to be a lot of finance functions will be on the first and second floor. And so we want to get a sense of how the community feels about accessing the new space. So community engagement will be important. Future dates when that be confirmed will be announced to you guys. The core agreements that I described that have been executed have recently been delivered to the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet and the P3 Board. They have 90 days to review the applications and another 60 days for the P3 board to act. That would take us into late fall if that timeline were to hold. Of course we hope that the state officials will review sooner which would allow us to close and move forward with the project sooner. And then finally the last closing is the closing site acquisition. We have much more work to do in our design phases so we're just aschomatic and then we hope to break ground. Mayor, as I close in the next 30 seconds, is just to reiterate that partnership and collaboration have us poised to achieve success with this project. We're making great progress, but daily we will keep a keen focus on our immediate next steps. This facility will bring enhanced value and efficiency for daily operations of government and allow for a more fully accessible interaction with local residents, businesses, and constituencies. last but not least we're just grateful for everybody who's played a part in this project and then we look forward to moving it forward and mayor i'll be glad to answer any questions the council may have all right thank you very much commissioner ford um you and your team have done a great job now um who has questions council member baxter thank you mayor thank you commissioner for your work on this. I know it has been a labor of love and you and your team have done a really great job. So we really appreciate everything. I wanted to go to the next steps of this slide and want to talk a little bit more about the guaranteed maximum pricing. Can you explain, because it's kind of a new term for me, so can you kind of explain how change orders would be seen in that pricing structure? I think I heard you say that the general contractor would absorb those costs, but can you just kind of expound on that a little? And I'll ask Jason and Chris to help me if I misspeak. The purpose of the design phase in this guaranteed maximum price is for us to define and agree upon their scope of work. what it is we expect them to build, how we expect those improvements to function. Change orders would come, for the most part, for unforeseen and or any other change in scope. We have been very focused on cost containment, even in our negotiations. So this is going to be a modern, efficient, not fancy, not luxurious building. So there very well likely be the need for change orders, which must be presented and agreed upon by both parties. Our intent is to limit those as much as possible out of financial necessity alone, for one reason. We should mitigate many of those unforeseen. This project originally began as they proposed to us a demolition rebuild. We found that financially untenable. We went back to them and we said, consider a renovation of the 90,000 square foot facility that was constructed in the early 1970s, Council Member. Their development team in a public-private partnership mode and method said, we propose to take the structure down to the frame. You mitigate any unforeseen behind the walls, system-wise, etc. So the guaranteed maximum price is crucial. That doesn't mean there won't be change orders. The development agreement has a full process for how we go about managing those change orders. But the guaranteed maximum price basically says at the time that we agree and still cost this much, and there's going to be a time before he can get the steel to the site, if steel increases costs, we're still born and committed to that price. The risk becomes theirs. That's why I guarantee maximum pricing is so important for this project for the taxpayer. Okay, great. Thank you for the explanation. Appreciate it. That's all, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. Vice Mayor Wu. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Commissioner, for all the work that you and your team have done on this, Having served on the RFP committee, I got a real good glimpse into how complicated this whole process is and, you know, how long it's taken us to get here. I want to follow up on Council Member Baxter's question about the guaranteed maximum price as well. Can you go back to the cost summary? Yes. Slide, please. Thank you. Yep. You mentioned the idea that the construction and design costs would likely go up, but the contingency would likely go down. Is that correct? Yes. What accounts for the contingency going down? They have better pricing. The schematic design, which is now the 100% package that has now been delivered to DW Wilburn, they know, and we work very closely with EOP. I must give them credit, Champlain and EOP. They have been very responsive to our team. having that space study helped, but they've been very responsive in regards to our preferred adjacencies, our preferred space needs for our various agencies. Our commissioners have been very engaged in this process. They've been a great help to us along that. So at the schematic design level, the contractor knows what should go where, and this gives them an opportunity. And Chris has always reminded me, our activity for schematic design relative to a typical project is a little different. because it's really about a cost estimation activity. That's the sole purpose, not the sole purpose, but the primary purpose. The mayor executed a limited notice to proceed to pay that small, not small fee, but that fraction of their design fee to bring that forward. Did I answer that question for you, Vice Mayor? Would it be accurate to say that towards the beginning, you're going to want to estimate a larger contingency percentage because you don't know all the exact costs and figures, and as you get closer with schematic design, you have a better sense of what your cost is, and you can kind of shrink that contingency to a more realistic number? Is that accurate? I think that's fair. I think they gave us their best estimate, which is a good one. We have, we're excited to work with EOP and Mr. Wilber's firm, and we believe his experience puts us in the ballpark, But I even think he kind of said during our negotiations, that contingency number is somewhere in the middle. But by having your schematic design completed, it will be able to bring us very closely into target. Thank you. I'll add one other thing related to schematic. There are three milestones within the core agreements post-negotiation that must be met for us to fully go through the project. One was due diligence, 120 days, June 12th. We're satisfied with that. That yellow line has turned green. We're okay with due diligence. There are still two yellow pathways, if you will. Guaranteed maximum price is one. and P3 board approval is the other. We have to come to an agreement with the guaranteed maximum price. We think that the Wilbur firm has been closely monitoring the schematic work that has gone along, and both of those firms will work closely now over the next 30 days. But we still have to come to an agreement that the costs are what the costs are. You know, we want it to be $55 million. We anticipate that. But in the event that the costs are higher, there will need to be some discussion and there will need to be some balance in regards to what we're able to keep in the project and what we're not. Sustainability is not going to be negotiable in regards to short-cutting the project. That actually leads me to my second question. And I think this is part of the complexity of something like this. like while we're trying to cut costs as much as possible, make this financially feasible, sustainability measures very often can make those costs go back up. I think we here understand that if we do sustainability renewables, that kind of energy management right, it leads to long-term savings for us. So I think you already know this, that a lot of folks up here on council very much sustainability is very much a priority. And I'm glad to hear you say that sustainability is not an optional thing for this project. So I'm looking forward to seeing that continue. I have one other question, but I'll sign back in. Thank you. All right. Council Member Lynch. Thank you, Mayor. And thank you, Commissioner, for the presentation. You've already kind of answered my first question about the guaranteed maximum price. and it sounds like you all feel pretty confident that it's going to come within the number that we can afford. That's what it sounds like. Yes, we're optimistic. And the reason I say that, Council Member, is that throughout negotiations, we've been crystal clear in regards to where our cost affordability margins are and cost containment has been important. I think our development partners are receptive and attentive to that. But again, as I mentioned, our economic environment has changed. It's always changing, but it's definitely changed since we negotiated back in the fall. We're optimistic and we're hopeful that we can reach agreement to keep that guaranteed maximum price in that mid-$50 million range. And then my second question around the guaranteed maximum price, You kind of touched on it in your prior answer to Vice Mayor Wu is that if their number comes back outside of the range that we anticipated, what are the next steps? Is it the negotiation process? I anticipate, I think we anticipate that the Wilburn firm will come back with what the numbers are. And in the event they may be higher, we anticipate and expect that there will be some options. This is a partnership, public-private partnership. We anticipate that there will be some options or maybe even recommendations that they will provide. These are some areas that we could adjust. These are some areas where we may be able to shift costs in order to keep it more affordable. And we would have to examine that, evaluate it, and kind of agree to it. So it's going to be a very busy and very key next 30, 45 days. If that should occur, how will council be involved in that information sharing and decision? Or is council involved in that information sharing and decision? Should that occur? Yes. We will definitely keep the council apprised because this is a budgetary matter. And our focus is to keep the council approve $86 million in that ballpark. So economically, we have a responsibility to keep the council apprised if there's any major changes. I don't know if I failed to mention it just a little bit ago. I mentioned yellow pathways and green pathways. In the event that the costs don't allow us to come to an agreement on the guaranteed maximum price, the development agreement and the P3 agreement has avenues for us to exit the project. That is not our intent. Our intent is to move this long-anticipated project forward. But I say that for the assurance of the council and the general public, is that we have some guardrails financially and economically, if need be. Okay. That sounds good. And then my last question is, I don't know if Ms. Peacher is here, but I know you say you don't have the dates for the public engagement, the community engagement portion of this project, but I would just kind of love to hear some general ideas about what the public could expect as far as how that engagement is going to look like and how they'll be able to engage and give opinions about this project. Do you all have any general ideas about what that's going to look like? We do, and I know Brandy explained that during our various meetings. She's at a training, learning, of course, to bring back some ideas to continue to serve us here in the government. But we anticipated that there would be some direct interactions. We believe a forum, a public meeting of some kind. We don't have a location. We've heard that late summer from our discussions, which you guys may be best once families are back in the regular school and business routine. But there will be stations perhaps around the council chamber. There will be stations about some of the public spaces. There will be some discussions about the accessibility features of the building, which will be more improved than we're fortunate to have here. There needs to be some discussion of how does the general public engage the process if they are not able to or if they elect not to attend the public venue. Are there digital or other forms that they may be able to engage us with? But we hope to get that information out soon. And we will hope that the council offices will help us spread that word far and wide. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. And thank you, Commissioner, and everyone else who has been working really hard on this, not just over the past year, but for many years. I have a few questions. The first one, we've talked about having this building be sustainable and we've heard that over and over. How can we have Ms. Walker-Griggs be more involved in this process, and how are we going to specifically work to make it sustainable? Yes. We know that sustainability and efficiencies are built into the design services package that Champlain EOP has. We know that we're working very closely with environmental services, particularly working with James Bush, and we'll find ways for Jada and her team to be involved as well. That schematic, the 100% schematic design package was very intense, 275 pages or so. Chris and I were talking. Chris, with his leadership, we plan to convene many of our stakeholders here internally in the building. Our partners at EQPW, our partners at Facility Maintenance, our team at IT, Liz and Paul have been very close to work with to make sure we review and comb through schematic to make sure that we have everything there. So we'll need the input. Councilman, you also give us the opportunity. Mayor and Council, I'd be remiss. Public-private partnership, but our internal team is working very hard throughout this process. So kind of all hands on deck, if you will, approach to be intentional to make sure that internal expertise participates in this project, helps us with this project. Okay. Thank you. So, yeah, I think it would be helpful to have as many people on board, especially that we have available internally. And then when we talk about the total price, I think it's also helpful to be clear. We have a total price, just like if we were to buy any piece of property. But if we're not buying it in cash, we do have interest. So the total price on this would be the price that you had up there plus the interest, correct? and it would be a higher number if we included that in the price. The price, the project development cost to get us to move in and activate the building is $86 million. That's the development cost. If we were paying cash, we're going to have to incur debt. It won't be bondable debt, but we're going to have to incur debt. So that means there's going to be some financing costs. So financing the project over a period of time does have that total repayment higher than $86 million, but to be clear, the $86 million bills it. The original proposals were in the neighborhood of $120, $130 million, which we found untenable. We worked very, very hard during negotiations to get that development cost down to that $86, $87 million number, which has us to an annual lease payment of $3.5 million, financed over 35 years. At the end of that time frame, we will own the improvements. Quickly, Council Member, you give us this opportunity as well. The guarantee maximum price works out. P3 board approves. We will then move to purchase the building using the portion of the $30 million that the council has authorized for the project. That's $23.6 million. So we will then own the entire nearly two-acre site. We're going to lease the site back to the developer firm via ground lease. they're going to go out and secure construction financing from a local lender in order to finance what it takes to build the facility. We will then retire their construction debt when they issue certificates of participation, very similar to our bonding process internally here. And to retire that debt that the developer has incurred, we will make payments over 35 years to own the site. So we're going to own the site when we purchase it. We'll lease it back to them. They will lease the facility. And then 35 years later, we will own the entire site debt-free. We want to maintain and operate that site, efficiently constructed site, where it will remain to be an asset. for another 30 plus years or so after we fully own the building at year 35. I'm out of time. Thank you. Council Member Sevigny. Thank you, Mayor, and thanks again for all your work on this, because I do know this is very difficult and it's very big, so I appreciate that. I've got a few questions that revolve around the guaranteed maximum price and the construction concept. and I tried to read through most. You gave us a lot of documents and I did try to read through some of those. The one thing that happens, I think, with guaranteed maximum pricing is every subcontractor and every contractor builds in risk to that and sometimes your price goes up. Are we doing this like a construction management deal where we know each sub's price and we're picking subs, or is the general contractor going, like are we just dealing with the general contractor and we don't actually have you all the way down to the sub level? No, it's the general contractor. The general contractor works directly for the developer, and our relationship is with LOF, Lexus Opportunity Fund proper. Okay. I mean, just sometimes when you do a deal like with Mac, I mean, this is almost like we're just doing a bid. This really kind of is a bid on a construction project that's in a space that's not ours yet. So we're going to, my guess is they're going to build in a variety. When you say specifically to us, they're holding the risk and they're pricing the risk into the deal, typically. So I would just, my only, I guess, words of encouragement to you would be when you get to start playing with that number and the contingency number, I mean, they're building in risk. They're building in the pricing of risk. I'd rather do a better product that we're accepting a little bit more risk because the price will end up coming down. So that's something you can play with, but I don't know if you wrote your bid that way so that you could actually do work that way. Yes, I think the guaranteed maximum price is Wilbur. We're not pretty to its subs. The risk is LOF and DW Wilburn. And then at some point down the road, when do we firm up the interest rate risk piece of it? When does that get firmed up? Because that's another big piece of this. I think it will definitely be after we'll go with the project. I think one of, I'm glad you brought that up in regards to financing. We soon should begin talking to Lexington Opportunity Fund in regards to their construction financing, who that local partner, and we anticipate that it's going to be a local partner, and so we'll have a say in that. We'll be doing that here very soon as well, Council Member. And then there needs to be discussion to your point of do we lock in the rate at the end of construction or do we lock in the rate somewhere in between construction? We haven't come to a definitive position on that yet. We will monitor it closely because we know it will have an impact on what that annual lease payment will be. Yeah, because, I mean, we've kind of approved this with the concept of $3.5 million, not $3.6 million or not $3.7 million a year, right? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. it's going to be close. All right. Thank you. That's all I have. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Morton. Thank you, Mayor. So, you know, I have my thoughts and concerns tied to, I guess, you know, the project and the timing. However, now the project has moved forward. I strongly believe that council should have a meaning to be a part of that process, every step of the process. And I know that as decisions are made and next steps are considered, I believe, that council should have a seat at the table, whether it's through a designated representative or a small group, to ensure transparency, accountability, and ongoing communication at every phase. And I appreciate all the updates. And I know that in the past there's been council involvement as you've stated in the presentation. But will that continue throughout all the next steps and all the next processes? And is that something that the administration is willing to make formal? Yes, sir, Council Member. I think there's going to be a few things. I think moving forward with community engagement, we don't anticipate it. to be a one step approach. We hope that the council feels we tried our very best to keep you guys updated during the negotiation phase. As my memory serves that we had three meetings in closed session while we were negotiating the fine-tunings of the deal. Last fall we began to have public presentations. I anticipate that it may be beneficial for us to come back to address some of these key milestones once they are achieved in the next week's ahead. I'd be remiss not to say, and I think you guys would agree, Council Member Brown has been an invaluable member of our negotiation team, helping us kind of serving on behalf of the council. In the packet, in addition to these slides, there is a memo that the mayor signed and executed that serves as a good description of the project. That cover letter was sent down to Frankfurt as part of our P3 package. as much as we can share with the public and post onto our webpage when Brandy gets back. We intend to do that to make sure that the information is out there. But yes, Council Member, we intend and pledge to keep the Council updated and apprised of developments as they occur moving forward. And throughout that, will I guess as decisions are being made, someone from the Council be able to provide input within that as decisions are being made? So basically at the table throughout each step. Is that kind of what I'm asking? Yes, sir. I think our negotiations are completed, but we're still in the execution and activation phase. And Council Member is continuing to, and we appreciate his continued presence and guidance. And if there's ever any questions that the Council may have, I know we just recently had a series of one-on-one meetings. If you guys ever have any questions, our constituent may ask you guys a question. I bring up concern. feel free to reach out to myself or Aaron, anybody on our team, and we'll try to get you the information and an update as best we can. Thank you. I was going to say, Mayor, I was thinking about this, I was going to say we don't have anything to hide. A better way to say that is that there's a lot of good news to share about this project, and as best as we can make sure that everybody is apprised of that, I think it would be best for all of the community. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Commissioner Ford, for the presentation. I'm just going to come back to the sustainability standards just for a moment because we just met about that today with our Environmental Commission, so I want to give the Council a little bit of an update on that conversation as well. As you all know, at the GGP meeting, our General Government and Planning Committee meeting, we had the Environmental Commission come and present standards or recommended standards for our building spaces and our public spaces. So our next step was to meet with Commissioner Ford and his team to look at the sample ordinance that they provided us to get us started on those standards discussion. So we're working through that process and we'll bring that eventually back to the GGB committee. But I think why I'm bringing that up today is because we discussed convening an internal group to talk about projects. And I think this might actually be a good opportunity to pilot test that, those discussions, and to kind of look at the standards that the Environmental Commission gave us and see how they match up with what we are proposing currently for this building. So it might be a good way for us to start testing that conversation as we move through this project over the next few months. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger. Thank you, Mayor. And to follow up with, I think, Council Member Savigny and also Sheehan, when we have a price that they say that 54.6, do they have certain standards and requirements that they have to hit? because if they at some point say, you know, we're coming in higher than we thought, and can we kind of cut things to come within that number? Because at that point, then they have to spend that, or they can spend up to that amount. And then what do we have to make sure that they don't at some point, you know, say we're kind of over budget now, we need to cut some things, so we have certain standards and requirements that they're going to have to follow. Yep. Council Member, I think I may have mentioned this earlier. where we are now is they have to bring us a cost. I think they understand that our intent is to be where the original redevelopment cost estimate of $55 million is. But I think their first true task and responsibility is just to bring the cost. It's to bring based upon the schematic design and what we've outlined as a facility program kind of what those costs are. And then from there, we would need to judge and assess, one, whether it meets our number, whether it's affordable. And in the event it does not, what adjustments and realignments can be made. And I guess where I'm going for it, when we're talking about environmental standards and sustainability, we're asking for A, and then they bring us B, because they say, well, now we can't come within the budget that we had set with that. How do we protect against that? I think we will, it's two things. it's crystal clear and we share, the administration and our project team shares with the council's priority of sustainability. So we're going to bring that forward. The flip side of that coin is that I think that the development team is very receptive and very likely listening to our presentation in these discussions now to understand how important sustainability is going to be to the project. just accountability and making sure through our review of not only the schematic future design phases and also the budget beginning now and going forward that we're able to keep true to the intent to not cut, not to cut corners in general related to the development of the project, but specifically to sustainability and efficiency standards. I guess one of the, so will we have certain standards like carpet, we need this kind of, for paint, we need this. Are we going to have those specifics where they can cut costs when the budget's not kind of falling within what they had thought? Because costs go up. Welcome, Chris. Thank you. I think I'm making a clarification. So in our contracts, we have exhibits, like we have an exhibit C that kind of outlines our owner's project requirements. And so from energy efficiency to the quality of products to our energy goals, that's listed in there. So, for example, if they price something and we don't agree with it, right, we think that maybe it's less for quality, whatever, we're going to go back to those contract documents and we're going to pull those exhibits and say, well, here, this is the requirement. You're not meeting this particular requirement. Also in the schematic design submission that we received this month, DW Wilburn has basically listed the scope of work on how they're pricing. And so it basically outlines what, basically the criteria that they're pricing. So over the next, not quite 30 days, but 30 days from the time that they submitted, we're going to review that criteria and make sure that we're on the same page and we're going to basically make comments on those saying, okay, we agree with this, this, this, this doesn't meet our standards. So we'll have those documents to hold them accountable to make sure that guaranteed maximum price does represent the scope that we want as far as our project requirements. That's what I wanted to hear. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any other questions? I want to thank you, Commissioner, Jason, Chris, the whole team because I know you've spent many, many hours on this. So thank you very much. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council. All right. Next we have the presentation by The Nest, and I'll welcome Jeffrey White. And I think everybody up here practically knows you. Can you introduce Kristen and Emily? Yes. Hello. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for letting us take some time to tell you what's going on with the Nest. And I have with me today our board chair, Emily Startsman. She's awesome. And a lot of you might already know I am retiring at the end of this month after 16 years with the Nest. I can't live forever. So we have a new executive director that I'm training this month all the way to the end of June, and that is Kristen Martin. So with that, I'll turn it over to Emily. Yeah, I was just going to do a brief introduction, but my name is Emily Startsman. I am the chair of the board of directors for the NEST, and I just wanted to thank the council for having us, and a particular thank you to Council Member Brown and his staff for arranging this and for having the idea. As Jeffrey alluded to, the reason we are here today is because the NEST is in a bit of a transition period. We are so sad that Jeffrey can't live forever and is retiring at the end of this month. But we are so excited to introduce Kristen Martin, who has agreed to try to step into his very big shoes. I've been on the board of The Nest for 10 years, almost 10 years. In the last year that I have been the board chair, one of the really eye-opening things to me is just learning how much the city of Lexington and its government has supported the Nest since it opened its doors in 1977. It's truly incredible the support that this amazing organization has from the city as a whole. so y'all don't want to hear too much more from me so I just want to say that we're so glad to be here to speak to y'all and I would love to oh I guess sorry I would love to turn the mic over back over to Jeffrey to speak a little bit about the nest what it does who we are because I think there's nobody better to speak to the mission and values of the nest than the person who has been living them for the last 16 years. Thank you, Evelyn. And I do know most of you in this room, so thank you all for supporting The Nest over all these years. Since 1977, we have helped prevent abuse and neglect of children and adults in this community. Thousands and thousands and thousands of families we've helped over the years. If you all add that up, next year is our 50th anniversary. So y'all watch out for that. We're gonna do a lot of things next year. But we can't do it without y'all's support. Y'all have walked with us this whole way. It's been amazing. I don't know if you all know this. This will be interesting to you. When I started in 2010, the NEST budget was $385,000 to run four programs that we have for the community. Today it's $2.26 million. We've gone from serving 1,200 individuals to over 7,500 individuals this last year. So we've just grown. It's a much-needed service. And I can tell you, again, from doing this for such a long time, there's nothing like the nest. And if you've not been there, please come. It is unique. When I started, I went to every nonprofit there was in the city. And we're blessed in the city to have the nonprofits we have. Everyone's doing really, really good work. But we can't do it all, and it takes all of us, and the Nest truly is unique and special. And I just want to say, after all this time, it's been an honor for me to serve at the Nest, and it's changed my life. So, thank you. I'm sorry. I always get emotional. Emily, help me. So, here to talk about the programs more specifically so you know what we do is our awesome new executive director, Kristen Martin. So, Kristen. Thank you, Jeffrey. So, as you can see here, we have four programs that we're extremely proud of. And I think one thing that makes the NEST unique is that all four of our programs are working together to best serve the families that we see every single day, month, and year. And we provide services completely free of charge, which is different than some nonprofits in the area because when the families come in to receive a service, they pay nothing to us. We provide services in English and in Spanish so that we can meet the need of our population we serve as well. So I'm going to start off with child care. We wholeheartedly believe that every child deserves a safe and nurturing environment to grow, learn, and thrive. We have a four-star rated child care center, which we're extremely proud of with low ratios and highly educated staff. The children that are coming into our center are able to utilize drop-in care when crises arise. They can do short-term care and long-term care, which is huge because we all know how difficult it is to find child care statewide, actually, but especially in Lexington, and for it to be at no cost. This is a huge asset to the families that we know that are coming in to us, seeing us in crisis, and needing that additional support. We wanted you to hear directly from the families that we serve. And so we've provided some quotes on the screen so that you can get an idea of the impact that the Nest makes within our local community. So as you see there, you gave me hope and light in a time of darkness and confusion. The second one says, I just want to thank everyone at the Nest. This year has been extremely hard for me with my separation, demotion, and loss of child care assistance. And I know that might seem not like a lot to other people, but I truly was lost and broken, had nowhere to turn. I cannot tell you where me and my kids would be if it weren't for the nest. And I think that shows how important our child care services are to the community. It provides stability and consistency and hope to these families when they're most in need. Next, we have our family assistants. So this, again, our focus is families with children birth to five. We have a pick five system where families can come in one time a month, and they get to choose what their biggest needs are. So we provide things like diapers and formula, wipes, clothing. If you have any clothing to donate, we are actually very low on sizes two through seven and eight. So just a little tip there if you have anything to declutter for summertime. time. But we allow them to select those items themselves because they know what their family needs most. And we also, one of my favorite things as a parent myself, is car seats, I don't know about you all, are very confusing. We have a car seat program as well where we provide installation, education, inspection, and then we actually give car seats to families as our resources are available as well. Again, a quote, the nest has done a lot for me and my family. My kids have had clothing and food. It's wonderful that y'all are helping other people. The staff is tremendous. They go above and beyond to help. I've noticed that if somebody came in there and needed help with something you all couldn't do, you guys always tried to go find another organization to help. In some way, it's always ending on a positive note. One of the most proudest things I am about the nest just for my short time there is how well we work with other community partners and organizations. If a family comes to us the answer is never going to be no or I don't know. We're going to partner and figure out a way to get that family support even if it's not in our wheelhouse and I think that that is imperative in today's world where it truly takes us all to helping these families that are in need. Next we have our intimate partner violence program and so it's supports survivors and we work on safety and healing. So we offer legal representation, counseling, support groups, advocacy, and our staff provides a very safe, confidential space where these survivors can receive support, process their trauma, and connect with resources. Again, another quote. So this is such a short but powerful statement, and this is what we want all of our survivors to experience at the nest. I'm not a victim of domestic violence today. Today, I am a survivor. So I'm going to give you a moment to read this as well, because that is long and no one wants me reading to them. So I'll give you just a moment to review that statement. So I think this story really shows the life-changing impact of our legal services. Our team truly walks alongside survivors and throughout the entire process, helping them understand their options and truly advocating for their safety. And last but not least, we have our parenting program. And this helps caregivers build healthy parenting skills and strengthen their family relationships. We use an evidence-based curriculum called Nurturing Parenting, and we also provide services in English and Spanish for our groups as well. And this programming is really designed to help parents feel more confident as well as supported in their parenting journey and providing a space where they're able to learn new skills, try those skills out, and truly raise healthy and resilient children. And then again, we have two quotes. This class and the facilitators were absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate and learn other resources available and to feel the love and support the facilitators have for this class and the participants. I love the judgment-free environment where I'm learning. Since I've been in this program, I've grown as a mother and as a woman. I think this program is great. Thank you so much for your help that you've done to help me. And parenting, I'm sure many of you are parents. Parenting is challenging. I'm challenged every single day with my two children at home. And many parents just need that safe space where they know that they're not going to be judged and that they can truly learn a new skill so that they can change the trajectory of their family. And I can promise you that's what our parenting classes support and offer. And now I'm going to let Emily talk to you about events. Very briefly, the Nest has four main events during the year. We also have lots of other little events that I'm sure some of y'all have been to. In fact, we are going to one after this. Crazy day. But Pony Up for the Nest is generally our spring event. I really want to focus, though, on the two client and community-facing events. Summer Family Fun Day is just opening up the Duncan Park area for families to come and get a bite to eat and enjoy petting zoos and all the great things you can see in those pictures. Face painting. It's a wonderful, wonderful event. Similarly, on this slide, we have a Night for the Nest, which is a wonderful fundraiser. A ton of fun, and you should all come to the one this summer. August 15th. August 15th. Thank you. But Reindeer Express is my absolute favorite event. It is a wonderful time to volunteer. My favorite thing about it is that it is so empowering for the families. It is just a wraparound service that really shows so much love for the community that we serve and for the families that we serve. So we really, really, if you've never had a chance to stop by and at least see it, if not volunteer for a little while, Reindeer Express is wonderful. It's, I think, December, it's like the second Friday in December, something like that. And so I accidentally buried these bio slides, but I'll give you a chance to take a look at Jeffrey's bio. Again, most of you all know Jeffrey, and we just love him so much. He has taken this organization from a struggling organization. He talked about the difference in the budgets, but the nest was in dire straits when he took over, and under his leadership, it has become the flourishing organization that it is now. And we are so excited. We are sad and excited because it's closing a door but opening a new door that we have Kristen joining us. She is, when we set out on this hiring process, we wanted somebody who had the same energy and love for service that Jeffrey does. and we really found that in Kristen. So we're very excited to introduce her to you, and I know you will get to know her much better moving forward. Yes. Thank you very much. Are there any questions, council members? I'm Samir Wu. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you all for your presentation and the work that you all do. I, for one, love statistics, So when you threw those numbers out about how much the Ness has grown, that's always really interesting to me. But I think even more the quotes that you all put up, the personal stories of the people you impacted, because that's why you do it. I was at the Ness fairly recently shooting a video with Jeffrey. And if you all haven't been, I'm sure you all can take a tour. And what I realized about walking through it was it was creative and colorful and a little bit cluttered. And it felt like a person's home, to be honest. It had a real sort of homey feel, did not feel institutional. And I can imagine folks who are coming from unstable environments walking into that space and feeling that sort of comfort. I also really appreciate that you all not only are you giving help to kids and families, but you're also giving them a level of dignity and autonomy and choice. And you're not just helping them get out of a dire situation today, but you're giving them resources and skills and support so that they can be independent in the future. So appreciate what this organization does and really know that you have support on this council. And Jeffrey, enjoy your well-deserved retirement. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Morton. Thank you. I also just wanted to say thank you to Mr. Jeffrey for your service, your commitment to uplift and support and protecting our families here in Lexington. You know, I always say you've got to get flowers when flowers are due, and you deserve it. So a job well done, and, Ms. Ashley, good luck to follow in those footsteps. So thank you, Mr. Jeffrey. Thank you. Any other questions? Thank you very much. We really appreciate it. Now it is time for a special proclamation. Do you know about this? I'd like to ask Jeffrey to join me at the podium. It's obviously a surprise. Council Member Brown, will you come down? No. Stand right beside me. I first met Jeffrey, I think, when I was taking diapers to the nest and books. And Vice Mayor, you were right. It was kind of like a house with things, you know, a little messy but not too messy. Okay. We want to congratulate you on every single thing that you have accomplished as Executive Director of The Nest. Your work has been incredibly important to our community, and I hope you realize that. I think you do. Helping people who are most vulnerable can be complicated and difficult, right? We are so grateful for you, Jeffrey, for all of those who offer people life-changing assistance and opportunities for hope at the Nest. And it is my great pleasure to offer a proclamation in your honor as you prepare to retire. And here's how it goes. So this is for Jeffrey White Day. Whereas Jeffrey White has served as executive director of The Nest, center for women, children, and families for 16 years, moving into the role after a 40-year career in finance, human resources, and management, and whereas the mission of the NEST is to prevent abuse and neglect of children and adults by supporting families in crisis through education, counseling, advocacy, and essential resources. And whereas Jeffrey has worked to strengthen the NEST through strategic growth, partnership development, fundraising, and program innovation. And whereas through his collaborative leadership style and commitment to service, Jeffrey has helped establish the Nest as a trusted nonprofit leader throughout central Kentucky. And whereas during his tenure, the NEST has expanded its programs and community outreach efforts, enhanced its financial sustainability, and increased annual funding, and whereas the NEST now serves more than 7,500 children and adults each year, Now, therefore, I, Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare June 16, 2026, Jeffrey White Day, and we offer him our best wishes as he enters a new chapter in his life. Thank you. Everybody gets a standing orvation. That's right. You're the sea local. You don't want to say anything? I'm just going to cry. Thank you all. It really has been, it's really changed my life. And I'm really happy where the nest is. And I hope you all will continue to support this wonderful organization with Kristen at the helm. and just again so grateful everybody has been so wonderful in this community to support this organization that's helping so many families. So thank you all again. Just very, very grateful. Thank you. Thank you. You are so welcome. That's all because of you and your leadership style. So now I'd like to ask Council Member James Brown to say a few words about you. And I'll be brief. The Nest is a special place in our community. The fact that we have that agency sitting in a city park, in a government-owned building, providing beneficial and necessary services to families across our community is important. The Nest and Jeffrey have a special place to me, or special to me, because when I first got on council, that was my first budget request and capital project, was getting them in the budget. And since then, we've had a great relationship. I wish you the best in your retirement. And I think it will be a nice retirement if you bring the same energy that you bring to the job every day and continue to do all you do for our community, then it will be great. So we appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Now let's get a picture with the council. Oh, yes. Okay. That would be awesome. Kristen and... Thank you. Thank you. Now it is time for council reports. Council Member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. After a lot of engagement from my community as well as across the city, I'm sure all of you all are hearing a lot about e-bikes at the moment. And so I would like to place into our Public Safety and Social Services Committee the development of an e-bike ordinance. So moved. Council Member Ellinger seconds. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that passes. Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Hale. Thank you, Mayor. On this Friday, June 19th, 11 to 1.30 p.m., plan to celebrate Juneteenth with a sense of place at New Vine Baptist Church in the heart of historic Fort Spring. This is a completely free, family-friendly event. We will have music, food, wonderful community atmosphere, a program about the history of Fort Spring, and updates on the preservation work being done to keep the stories of Fayette County's historic black hamlets alive for generations to come. Juneteenth and history are not just about the past. They're about who we are today. Join us as we celebrate freedom, community, and our shared heritage together. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Lynch. Thank you, Mayor. I have a few announcements for my District 2 neighbors and my colleagues. Don't forget, colleagues, the board and commission subcommittee meeting will be on this Thursday at 1 p.m. in the second floor caucus room. You all are all invited, as well as the public is invited to attend our subcommittee meeting. We're working through a lot of really good stuff as we fine-tune our boards and commissions and making them more accessible to the general public. So you all are welcome to come on Thursday. Also, a special announcement for my District 2 neighbors that live along the Georgetown corridor around the Kearney Ridge area. You should have already received your communication or you will be receiving a communication from Kentucky American Water. But they're going to be doing some valve replacement and relocation of an existing water main starting on June 22nd at 8 p.m. Water will be closed and shut off for 8 to 10 hours on that day. So Kentucky American Water will be in communication with you with specific details about what's going on. This will potentially impact more than 500 people. So I wanted to go ahead and give you all a heads up about this that will be occurring on June 22nd. But you should be receiving something directly from Kentucky American Water, and you can direct all your questions to them regarding the temporary shutoff of water service on Monday, June 22nd. Let's see. Next, Black Soil is continuing with our Shop and Learn series at the Florence Avenue Market. This is a free opportunity to shop, not free to shop, but free to get education while you're shopping and spending good money with black soil. So please stop by the pharmacy market on Florence Avenue to get some good information from some very educated speakers as you are learning about how to live healthier and shop healthier in their great pharmacy market. Also, there are coming up several different activities going on in the Black and Williams Neighborhood Center. I'm not going to go over all of them, but please visit the city's website to see the calendar of updates and opportunities. Today, the gym will be open, and there will be fitness classes this evening. Wednesday, there will be e-gaming opportunities. The Children's Museum will be there, and there will also be jewelry making that evening. On Thursday, karate will be there, board games. There will be free movie, and there will be fitness classes that evening. And then on Friday, the center will be closed for Juneteenth holiday. So please really plug into the Black Moves Neighborhood Center. They've got free programming going on for all ages all summer long, so it's a great place to be this summer. And then, let's see, lastly, to my Highlands neighborhood neighbors and my Coldstream station neighbors, we're going to be having a joint neighborhood meeting on June 29th at 6 p.m. at the Highlands Neighborhood Center. We're going to talk about some of the parks and recreation updates that are coming in and around those neighborhoods, and please bring all of your questions regarding parks and anything else. So I hope to see you there on June 29th at 6 p.m. at the Hollins Neighborhood Center Shelter. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Reynolds? Thank you, Mayor. This Wednesday, which is tomorrow, from 530 to 7 at Marksberry Branch Library, I'm hosting a district-wide meeting. And we will have speakers on topics like Addison Park redesign, fire and carbon monoxide safety, homelessness prevention. And the police will have an update. I will have an update and even more. There might be some surprise guests. So come out for that tomorrow. And then the Greater Gardenside Association is hosting tacos on two wheels again for $10. You can get three tacos after you ride your bike through the greater garden side area. It is a really fun event, so if you have a bike, come on out this Saturday starting at 6 p.m. at 1801 Alexandria Drive. And then I wanted to welcome Deborah Sloan as my legislative aide back to City Hall. She has worked for quite a few council members, and I'm really glad to have her back. So say hi to her. And then today I have a new intern, Sia Vash, and she is here. And she's a pre-med student at the University of Cincinnati, and she's going to be around some this summer. So welcome her, too. Thank you so much. Thank you. Council Member Morton. Thank you. I think I've got a couple images. There we go. So this past weekend was filled with the opportunity to celebrate community, support youth leadership, and engage residents in important conversations about the future of Lexington. I'm always grateful for the chance to be present in the spaces where people are doing the work to strengthen our neighborhoods and invest in one another. So first starting off with the Common Good Community Walk. I had the opportunity to participate in the Common Good Community Walk on their annual walk. One of the things that continues to impress me about this organization is its commitment to putting young people first. They have built a model that prioritizes youth engagement, mentorship, and supports while creating opportunities for young people to thrive within their own neighborhood. Organizations like Common Good remind us that investing in our youth is one of the best investments we can make as a community. I would love to see these type of works replicated all throughout all of our neighborhoods in Lexington. All youth deserve to have intentional programming taking place in their neighborhoods. Then moving on to Consolidated Baptist Church Anniversary for Dr. Gaines' 30th anniversary. So I have the honor of attending the Consolidated Baptist Church celebration for honoring Reverend Dr. Gaines' 30th anniversary and First Lady Sarah Gaines. Three decades of leadership, service, and ministry is an incredible milestone. Their commitment to faith, community, and uplifting others has impacted countless lives throughout Lexington. So congratulations to Reverend Gaines and First Lady Gaines on this well-deserved celebration, and thank you for your years of service and the service in the future to come. And then moving on to Sunday in the evening, Operation BU and Girls in Motion's first annual Juneteenth pageant. This weekend, Operation BU and Girls in Motion hosted their first annual Juneteenth pageant in Lexington, and I was fortunate enough not to have to serve as a judge because every, really, I think, you know, Council Member Lynch was a judge, and she probably had one of the hardest jobs that day. But literally, every young lady was talented, poised, and deserving of recognition. I want to congratulate Ms. Junior Juneteenth, Campbell Henderson, and Ms. Juneteenth Riley Williams on earning their crown. More importantly, congratulations to every participant who stepped onto that stage and represented themselves with confidence and grace. I also want to recognize my legislative aide, Jaden and Adina, who served as the evening's emcees. And they did a fantastic job representing themselves, but then also my office. And I kind of go by script. But I sat there smiling with the biggest smile, tears coming down, because seeing those young ladies on that stage represent themselves, but also, you know, they talk about their dreams, they talk about their goals, and as they were on that stage, you literally can see it. They're going to be the next doctors, they're going to be the next politicians sitting up here, they're going to be successful, and they are going to be our future. But I always say, you know, our youth deserve a platform that they can put a ladder on it, and they get to define success, and they get to climb that ladder with support. OBY, Girls in Motion, have provided those girls with that platform. You literally can see the success, and I just could not sit there. I mean, it literally warmed my heart looking on that stage, knowing that almost probably every one of those girls are just destined to be successful. And that's what every youth, every child in our community deserves. They deserve a platform so they can define success, so they can climb that ladder, and they can be successful and reach their dreams and dream big. And that's what my main priority to do here is. So LBY provided that this weekend for those girls, and it was a beautiful time. Lastly, I just want to thank everyone who attended our data center community forum at the Historic Lyric Theater last night. We had a tremendous turnout, and I appreciate my fellow council members who joined us for that conversation. Council Member Sheehan and Beasley helped organize that event with me, and I can't give them any more words, but super thank you to them. But then also Council Members Brown, Curtis, Council Member Lynch, and Council Member Hale were there in attendance. So a special thank you to Christian Adair and the Lyric for hosting us in this space that has long served as a hub for civic engagement, community dialogue, and important conversations. And most importantly, thank you to the residents who took the time to attend and share their thoughts on data centers and the future of our community. It takes courage to stand up in front of your neighbors and speak on issues that impact the city as a whole. Public engagement is essential to good government, and I believe we should continue to create more opportunities for residents to participate in conversations that shape Lexington's future. It was a great time, lively conversations. We had folks of all ages, one of our younger speakers right there, and it was just a good time. And, you know, when we're making decisions, we should be listening to the public. When concerns and situations rise, they should have an opportunity to be able to release those concerns, to be able to share their voice, to be able to, you know, have a platform to do that. And that's exactly what we aim to provide. So it was a great turnout. To me, that was a successful event, and we know there's work to be done. So thank you. Thank you. Council Member Savigny. Thank you, Mayor. Once again, we've got great music in the music capital of Lexington. We've got big band and jazz tonight. We've got lead carol quintet at our own moon dance. And then Thursday, we've got Southland Jamboree at moon dance. We've got Lonesome Express. I was going to also pitch the taco on two wheels thing, but my colleague did that for us. So please join us on tacos on two wheels on Saturday. And then I went to Wood Songs on this past yesterday, and it was my first time there. It's at the Scottish Rite. It is a great hour of your time. If you want to enjoy some great music and see some fantastic talent, I would suggest it to all of you. And then lastly, I just want to, now that the Complete Streets manual has gone into EQBW, will come out this August. there's a corresponding manual, the traffic engineering manual update that I would like to place in the EQPW committee. Thank you. All right. Thank you very much. All right. That takes us to public comment for issues not on the agenda, and we have no one signed up. So that takes us to adjournment, if I could have a motion. All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you all for coming. There was a softness in her eyes And on the air there was a hunger Even a boy could recognize She had a need to feel the thunder To chase the lightning from the sky To watch a storm with all its wonder Raging in her lover's eye She had to ride the heat of passion Like a comet burning brown Rushing it along in the wind Out where all their dreams had been Burning both ends of the night That summer wind was all around me Nothing between us but the night When I told her that I'd never She softly whispered, that's all right And then I watched her hands of leather Turn to velvet