Water Quality Fees Board (Virtual meeting)

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Water Quality Fees Board met on July 9, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom web conferencing platform, with George Woolwine presiding. The board addressed two agenda items during the meeting: the FY2021 Class B Education Grant Selection, which was approved, and an Incentive Grant Status Update presented for informational purposes. The board took three motions to a vote and heard one public comment during the session.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on July 9, 2020:

• Harry Clarke
• George Ely
• Donna Fogle
• David Lowe
• George Woolwine
• Charles Martin
• Jennifer Carey
• Frank Mabson
• Denice Bullock
• Michael Cravens

No members were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included three unanimous votes approving Class B Education Grant Applications, each passing with all five council members voting in favor.

Approval of The Living Arts and Science Center, Inc. Class B Education Grant Application 30:29

Motion by George Ely, seconded by Donna Fogle. The application was approved unanimously with votes in favor from George Woolwine, Harry Clarke, George Ely, Donna Fogle, and David Lowe. The approval included a stipulation that the applicant specify educational materials in budget line 4 as water quality-related or include water quality messaging. The applicant must provide the Division of Water Quality with a revised budget omitting line 6 "Food for after school programs" for inclusion in the Grant Award Agreement. Food will be provided only for events where stormwater and water quality is the emphasis of the discussion.

Approval of Bluegrass Greensource, Inc. Class B Education Grant Application 39:22

Motion by George Ely, seconded by Harry Clarke. The application was approved unanimously with votes in favor from George Woolwine, Harry Clarke, George Ely, Donna Fogle, and David Lowe. Conditions of approval require that LFUCG and the applicant agree to all project elements, eligible expenses, terms, and conditions in a Grant Award Agreement to be approved by the Urban County Council. The applicant must obtain written approval prior to work on properties not owned by the applicant, provide web analytics to the Division of Water Quality tracking visitors to the virtual Water Walk, and provide rate of pay records for personnel listed in the project budget prior to drafting of the Grant Award Agreement. Both electronic and hard copies of all materials must be provided to LFUCG. The organization proposed a larger cost share beyond that required by the grant program.

Approval of Lexington Center Corporation Class B Education Grant Application 43:18

Motion by Harry Clarke, seconded by Donna Fogle. The application was approved unanimously with votes in favor from George Woolwine, Harry Clarke, George Ely, Donna Fogle, and David Lowe. Conditions require LFUCG and the applicant to agree to all project elements in a Grant Award Agreement approved by the Urban County Council. The applicant must obtain written approval for work on properties not owned by the applicant and provide rate of pay records for the Executive Director to the Division of Water Quality prior to drafting the Grant Award Agreement. The applicant must also provide the Division of Water Quality with planned locations for Town Branch stream cleanup and stormwater educational activities. Both electronic and hard copies of all materials must be provided to LFUCG.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting approved three FY2021 Class B Education Grants totaling $99,900.00:

• Bluegrass Greensource, Inc. — $35,000.00
• Lexington Center Corporation — $35,000.00
• The Living Arts and Science Center, Inc. — $29,900.00

Public Comment

There were no public comments during this meeting.

Appointments

Denice Bullock was appointed to the Stormwater Quality Projects Incentive of Grants Program.

Contested Items

Inclusion of Food Expenses in Grant Funding [timestamp: Not provided]

The Board debated whether to permit funding for after-school snacks as part of a grant to The Living Arts and Science Center. The primary concern centered on the appropriateness of linking food provision to stormwater education programming.

The disagreement reflected uncertainty about whether food expenses aligned with the grant's educational objectives. Some Board members questioned the connection between providing snacks and advancing stormwater and water quality instruction.

To resolve the dispute, the Board added a stipulation to the grant approval: food may be provided only during events that are specifically focused on stormwater and water quality education. This condition ensured that any food-related expenses would remain directly tied to the grant's core educational mission rather than serving as general program support.

The outcome was a split vote, indicating that Board members remained divided on the issue even after the stipulation was added. The conditional approval allowed the funding to proceed while establishing clear parameters for how food expenses could be utilized.

FY2021 Class B Education Grant Selection

The Board reviewed three applications for FY2021 Class B Education Grants during this agenda item 12:17. The applicants were Bluegrass Greensource, Inc., Lexington Center Corporation, and The Living Arts and Science Center, Inc.

Each application underwent evaluation based on project score, funding request amount, and alignment with program goals. Key speakers in the discussion included Frank Mabson, Jennifer Carey, George Woolwine, Harry Clarke, David Lowe, George Ely, and Donna Fogle.

The Board examined project scope and implementation details for each applicant. A significant point of discussion centered on cost-sharing requirements and the inclusion of food in grant budgets. Board members deliberated on how food-related expenses should be handled within the grant parameters and what constituted appropriate cost-sharing arrangements for the selected projects.

The outcome of this agenda item was approval of the FY2021 Class B Education Grant selections.

Incentive Grant Status Update

Staff provided a comprehensive status update on Incentive Grants spanning fiscal years 2016 through 2020. The presentation, delivered by Frank Mabson and Jennifer Carey 44:24, outlined the current state of multiple grant-funded projects and identified several administrative challenges requiring attention.

Projects Discussed

The update covered specific projects including Pepper Distillery, Health First, and Dalton Court, examining their progress and completion status across the five-year period.

Key Issues Identified

Staff highlighted several ongoing challenges affecting grant administration:

• Missing timesheets from grant recipients
• Unresolved engineering sign-offs on completed work
• Pending reports that have not yet been submitted

Deadlines and Extensions

The presentation addressed upcoming deadlines for grant-related deliverables and discussed extension requests from recipients who required additional time to complete required documentation or project components.

Outcome

This agenda item was presented as informational, providing the body with a status overview of the incentive grant portfolio without requiring a formal decision or vote at this time.