The Paducah Riverfront Redevelopment Project needs $50,000 in rock grading before the project can be put on hold for evaluation.
Paducah City Engineer and Public Works Director Rick Murphy proposed paying MAC Construction to grade the material Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013 at the Paducah City Commission Meeting at City Hall.
In September, City Manager Jeff Pederson recommended pausing the project because the city lacked funds to complete the project to original plans.
The riverbed on which the park and dock are to be built can support the rock being used at a three to one angle of repose; or the angle at which material will stack itself. Since the project ran out of rock and is not at the desired height, the current angle of repose on one project section is one to one.
"We were in the middle of the project," Murphy said. "We've had to take a pause. And as a result of that we have forced ourselves into step four, even though we haven't done steps one, two and, three yet. So now we're having to spend a little bit of money to move to step four, because we can't necessarily skip step one, two, and three."
As the City steps back to evaluate the project costs, the clock is ticking on the Boating Infrastructure Grant of $920,000, which has a deadline of September 2015. And although the $3.97 Million grant from the Federal Highway Administration has no official deadline, according to Murphy, he says the administration would prefer to see the money spent, because there are other projects to fund
The Paducah City Commission also approved an ordinance to purchase 5065 Concord Avenue from Betty J. Owens to complete the Olivet Church Road Project, which includes building a connecting road through Kentucky Oaks Mall to New Holt Road and Highway 60.
The Commission also heard an ordinance to extend the Community Development Block Grant of $1 Million from Dec. 31, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2014. City Manager Jeff Pederson said the project is roughly 75% completed and the extension would be largely used for paperwork.
An ordinance was introduced for the employment of Brandon Barnhill as Paducah Police Chief.
