Danville Commission approves certified-local-government grant application, multiple utility contracts and easement; delays ordinance on meeting time

The Danville City Commission on Monday approved a certified-local-government (CLG) grant application to update downtown design guidelines and approved a package of professional services, licensing and procurement actions while postponing a second reading on an ordinance that would change commission meeting times.

The grant application, introduced by Joanie House of the Danville Architectural Heritage Board, would fund an update to the city's historic-district design guidelines and pay for a new Architectural Review Board website. "We can hire a consultant, have public meetings, figure out how to handle the signage issue downtown," House said, adding the design-guidelines work would also have to meet National Park Service standards. House told commissioners the design-guidelines project would likely cost between $20,000 and $30,000; the CLG application seeks roughly $12,480.80 in federal funds for the guidelines and would leave the city with an estimated $7,500 match. A separate website project was estimated at about $8,000, with a federal request of $5,125 and a minimal local match, House said. House also said the city and regional partners are awaiting release of a separate Paul Brun grant that would provide about $700,000 for bricks-and-mortar preservation work.

Commissioners voted to approve the CLG application as presented.

In other business, the commission approved a series of contracts and resolutions brought by city staff:

- A professional-services agreement with Trane (presented as a Trane US Inc. engineering assessment) to evaluate and design potential replacement of aging radio-read water meters (presentation by city staff and Trane representative noted on the record). - A site-access and license agreement with Corning Incorporated for environmental site assessment and continuing groundwater monitoring at the property identified in the packet as 600 Lane, per a longstanding agreed order with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. - Acceptance of a permanent 30-foot utilities easement across property owned by Paula Renee and Paul J. Feistretcher at 600 South Third Street to enable a future sanitary sewer installation tied to the Lebanon Road Phase 2 project. - A professional-services agreement with Salt River Engineering, PLLC to perform water and sewer cost-of-service and rate-structure studies. - Rejection of the lone bid received for the Mock Street sanitary-sewer pump station rehabilitation project; staff said they will re-advertise to seek more competition. - Awarding of three separate mowing contracts (parks, general city mowing, and utilities sites) to different bidders after splitting the work into three job packages; staff reported roughly $30,000 in savings compared with last year. - Authorization to install/restore one emergency warning siren at a location near the courthouse (staff presented two pole-location options).

All of the above motions were approved by voice vote after motions and seconds; no roll-call tallies were given in the meeting record.

The commission postponed the second reading of ordinance 02/1945, which would amend Article 2, Section 2-21 of the City of Danville code to revise the regular meeting schedule of the board of commissioners. A motion to table the ordinance passed after commissioners said they had received constituent feedback and wanted more time for consideration; the matter will return in two weeks.

City Manager Earl Coffey also briefed the commission on upcoming events, the near-completion of the city audit draft and the published budget calendar; he reminded residents about Black History Month programming and other community events scheduled later in February.

Votes at a glance: all items listed above were approved by majority voice vote where recorded; the Mock Street bid was rejected by motion; the ordinance second reading was tabled/postponed.