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Mayor Emeritus Johnny Webb outlines Operation PRIDE's work, fundraising and new specialty license plate
Summary
Johnny Webb, Mayor Emeritus, told the Bowling Green commission that Operation PRIDE and Beautify 65 have installed gateway landscaping and 13 flagpoles, raised nearly $9 million in private funds to date, and launched a specialty license plate that gives $10 to Operation PRIDE per sale to help close a maintenance funding gap.
Johnny Webb, Mayor Emeritus, updated the Board of Commissioners on Operation PRIDE and the Beautify 65 corridor improvements during the Dec. 16 meeting.
Webb recounted the program’s origins (Operation PRIDE founded in 1993), described the gateway work into Bowling Green, and detailed maintenance activities that follow private fundraising and partner support. He told commissioners the effort has installed 13 flagpoles flying a 30-by-60-foot flag at gateways and that private donations have raised "almost $9,000,000" to support initial capital improvements, while ongoing maintenance still requires additional funds.
To help fill the maintenance gap, Webb introduced a specialty license plate for Kentucky that will yield $10 to Operation PRIDE for every plate sold. "Operation PRIDE gets $10 for every one of these that sold," Webb said; he described a goal of selling thousands of plates and asked for local assistance promoting the effort.
Webb also noted the group has one full-time employee, Melanie Lawrence (executive director), and described operational activities, including a four-person jail crew funded via Warren County fiscal court who help pick up trash along I-65 interchanges. He invited questions and presented framed photographs of gateway projects to commissioners.
Commissioners thanked Webb and acknowledged the partnership between the city and Operation PRIDE.
