When we began our Fourth of July Community Celebration nine years ago during
my first term as your Mayor, we hoped the event would prove to be something
that would bring all residents of the City of Prospect together with their
friends and neighbors to celebrate our most significant National Holiday as
citizens of the United States in a hometown atmosphere. Little did we realize
how successful this first of our Community Celebrations would be.
This year’s Fourth featured skydivers and a patriotic concert to go with
the biggest parade we’ve ever had, the largest crowd that has ever watched
our fireworks and a picnic that not only featured facepainters, clowns and
the renown "Monkey Lady," but was as American as the hot dogs sold
by the Prospect-Goshen Rotary Club.
What made our Fourth so special, though, was the City took the opportunity
to honor the late State Sen. Gene Stuart, who was instrumental in obtaining
Fourth Class status for Prospect and was also a confidant to virtually every
mayor the City has ever had.
A Police Color Guard presented a flag to Gene’s wife, Mary, and raised
another banner for the first time.
What impressed me the most, however, was that everything stopped during the
brief ceremony – even the kids who were excited finishing the parade
and the smaller ones lining up to see the clowns. As that happened, I thought
to myself, this is really what a community is all about.
As you know, while the Fourth of July was our first Community Celebration,
we have expanded these events to include The Mayor’s Great Pun’kin
Paintin’ Contest and Costume Parade right before Halloweeen and our Light
Up Prospect event to welcome the beginning of the Holiday season the day after
Thanksgiving. While this is a rather ambitious series of events for a City
the size of Prospect, we hope to be able to add an additional event in 2003
or 2004, probably in the Spring.
Events as complex as ours have become cost quite a bit of money, and we are
extremely fortunate that a large number of our corporate citizens have been
most willing to underwrite the expenses. Quite a number of businesses participate
in our corporate sponsor program and our Prime Sponsors – Republic Bank,
Max & Erma’s Restaurant, the Merchants of Prospect Point, Smithfield
Green at Prospect Village, McDonald’s, Kroger and Fifth Third Bank –
not only contribute but participate in these events.
Additionally, you should know that Council Member Alan Simon has chaired the
Fourth since its inception and has been assisted in recent years by a formal
co-chairman in Council Member Lee Zimmerman. But all your Council Members
– Nan Milliman, Sandy Tucci, Harold Smith and David Krost – are
also always there helping. And the Community Event days may be holidays for
most, but not for the members of the City Staff and Police Department. All
leaves are cancelled for those days.
A Bridge Decision
It simply wouldn’t be an annual report to you without a section on "the"
bridge.
For a change, we are able to report to you that there has actually been a
decision coming out of what seem to be intermable meetings, telephone calls,
public hearings and the like. And, from the perspective of the City, the news
was good indeed.
After years of studies – and, I will admit some anxious moments on our
part – the recommendation the Commonwealth made was for a combination
trench and tunnel route (coupled with a limited interchange) which is by far
the most attractive of the East End bridge options as far as your City is
concerned.
We consider this a major victory for Prospect’s point of view, since
one of the options – which had a great deal of support from several groups
– would have run a bridge in the air through the middle of the City.
I wish I could report to you that this whole issue is totally settled, but
it is not. In December, the federal government pushed back a decision date
by the Federal Highway Administration to August of 2003.
Your City has submitted a long list of "mitigation" elements if
this bridge is ultimately built and we have incorporated a similar list developed
by the Bridgepointe Homeowners’ Association, those who will be most directly
affected by this project. While I am sure our proposals will be met with serious
consideration, we expect years of additional meetings, letter-writing and
hearings to be held.
Your City is committed to insuring, as much as is humanly possible, that the
bridge will have as little impact on each of you as can be. Even with a final
decision coming up, there will be years of being sure the promises and representations
made in this decision process are implemented.
Our New Metro Government
The other major "big issue" with which your City has been dealing
is the impending consolidation of Jefferson County and Louisville
As I recently wrote in my Newsletter column, my most-asked question has shifted
from the bridge to how the new government will affect Prospect.
The simple answer is not very much at all. As things shake out, I believe
we will find more responsive elected and non-elected officials with whom we
will work. In the past nine years, we have been able to develop excellent
relationships with both elected officials and operations personnel within
the County. Many, many of these fine people will, of course, hold similar
positions in the new Metro government.
As far as the crucial issues that affect you – everything from zoning
to snow removal, garbage collection to road repairs, police protection to
street lights – your City will continue to provide these services in
the same close-to-home atmosphere we believe has been so successful.
The truth is Metro government cannot afford to provide the services you get
from the City of Prospect. If they were forced to do so here and in all of
the other larger cities in the County, you would probably see a whopping tax
increase.
As I have said numerous times, our Metro government needs to work in partnership
with the cities of the County to provide an appropriate level of service to
everyone. This probably means establishment of new cities – or allowing
present cities to expand – or city-like entities to provide these basic
services. Prospect will never have, and does not have a need for, a health
department or a crime lab. The Metro government is far better equipped to
provide services of this type. But we sure don’t want people downtown
making zoning decisions for us. A simple reading of the Courier-Journal shows
what havoc that can bring.
I have had the opportunity to meet and work with quite a number of the members
of the new County Council, as well as Metro mayor-elect Jerry Abramson. I
think you will find these newly-elected officials are well qualified to tackle
all the problems that are going to confront our new government.
The Reading Center: A Jewel for us All
I couldn’t be more proud of our new Prospect Reading Center. Even before
I was ever involved in City government, we’ve talked about having a library
here – and now we have one!
But what is so grand about the Reading Center is how much it is used. With
about 1,000 books for children and another thousand for audlts, rare is the
day when five to ten residents don’t stop by City Hall to browse for
books and check them out.
What is especially nice is that it brings so many more of our residents into
City Hall and gives all of us the opportunity to talk and visit. As I said
at the beginning of this year’s report, what we set out to do nine years
ago was establish a sense of community in our City. The Reading Center has
become a major touchstone of that effort.
You should know the Prospect-Goshen Rotary Club funded the entire initial
childrens’ collection. The first year’s basic adult collection was
paid for by an resident who asked the gift not be made public. Kroger orchestrated
a year-long fund drive which gave the City an additional $4,000 for books.
Ruth O’Daniel put together a used book sale which netted additional funds.
We have had countless volunteers who have manned the desk, collected books
for the sale, made suggestions and helped in numerous ways.
It has been a success. Prospect residents no longer have to treck to Middletown
or St. Matthews to get books to read. The nicest thing I have been told was
by one resident who said "I thought this was a waste of money but now
I’m here almost every week getting new books to read and it is a great
source for me when my grandchildren come to visit."
We have recently added a collection of large print books, following a resident’s
suggestion. And, yes, we’ll have a number of copies of the new Harry
Potter book as soon as it is published.
Indeed, our City of Prospect Reading Center has become a major asset to our
community. If you have not stopped by to check it out, please make it one
of your New Year’s Resolutions to do so.
Our Police: A Community Asset
One of the things I was most eager to implement when I first took office was
to focus the Police Department more towards serving the community.
This past year, under the leadership of our (relatively) new Chief, Marvin
Wilson, Prospect has given the concept of Community Oriented Policing far
more than lip service.
Community Oriented Policing takes many forms, from participating in "Transportation
Day" at St. Francis in the Fields school (which boasts more than 50 percent
Prospect residents in its preschool) to walking through the commercial areas
and "popping in" to various businesses. While we must control U.S.
42 traffic, your police officers are spending more and more time closer to
your homes in the City’s subdivisions.
I am most pleased with the recent overflow crowd for the self-defense class
the Department instigated. Response to this program was so high we plan to
do it – and another, different – program in the Spring.
The Department has also instituted a more coordinated approach to training,
which is required of all certified police officers in Kentucky. Now, members
of the Department set goals and objectives for themselves in selecting different
courses to take throughout the year. Several officers are being certified
in different areas and will then teach what they have learned to other Prospect
police officers. This will not only save the City money, but will provide
broader training for all.
Our Department, as well as those of other suburban cities in the County, has
benefitted greatly from a change in Kentucky law enacted by the legislature.
Now, police officers who earn their full retirement benefits can begin a new
career at another department and accumulate pension monies for a second fund.
This costs the City no more than it would if it hired a non-veteran but does
allow us to take advantage of the experience an officer has gained in another
department.
And, by the way, the new design of our black-and-white police cars was selected
as the best in the entire state in a competition which included entries from
all across Kentucky.
City Finances in Good Shape
One of the more significant factors in managing your City’s government
has been the always-critical charge to judiciously handle both income and
expenditures. Nine years ago, I was concerned the City’s cash reserves
were too low to adequately protect Prospect from a catestrophic event, such
as the tornado which leveled part of Glenview Hills some 20 years ago. While
we certainly carry adequate insurance, such an event could have easily wiped
out the $300,000 or so reserves we had at the time.
As the chart here shows, we have built up City cash reserves to $1.2 million
over the past nine years. Given the City’s overall annual budget is in
excess of $2.1 millon, the present level of cash reserve seems to be generally
adequate for emergency needs.
We are also fortunate that we have been able to tap into both state and federal
grant monies for various projects, for the first time in Prospect’s history.
Most significant has been a federal grant to pay the entire cost for adding
a police officer and a significant reimbursment in federal disaster funds
for the blizzard several years ago. We will, of course, continue to look for
ways we can enhance our own revenues from external sources.
With Many Thanks . . .
A City such as Prospect is a partnership to which a vast number of people
contribute every day. First and foremost are the members of your City Council,
who spend a huge amount of time away from their families and businesses to
make the City work.
You are truly blessed, also, by a marvelous City staff. Administrator Ann
Simms, deputy City Clerk Cathie Parrott, Secretary Anne Brunner, Maintenance
Director Ron Cundiff and our newest addition, Linda Miller, part-time secretary
who frees up Ms. Brunner for Reading Center work in the afternoons all go
far beyond the call of "duty" on a regular basis. So, too, do the
members of the Police Department – Chief Marvin Wilson, Capt. Larry Johnson
and patrol officers Marianne Haverlin, Elgin Price, Stacy Bruce, Harold Proffitt,
Heather Loesser and our newest addition, Dennis Wine.
Jeff and Miriam Hansen volunteered to both redesign and maintain the City’s
web site; Russ Conger spends a huge amount of time keeping up the Prospect
weather page; Joe Kehlbeck, as usual, was ready, willing and able to give
us benefit of his outstanding database computer abilities; Ruth O’Daniel
has become a stalwart of the Reading Center volunteers; John and Eve Hischfeld
not only arranged for the Rotary Club to donate the entire childrens’
collection to the Reading Center, but have been in the forefront to help in
any way they can; as has Missy Fultz of Republic Bank, who probably devotes
more time to various City activities than any non-resident I know.
Our Community Celebration corporate sponsors make our big events financially
possible and many contribute in many other ways as well. None so much as Steve
Goddin at Kroger, who will be moving to Virginia the first of the year. We
will miss Steve.
The State of the City? Thanks to all of you and all of these wonderful people
– and hundreds more – I suppose I can quote our Prospect auditor,
who reported to the Council that we’re "in excellent shape."
2003