The Paducah-McCracken County Convention Center Corporation executive committee and McCracken Fiscal Court have agreed to a means of funding repairs to the roofs of the Julian Carroll Convention Center and the Schroeder Expo Center.
Mark Whitlow, the chair of the convention center board, said that while it is not required, the agreement will be ratified by the entire convention center board at its regular meeting on May 30.
The agreement was made official at a meeting of the convention center executive committee on Friday. The executive committee consists of Whitlow, vice chair Bill Bartleman, treasurer Andrew McGlenon and secretary Alex Sherwood. Convention Center and Expo Center Executive Director Michelle Campbell was also in attendance.
The agreement states that the project includes the removal, repair or replacement of sections of the roof at the expo center, skylights at the expo center and the roof convention center, seeking 20-year warranties for each part of the project.
The McCracken Fiscal Court will manage the roofing project, set up a convention center board-approved budget for the project and issue bonds to finance the project.
The project begins with an inspection of the roofs in Sections 1A through 8A and Sections 1B through 7B of the expo center and convention center to determine the need for repairs or replacement.
Two sections at the front of the convention center and the expo center that had storm damage will have at least some of their repairs paid for by insurance. The fiscal court has agreed to pay for whatever the insurance will not cover for those sections.
The fiscal court will be responsible for the management of the roofing project, including selecting the architect and the contractor and paying them.
The fiscal court will also prepare the budget for the roofing project and issuing bonds for financing the project. The convention center board must approve the budget for that.
When the project is completed, the convention center board will be responsible for maintenance and repair of the roofs.
If the architect chosen by the fiscal court for the roofing project advises that the project cannot be successfully completed or the 20-year warranty cannot be issued without the repair of property not owned by the convention center board, the project may be halted or the scope of the project may be amended.
The convention center executive committee agreed to set aside 5% of the amount generated by the 1% transient tax allocation in an escrow account for funding a capital improvement and reserve fund (CIRF) for future preventive maintenance programs and capital repair.
This will take place for as long as the board receives the allocation from the county.
The convention center executive committee agreed to present any proposed expenditures from the CIRF of $5,000 or more to the fiscal court.
“I’m pleased that the county has taken the initiative to get this through,” Whitlow said. “I favor having an escrow account to help paying for future repairs and expenses. I think that’s a reasonable request.”
“It protects us, too,” Bartleman said. “We know exactly what the county’s going to do. I think it’s good overall.”
