Benchmarks

Affordable Child Care

• Expand affordable quality childcare
• In-home childcare program
• Childcare vouchers for private companies
• Extend childcare hours to include infants and toddlers
• Transportation from home to school, etc.
• Childcare for sick children/sick bay
• After school programs during summer/intersessions
• Create a Childcare Resource Brochure
• Partner with industry

Affordable Health Care

• Expand specialist care to zone residents
• Provide health care to employed currently without benefits.
• Fund preventive services (screenings and Information)
• Indigent drug program

Affordable Safe, Decent, and Sanitary Housing

• Increase Homeownership
• Expand/Create Homeowner Rehabilitation Program
• Feasibility & market study for Jr. High School multi-family conversion
• Expand homeless and special population housing projects
• Expand Community Development Revitalization
• Increase housing supportive services
• Expand land development; expand Code Enforcement Program
• Increase neighborhood pride and beautification
• Expand HANDS Affordable Housing ProgramContinue Community Development
• Block Grant Program (CDBG)
• Special Projects – Phoenix House
• Program for substance abusers
• Provide supportive services for the homeless
• Expand Family Self-Sufficiency Program
• Seek LIHTC funding for twenty new housing units
• Provide homeless shelter through the Salvation Army and H.O.T.E.L., Inc. and other agencies meeting this need
• Establish a revolving loan fund to assist residents who are unable to qualify for conventional home mortgages for a variety of reasons
• Provide financial assistance for Habitat for Humanity homes

Create Quality Jobs

• Increase Business Development
• Create 100 Jobs over a two year period
• Look at factors leading to unemployment rate and cut unemployment rate
• Market demand study for neighborhoods
• Job training specific to industry needs
• Increase employment within walking distance/transportation to jobs
• Increase access to capital
• Mass transit expansion feasibility study for neighborhood development
• Identify brownfield cleanup sites – apply for HUD, EPA and EDI funds
• Expand South Central Kentucky Minority Economic Development Council
  (SCKMEDC)
• City Revolving Loan Fund Program (RLF)

Education

• Improve educational opportunities for zone residents
• Increase adult literacy
• Reduce school dropouts
• Increase GED attainment for persons without diplomas
• Invest in adult literacy and GED preparation
• Support programs which provide for education beyond high school
• Increase responsiveness to LEP students and their families
• Expand Even Start Program to provide assistance for limited English skills
• Begin education at a very early age – Continue to provide Head Start Programs in EC
• Institute a training program responsive to industry
• Provide scholarships for advanced ESL to zone residents
• Scholarships and training grants to agency staff members who provide services to non-English speaking zone residents
• Compile list of on-call interpreters of Spanish and Bosnian and pay the fees
• Pay GED test fees for adult residents
• Pay cost of GED reusable preparation books

Equal Opportunity

• Increase minority economic opportunities – SCKMEDC
• One Stop Shop
• Reduce language barriers - I CAN program - Interpreters
• Participate in annual International Festival
• Increase cultural diversity sensitivity/cultural sensitivity to Service Providers, public servants and industry through local Human Rights Commission
• Empowerment Center
• Small Business (RLF) Program
• Mentor Program
• Advanced ESL scholarship program

Neighborhood Cleanup

• Develop Riverfront/Nature Walk
• Improve quality of air and noise
• Improve access and supervision of recreation facilities
• Eliminate brownfields
• Preserve the Downtown – Continue the Renaissance Program
• Reuse underutilized and vacant buildings
• Neighborhood beautification projects
• Garden plots (Senior Citizens/Retirees)
• City wide tire cleanup program
• Neighborhood Cleanup Day – recognition

Public Facitilies

• Improve streets
• Improve drainage; complete highest priority drainage projects in the EC
• Expand, upgrade and construct sidewalks to interconnect areas within neighborhoods
• Review water system for future development and upgrade of waterlines to meet minimum fire protection
• Construction/reconstruction of electric system improvements within the EC
• Construction/reconstruction of sewer system improvements within the EC
• Complete highway improvements which extend BG By-Pass and widen U.S. 31-W By Pass
• Complete Barren River Road Sidewalk Project
• Improve communications between Neighborhood groups and Citizens Assistance Office of City of Bowling Green

Public Saftey

Drug and Alcohol Prevention

• Expand Community Based Education Programs
• Expand prevention and treatment services
• Continuation and expansion of Transitional Housing Program (case management and long term counseling)
• Reduce number of youths taking/experimenting with drugs
• Expand existing programs – DARE
• Support after school programs for youths

Crime Prevention

• Reduce Crime
• Reduce gang activity
• Increase crime prevention
• Increase community policing – COPS
• Neighborhood Watch Groups – increase police interaction with groups
• Expand Oliver’s Market Substation
• Youth gang prevention grant
• Youth basketball program (Police Department)

Transportation

• Expand transportation
• Add CART buses to expand existing/create new routes
• CART shelters
• Mass transit feasibility study
• Partnership projects to move EC residents to work zones

Youth Development

• Provide opportunities for youth to higher education
• Provide opportunities for youth to post-secondary education vs higher education
• Develop leadership skills for young people
• Youth leadership programs at Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs
• Create and Individual Deposit Account (IDA)
• Employment for young people
• A computer for every home in the EC
• Computer access for every home in the EC vs. one in every home
• Invest in Arts Outreach Program to zone youth
• Transportation to programs
• Scholarship program
• Community gardens – Youth/Senior interaction
• Seek discarded computers from local industries

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