Enterprise Community Designation
News
What is EC?
The City of Bowling Green received an Enterprise Community designation under Round II of the Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community, rural initiative, on January 13, 1999. Our Strategic Plan focused on three census tracts, 101, 102, and 103 with fourteen neighborhoods identified containing approximately ninety-nine hundred residents.
Historically, the Enterprise Community Zone consists of higher levels of poverty, unemployment, single parent families, predominately female head-of-household, crime related problems, lower educational levels and/or training skills, poor transportation opportunities, a lack of decent, safe and affordable housing, youth development problems, and a fragmented system for the delivery of services. During the Citizen Participation process, residents verbally enumerated the various hardships created as a result of living within this economically deprived area.
The Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community initiative is the first opportunity since the Model Cities Program to address the needs of inner cities and distressed rural areas whose plight has been long ignored. This initiative is truly "grassroots" as residents work in partnership with neighborhood groups, service provider agencies and local governments to assist with the creation of employment opportunities, address social issues, education, transportation and crime related problems. This program is not a "quick fix", instead, it will develop measurable outcomes for sustained employment and overall improvements in the quality of human life for all EZ/EC residents and their surrounding communities.
Our designation covers a ten year period with a Social Services Block Grant of 2.5 Million during the designation period. however, grant funds were only allocated for the first year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Commonwealth of Kentucky was fortunate to receive one Rural Empowerment Zone and one Rural Enterprise Community under Round I of this initiative in 1994. The opportunities and sustainability which have been realized by the designated communities are tremendous, Bowling Green now has the same potential opportunity.
For more information about
Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities,
visit the EZ/EC web site.