Morgantown, Kentucky
As the first CAO in Morgantown, KY, Jerrod Barks was facing some serious challenges for the town of 2,500 that lost 60 jobs and was saddled with a large amount of debt when Kentucky Copper went bankrupt. But instead of guessing or acting on anecdotal information, he conducted a survey, researched deeply, and came up with a recovery plan, Morgantown Renaissance, that has been active since early 2016.
In a town where 52 percent of residents live at or below the poverty line and with average household incomes among the lowest in the nation, investing would not come easy. But with just under $50,000, in joint public and private funds, the results have been impressive so far.
Here’s a snapshot:
Sidewalks installed in Morgantown, KY as part of the Renaissance Project.
- Added two blocks of sidewalks with an emphasis of providing safe passage for school children;
- Added eight benches to a 1.5 mile stretch of sidewalk installed on Main Street via a state project. For $1,000, local businesses could sponsor a bench which includes a small plaque in honor of the donation;
- Planted 50 cherry trees, also sponsored by residents for $12 each. The goal is to have more than 200 cherry trees along the city entrances and parks that will complement Yoshinos already living in the downtown area;
- Demolished six dilapidated homes within the city limits to improve aesthetics and reduce police activity.
The project was launched with an initial community survey. More than 300 responses were returned providing “crucial information,” according to Barks.
In compiling the data he discovered trends and topics of concern. Primarily, residents were concerned about downtown development, infrastructure and quality of life issues. The downtown had a greater than 50 percent vacancy rate and the roads, park, and infrastructure were in disrepair. Additionally, the input identified a lack of “community.”
“In finding our direction, I created 20 goals for the city to accomplish in the first year” Barks said. These 20 goals fit within three focus areas in different capacities, ranging from updating the town’s blight ordinance to creating a free series of movies shown in the park on alternate Saturdays during the summer.
The main goal of the Renaissance Project is to encourage people to live and work in Morgantown.
“I feel the foundation of achieving that is to ensure that properties are maintained. People are attracted to beautiful, safe spaces and I want to facilitate that as much as possible,” Barks said.
Morgantown, KY Logo.
By The Numbers
The Renaissance Project includes a mix of community events, new committees, long-term infrastructure goals and updated ordinances. But nothing has been done without statistics to back it up. Barks collected data from the fire marshals, police departments, the Barren River Area Development District office, the state building code authorities, and the Kentucky League of Cities.
A main citizen survey complaint was that the city hosted too many low-income housing units, which anchored the median income. However, Barks was able to show that removing government housing from the city would actually reduce the overall median income. His research showed that housing authority residents earn on average $2,849 more per year than the rest of the town. This proved that the Housing Authority Units were not the primary culprit of the town’s low income levels as people had originally suspected.
Additionally, when creating the plan, Barks researched police dispatch calls and noted the locations of all the calls. He was able to prove that neighborhoods with blighted and dilapidated homes required the most police support. When elected officials and the community learned about the drain on the department and associated costs, they were more willing to jump on board with the plans, specifically code enforcement reform that resulted in demolition of structures or conveyance to the city for maintenance, Barks said.
Yoshino Cherry Trees in Morgantown, KY.
Future Projects
Spin offs to the program have been recognized as well, such as the planting of more than 212 blossoming cherry trees, Barks said. “Our goal is to facilitate a possible Cherry Blossom Tree Festival when the trees mature.” Morgantown’s Facebook page and other social media showcase the successes of the program. This encourages citizen participation and confidence in the plan.
“One of our main goals of the Renaissance Project was to prove that the city government was not a reactionary body, but rather was on the offensive with the issues of today,” Barks added. “..proving that we are a proactive government that can and will navigate the challenges of today and will make Morgantown a beautiful and capable city.”
Subsequent surveys and anecdotal stories show that the plan is working. The city is scoring higher in surveys and citizens walk into city hall and “tell us that they cqn see and feel a real difference in the City,” Barks said. “I feel that the public confidence in the city and its officials has drastically improved.”
Meet the Manager
Jerrod Barks
CAOLongmont, Colorado
Longmont, Co. lies at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The area is strikingly flat in comparison to what lies just 30 minutes away in the National Park that celebrates the mountain chain. That drastic drop in elevation leads to major runoff as waters flow east off of the mountains and in 2013, Longmont suffered catastrophic flooding, especially along the St. Vrain Creek.
The city was lucky to escape any loss of life, but the damage to property and infrastructure was severe and resulted in more than $25 million in repairs, says Public Information Specialist, Jennifer Loper.
The city just recently finished those repairs and is now making progress toward restoration, sharing information on the projects through a specialized website, videos and events, such as the November 2016 Bike and Learn ride with the mayor.
The seven-mile, round-trip trek attracted more than 50 cyclists who heard from city engineers and project planners about the ongoing restoration of the St. Vrain Greenway trail, development of an 80-acre open space nature area, widening of the creek flood plain and reconstruction of wiped out infrastructure. Mayor, Dennis Coombs, joined the group at the last stop. (see the video)
“[Coombs] gets from one place to another on his bike,” said Rigo Leal, Longmont’s public information officer. “He’s really the inspiration for a bike and learn event.”
Building Citizen Trust
These events, monthly “coffee with council” and the city manager, a broad communications campaign during the disaster and ongoing information sharing build trust in the community of 92,000 and have helped it get through the flood and move on, said Leal. The citizens approved $20 million in bonds for the flood restoration and have approved a 3/4 cent street tax every 5 years since 1986. Amid the flood restoration the street tax was renewed for 10 years until 2026.
“I think this shows the trust between the city and the populace,” Leal added.
Major flood recovery work, including repair and rebuilding of damaged streets, parks, water resources, irrigation ditches, drainage systems, power lines and public buildings began immediately after the flooding and was completed in September 2016. This included the repair and widening of Sunset Street Bridge, which was washed out by flood waters but now hosts designated bike and walking lanes.
A Bigger Project
Along with the repairs, the city realized the need to prepare for future flooding by restoring and revitalizing the creek channel and launched the Resilient St. Vrain project that is expected to cost between $120-$140 million in combined federal, state and local funds, said Loper. Work could take up to ten years to complete and is being done in stages. The city hosts a video about the project on its website and created print collateral to explain the project to citizens.
“The City decided do more than just repair the creek corridor after the 2013 flood,” Longmont City Manager Harold Dominguez said. “It became an opportunity to restore the greenway in a way that ultimately improves this incredible amenity for the Longmont community.”
Through the restoration work, the city plans to move more than 800 acres and more than 525 structures out of the floodplain and will restore 8 miles of St. Vrain Greenway, the “crown jewel” of the area’s trail system. Design work on Resilient St. Vrain began in 2014. Construction work in the first section of the project, the Sandstone Reach, began in December 2016, and work on the second section, known as City Reach 1, will begin in early 2017. Planning and work also has begun on the Dickens Farm Nature Area within the 80 acres of open space. It will include recreational access to the creek, which was not easily accessible in the past. The plan also includes a creek path for tubers and recreational kayakers with several man-made drops.
The Resilient St. Vrain project has received a “Finding of No Significant Impact” designation from FEMA. In the Sandstone Reach, engineers are using the natural path of the creek that was re-established during the flooding, working around nesting bald eagles and re-using tree root wads for softer diversion tactics.
City Manager Harold Dominguez, along with Public Works & Natural Resources General Manager Dale Rademacher, were instrumental in quickly and efficiently working with FEMA to start the flood recovery process and giving timely status updates to the community and the City Council.
Meet the Manager
Harold Dominguez
City Manager
