2001 Annual Report Executive Summary
City of Bowling Green Enterprise Community
The Bowling Green Enterprise Community had a very productive year in 2001. Four public forums were conducted in February. Several additions to the Strategic Plan were adopted as a result of these meetings. The programs that were started in 2000 continued through 2001. Youth Development Scholarships assisted 51 students with various activities from school field trips to after school care, to enrichment programs. This program is designed to assist working parents and to give the children an opportunity to participate in programs that they might not be able to afford on their own. This also keeps the children busy and, hopefully, out of trouble. The first Post-Secondary Scholarship was awarded to a local student for $500.00 to attend Western Kentucky University. Four more scholarships will be awarded for the 02’-03’ school year. The set-aside for school assistance was also continued. This money was given to all the schools serving the students of the EC, to be used for emergency needs of the children. The program was administered through the Family Resource Centers and Youth Services Centers at the schools. The Indigent Drug Program was implemented in early 2001. This program is administered by the Bowling Green/Warren County Primary Care Center. A set-aside of $15,000 was to be used to subsidize the drug program sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies. Patients could qualify for assistance for their drug costs for a chronic illness. This program has served over 100 patients during the year. A second round of NOFA’s was sent out for Year 3 funding. Thirteen grants were received. Twelve of those were funded in six different benchmarks. Among the programs funded were: Youth Safety, Financial Literacy, translation booklet, Computer Lab, and Child Care. A total of $175,995 was awarded. Several of the Year 1 and 2 funded grants were completed. An EC elementary school successfully completed installation of a much-needed playground system. The Police Department was able to increase their patrol of the EC at the citizens’ request. An after-school program at the Jr. High was conducted free of charge to the students. The City of Bowling Green was awarded a $500,000 state grant for Economic Development within the EC. The grant will be used to purchase vacant buildings and market them to various businesses to increase employment within this area. Job development and retention continues to be a priority of the BGEC. The BG Public Transit added a third service route. This route will give the residents of the EC more access to points outside the EC, as well as a quicker turn around time. The EC provided funding to help with the start-up of the additional route.