2004 Annual Report Executive Summary
City of Bowling Green Enterprise Community
The Bowling Green Enterprise Community conducted its annual public forum in February 2004 and re-elected the three Board Members whose terms were to expire. This concluded the first year of the new Board structure and the format proved to be much more representative of the diversity of the BGEC and helped streamline the workings of the EC. The BGEC continues to offer Youth Development and Child Care scholarships. The Youth Development program assisted 71 individuals during the calendar year with a variety of activities, including sports registration fees, enrichment programs, school field trips and many more. The Child Care program funded eight applications for temporary assistance with childcare. The Indigent Drug Program, which was implemented in early 2001, assisted 44 individuals with prescription drug costs. This program is administered through the Bowling Green Warren County Primary Care Center and is used as a supplement to the drug program offered by the pharmaceutical companies. The set-aside for school assistance was also continued. This money is given to all the schools serving the students of the EC, to be used for emergency needs of the school children. The program is administered through the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers at the schools. Two high school seniors were awarded $500 scholarships for their first year at a post secondary institution. One student is attending Western Kentucky University and one is attending the University of Louisville. The Board authorized a fifth round of grants. In a much streamlined grant process, interested agencies were invited to submit a Letter of Intent to apply for this round of funding. Five grant applications were funded for a total of $98,053. The applications covered four combined benchmarks. A transportation grant was awarded to start a new shuttle express line for the public transportation system. Under the Youth Development/Child Care combined benchmarks, a grant was funded for the creation of the “Centering on Science” Program through WROTE. The program focused on children in the fourth through eighth grades and provided hands-on lessons for them to increase their science knowledge. Under the Education/Equal Opportunity/Jobs combined benchmarks two grants were funded. The Family Enrichment Center applied for money to purchase a new building to locate their offices and the Supervised Visitation Center. The new location was within the EC and serves many of the EC residents. The second grant funded in this benchmark was to assist with the start-up of the Non-Profit Center by HANDS. The center will be located in the old health department building and will provide below-market rental rates for non-profit organizations wishing to locate in this building. The building is located within the EC and is within walking distance of many EC residents. It is also located on the bus routes for public transportation. The final grant was awarded in the Housing Benchmark. Habitat for Humanity will use the funds to prepare lots for construction of low-income housing in the EC. The EC partnered with the Housing & Community Development Department to assist in an area wide cleanup effort. The Code Enforcement Division has undertaken a three-year plan to proactively inspect all houses within the Enterprise Community for code violations. The residents were given a grace period during which many services were free of charge. At the conclusion of the grace period, all houses in the targeted area were inspected for violations. The EC also offered monetary assistance to help homeowners repair violations or to construct handicapped ramps.