Bray, Clymer deliver visions for 2024 at Chamber breakfast

Paducah Mayor George Bray and McCracken County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer shared their visions for 2024 at the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Thursday. 

Bray was the first to speak. He introduced family members in attendance and credited them with the support necessary for him to be successful as Paducah's mayor.

Bray said that economic development will be the catalyst for growth in the city. He cited the new terminal at Barkley Regional Airport as one of those drivers.

Projects getting ready to ramp up were also noted. Bray said that the riverfront redevelopment, including the improvements to the transient boat dock and the riverboat landing, will break ground in the spring. He said the sports complex, a joint project between the city and county, will ramp up in the spring, as well. 

Mayor Bray also teased that a hotel developer is taking a look at the site near the Holiday Inn and the convention center. He reaffirmed the city's commitment to seeing the city block project through. He indicated continued contact with Wayland Ventures and said the city intends for there to be a hotel on the city block site. Bray said that decisions would be made based on "options presented to us and the market conditions that exist."

Bray stressed the importance of the downtown area as a draw for locals and tourists alike. He noted growth in other areas like the Southside and Midtown through increased investment, along with the continued growth in the Kentucky Oaks Mall area. The mayor said he believes that the Hinkleville Road corridor between the mall and the airport will be the largest area of growth in Paducah and McCracken County over the next 20 years.

The joint project to upgrade the 911 system is near implementation, according to Bray. However, he said decisions on the funding of the initial $10 million price tag and the $3 million annual costs have yet to be made.

Bray looked ahead to a possible second term by saying that job growth is the key to the city's future success and pledged to work with community members to realize Paducah's potential. 

Judge Clymer opened up by pointing to January of 2025 when McCracken County will celebrate its bicentennial. He said there are plans for a book on the county's history, and put out a call for historic family photos and documents that could be included in the publication. He added that some bicentennial events are in the planning stages, and there would be information on that important milestone soon. 

Clymer spoke about how working alongside the city on so many important projects is a high priority, knowing that both benefit from those. He also touted his administration's work to turn around the county's finances. He said before 2019, several years of deficit spending had dwindled the financial reserves to very low levels. Clymer said fiscal responsibility has increased those reserves and that has helped increase the county's credit rating. 

Clymer talked about the creation of a city-county industrial development authority. Both entities put in money to support the project which purchases land to be used for development. He said that Greater Paducah  Economic Development then manages and markets the properties to prospective companies for investment in the area. 

Clymer hinted that McCracken County is a finalist for several large projects. He said the county has had several that came very close to landing here, and he believes one of those will happen very soon. There were no specifics on the companies in question due to confidentiality agreements. 

Clymer stressed that the county has tried to become more strategic with land used for the development of certain projects, and said the county does not want to make a mistake. He also talked about the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site. He touted a grant that would pay for a study of the redevelopment of that land. Even though the cleanup will take close to 40 years to complete, he said some tracts of that land land will be available soon. Clymer indicated that the nuclear sector would be a target for that land. 
  
Clymer said to stay tuned because 2024 will be a record-breaking year as McCracken County heads toward its 200th birthday. 



Photos courtesy of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce