Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG)

For the third year in a row, the Play Golf Lex Junior League program was voted as one of the top 25 programs in the United States. The Junior League program was also the No. 1 largest program in Kentucky for the second year in a row. Junior Golf Program Manager John Dickson traveled to Orlando, Florida in early December to receive the awards. "What we have built here in such a short time speaks volumes to the support we have," John said. "And we see this as something far more important than just a golf program. We have a front-row seat?and the privilege of truly watching our kids' lives change because of what we are doing with this program. It may seem like a silly game to some, but for many of our kids, it means so much more. They need nothing when they join our league. If they do not have golf clubs, golf balls or anything else required for golf, we provide it. We offer scholarship opportunities as well. "Many of our parents and family see this as much more than just a golf program. They see this as a community and call this their "golf family." We have the greatest kids, and their families could not be more supportive. The parents see their kids having so much fun, that some of them enrolled in our adult programs! So golf has now become a family affair! I know all of the other PGA Professionals here will say this as well, but none of this would be happening if it wasn't for the amazing group of coaches I have the pleasure of working with every day. They make all of this possible, and I certainly wish each of them could be there to celebrate with me!" Congratulations to John and the entire City of Lexington golf staff. Visit lexingtonky.gov/golf to learn more about Play Golf Lexington and the city's golf programs.

Amy Ross, Telecommunicator Senior in Enhanced 911, received a proclamation from Mayor Linda Gorton on Feb. 19. Amy was recently named the Lifeline Hero award winner during Civic Lex's "Lexington Unsung Hero Awards," which was presented at the Carrick House on Jan. 25. "Amy?has dedicated nearly 25 years to serving as a police dispatcher in?Lexington, demonstrating unparalleled dedication, skill, and compassion throughout her career," said Civic Lex in the announcement. "Amy’s contributions to our community have been extraordinary. Her unwavering commitment to the safety of her officers on the road has earned her immense respect from the entire department." Amy said at the proclamation, "It's just my pleasure to serve you and our citizens, but it's so important for you to know that I couldn't do the work by myself. My coworkers, some of them are here, and it's a well-oiled machine. It takes them, and it takes me working together and putting forth our best in these really strenuous times . . . we're the face of Lexington, the face of the Police Department and lots of time the face of the Fire Department, and I want you to know that we're giving it our best every day. Every one of us is important; it's not just me. So, on their behalf, I thank you so much for recognizing me and them."

?? For his commitment to charity work and bettering the lives of those around him, Kenneth Newby, an Engineering Tech Principal in the Division of Water Quality, is the recipient of the Time Out for People Award. The award is presented each year to an employee who demonstrates excellent community service outside of the office. Employees are nominated by their co-workers. Kenneth was nominated by his wife, Johnesia Newby, an E-911 Telecommunicator. “This man is so amazingly considerate and thoughtful! He keeps me in awe,” she said. Kenneth is a member of Swahili Elks #1611, where he was elected and serves as Exalted Ruler in 2024. This role is a position of honor, responsibility and commitment. He has a strong focus on charity work, donating and community service. He inspires and manages a diverse group of members to volunteer with visits to nursing homes, providing necessities and being a mentor and role model to the Arbor Youth, donating to the Allegra Dance Projects, partnering with the Voices of Hope Recovery Organization, Douglass Park Association’s Back to School Rally, Trunk-or-Treat and hosting the Annual Senior Citizen’s Thanksgiving Dinner. He “enjoys helping others, works hard and always tries to lift the spirits of those around him. I believe these characteristics represent all that is good in our community,” Johnesia said. He has worked for the City for more than 24 years. During that time, when working in the field, he often comes in contact with the homeless population. He provides them with food, blankets and/or clothing. She also mentioned how he warms up their leftovers, packs them in Styrofoam to-go containers with disposable utensils and delivers them a few times a week to the homeless community. The judges felt strongly that each of this year’s seven nominees were worthy recipients, and were impressed that there are so many LFUCG employees contributing to making Lexington a better place. The judges noted that volunteering and helping others is how Kenneth lives his life. His volunteering goes above and beyond a one-time project. He clearly has a “good heart.” Past winners of the Time Out for People Award:? 2015 – Donald Mott 2016 – Anthony Kelly 2017 – Nichole Gibson 2018 – Pam Whitaker 2023 – Ryan Holland 2024 – Tammye Elliott #LexingtonKy #LFUCG #Volunteers

?? Applications open for Bluegrass AgTech’s 2nd?round of grants! The Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp (BADC) grant program will take another big step forward Friday, inviting agtech businesses to apply for a second round of Challenge Grants. The grants are designed to encourage agtech and food-based businesses to locate in Kentucky. “We’re on our way to becoming the international address of agtech business,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “These businesses will bring good-paying jobs, while strengthening our agricultural and technology sectors.” The grant competition is open to registered startups with the potential to grow and expand food and agricultural economic opportunities in the state. Four partners make up Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp: Lexington-Fayette County, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and its Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and Alltech. “As a proud Kentucky company, we see a bright future for the state’s thriving agtech ecosystem, which is already a center of innovation and growth,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, a global animal health and nutrition company headquartered in Lexington. “The Challenge Grant program further strengthens this landscape, creating valuable opportunities to drive the creation of technologies that will shape the future of agriculture.” Each applicant may apply for up to $100,000 of grant funding. Those selected to receive a grant will also be offered resource support, such as mentorship, referrals to professional services, connections to local growers and research teams, and other business development assistance. “This is an exciting time for Kentucky’s AgTech community,” said Bob Helton, executive director of the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp. “The recipients of our Challenge Grants have the potential to make a significant impact across the state. We’re already seeing impressive progress from the 2023-2024 Challenge Grant awardees, and we eagerly anticipate reviewing the upcoming applications for the next round.” Last August, Bluegrass AgTech awarded its first round of Challenge Grants to seven businesses, including five from Lexington. The seven grant recipients were awarded a combined total of $625,000. The winning companies were: Hempwood, Iristrac, Sunflower Fuels, Parasight Systems Inc., RedLead Biologics, Lepidext Inc. and Spirited Biomaterials. Applicants must be able to provide matching contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis for their proposed project. Beginning today, Nov. 22, applications will be available?here. Deadline for completion is March 1, 2025. For more information about the 2024-2025 BADC Challenge Grant Application process, visit?bluegrassagtech.org.??????????????????????????????????????

While having it declared "Walker Buehler Day" here in Lexington – Walker Buehler, native Lexingtonian, Henry Clay grad, LA Dodger, and World Series champion, was kind enough to make a generous donation through his Buehler Family Foundation to the Lexington Fire Department. Each station will receive one set of Normatec compression pants and a Hypervolt 2 therapy gun. These devices will help alleviate fatigue and muscle soreness, reduce inflammation, and promote muscle recovery. Thank you so much, and good luck next season - we'll be cheering you on!

Lexington’s Minority Business Enterprise Program (MBEP), in partnership with the KY APEX Accelerator, held the Disparity Study Contractor Community Engagement & Opportunities event on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the Phoenix Building Conference Center. The City conducted a Disparity Study to assess whether disparities exist between the availability and utilization of minority and women business enterprises for government contracts. The event was designed to inform contractors and firms about the changes to the Minority Business Enterprise Program as a result from the study, and changes to the procurement processes to create more opportunities for small, diverse businesses and contractors to compete for city’s contracts. “Not only did the companies in attendance learn about the changes from the recommendations implemented from the disparity study but they had an opportunity to network and get advanced notice of upcoming projects as the procurement solicitation documents now include the new MWBE goal language and participation forms,” said Sherita Miller. “I received positive feedback from companies who attended and appreciate the support from other organizations and entities such as Fayette County Public Schools, Bluegrass Airport and even Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD).” Ed Holmes, owner, Principal of EHI Consultants was a part of the consultant project team for the disparity study. Holmes discussed the importance of contractor engagement and networking as a business owner. “It's imperative that MWBEs become involved in working with LFUCG department heads and others to ensure they become successful by developing professional relationships to learn about opportunities," Holmes said. "Their level of government effort and involvement as a MWBE, will have a direct correlation to their success in winning LFUCG contracts. "Don't hesitate to reach out and ask for a debrief meeting with the city if you are not successful in winning a bid or proposal. Become engaged and involved!” Networking creates partnerships amongst the companies to help meet the participation goals to diversify the city’s contract spend.?

?? Cody Wood, Engineering Tech Principle, won the fall 2024 SPOKE Award.?The award is given to an individual or a group of employees to acknowledge their outstanding performance and contribution to the job. It is a way to recognize employees who exhibit a high level of commitment, initiative and dedication to their profession.? "I would like to thank all of the council and Mayor Gorton for the award," Cody said. "Working with a group like Director Horton-Holt’s staff over at the Family Care Center makes you realize that not everything you are doing is just about coming in to work. There are a lot of wonderful organizations in the city that do amazing work for the community, and the Family Care Center is at the top of the list. They are a joy to work with and really help all of the kids, families and parents they work with. They bring the best out of people and make it easy to want to give everything you have to a project. I want to thank Director Horton-Holt, Quicia Carter and all the staff over there for being so welcoming and nice during the time we have been working together. I would also like to thank from my General Services department, deputy director Mark Arnold and facilities manager Mike Wiley for helping me grow as a project manager and for supporting me in all of the projects that I take on." Mayor Linda Gorton presented the award to Cody on Tuesday at the Council Work Session. "This year's recipient is an individual who is a very important part of our government," Mayor Gorton said. "He's someone who truly knows what it means to be a public servant. It's my honor to present this year's SPOKE Award to Cody Wood. Cody was nominated for the Spoke Award by staff at the Family Care Center, where he oversaw renovations and building improvements. Shelia Horton-Holt, director of the Family Care Center, was one of the people who nominated Cody for the award. The Family Care Center received $440,000 to replace old flooring and to paint the center. "I had only been in my position as Director for a year and we had just hired a new Public Service Supervisor when we received the money," Horton-Holt said. "I was still a novice to purchasing and bidding requirements. Cody walked me through the bidding process and made sure that all the paperwork was in order. When it was time to start the renovations, I asked Mark Arnold if Cody could be our Project Manager. As the Project Manager, Cody has gone above and beyond the scope of his duties. "...Because of Cody, the flooring and painting projects ran incredibly smoothly and so much of the success can be attributed to Cody's dedication to his position. He is an outstanding project manager and deserves to be recognized as an invaluable member of the LFUCG team of employees. Cody was a dream to work with and because he really became an extension of the Family Care Center team, he will be greatly missed when the projects wrap up."

Lexington’s Minority Business Enterprise Program (MBEP), in partnership with the Kentucky APEX Accelerator, held its first-ever “Building Stronger Connections: Resources for Contractors” event on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Picadome Golf Course Outing Room. The event was designed to inform contractors of the programs that are offered through the Department of Housing Advocacy & Community Development. The goal was to make contractors aware of programs that existed and the requirements that it takes to participate in federally funded programs, and funding sources available to small businesses such as?Commerce Lexington’s Access Loan Program through their Economic Development, Community & Minority Development office. “It was great to collaborate with both divisions on this event and to share procurement and contract opportunities that LFUCG has through various programs," said Sherita Miller,?"The event was successful and the Division of Grants and Special Programs and Code Enforcement are pleased with the contractor attendance. The goal is to host the event annually through the city’s MBEP outreach and event series." Terry Graves of Bluegrass Climate Solutions attended the event. He said the program has been beneficial to his company and recommended that other companies join as well. “The main thing is we’ve been actively involved in it and it’s been a blessing for us. It’s community oriented, so if anybody is thinking about it or on the fence, come join. It’s an experience and it’s something that benefits us more than it does the people that we work for. It’s a great experience,” Graves said.

?? ?? Congrats to our Public Information Office (PIO) for being recognized with multiple awards from the Kentucky Association of Government Communicators (KAGC) during their annual Awards of Excellence Competition in Frankfort last week! They were awarded for their photography, graphic design, social media and internal communication efforts. The awards were in recognition of work completed in 2023. “I’m proud to work with such a dedicated and talented group of people,” PIO supervisor Stacey Dimon said. “Though we're an office of five, they go above and beyond in all they do. These awards are well-deserved and are a recognition of the great work produced by members of the Public Information Office.” The office was presented with an Award of Excellence for its Communications Newsletter in the internal digital communications category. The monthly newsletter focuses on communication best practices, knowledge items, platform updates and policy reminders for staff involved in content creation. Individual staff members were also awarded.? Amy Wallot?? ??Award of Excellence?– Photographer’s Portfolio? ??Award of Excellence –?Photo Series – Halloween? ??Award of Excellence –?Lemonade Out of Lemons photo category – Hug? ??Award of Merit –?Social Media Presence for the?City’s Facebook page? ??Award of Merit –?Single Photograph – Senior Firefighter? ??Honorable mention?–?Beautiful Kentucky photo category – Bee and cosmos? Brandon Dunstan? ??Award of Merit –?Graphic Arts – Swiftie Sing-along poster The Kentucky Association of Government Communicators was founded in 1985 as a professional development organization for communications professionals within state government. It has since grown to welcome city, county, school systems and other public affairs personnel from across the Commonwealth.? #PublicInformation #LexingtonKY #GovernmentCommunications

Interested in a career with city government? Stop by our career fair Tuesday, NOv. 12 and learn about the various types of jobs we have available! Learn about opportunities for CDL drivers, apprentice positions at water treatment plants and public works, and jobs as public service workers. Meet with representatives from: ??Community Corrections ??E-911? ??Facilities Management ??Family Services ??Fire Department ??Fleet Services ??Housing Advocacy & Community Development ??Division of Planning ??Streets & Roads ??Waste Management ??Water Quality ??Youth Services ? Spanish translators will be available. #NowHiring #KentuckyJobs #LexingtonKy