Five nonprofit organizations are receiving a combined total of $377,400 to bolster services to Boone County residents via the Capital Projects Fund initiative.
The organizations receiving the funds are Brighton Properties, New Day Ranch, Easterseals Redwood, Scheben Care Center and Panorama Plus.
The Boone County Fiscal Court supports capital projects intending to invest aging/intellectual disability/mental health payroll tax funds in eligible organizations demonstrating a need for additional resources to enhance services.
“This program was established in 2020, it was the first time we made an allocation – our first review happened in 2019,” Boone County Community Services and Programs Department Director Laura Pleiman said. “We really brought it about as a way to try to remedy a growing reserve in this tax fund, which has to be restricted for use for these types of services.”
There is $350,000 allocated annually, and there are specific minimum ($25,000) and maximum ($250,000) request requirements for allocations to nonprofit organizations, officials said. The organization must also provide, at a minimum, a 25% cash match toward the total cost of the capital project.
Land purchases within Boone County, facility construction or renovations within the county, vehicles, technology upgrades, app development, medical equipment and therapy devices are among some of the permissible capital projects considered, according to the project’s request for proposal.
“In order to meet our ordinance that restricts use for Boone County residents, we’ve established a 75% use requirement for those kind of items – so if they’re purchasing an item that is restricted in the geographic boundaries of Boone County, they’d have to use it for Boone County residents 75% of the time,” Pleiman said.
The request for proposal was released earlier this fall and a tax board met to discuss allocation recommendations, Pleiman said.
- Brighton Properties –
Attainable housing project
Purchase of two blighted or foreclosed homes within the county. The intent is to rehabilitate and make it available for families at or below 80% area median income.
Total project cost: $180,000
Total request: $135,000
Allocation recommended by tax board: $135,000
“They anticipate that they can begin this project by the second quarter of next year and that it would be available for purchase no later than the first quarter of 2025,” Pleiman said. “They will internally have a deed restriction that it will be maintained for low income housing for at least five years.”
A nonprofit, Brighton Properties will either rent or sell based upon when they can recoup the cost for the expenses and create a revolving loan fund to continue the project again in Boone County, Pleiman said.
A region’s area median income is the midpoint of a region’s income distribution, meaning that half of the households in a region earn more than the median and half earn less than the median.
- New Day Ranch
Property addition
Total project cost: $35,245
Total request: $26,434
Allocation recommended by tax board: $26,500
“They are an equine therapy program located in Verona and they have been growing their program tremendously,” Pleiman said. “They’ve asked for funds for the addition of a challenge course, which would provide an additional therapeutic element that can run parallel with their other horse therapies and provide additional space for program participants – primarily children from Boone County.”
- Easterseals Redwood
Bus
Total request: $89,175
Allocation recommended by tax board: $89,000 - Scheben Care Center
Bus
Total request: $88,738
Allocation recommended by tax board: $88,000
“We had some additional requests for vehicles,” Pleiman said. “This time they were wheelchair-accessible buses. Easterseals Redwood opened an adult community hub in Florence in August. The hub provides space and programming for adults with intellectual disabilities to provide both leisure and some employment-related learning within a program.”
The organization currently serves 16 young adults, and the vehicle could transport them within the community, Pleiman said.
An adult daycare facility located in Florence, the Scheben Care Center has a slightly more fragile clientele, Pleiman said.
“They began additional transportation in 2015, when Senior Services of Northern Kentucky closed their programming,” Pleiman said. “Scheben Care Center is one of the organizations that stepped up to provide transportation to individuals. The addition of this would allow them to replace the bus they currently have and add an additional route – with seven to eight more Boone County residents.”
- Panorama Plus
Tile flooring
Total request: $38,895
Allocation recommended by tax board: $38,900
“They’re an adult, senior living community in Florence,” Pleiman said. “They have about a seven month wait in that program and have a request to replace the carpeting that is in their common areas that’s been worn from the use of wheelchairs and walkers throughout the facility. They believe vinyl tile will be easier to care for.”
The total allocation recommendation of $377,400 is above the traditional allocation of $350,000.
“The tax board was quite moved by this project and they wanted to fund this project at the full requested amount, if not, they will make a recommendation of $11,500,” Pleiman said. “If the fiscal court is so moved, they recommend the full $38,900 for this project. That is $27,400 above that $350,000. We do have it in our budget – a total allocation of $500,000 because of the way we award the funds over a calendar year, rather than a fiscal year.”
The 2023 allocation was $141,000, placing the allocation effort under the $350,000 figure, Pleiman said.
The allocations garnered fiscal court approval on Tuesday during its regular session by a 4-0 vote.
“Great work, Laura, and to the citizen boards that do this, thank you,” Boone County Judge/Executive Gary W. Moore said. “Thank you for a very thorough report.”