By Lance Gaither

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

During the Danville City Commission meeting on Jan. 22, the commission heard a report from the Salvation Army of Danville on their Angel Tree and Red Kettle programs during the 2023 Christmas season.

“Last year our previous Angel Tree program was larger than in previous years by about 50 to 60 families,” said Captain Alyssa Irvin. “That comes out to 130 to 140 children. This year every need was met. Even those in the community that one of their wishes for Christmas was for their children to receive a bed.”

Throughout last year, the Salvation Army of Danville assisted nearly 4,500 people with needs such as food, clothing, utilities, and rental assistance. They provided 275 Christmas meals and $9,200 of Kroger gift cards.

The non-profit organization Mend The Line delivered a presentation to the commission to introduce themselves and explain what they do. Mend The Line was founded last year and seeks to raise awareness, provide support, and be an advocate for first responders experiencing mental health issues.

“Emergency responders are dying by their own hand than in the line of duty. This is a problem,” said Mend The Line CEO Jessica Wigginton. “If it were a problem with equipment or training it would be readily addressed and we would not allow that to continue. We want to step in and address that.”

The commission approved the first reading of Ordinance 2026. The ordinance is an amendment of the 23-24 fiscal year budget and will allot $340,000 from the general fund to help the Economic Development Authority with a property acquisition. The ordinance additionally moves $1.1 million in funding for the Streetscape project that went unused last year to this year. An additional $15,000 will be moved to the museum fund to cover that cost of unexpected HVAC system repairs at the Old Federal Building. Finally, an additional $15,000 will go towards security and water damage repairs at the parking garage.   

In other news from the meeting:                                                              

• The commission has hired the accounting firm Cherry Bekaert to complete the city’s annual audit for a fee of $51,975.

• The commission approved a bid of $75.063.53 from Central Equipment for the purchase of a new excavator for the water department.