05/27/2025 Council Meeting [26:05-31:05]

designs, practice checkout, before payout. Quick math, that's almost $13 million that has helped facilitate this county. One last thing I want to mention, let's not forget education. Lawrence County SWCD are also invested in the next generation, visiting classrooms, hosting workshops and helping young people understand the value of conservation. When we teach our kids to care for the land, we're teaching them to care for the future. With the increase of cost share grants that we received over the last five years, we weren't able to get into the school classrooms as much as we needed to. And instead of asking the county to pay for another position in our office, we applied in 2024 for a part-time educator position. This is a three-year, 20-hour-a-week position with no benefits. These positions have a high turnover rate. We're lucky and we found a passionate college ag major that the kids love, and hopefully we get a key part till 2027. What makes this all more powerful is that the SWCDs are locally led. They're not distant government agencies, they're made up of people right hand on community. The solar water conservation board of supervisors is composed of five individuals who are dedicated to conservation and supporting Lawrence County. The solar water conservation district is not just a partner in agriculture, but a partner in the community. Let's continue to support their work, share their message, and be proud of the progress we're making right hand Lawrence County. So the remaining part of your packet includes that after the leverage sheet, the green map that is funding as a lead from 2021 to 2025. Lawrence County is only allowed to be the lead of two clean water grants at a time. These are three-year grants, so that holds us back a little bit from being able to apply for more. These grants can be used for cost share or equipment purchases. I can't speak for other counties on what the grant dollars are used for, but I can speak of Lawrence County during this time period. Out of $244,500, $182,500 went straight to cost share, straight back into Lawrence County. 62,000 of that was our educated position. The next page is the blue map. That is total funding, 2021 to 2025. Once we are the lead of two grants, the only way we can get more grant money is to partner with the surrounding county on a grant and have them be the lead. Sharing the grant requirements and the grant funds. Lawrence County, if you noticed on that map, being number one in the most money funded at $314,500. And on the last map, it's a heat map of best management practices installed. This is only by the SWCD that is actively reducing sediment loss in 2024. I'm showing this to just highlight the work that Lawrence County is doing compared to the surrounding areas. 128 practices installed, and 126 of those were funded with our clean water and the integrants. Last page is just activities and other things that we have been involved in, we've started, we've improved in the last five years. Thank you for your support and your time. And if you have any questions, we would love to answer them. Nice for you. I've got some questions on that. Other patient programs, please. What do you get going into? Well, our educators not here. Who's not sure who's on the drawing workshop? That was me partnered with Purdue, Felden, on that workshop. There was four fertilizers. Yeah. Application and seed applications. Yeah. Felden, Felden, pretty fun. Yeah. What was it? What was it? Oh, my God. You guys have any questions? No, I'm just appreciate it then, Dave. Thank you. Okay. I have some considerations. There's nothing there. One thing I want to mention,