United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM) to host a home tour this Saturday, June 13, from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tour homes in the historic community. Proceeds to benefit UCHM youth, seniors and families. Tickets are $25 each or $20 each when you purchase two or more. Tickets are on sale online, at Margaret’s Consignments, 2700 Frankfort Avenue and at Carmichael’s Bookstore, 2720 Frankfort Avenue. Visit www.uchmlouky.org for more details. 

Join Just Creations to celebrate their 25th Anniversary this Sunday, June 14, from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the corner of Frankfort Avenue and S. Bayly Avenue. Enjoy food, drinks, live music, kid’s events, door prizes and much more! The first 200 people at the event will receive a FREE Street Fest t-shirt.

Children’s craft activity from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Children of all ages are invited to make their own drum or shaker and join in the musical celebration throughout the day. Live music throughout the event. DJ Craig Waits, owner of the Groove Company will be the emcee/DJ for the event. From 1:15-2:00 p.m. The Barefoot Best Friends and The JOE Band will share the stage playing traditional mountain music. From 2:15-3:15 p.m. Zim Marim will take the stage. Zim Marim is a dynamic ensemble performing in the neo-traditional Zimbabwean marimba tradition. From 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. Appalatin will perform high-energy Latin music. La Casa Catering will be on hand to offer Mexican-infused dishes, including wraps, burritos, tortas, chips and salsa, and a special tamarindo drink. The Comfy Cow will be there to satisfy your sweet tooth. All food will be available for purchase. Food and drink tickets available at the Welcome Tent. Just Creations will also be giving out door prizes throughout the event – one free ticket for each person in attendance. Must be present to win.

The Clifton Center, located at 2117 Payne Street, will host its largest fundraiser for the 23rd year at the Taste of Frankfort Avenue on Sunday, June 14th from 5:30pm-8:00pm, with a VIP experience starting at 4:30pm. The evening will showcase more than 20 fantastic eateries in the neighborhood, and attendees will enjoy food tastings, a cash bar, a raffle package and live entertainment by local musicians. Tickets are $45, or $100 for VIP Tickets, and can be purchased at www.cliftoncenter.org or at Carmichael's, 2720 Frankfort Avenue. All proceeds from this annual event benefit the Clifton Center, a historic facility that serves as a gathering place and presents a variety of cultural and musical events in our community.

Volunteers are still needed for the event. To sign up please visit www.cliftoncenter.org, click Get Involved, then click Volunteer. You will be able to read a description and see what shifts are available. 

It’s time to clean house and get ready for another junk collection for the 9th District Urban Services District (USD). You may begin setting out your junk Friday, June 19 in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, June 22 at 6:00 a.m. For collection guidelines please visit http://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-works/services/junk-and-bulk-trash-disposal. Sign up for junk set out reminders by email and text, click here!

From Monday, June 22 through Saturday, June 27, to correspond with Junk Pick Up dates, River Metals Recycling (RMR) is inviting 9th District Residents to receive higher rates for recycling scrap metal: an extra $10 per net ton for sheet metal/appliances and 5 cents per pound extra for aluminum cans and copper.  To participate, print the coupon attached to this email and bring your scrap metal to RMR at 2045 River Road between June 22-27. RMR hours of operation are: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. – Noon.  Thanks to RMR for offering this incentive. Go green with RMR and get your green!  Keep metal out of the landfill by taking it to River Metals to be recycled instead of setting it out for Junk Pick Up. Click here to view a video on how to recycle your metals at RMR.

The tremendous growth in the solar industry is helping to pave the way to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. Over the past few years, the cost of a solar energy system has dropped significantly -- helping to give more American families and business access to affordable, clean energy.   In the next few sustainability stories in the District 9 eNews, we will feature solar projects in the district. 

One of the initiatives is at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center.  Pool water there has been heated by solar-powered heaters for several years, through a public-private partnership.  Johnson Controls spent nearly $27 million to replace inefficient chillers and boilers and update old electrical systems in Louisville Metro facilities.  Metro Government is then making annual payments to the company from the energy savings the project generates.

The solar-powered water heater at the aquatic center heats the pool eight months of the year, supplemented by electricity in the coldest months.  Energy from the sun is collected on the pool’s roof.  (The facility is due for additional improvements this year, with a new $300,000 filter system included in the Mayor’s proposed budget).

We’d like to feature your sustainability story - a resident or business doing good things for the environment.  Riding the bus, bicycling, walking, gardening and more - our eNews will feature practices which can benefit all of us.  Send your story to Bill Hollander or Kyle Ethridge. 

(Photo left to right: Becky Roehrig, Bill Hollander, David Tandy, Lisa Gunterman, Erick & Zach)

On Thursday, May 28, 2015, I had the pleasure of providing pages for the Metro Council Meeting. Zach & Erick Gunterman were the 9th District representatives. Zach is 11 years old and is in the 5th grade at the dePaul School. He loves soccer, playing outside, doing art and drawing. His favorite subject at school is social studies. Erick is 8 years old and is in the 2nd grade at Chenoweth Elementary School. He loves soccer and playing outside with his brother. His favorite subjects are math, computer and PE.

Both boys enjoy the Mayor's Hike & Bike; it’s their favorite city-wide event. They both learned to ride around age 5 and have been doing the event every year since! They also enjoy World Fest and checking out books from Crescent Hill Library. They are both members of Navigators, Chapter 86, which is an inclusive and welcoming Scouting organization. They both play baseball and in their last game Zach hit a home run and Erick hit a double!

Zach recently wrote a letter to President Barack Obama and was invited to the President and First Lady’s Annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House. The first lady liked the letter so much that she posted Zach & Erick’s photo on Instagram along with this from the letter:

My name is Zachary, but you can call me ‘Zach.’ I am ten-years-old.  I have liked you since I was four. I liked you so much, I had a Barack Obama Birthday Cake for my birthday… I live with my two moms, my brother Erick, and my dog Grisby. Is there any chance you can live in Louisville after you are President? We have a couple of the best teams here. I like the Cardinals. Except if the Cards lose, I’ll go for the Cats.

As of today, the Instagram post has over 31,000 likes!

Did you know if you don’t pay your property taxes the unpaid taxes will be offered for sale to private companies at an auction in July? Protect yourself from excessive fees and even foreclosure by calling the Jefferson County Attorney at (502) 574-6331 to work out a payment plan. After you call the County Attorney, call the Legal Aid Society at (502) 584-1254 for help on other housing issues like applying for a Homestead or Disability Exemption, preparing a Power of Attorney, and navigating the court system if your tax bill has already been sold.

Curious what’s inside the Gothic-style structure at the Crescent Hill Reservoir?  Walking Wednesday tours have returned. The tours provide information about the history of Louisville Water’s architecture and operations. Louisville Water staff offers guided tours on the second Wednesday of each month from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., from June through September. This is a FREE tour and Louisville Water staff will offer guided looks into the interior of the gatehouse.

The Crescent Hill Reservoir and Gatehouse opened in 1879 to supply a 10-day supply of water to the city. The gatehouse is still an integral part of operations, containing valves that control the flow of water in the reservoir.   The volume of water in the reservoir, 110 million gallons, is almost the amount Louisville Water produces daily.  Designed by Chief Engineer Charles Hermany, the reservoir and gatehouse provided Louisville a 10-day supply of water when it opened in 1879.  The three-story Gothic structure was designed to resemble a castle Hermany saw along the Rhine River in Germany.

When it opened in 1879, the reservoir quickly became a popular walking destination which continues today. Louisville Water just completed restoring the Gatehouse which sits in between the reservoir basins.  The project included cleaning and repairing over 2,500 terra cotta ceiling tiles, installing a new slate roof and cleaning and repairing the limestone steps leading up the reservoir.  The gatehouse is believed to be one of the only buildings in this part of the United States with a slate roof on the exterior and terra cotta on the interior. The terra cotta is light-weight and in the late 1800s was a good material due to its fire resistance. 

United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM) is now accepting registrations for the summer youth program that runs June 16-August 6. Do you know someone who would benefit from fun and structured afternoons this summer? Activities will range from swimming (a weekly trip to the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center), academic games to reinforce skills, walks to the park for games and basketball, computer work, cooking, art projects, and other activities designed to combine fun with learning. Registration is required for participation. Call Gayle Collins at 893-0346 for information about the program or to enroll your child.

Do you want to make a difference in the life of a child this summer? Volunteers are needed for the summer program. To join the team and the fun, please call Gayle. We need your help to make it all happen for the children!

Does it seem strange that UCHM would be talking about going back to school when school just let out for the summer? It’s not as crazy as it sounds! UCHM collects the school supplies during the summer that they distribute before school starts in August. They are collecting pens, pencils, loose leaf paper, folders, notebooks and backpacks to distribute this fall. Call Gayle or Karen at 893-0346 if you have any questions.

The Clifton Community Council is presenting the first annual Clifton Fest 2015 on Saturday, June 20, from Noon to 10:00 p.m. between State and Williams streets. The fest will host nearly 35 booths of local, handmade goods, Louisville bands, food trucks and Clifton nonprofits.

The Clifton Fest would like to thank the Silver Dollar, Barcode 1757, Hill Top Tavern, their main sponsor, Sweet Water Brewery, and Tito's vodka for their financial backing. This neighborhood festival to celebrate Clifton and everyone involved has a Clifton connection.

Volunteers are still needed for this event. If you are interested in volunteering please contact the primary organizer, Brad Curry at 418-5362 or email brad@rededgelive.com.