Join us on Tuesday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, 2115 Lexington Road, for our bi-monthly D9 Community Conversation. Ms. Angela Akridge, MSD’s Chief Engineer, will be one of our guest speakers to present the 20 Year Comprehensive Facility Plan for MSD. Please plan to join the discussion about our community’s needs and risks, and the cost to meet them. Last year, MSD sought a substantial rate increase and it will likely do so again. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss how the money would be used and to hear your comments and questions.

The draft of the “Critical Repair & Reinvestment Plan” and summaries are available for review and comment at any branch of the Louisville Free Public Library or MSD’s website at LouisvilleMSD.org/CriticalRepairPlan.

Representatives of the Louisville Metro Office of Sustainability will also speak on several new sustainability initiatives including: the cool roof rebate program; enhancements to the Green Infrastructure incentive program; and free technical assistance and verification for Energy Star Certifications.

As with all D9 Community Conversations, discussion of any other subjects is welcome and I will be available to talk with constituents about any questions, comments or concerns.  Mark your calendar - and bring along a friend or neighbor. 

For 100 years, The Ursuline Sisters have made vows in the Motherhouse Chapel on Lexington Road in Louisville.  This sacred space, dedicated in the winter of 1917, continues to serve the Sisters and the Louisville community on a daily basis.

The public is invited to join in a yearlong Centennial celebration at the Motherhouse, 3105 Lexington Road. Multiple concerts in the Ursuline Motherhouse Chapel are free and open to the public.

• King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church Choir - Sunday, March 19 from 7 - 8 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
• Sacred Heart Academy Madrigals and Harp Ensemble - Sunday, June 4 from 12 noon – 12:30 p.m. following 11 a.m. mass
• Bourbon Baroque - Saturday, September 23 from 7 – 8:15 p.m.
• Bellarmine University Choral Groups - Saturday, October 21 from 7 – 8 p.m.

The Ursuline Sisters have taught thousands of Louisville children over the years and, most recently, work for social justice in many ministries across the city, including efforts to welcome immigrants, feed the hungry, and embrace adults with special needs.

For more information, please contact Anne Blim, Media/Public Relations at 594-4372 or email communications@ursulineslou.org. 

The League of Women Voters invites you to attend the monthly dinner and democracy meeting on Monday, March 20. Topic for discussion is “Air and Water Challenges in Kentucky” with speaker Sarah Lynn Cunningham, Director of the Louisville Climate Action Network. Dinner at 5:30 p.m., no reservation required, but donations are accepted. Program begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing Avenue. For more information call 895-5218 or email info@lwvlouisville.org. 

The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition will offer a free Naloxone (also referred to by its brand name as Narcan®) training session, teaching people how to use medication to reverse the effects of overdose from heroin and other opioid drugs and prevent death. The free training is open to the general public including first responders and to the family and friends of those who use heroin or other opioid drugs. Free kits or prescriptions for Naloxone will be available after the training. The training will be held on Monday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. at United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM), 150 S. State Street.

Naloxone is a medication called an “opioid antagonist” used to counter the effects of opioid overdose.  Naloxone is used in heroin and other opioid drug overdoses to counteract life-threatening depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system, allowing an overdose victim to breathe normally.

If you’ve been complaining about litter, here’s a chance to do something about it.

Please plan to join me and Legislative Assistant Kyle Ethridge on Saturday, April 8, for the D9 Spring Community Cleanup. In partnership with Brightside, we will be cleaning up Frankfort Avenue in preparation for the Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade. Volunteers should plan to meet at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast sandwiches, provided by the Clifton McDonald’s, and hot coffee, provided by Heine Brothers’ Coffee. The cleanup will officially start at 9:00 a.m. beginning at the Frankfort and Keats public parking lot and fanning out along Frankfort Avenue. The District 9 office will provide bags, gloves, tools and t-shirts on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you would like to register your own neighborhood team through Brightside for the normally scheduled date – Saturday, April 15, please click here.

Beginning Monday, March 20, the Louisville Water Company (LWC) will be conducting an assessment of their piping infrastructure for the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant. This will require intermittent lane closures on Frankfort Avenue between Reservoir Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. Lane closures will be limited to the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and one lane of traffic both east and west bound will remain open. The work will occur over 2-4 weeks.

Louisville small business owners, and those aspiring to start businesses, too often don’t know about all the resources available to help them. But Louisville is rich with resources and assistance providers that are ready, willing and able to help!  Business planning and advice for starting, relocating and expanding a business and access to financing opportunities, training and workforce development assistance are all available by clicking here https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/small-business-resource-inquiry 

This quick and easy, single entry point allows you to inquire about the resources you need for your business and be connected with experts to assist you.

Louisville Forward Economic Development offers access to resources and technical assistance for businesses at all stages. If you are interested in starting your own business, and need to understand the rigors involved in being your own boss. Louisville Metro Department of Community Services offers a free one-hour workshop, “Exploring Entrepreneurship,” and a more intense day-long seminar, “Own Your Own Business.”

You may need a bank loan to finance your dream; but you can’t do that without a well thought-out business plan. You can receive free business plan assistance through a number of professional business assistance providers, as well as mentors with corporate and business ownership experience closely matched to your needs. You also may be eligible for alternative lending programs through a variety of organizations, depending on the location of your business and your access to capital.

Louisville Forward Small Business Development’s https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/services/small-business-development team of managers will help guide you to the resources and partner organizations that will best fit your needs. This includes introductions to the Small Business Association, Small Business Development Center, SCORE Counselors, Community Ventures, Legal Aid Society, EnterpriseCorp, KentuckianaWorks, METCO, Department of Community Service Microbusiness Program, and more.

Click the link to begin https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/small-business-resource-inquiry

Attached please find a New Location memo and Courier Journal Legal announcement for a Quota Retail Liquor by the Drink, NQ4 Retail Malt Beverage by the Drink, Sunday Liquor by the Drink, Sampling, and 2 a.m. Extended Drink Hours license(s) being applied for, located at 1757 Frankfort Avenue, Ste. 101, Louisville, KY. 40206, in front of the historic Hilltop Theater.  The ad ran in The Courier Journal Wednesday, March 8, 2017. The business to be licensed is listed as “Red Herring”.

• Courier Journal ABC Ad
• New location or ownership change

Any person, association, corporation, or body politic may protest the granting of the licenses by writing the Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 1003 Twilight Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601-8400, within 30 days of the date of the legal publication. 

For basic details for below case/s please visit http://www.louisvilleky.gov/PlanningDesign/.  Click on “Search Case Information” link on the left navigation bar.  Then select the “home” tab and select the type of case and enter the above case number.  For specific case information please call or email the listed case manager.  If you have any questions please contact Planning & Design directly at 574-6230.

Case No. 17VARIANCE1007
You are invited to attend a review for a Variance from the Land Development Code to allow a garage to encroach into the required side yard setback.
Subject Property: 3400 Grandview Avenue
Case Manager: Dante St. Germain (dante.st.germain@louisvilleky.gov)  
Meeting Type: Board of Zoning Adjustment
Date: Monday, March 20, 2017
Time: Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street, 40202

Case No. 17VARIANCE1008
You are invited to attend a review for Variances from the Land Development Code to allow a garage to encroach into the required side yard setback, and for a fence in the street side yard to exceed 42 inches in height.
Subject Property: 3947 Grandview Avenue
Case Manager: Dante St. Germain (dante.st.germain@louisvilleky.gov)  
Meeting Type: Board of Zoning Adjustment
Date: Monday, March 20, 2017
Time: Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street, 40202

The 2017 Metro Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Survey is available. Please let Metro Parks know your thoughts on facilities, amenities, customer service and more. It takes just a few minutes, and it will help your parks improve! 

You can find the link to the survey here. 

My office is partnering with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) to provide FREE tax preparation services again in 2017. The service is FREE if you earned $55,000 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or less in 2016 or if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Call the office today to see if you qualify and make your appointment! Appointments are available on Fridays (March 24, and April 7, 14) between 9:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please call the office at 574-3908 to make an appointment.        

Do you instead file your own taxes? Through the LABC website there are two options to self-file online. The “Turbo Tax Freedom Edition” is available if you have $31,000 or less in income. The software has a well-designed interview process that guides you through the process of making decisions about your filing status, inputting your income and making decisions about deductions and tax credits for which you may qualify. The other option is “My Free Taxes”, which is available if you make $62,000 or less. This program is developed by H&R Block and uses an interview process. Please visit, http://labcservices.org/index.php/free-tax-filing-at-labc-services, for more information.

AARP also offers free tax services at Clifton Christian Church, 131 Vernon Avenue, in D9 on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. More information is available here or by calling 394-3433.

The deadline to register your rental property has been extended to April 3, 2017. All property located in Louisville Metro and occupied or offered for occupancy in exchange for money or any other consideration must be registered with Louisville Metro Government. Failure to register is subject to a fine up to $100 per day per housing unit. Registration must include the rental unit street address along with current contact information of the owner and managing operator.

Registration requires an account with Develop Louisville. Visit, https://www.louisvilleky.gov/government/codes-regulations, to establish an account and access the registry, or to get detailed information and instructions on registry requirements.

My office is happy to assist District 9 residents that are experiencing issues with the registration process. Please contact my Legislative Assistant, Kyle Ethridge, by phone at 574-3908 or email.