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.

As part of the national “March for Meals” movement, I had the pleasure of delivering meals from United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM) with volunteer Taryn Gathof.  Taryn is shown here with Joy Fron, Senior Center Manager at UCHM. 

Louisville Metro’s Senior Nutrition Program works year-round to help seniors stay healthy by providing hot, nutritious meals. Through the Meals on Wheels program, hundreds of volunteers helped deliver over 100,000 hot noontime meals last year to qualified individuals. Another 90,000 meals were served to active seniors at more than 20 congregate meal sites, which offer seniors an opportunity for a nutritious lunch, socialization and activities.

The Senior Nutrition Program seeks volunteers all year long to help in a variety of capacities, including packaging and serving meals at one of the congregate sites, and delivering meals to homebound clients.  For more information about volunteering, call (502) 574-6325.  Volunteer drivers are especially needed for routes in the west and south ends of Louisville. To make a financial donation to Meals on Wheels, click here for Louisville Metro’s secure on-line donation form.

Meals on Wheels is available to qualified seniors in Jefferson County, 60 years or older, who are homebound with no one available to help prepare meals.  Seniors who would like to receive Meals on Wheels can call (502) 574-6325 to begin the qualification process.  The senior congregate sites for more active seniors, 60 and older, can be found by calling the same number above or by visiting https://louisvilleky.gov/government/community-services/senior-nutrition-program.  Sites require a one-day advanced reservation.

Learn more about Beargrass Creek on Thursday, April 13 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the Peterson-Dumesnil House, 301 S. Peterson Avenue. Enjoy a showing of the documentary "Beargrass: The Creek in Our Backyard" and Q&A with the filmmaker, Morgan Atkinson.

“Beargrass: The Creek in Your Backyard”, examines Louisville's primary urban stream in all its majesty and misery. It will be a vital conversation starter designed to engage all residents and visitors in the future of the creek and the neighborhoods that comprise its watershed.  The goals are simple:

• Promote a historical, natural understanding of Beargrass Creek, its tributaries and the 67-square mile watershed.  
• Provide an overview of how the creek has been used and abused over time, and explore the positive future-oriented solutions to restore the creek and the ecological corridor.
• Promote public health benefits that are inherent in a clean urban stream with recreational and transportation trails along its banks.  
• Highlight Beargrass Creek biodiversity.
• Encourage home owners and businesses to use best management practices on their land by featuring current examples that everyone could adopt. Explain the benefits of green infrastructure in simple terms.
• Encourage organizations to work together to protect public health, participate in clean ups and to highlight the current work to clean up the creek and how they can support it.
• Learn from other urban streams restoration efforts that have transformed their local neighborhoods around our region.
• Most important - to engage in community wide work to restore a clean and accessible Beargrass Creek. 

For information on the film visit: http://dwlouisville.wixsite.com/beargrassdocumentary

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. 

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. 16CUP1068
You are invited to attend a Board of Zoning Adjustment meeting for a conditional use permit to allow short-term rental in an R-5 zoning district.
Subject Property: 319 S Bayly Avenue
Case Manager: Jon Crumbie (jon.crubmie@louisvilleky.gov)   
Meeting Type: Board of Zoning Adjustment
Date: Monday, April 3, 2017
Time: Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street, 40202

St. Matthews Area Ministries (St. MAM) is collecting Easter food baskets to distribute to St. MAM families. Please consider donating a basket with the following in a re-useable bag or basket (baskets available at dollar stores):

• 1 bag of potatoes
• 1 lbs. of fresh green beans
• 1 bag of carrots
• 1 bag of apples
• 1 box of macaroni and cheese
• Rolls (non-frozen)
• Box of cake mix with icing

Please bring food baskets to St. MAM at 201 Biltmore Road inside Beechwood Baptist Church on Monday, April 10 or Tuesday, April 11 between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

If you don’t have time to make a basket, please consider making a donation to help cover the cost of Easter Hams at $10 each. Questions, please contact Sarah Banks at 893-0205 or email SarahBanks@stmam.com.

The Frankfort Avenue Business Association (FABA), the Clifton Community Council and the Crescent Hill Community Council invite you to attend the 25th Annual Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade on Saturday, April 15. Enjoy the Shiners, antique cars, homemade family floats, Hwang’s Martial Arts, Talking Police Car and Mounted Sheriff’s Posse. Plus, plenty of FREE candy! The parade will travel along Frankfort Avenue from Stilz to Pope Street, beginning at 11:30 a.m. 

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 (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 is coming up on 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.