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Louisville received great news yesterday when Google Fiber announced it is moving forward with plans for its high speed internet service.  Its projects around the country have been on hold while the Google Fiber technology platform was reevaluated.  Yesterday’s announcement about Louisville was the first new rollout announced by the company in months and one of the first steps in the new technology direction.  The announcement is excellent news for faster speeds, better pricing and more competition.

I was the sponsor of an ordinance which encourages the efficient rollout of new technologies, including Google Fiber, in our public rights of way and had this comment on yesterday’s announcement:

“High speed internet is a necessity for any growing city and Google Fiber’s announcement is another step toward more jobs and economic growth. Mayor Fischer's pursuit of Google Fiber, with the support of Metro Council and our suburban cities, has already led to more competition, which means better service and pricing for our entire community.  I look forward to more of both.” 

More information about Google’s announcement is here.

An electric vehicle charging station has come to The Avenue, with the installation of a unit and a dedicated parking space in the parking lot owned by The Irish Rover, at 2319 Frankfort Avenue.  The station is part of an effort by EVolve KY,   a group of owners and enthusiasts of electric vehicles. The charger is sponsored by Bob Hook Chevrolet and The Irish Rover.   More information about Evolve KY is here http://evolveky.org/ and a map of charging stations in the area is here:  http://evolveky.org/ev-charger-map/. 

Thanks to The Irish Rover for making space available in its parking lot for this green technology!  

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. 

TreesLouisville Rebate Program, in partnership with the Louisville Metro Division of Community Forestry, has just been launched. This is an incentive to get homeowners to plant trees on private property. The program will run through May 31, 2017 and will allow eligible participants to receive 40% back (max. $80) on the purchase price of a shade tree.

• Participants must be residents of Jefferson County and trees must also be planted in Jefferson County.
• Trees must be considered a shade/canopy tree (verified by submitting itemized receipt with form)
• Trees must be planted in a residential yard
• Trees must measure at least 1in. diameter

More information can be found online at: treeslouisville.org/rebate. Participants may submit their rebate through the form on this page and tri-fold brochures are available at local garden centers. Shade trees are generally medium to large sized trees that have spreading canopies (think oaks, maples, lindens and elms), though smaller species like redbuds, serviceberries or dogwoods would also fall under this category. Avoid dwarf ornamental varieties. If you have questions about whether your tree is eligible for a rebate, email info@treeslouisville.org.

Now is a great time to go out and purchase a new shade tree!

Parker and Klein Real Estate invites you to attend a free shredding and electronics recycling event on Thursday, April 27 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at 112 S. Sherrin Avenue, 40207. Shred all paper including papers, magazines, folders, phone books, etc. No hard plastic is accepted. Recycle electronics including computers, phones, printers, and keyboards. Computer hard drives will be destroyed. No tube TVs, lightbulbs or refrigerants. Questions, please contact Jacqueline W. Klein at 802-6752 or email jklein@parkerandklein.com. 

The 2017 U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest will take place this week at Bowman Field in D9. Please mark your calendars for the below events. 

Great Balloon Rush-Hour Race Lift Off
Friday, April 28 / 7:00 AM Launch

Great Balloon Race Lift Off
Saturday, April 29 / 7:00 AM Launch

Great Balloon Race Contingency Windows
Due to inclement weather (high winds, rain, etc.)
Saturday, April 29 / 6:00PM (ONLY if NO Race has taken place)
Sunday, April 30 / 7:00AM (ONLY if NO Race has taken place)

The Chamber of St. Matthews, City of St. Matthews and community partner Eclipse Bank, will host a paper shredding event on Saturday, April 29 at the St. Matthews Community Center, 310 Ten Pin Lane. A+ Paper Shredding will be on hand with two trucks from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., or until the two trucks are full. Small businesses, nonprofits, churches and St. Matthews residents are welcome to participate. Participants may shred up to two boxes of documents per household or business. Boxes should be no larger than “banker boxes” or 24x12x10 inches. Additional boxes can be shredded for a $10 donation. This is a drive-through event.

 The Louisville Bats are hosting two types of Louisville Metro Government Nights. 

Metro Council Mondays: For this program, the Bats will host groups and organizations doing the good of the community. This includes 12,000 total tickets distributed for use on any of these Monday nights: May 1, May 8, June 19, July 17 and August 28. Examples include school fundraisers, charity auctions, and several others.

Community Nights: The Bats will host two community nights, providing tickets, hot dogs, and soft drinks to non-profit groups who would not be able to afford a Bats game under regular circumstances. These two nights include 4,000 guests for each game on July 18 and August 2. Groups will need to contact the Bats office directly to sign up for the program and each group member will get a voucher for a ticket, hot dog and soft drink. Examples include mentoring organizations, social service agencies, and many more.

To request tickets for either part of the program, organizations should contact Shelby Harding at sharding@batsbaseball.com. Please include your Metro Council District, organization name, contact name, mailing address, daytime phone and number of tickets requested. Email requests are preferred, but if email is not available please call 614-4502.

Louisville Water Tower Park, 3005 River Road, hosts a grand viewing party where guests can watch the Belle of Louisville race the Belle of Cincinnati from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3.  While waiting for the steamboats, guests can tour Louisville Water’s pumping stations that include a 1919 giant Allis-Chalmers steam engine, one of only a handful remaining in the United States. 

The “Great Space, Place & Boat Race” Viewing Party offers a clear view of the Ohio River for the boat race and a family-friendly picnic-style event with outdoor activities and games. A parking fee of $20 per vehicle includes access to the WaterWorks Museum, a look inside the historic Louisville Water Tower and a tour of current pumping stations.  Indoor restrooms are available in the museum. 

The Catering Company will offer picnic food for purchase plus a cash bar.  Louisville Water will have plenty of Louisville pure tap®. Guests are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets.  Alcohol, food not purchased on site and pets are not permitted. Admission is $20 per vehicle. Tickets can be purchased online through LouisvilleWaterTower.com.  Tickets will also be available day of event.

I was disappointed to learn that the Clifton Center has lost its lease, as of December 31. The Center has been built with considerable public and private funds and volunteer efforts over the years. I am making efforts to help its programs and tenants continue to operate. Here’s a press release from the Clifton Center.

After more than 22 years of service to the Greater Louisville area as a welcoming, inclusive, eclectic, performance and conference facility, the Clifton Center will discontinue that role at 2117 Payne Street in the Clifton neighborhood as of December 31, 2017.  Its landlord, St. Frances of Rome Catholic Parish, will be repurposing the former school building for other use.

The Center has been an important hub for arts, culture and education in our community – open to all.  Its success has been largely community generated from donors and concert goers like you. We are disappointed that it is coming to an end.

In addition to Clifton Center presentations, the Center hosts hundreds of events each year in its role as a rental facility including conferences, business meetings, art shows, weddings and receptions of all kinds. Many have watched their children perform on our stage (or performed on it themselves), some have been married here, and some have been remembered. Hundreds of community nonprofit organizations have used the Center as a backdrop for gatherings of their clients and for fundraising events.

The Center’s mission to serve as a gathering place for art, culture and ideas that enrich our community has received support from individuals, foundations, corporations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kentucky Arts Council, Metro Louisville, Brown-Forman, D.D. Williamson and members of the community. It began in 1994 as a nonprofit partnership between leaders from St. Frances of Rome, the Clifton neighborhood and community cultural leaders to bring new life and vitality to the Frankfort Avenue area through cultural events.

The Center will celebrate the 25th Taste of Frankfort Avenue on August 13 this year with proceeds designated to complete the Center’s mission for the rest of the year.  The annually sold-out event was designed to celebrates the eclectic array of restaurants of Frankfort Avenue and enlists the community in supporting the Center.

The Center will continue its mission to actively present and host cultural and community events through December 31, 2017.  For rental information, contact the Center's Manager of Client Relations and Administration, Ann Drury, at 502-896-8480, extension 302 or adrury@cliftoncenter.org

All TARC buses will become free WiFi hot spots for internet access by June 1. TARC, with a fleet of 227 buses, already provides WiFi on 156 buses and work is underway to enable WiFi on the remaining 71 buses.

TARC first made WiFi available in 2013 on 21 eTran commuter coaches that cross the river and travel on some express routes, and added WiFi to more buses as funding allowed. Recent contract options with Verizon resulted in significant savings for onboard Wi-Fi, reducing the cost for unlimited data to a fixed amount of about $40 a month per bus. TARC also receives an annual contribution covering WiFi on 55 buses from Lamar, TARC’s bus advertising partner. 

As of May 1st, Louisville Metro Animal Services will accept the surrendering of pets by appointment only. This new process is an effort to better serve the public and its pets. It is a proactive approach to saving animals’ lives. LMAS is not changing what it takes, just when.

Currently, LMAS accepts pet surrenders, on-the-spot, even if the shelter is full. The appointment process, called managed intake, will give LMAS an opportunity to control the revolving door of pets. Last year, 1,960 pets were surrendered to LMAS, and so far this year, more than 600 pets have been surrendered.

Any animal determined by LMAS to be stray, sick, injured or aggressive will be accepted immediately, without an appointment.

The new process will not only reduce overcrowding, it will also help with pet retention as owners may decide to keep their pets with more time to think about their decision and explore other options. Managed intake will also help reduce the length of stay for animals in the shelter and gives staff more time to make sure adequate resources are available.

Under the new process, owners wanting to surrender their pets will first fill-out and submit a Pet History Form. The Pet History Form can be filled-out and submitted at the LMAS Animal Care Center (3705 Manslick Rd.) or online at www.louisvilleky.gov/animalservices. Once LMAS has reviewed the form, a staff member will contact the pet owner within two business days to set an appointment. Owners who surrender their pets will be charged a $25 impoundment fee to help cover the cost of care for their pet.