Join Councilman Blackwell for a cup of coffee at this month's Coffee with Your Councilman. This monthly meeting is an informal way to connect with Councilman Blackwell and the District 12 office. You can ask questions, voice suggestions, and find out what's going on in Southwest Louisville. Please stop by and enjoy a cup of coffee on us!

WHEN: Saturday, May 27from 10:00 am - Noon 

WHERE: Panera Bread, 6900 Dixie Highway

For more information, please contact Liz McQuillen in the District 12 office at Liz.McQuillen@louisvilleky.gov or 502.574.1112.

*Please note that this location has changed and will not be held at Sister Bean's in April. The June Coffee is scheduled for 6/24/17 to be held at Panera Bread.**

Buy Local Fair

Sunday, July 2, 12m-6pm

Louisville Water Tower Park, 3005 River Road

www.keeplouisvilleweird.com/buylocalfair

**Due to inclement weather on the original event date, the Buy Local Fair has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 2**

The Buy Local Fair returns for its 9th year on Sunday, July 2nd from 12n to 6pm at the Louisville Water Tower Park.

This local favorite will include more than 200 booths from a variety of local businesses, artists and craftspeople, community organizations, and farmers, as well as live music, Trend Appliances cooking competition, craft cocktail competition, food and drink vendors, ValuMarket craft beer tent, Cox’s Back Porch area for the grownups and a children’s area as well. Presented by the Louisville Water Company, the event also gets major support from Amish Hills Furniture and Louisville Metro Council.

“It’s a great feeling to hear from our visitors and vendors about how much they love the Buy Local Fair,” says Jennifer Rubenstein, Director of the Louisville Independent Business Alliance. “We put this event on with our member businesses as the focal point, and the public really digs it. There’s such a variety of local independent businesses that are unique and fun – and that makes a community impact by keeping more dollars circulating locally!”

Attendees may not have the local economy on their mind when they’re buying the perfect birthday gift, or chowing on their favorite local burger, but the Louisville Local Impact Study shows that the money spent will circulate locally over 3 times more than when spent at a chain. And that’s the beauty of the Buy Local Fair – building community while having a remarkable experience.  

Admission to the Buy Local Fair is free and parking is $5 per vehicle (or free for bicycle parking). Visit www.keeplouisvilleweird.com/buylocalfair for more info. 

Metro Parks and Recreation is offering an affordable family golf special for this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. 

For only $25, a family of up to four members can play nine holes at any Metro Parks course. The $25 includes greens and cart fees, and families can take advantage of the deal after 4:30 p.m. on three days: Saturday, May 27, Sunday, May 28 and Monday, May 29.

Families are encouraged to call in advance to book a tee time at the golf course of their choice, or they can make a tee time using the new Metro Parks and Recreation app. 

Metro Parks golf courses are open from daylight to dark seven days a week.

ABOUT METRO PARKS GOLF:
Louisville's nine public golf courses offer a quality golfing experience at some of the most affordable prices in the nation. Each course has its own unique character, and some consistently rank among Kentucky's best and most challenging courses. The nine municipally-owned golf courses meet the needs of everyone from beginners to scratch golfers. For more information, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/parks/golf-courses.

• Bobby Nichols Golf Course, 4301 E. Pages Lane, 502/937-9051 (9 holes)
• Charlie Vettiner Golf Course, 10207 Mary Dell Lane, 502/267-9958 (18 holes)
• Cherokee Golf Course, 2501 Alexander Road, 502/458-9450 (9 holes)
• Crescent Hill Golf Course, 3110 Brownsboro Road, 502/896-9193 (9 holes)
• Iroquois Golf Course, 1501 Rundill Road, 502/363-9520 (18 holes)
• Long Run Golf Course, 1605 Flat Rock Road, 502/245-9015 (18 holes)
• Seneca Golf Course, 2300 Pee Wee Reese Blvd, 502/458-9298 (18 holes)
• Shawnee Golf Course, 460 Northwestern Parkway, 502/776-9389 (18 holes)
• Sun Valley Golf Course, 6505 Bethany Lane, 502/937-9228 (18 holes)

Now through May 31st, 2017, purchase a shade tree and receive 40% off purchase price (up to $80)! TreesLouisville is partnering with the Louisville Metro Division of Community Forestry for this program, which is open to all residents of Jefferson County. 

Eligibility requirements:

• Tree must be considered a shade tree* and selected from Approved Tree List **
• Program open to Jefferson County, KY residents only
• Max 3 submissions per household
• Tree must measure at least 1in in diameter at a point 6in above soil line
• Tree must be purchased and planted between October 2016 – May 31, 2017
• Rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis while funds are available
• Rebate is only eligible for purchase price of tree (i.e. excludes tax, planting or delivery fees, etc.)

* Shade trees are generally medium to large sized trees that have spreading canopies (think oaks, maples, lindens and elms), though smaller species like redbuds or serviceberries 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.

** For a list of appropriate trees for our region, refer to the DCF Master Tree List.

 Need help selecting a tree species? Here’s a short list of our favorite trees.

Develop Louisville needs your help in updating Louisville's Comprehensive Plan. A comprehensive plan establishes a framework to guide public and private decisions about future growth, preservation and changes within a local government. The current comprehensive plan, Cornerstone 2020, goes through the timeframe of 2000-2020 and Kentucky State Law requires that a new comprehensive plan be adopted to establish guidelines for the physical development and economic and social well-being of the area. 

How is the plan being updated?

As Cornerstone 2020 is approaching its effective timeframe, a new comprehensive plan is being prepared to guide actions beyond 2020. The new plan, which will have a horizon of 2040, builds on Cornerstone 2020. In addition, it will incorporate objectives of several other plans and initiatives into a single foundational policy document (such as Vision Louisville, Sustain Louisville, Move Louisville, the Consolidated Plan, Making Louisville Home for Us All, Healthy Louisville 2020 and the Downtown Louisville Master Plan). The new plan will serve as the community’s official statement about how it hopes to change over the next 20 years.

Develop Louisville, specifically the Offices of Planning & Design Services and Advanced Planning, will focus on drafting of the Comprehensive Plan update. In support of developing the policies, planning staff will rely on the assistance from other divisions of Develop Louisville and Louisville Metro as well as community and business organizations, outside agencies and citizens. Work on the new comprehensive plan is underway with data collection and analysis. The official kickoff was August 31, 2016. 

staff has been engaging with the public on an update to the Comprehensive Plan. Some methods of engagement have included work groups, an Advisory Committee, outreach to local municipalities with zoning authority and appearing before various bodies and organizations including the Committee of the Whole.

In the coming weeks, Develop Louisville will be holding six open house forums to provide the public with an opportunity to view and to comment on the work done so far.

The dates, times and locations for the forums are:

Monday, May 22: Main Library (301 York St) at 4 pm

Wednesday, May 24: Southwest Library (9725 Dixie Hwy) at 6 pm

Tuesday, May 30: Bowman Field (2815 Taylorsville Rd) at 6 pm

Saturday, June 3: The Table (1800 Portland Ave) at 9 am

Monday, June 5: Fern Creek High School (9115 Fern Creek Rd) at 6 pm

Tuesday, June 6: The Jeffersonian (former Jeffersontown Community Center) (10617 Taylorsville Rd) at 6 pm

The forums will allow for additional input on the work completed to date (draft goals and objectives) and will help us develop policies. These meetings will be open house style with a short introductory presentation.Please mark your calendar to be a part of the process!

Visit the Develop Louisville website for more information on the plan.

The Cultural Pass provides free access to many of Greater Louisville’s arts and cultural institutions for children of Metro Louisville.  The Pass is valid for one-time general admission at each of the participating institutions and is valid from June 3 to August 12.  Created from Vision Louisville, the Cultural Pass is an innovative initiative to promote art and culture and improve summer learning in our community.  The 2017 Cultural Pass is presented by Churchill Downs, in partnership with Metro Louisville, Fund for the Arts, Arts and Culture Alliance and the Louisville Free Public Library.  More than 150,000 passes have been issued since its inception in 2014.

The 2017 Cultural Pass is available starting May 22, 2017 and may be picked up at any Louisville Free Public Library branch along with the Summer Reading Program.  Pass holders can register and track the progress of your Cultural Pass online at www.lfpl.org/culturalpass.  

The official Cultural Pass Launch Day will be on June 3 at the Main Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library and all participating venues will be invited to participate.

Getting to jobs, the movies, recreational activities and fun events around Louisville is affordable and easy for young people with the TARC Summer Youth Pass, which goes on sale Mon., May 22.

The pass costs $30 and is available to anyone 6-19 years old.  With the pass, youths can take unlimited TARC rides on all routes from June 1-Aug. 31.

By taking public transportation, young people can gain self-confidence and become more self-reliant, important skills for lifelong success, Barker said. All TARC buses are equipped with bicycle racks that can provide greater mobility. 

The pass can be ordered from TARC’s website, www.ridetarc.org, or purchased at the following locations:

Union Station, 1000 W. Broadway

Nia Center, 2900 W. Broadway

All Fifth Third Banks

Louisville Free Public Library, 3rd & York

To order by mail, send a check or money order for $30, with your name, address and phone number, to SUMMER YOUTH PASS; c/o TARC cashier; 1000 W. Broadway; Louisville, KY  40203.

Need help with light housekeeping chores? 

Let Harbor House Home Sweet Home help!  We are an insured and certified cleaning service for our community.  Let “Little Chores Open Doors!” and help us help you.   Our mission is to empower individuals with disabilities and their families to lead fulfilled and productive lives.  Light the Way for people with disabilities. 

For more information, contact Karen Fallon at 751-3212.