Bilal Powell and Councilwoman Sexton Smith joined Holy Trinity students who were volunteering at Engelhard Elementary School. 

Thank you so very much!

AMPED Student Showcase at the Shelby Park Community Center gave many youth the opportunity to perform and shine after spending many hours practicing in music classes.

AMPED is youth program that focuses on music and aims to provide a safe and productive environment for youth to explore their creativity through music.  AMPED participants have the opportunity to learn song writing, music composition, recording, engineering, audio equipment setup, video, photography, web design, marketing, and more.

Thank you Dave Christopher!

Councilwoman Sexton Smith attended another fantastic West Louisville Forum where Rochelle Riley, former executive with Courier-Journal and now an award-winning columnist with the Detroit Free Press, held a conversation about her new book, "The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery."

The standing-room-only crowd included these photos of Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton, Betty Baye, Brent Bucknum, Clay Calloway, Rico, Rochelle Riley and many others.

The Speed museum hosted a great celebration of women sponsored by LG&E-KU on March 1st - International Women's Day.
Thirty Seven women were honored, two of whom are seen here, thanks to Ron Murphy. Congratulations Deb and Katie Murphy! 

Edie Bingham, Stephen Riley, Jeannie Potter, Kim Baker, Lynn Rippy, Dr. Charlotte Stites, Dr. Kish Cumi,  Angie Evans and many others were in attendance. 

Treat yourself and visit the Speed Museum on Sundays for FREE and see the amazing exhibit - 

Women Artists: In the Age of Impressionism. 

Councilwoman Sexton Smith toured the training facility of the apprenticeship training program for the carpenters and millwrights. What they have to offer to our community is amazing!
Many thanks to Andrew Faulkner for taking the  time to share their story. 

 In March, Natalie Woods celebrates her one year anniversary as Branch Manager at the Western Library, located in the Russell neighborhood. She spent her high school years at DuPont Manual & Youth Performing Arts School where she played cello. She then garnered an Associates in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration from Sullivan University, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Florida State University.  She is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Phi Mu and graduated Summa Cum Laude. 

 Natalie tutored with the JCPS Every1 Reads program at the Sons of Issachar afterschool academy, an offshoot of the Canaan Community Development Corporation and part of the Canaan Christian Church.  Her career with Louisville Free Public Library began at the Shawnee Library where she was page and part time library clerk before promoting to full time ordering clerk in content management at the Main Library. After receiving her Master’s, she was promoted to Branch Manager at Western in 2017.  She serves on several committees in the Russell neighborhood, including acting as consulting party for the Redevelopment of Beecher Terrace, and the Greater Russell Equity, Education Equity and Economic and Self-Sufficient Equity Task Groups. 

 
Natalie is passionate about showcasing Western Library’s history as the first public library in the United States for African American patrons, ran by African American staff members. She aims to continue the pioneering work of Rev. Thomas Fountain Blue, who considered Western a pillar of the neighborhood, serving the community as a place for advancement and strong connections. In her time at Western, she has organized several African American history programs, and relaunched the Western Block Party, a neighborhood tradition that will continue in July 2018. 
 

You can learn more about Western Library’s history at www.lfpl.org/western/htms/welcome.htm 

Reporting potholes is easier than ever! Keeping our roads and community pristine is an important issue to everyone in the area. Follow any of the three simple methods listed below when you see a pothole and Public Works will respond as soon as they can in order to fill them.

·  Click here to use our easy online form.

·  Use Twitter by including the hashtag #502pothole and the location of the hole in any tweet.

·  Call MetroCall 311 or 574-5000 to report potholes or any other issues. You may also email them at metro.call@louisvilleky.gov         

While we take stock, contact insurance agents and assess the damage from a week of record-breaking floods, we need to look forward and be clear about the steps everyone must take to protect the region we love from rising water.  

The proposed MSD critical repair and reinvestment plan to improve Louisville’s aging wastewater, stormwater and flood protection systems is more than critical to the future economic growth of our city. It is vital to the public safety and well-being of our citizens.

This fact was recognized last year when Mayor Greg Fischer and several members of Metro Council put forward a plan to fund needed repairs to our city’s sewer system. Continuing to ignore the potential impact of this issue is actively putting the lives of Louisvillians at risk and simultaneously eroding the ability of Louisville to become a world-class city. Our organizations have supported this plan for more than a year and this past week’s weather underscores why Metro Council must act immediately.

Much of Louisville’s infrastructure was constructed in the mid-1800s, around the time of the Civil War. Louisville residents and businesses are affected when century-old sewers inevitably fail – such as the Aug. 30, 2017, collapse at East Main and Hancock streets that was due to a failure of a 102-inch concrete sewer pipe installed in 1948. This segment of pipeline carried 35 to 40 million gallons of wastewater per day, which is approximately one-third of the flow in Louisville Metro. 

Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident, but the cave-in resulted in more than six weeks’ worth of work, street closures and neighborhood disruption. MSD has previously reported that it is averaging nine cave-ins per month. Serious failures are occurring at an increasingly rapid pace.

Clearly, Louisville’s aging system of pipes, pumps, treatment plants and floodgates is in urgent need of repair. Additionally, rainfall totals that once could be managed by the system now overwhelm it. This risk is heightened by an increased frequency of intense and extreme storms. 

Louisville’s population growth, from 68,000 at the time of construction of our current infrastructure to more than 780,000 today, demands immediate attention to the crisis we are facing. As we continue to grow and develop into a world-class region, we must outline and fund a long-term plan for rebuilding MSD infrastructure.

Without a stable and strong infrastructure, the region’s public safety, real estate investments and ability to grow and compete economically are at constant risk. 

MSD leadership and its board have worked the past year to educate the community on the need for a significant investment in our aging stormwater, wastewater and flood control infrastructure. We need the full Metro Council to rally behind the mayor and Metro Council members currently supporting this plan and invest in our city’s out-of-date infrastructure. 

It is clear that our community’s antiquated infrastructure endangers the safety, health and livability of our entire community. With cave-ins happening at a rapidly increasing pace, the magnitude of risk to public well-being and economic growth is too great to ignore.  

The time has come to bring MSD’s infrastructure into the 21st century. 

Pat Durham, Building Industry Association of Greater Louisville executive vice president

Ashley Haury, Mortgage Bankers Association of Louisville president

Kent Oyler, Greater Louisville Inc. president and CEO

Lisa Stephenson, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors CEO      

Councilwoman Sexton Smith is participating in the discounted recycle cart program with Solid Waste. District 4 residents benefit! The 95-gallon and 65-gallon recycling carts are available for District 4 residents for only $25 -- this is a 50% discount off the cost. To order your recycle cart call Solid Waste Management (SWMS) at 574-3571 or download the form here:
 https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/public_works/pdf_files/3-8-17_garbageandrecyclingcart_recyclingbin_95-65.pdf  

Then mail in the completed form and $25 to SWMS at: 

Louisville Metro Solid Waste Management

Attn: Collection Division

600 Meriwether Avenue

Louisville, KY 40217-1146

Mayor Greg Fischer joined with U of L Football Coach Bobby Petrino to announce plans for a special flood relief fund to help aid families who have been hit hard by the flooding.  

The fund was created with a $100,000 donation from Bobby and Becky Petrino and the Petrino Family Foundation, as part of its #LoveLouisville campaign, and will go to families displaced by the flood, as well as to help people cover some of their clean-up and recovery costs.

Households that meet income eligibility requirements and other criteria can get up to $1,000 to cover emergency expenses caused by the flooding. 

In order to qualify, applicants must be Jefferson County residents with a household income at or below 80 percent of Area Media Income (AMI) and must have been living in their home as a primary residence at the time of the flood.  

The funds can be used to cover the first month’s rent and deposits up to $1,000 for displaced families who are in need of a new or temporary residence.  Funds may also be used to purchase cleaning, household or other emergency supplies. 

Residents who want to apply can contact MetroCall 311 by simply dialing 311 or 574-5000, email metro.call@louisvilleky.gov, visit the website’s On Line Customer Service or Live Chat at www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocall, tweet @LouMetro311, or download the free Mobile 311 app from the website.

Be prepared to leave your name, address, phone number, email address and what type of assistance is needed. 

Within 48-72 hours, a staff person with Neighborhood Place will contact all applicants.  Applicants will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. 

To read more information click here. The city has also applied for assistance from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency to help recoup the millions of dollars in damages and response and recovery costs.

Make your voice heard as Russell transforms, and be entered into a drawing for one of 75, $100 prizes!

Be on the lookout for a survey that is being mailed to property owners and individuals/businesses that own/operate businesses within the Russell neighborhood. The survey is designed to gather feedback and help prioritize the work of the Vision Russell team.

 
The Vision Russell team will use the results to focus their transformation efforts, working to make the neighborhood more attractive for existing investors and more enticing to future investors.  

 For more information about the survey please visit www.visionrussell.org

I.M.A.G.I.N.E. Peace Now Exhibition

Exhibition closes Friday, March 16th

Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, 1701 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard

The Innovative Merger of Arts & Guns to Inspire New Expression (I.M.A.G.I.N.E.) Peace Now exhibition features decommissioned guns transformed into art objects by artists. The exhibition displays a powerful statement about gun violence in America and artistic expressions of peace. Free and open to the public. For more information, please call (502) 583-4100 or visit kcaah.org.

I.M.A.G.I.N.E. Peace Now Exhibition

Exhibition closes Friday, March 16th

Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, 1701 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard

The Innovative Merger of Arts & Guns to Inspire New Expression (I.M.A.G.I.N.E.) Peace Now exhibition features decommissioned guns transformed into art objects by artists. The exhibition displays a powerful statement about gun violence in America and artistic expressions of peace. Free and open to the public. For more information, please call (502) 583-4100 or visit kcaah.org.

The Russell Homeownership Incentive  Program is an excellent way to move into a neighborhood rich with history and a wonderful housing stock. Louisville Metro Government (LMG) is placing a priority on  incentivizing homeownership in an effort to further  stabilize the Russell neighborhood. 

 Criteria: 

• Committed to keeping the home as your primary residence for five years. 
• Excited about making up to $24,999 in qualified improvements to your home. 
• Willing to complete homeownership counseling, if a first-time homebuyer.  
• Willing to conduct a lead inspection on the property if it was built prior to 1978.  

For more information, please contact Donnie Adkins at (502) 574-8020.

Notice of Application for Demolition Permit of Historic Structure      

 The Office of Planning Permitting and Design--Construction Review has received a demolition permit application for the property listed below:

Subject Property:

  120 S. Floyd St.

Case Number:    WR1051347

The above reference property is listed or potentially eligible for listing in The National Register of Historic Places.

Per LMCO (150.110), the requested demolition permit can be issued on the following date:

3/29/18

For additional information regarding this application visit the website: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/construction-review 

or contact Mike Beard, Plan Review Supervisor at 574-3321 or

Cynthia Johnson, Metro Historic Preservation Officer at 574-2868.

Louisville Metro Develop Louisville, Office of Planning Permitting and Design--Construction Review

444 S. Fifth Street, Suite 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-4313