March for Our Lives is a student-led movement demanding action to stop gun violence and the nation's all-to-familiar school shootings. On Saturday, March 24, Louisville will join cities across the country as students lead a march through downtown, culminating in a rally in front of Metro Hall. Everyone is welcome to march. Students will lead the march and adults can join behind them.

Marchers will gather between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. in Waterfront Park at the corner of N. Brook and E. Witherspoon Streets, and will step off to start the March promptly at 1:30 p.m. The March will proceed south on Brook Street to Main Street, proceed west on Main to Sixth Street, then south on Sixth Street, ending in front of Metro Hall at 527 West Jefferson Street, where a rally will be held. (ASL Interpreters will be at the rally.)

Kentucky law prohibits cities in the state, including Louisville, from enacting any gun safety ordinances.  Bills which would allow some local control, which I support, have not received hearings in the current session of the Kentucky General Assembly in Frankfort. 

The Kentucky General Assembly is wrapping up in Frankfort and decisions made in the next few days will have a dramatic effect on Louisville. 

Changes in assumptions on rates of return and the number of new employees entering CERS, the retirement system for local government employees, have led to demands for dramatically higher Louisville Metro contributions to the system, rising from $77 Million to $115 Million in one year.  To avoid dramatic impacts on the budgets of local governments and cuts in services, Frankfort leaders announced support for Senate Bill 66, which limited pension increases to 12 percent per year.  That took the increased Louisville Metro contribution in the year starting July 1 from $38 Million to $9 Million.

Unfortunately, in the last few days, those same leaders have claimed that there will be no relief for cities, including Louisville, unless their bill making unrelated changes to the pension system passes.  Threatening cities, counties and school systems in order to gain political leverage is wrong and SB 66 should be approved.  Call the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 and leave message for Senators and Representatives to support SB 66. 

There was some good news on D9 roads last week. 

Thierman Lane between Westport Road and Lyndon Way reopened after Louisville Water Company completed installation of a 36-inch transmission water main under the railroad tracks there.  

All lanes of Brownsboro Road between Mellwood and Story Avenues also reopened,  as all roads associated with the Clifton Heights Force Main Extension project are now back in use. All of this work, on Brownsboro, Mellwood, Story, Frankfort Avenue and Cabel Street, will keep sewage out of Beargrass Creek and the Ohio River.  More repaving is coming in the area!

The Frankfort Avenue Business Association (FABA) and the Clifton and Crescent Hill Community Councils would like to invite you, your family and friends to participate in the 26th Annual Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade. Enjoy the Shriners, antique cars, homemade family floats, Hwang’s Martial Arts, talking police car, mounted sheriff’s posse, candy and much more!

The parade is scheduled for Saturday, March 31 on Frankfort Avenue from Stilz to Pope Street. To participate, register at St. Mark’s parking lot, 2822 Frankfort Avenue, by 11:00 a.m. The parade will leave at approximately 11:30-11:45 a.m. If you have any questions, please call Michaelle Warner at 419-6159 or email michaelle.warner1@gmail.com.

The “Good Ears” awards will be presented to the most creative floats. The Judges’ station is located in front of the Irish Rover, 2319 Frankfort Avenue. Also, get a photo of your pet with the Easter Bunny at Pet Wants, 1718 Frankfort Avenue, from Noon – 3:00 p.m.

New this year, “Top It Off” is an Easter Bonnet contest for adults and kids. Check in at the St. Mark’s parking lot by 11:00 a.m. and wear your hat during the parade. Hat categories include: best handcrafted hat by kids (ages 12 and under), most Derby ready hat, best traditional Easter Bonnet and over the top hat. Winners will receive gift card prizes. Adults 21 and over, Top It Off at the end of the parade with a glass of sparkling champagne for $5 per taste at the corner of Pope and Frankfort Avenue.  If you have questions, please contact Dee Allen at deeallen2018@gmail.com or call 377-1614.

Help raise funds for the 26th Annual Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade at the Third Annual Karaoke “Money for the Bunny” fundraiser tonight, Thursday, March 22, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at The Hub, 2235 Frankfort Avenue. The cost is $25 to sing or to nominate someone to sing. Entrance to The Hub is free. Attend the event and spend $2.00 to vote for the best performance. 

The Crescent Hill Green Committee is hosting a neighborhood cleanup.  Please join them on Saturday, March 24th, from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., to help get Frankfort Ave looking great for the Easter Parade. Volunteers will meet at the corner of Ewing and Frankfort Avenues, and work toward Stilz Avenue.  They will have trash grabbers, shovels, gloves, and bags, but feel free to bring your own as well. Join the fun and help beautify the neighborhood!

My office is partnering with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) to provide FREE tax preparation services again in 2018. The service is FREE if you earned $64,000 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or less in 2017 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 every Friday through the end of tax season (March 23 and 30 and April 6) between 9:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 S. State Street, in Clifton. Please call the office at 574-3908 to make an appointment and please share this with anyone you think may be eligible. Click here to view brochure.

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 $33,000 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 $64,000 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.

As part of the national “March for Meals” movement, I had the pleasure of delivering meals from United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM) with volunteer Walter Baker.  Walter is shown on the left here with Joy Fron, Senior Center Manager at UCHM, and Kenny Miller, another Meals on Wheels volunteer.

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. UCHM is one of those sites.

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 at UCHM, call Joy at (502) 893-0346. 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 clicking here. Sites require a one-day advanced reservation.

It was great to see a gardener working the dirt in the Billy Goat Hill Community Garden in the 2100 block of Payne Street the other day. 

The garden has several beds available for 2018. The raised beds are about 4’ by 8’ and the fee for this year is $10.  The garden, which is on the Nazareth Home-Clifton Campus, has a diverse group of gardeners who use environmentally conscious methods to grow vegetables and flowers. 

A comprehensive plan serves as a guideline for the physical development and economical and social well-being of the area. Louisville’s new plan will serve as the community’s official statement about how it hopes to change over the next 20 years.

A draft document includes the goals, objectives and policies for an update to Louisville's plan. The current draft is representative of the work of hundreds, including Metro staff, an advisory committee and citizen volunteers. The Advisory Committee, made up of diverse representatives from neighborhood and community organizations as well as development and business interests finalized its recommended goals, objectives and policies on February 21, 2018. 

The Comprehensive Plan will go before the Planning Commission on April 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the Old Jail Auditorium, 514 W. Liberty Street. When the Planning Commission completes its review of the updated plan, the document will be presented to Metro Council as well as 12 local municipalities with zoning authority for formal adoption. Those 12 local municipalities are: Anchorage, Douglass Hills, Graymoor-Devondale, Hurstbourne, Indian Hills, Jeffersontown, Lyndon, Middletown, Prospect, Shively, St. Matthews and St. Regis Park.

To view the recommended Comprehensive Plan goals, objectives and policies, please click here. 

Public comment on the document will be open until the Planning Commission meeting on April 16. To provide your comment, please use the form here or submit via mail to 444 S. 5th Street, Suite 300, Louisville, KY, 40202, RE: Comprehensive Plan.

A revised Detailed District Plan application has been filed with the Department of Louisville Metro Planning & Design Services revising for public review the pre-“Plan Certain” portions of the Tafel Motors’ Mercedes Benz and Mini Cooper dealerships to add and reconfigure parking.

ADDRESS: 4315 N. Church Way, 4156 & 4170 Shelbyville Road
CASE #: 18DEVPLAN1039
PDS CASE MANAGER: Jay Luckett (jay.luckett@louisvilleky.gov)

To view documents related to this proposal, please visit: http://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design and click on Search Case Information.

This application requires a public meeting, and more information on that meeting date/time will be posted at a future date.

If you have questions about this proposal, or would like to view the case file, please contact Louisville Metro Planning & Design Services at 574-6230.

Please take a few minutes to take the Louisville Parks and Recreation's 2018 Needs Assessment Survey. Your feedback is very important and will be used to help determine priorities for developing services for the community. If you need more information about Louisville Parks and Recreation, please visit bestparksever.com or contact Parks at parks@louisvillleky.gov.

The survey should take about 5-10 minutes to complete and asks questions about our parks, community centers, natural areas, historic properties, golf courses, and respondent demographics (optional).

Click here to begin the survey.