Mayor Fischer presents his recommended budget today, Thursday, April 26, and the Council Budget Committee begins its review of the proposal immediately.  I chair the Council’s Budget Committee this year and will be involved in dozens of hearings before a budget is finally approved on June 26. 

We will soon be announcing details for three Metro Council public hearings on the budget where we want to hear what residents think. 

I will also be hosting my own D9 conversation about it on Monday, April 30, beginning at 6:30 pm at the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, 2115 Lexington Road.  Please mark your calendars and come with comments, questions and suggestions.  I want to hear from you! 

Frankfort Avenue will be hopping Friday night, April 27, with good weather predicted and “Derby on the Avenue” the feature for the F.A.T. Friday Trolley Hop.

The Hop is a way to explore the Clifton, Crescent Hill, and Butchertown neighborhoods by way of a trolley ride! Launched in 2004, the F.A.T. Friday Trolley Hop has become a signature event on The Avenue. Held year-round on the final Friday of every month, the event attracts folks from all over to enjoy free trolley rides to participating shops, restaurants and galleries along the Frankfort, Mellwood, and Story Avenue corridor. Many of the businesses host live music and entertainment, complimentary refreshments and special sales on trolley hop nights.

Join the crowd Friday night on The Avenue!  

I get calls every week about speeding on our D9 streets - and with good reason. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that most people who are speeding through residential areas actually live in the neighborhood! You might be eager to come home after work, but that’s no excuse if a child is hit and injured. Quite literally, speed kills: If you hit a pedestrian at 20 mph, 5% will die. If you hit a pedestrian at 30 mph, 45% will die. At 40 mph, 85% will die. 

Driver behavior is crucial to safety in residential neighborhoods.  When you’re driving, go slow enough to see and respond to every new circumstance. Look under parked cars, and you may see children’s feet from the sidewalk, though you can’t see them otherwise. If it’s dark, take another 10 mph off your speed, just in case. In short, take every precaution necessary to avoid bringing tragedy to your own neighborhood.

Please use good judgment when you are driving and remember that, in most cases, traffic behind you will be forced to slow down if you do.

The D9 Annual FREE Responsible Recycling event is Saturday, May 12, from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM at Louisville Water Tower Park, 3005 River Road.

We need volunteers to make this event a success! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the office at 574-3908.

This is a FREE drive-through event open to residents in Louisville Metro. Most of the same partners have joined us again this year. Please review the following flyer for accepted donations and plan to donate items on May 12!

Thank you to our recycling vendors for participating in this year's event.

All Shred
Genie Recycling
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Louisville Metro Department of Public Works
Louisville Metro Police Department
Supplies Over Seas
WaterStep

Please click on the flyer link for a list of items that will be accepted: 2018 Responsible Recycling Flyer. Attached to the initial flyer is a complete listing of all accepted items. Please note: TVs will not be accepted this year onsite, but may be recycled at the Waste Reduction Center at 636 Meriwether Avenue, https://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-works/electronics-recycling. 

The celebration of Earth Month is coming to a close but there’s another chance to celebrate and learn more this weekend.  Earth Day at the Zoo is Sunday, April 29.  It features special keeper talks, community eco-partner displays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and $8.25 Zoo admission (ages 3 and older) all day courtesy of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company — plus FREE parking!  You can also see the Zoo’s work with solar energy, including panels on the administration building (shown here) and, new this year, the carousel.

Eco-partner displays include the Greater Louisville Sierra Club, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District,  Kentucky Science Center,  Kentucky Solar Energy Society, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, Louisville Metro Housing & Community Development and others.

Close out Earth Month at the Zoo on Sunday!  

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. 

The 2018 U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest will take place April 26 – 28 at Bowman Field in D9. Please mark your calendars for the below events. 

Great Balloon Charity Race Lift Off
Thursday, April 26 / 7:00 AM Launch 

Great Balloon Rush-Hour Race Lift Off
Friday, April 27 / 7:00 AM Launch 

Great Balloon Race Lift Off
Saturday, April 28 / 7:00 AM Launch 

Great Balloon Race Contingency Windows
Due to inclement weather (high winds, rain, etc.)
Saturday, April 28 / 6:00PM (ONLY if NO Race has taken place)
Sunday, April 29 / 7:00AM (ONLY if NO Race has taken place)

Get ready for spring with Brightside and Waste Management of Kentucky’s Premium Compost Sale on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 from 9:00 a.m. – Noon at Joe Creason Park, 1297 Trevilian Way. Cost is $2.50 per bag or $40 per cubic meter scoop.

Compost helps in a variety of ways by keeping weeds down, keeping the soil cool, helping winter root development, top dressing for fertilizing lawns, providing an aesthetically pleasing landscape and improving soil texture and pH.

Municipal compost is a mixture of leaves, chipped tree limbs and yard waste composted into an earthy, well mixed organic soil amendment. 

On Sunday, April 29, the League of Women Voters of Louisville is sponsoring a District Court Judge Candidate Forum for candidates for District Court Judge, Divisions 3, 4, 6 and 9. The public is invited. The program is from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing Ave.

All of these positions will be on the ballot in November and there are contests in the May 22 Primary Election for Divisions 3, 6 and 9.

Invited candidates include: Karen E. Faulkner, Tracy Davis, Kristina Garvey, James Michael “Jim” Green, L. J. “Todd” Hollenbach, Julie Kaelin, Lisa L. Langford, Daniel “Danny” Alvarez, Andre L. Bergeron, Tanisha Ann Hickerson, Alexander “Alex” Gaddis and Sean R. Delahanty.

Moderator: Delores Pregliasco, LWVL President

For further information contact the League at 502-895-5218 or email lwvlouisville@gmail.com. 

A multi-vendor yard sale will benefit the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation on Saturday, May 12 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Peterson-Dumesnil House lawn, 301 S. Peterson Avenue. Event is rain or shine!

Do you have items you wish to sell? Yard sale booths are available to vendors for $20. Vendors keep 100% of the proceeds from their booth sales. Craft booths and specialty items are welcome to reserve space. To reserve a spot, click here to fill out a form.

Got junk? Do you have items you want to get rid of, but don’t want to have a booth? Consider donating your items to the Peterson-Dumesnil House “White Elephant” sale and take a tax write-off to this 501(c)(3) organization. Bring your items to the front porch of the P-D House on Wednesday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Questions, please contact Victoria Moll at victoriamolldesigns@gmail.com or 724-8114, or contact Jane Rose-Zupetz at janehoustonrose@aol.com or 896-8800. Click here for flyer with more information.