Metro Council Budget Hearings began this week for the 2018-2019 budget. The first of three public hearings was last night, with the others scheduled for Tuesday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m. and Monday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m.

The May 15 public hearing will be open to all speakers on the budget.  On May 21, no External Agency Fund applicants will be permitted to speak and the committee hopes to hear from the public about more general aspects of the budget. Please join us and make your voice heard!

Sign-up sheets for the May 15 and May 21 meetings will be available one hour prior to the public hearings.

For a complete schedule of meetings, current as of today, click here!

All Metro Council Committee meetings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 and UVERSE Channel 99. The meetings are also available online at the Metro Council home page at http://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council/metro-council-clerk by clicking on the “Watch Meetings Online” button.

The 2018 Pegasus Parade marched down Broadway on Thursday, May 3. This family-friendly annual event showcases some of the nation’s finest marching bands and equestrian units, along with inflatable characters and colorful floats.

Led by the “Peggy Bank” inflatable Pegasus balloon, the parade marched west on Broadway for 17 blocks and lasted approximately two hours.

Over the years, the Pegasus Parade has featured a wide variety of celebrities, including Grand Marshals such as Muhammad Ali, John Wayne, Loretta Lynn, William Shatner, Bill Monroe, Diane Sawyer, Colonel Harland Sanders, Rick Pitino, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and the 2013 University of Louisville Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams.

Originating in 1956,  the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade is the Kentucky Derby Festival’s oldest event. Today, the Pegasus Parade is one of the largest in the country, contributing an estimated impact of more than $22 million to the local economy.

Many thanks to JB Swift for setting up free bbq for everyone as a fundraiser for th family community clininc in Butchertown.

What a time we had at the Derby Diversity Business Summit welcome reception. The goal of the Summit was  to bring elite Women, LGBTBE, Minority and Veteran Owned Enterprises together to network, develop, and ENJOY Derby festivities with Corporate partners seeking to further strengthen their ties with certified firms with strong capacity and scalability. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to NAWBO Kentucky to jump start its GROW program.
It's always a pleasure to see former Councilman David Tandy 

 Happy Derby Everyone!

On October 1, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726, designating May 15th as Peace Officers' Memorial Day, and the week in which May 15th falls as National Police Week to honor those peace officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.
We honored our fallen on Wednesday at Jefferson Square. Students from Sacred Heart Model School were on hand and one lucky student sat in the council president's chair in Historic City Hall.

You never know who you will run into but what a joy it was to spend time with Rev. Geoff Ellis, retired, Rev. David Snardon, pastor of Joshua Tabernacle Baptist Church an president of IMC, and Kevin Fields president of of Louisville Central Community Center. These gentlemen, along with many others' efforts, make our Russell Neighborhood a great place to live work and thrive. 

Thank you Gentlemen!

Seventh Annual Strawberry Jamm Festival on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at Redeemer Lutheran Church! 

WHO: Anyone and everyone! We welcome guests of all ages, and have activities for children, including our special guests the strawberry fairies, princesses and queens!

WHAT:  A celebration of good food, community, and the kick off of the 2018 growing season (scroll down for a full list of entertainment, activities, and food). Guests who wish to order strawberries must do so ahead of time, either using our online store or on a paper order form.

WHERE: Redeemer Lutheran Church 3640 River Park Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40211
​
WHEN: Thursday, May 17 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. 

ORDERING METHODS: You may place your strawberry order by Monday May 14th, and submit payment in one of the following ways:

• Visiting the New Roots World Headquarters (1800 Portland Avenue; Louisville, KY 40203) to order and pay with cash, credit card, debit card, or SNAP benefits
• Calling 502.509.6770 to order and pay over the phone with credit card, debit card, or SNAP benefits
• Clicking the button above to pay with credit card or debit card.
  

A quart of berries costs $3.50 and a gallon of berries costs $13. A small surcharge is included on all debit/credit card orders to cover the cost of processing.

*A limited number of gallons will be available for sale during the festival. 

Guests must attend the festival to pick up their pre-ordered strawberries. All strawberries not picked up by 7 PM will be donated.

We are seeking community engagement in the development of the concepts for four new murals-- two in Russell and two in Portland-- in partnership with New Directions Housing Corporation and funded through Imagine Greater Louisville 2020.

LVA NDHC IGL Mural Projects

Russell Community Mural Survey

Portland Community Mural Survey

LVA NDHC IGL Mural Projects- survey

The newly-created “ECHO Mobile,” which brings outdoor nature play activity to neighborhoods throughout Louisville, has been hitting the road and the full schedule of stops for this spring and summer has been released.
Children and families will play with everything from musical instruments to materials for creating imaginative natural Louisville ECHO will be visiting local parks and community centers.

For the full ECHO schedule, please click here.

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         

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 Christa Robinson at (502)574-1104.

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

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 Action on Title V Operating Permit

            The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (District) proposes to revise an operating permit for Louisville Medical Center Steam Plant Company (Steam and chilled water services), 235 Abraham Flexner Way, in accordance with Regulation 2.16. This revision is to add requirements for the boilers as required by 40 CFR 63 Subpart DDDDD. The 30-day public comment period starts April 26, 2018 and ends on May 25, 2018. A public hearing may be scheduled if the District determines that there are germane, unresolved issues or substantial public interest, in accordance with Regulation 2.07.

            Drafts of the permit and summary are available at the District office, 701 W. Ormsby Avenue, Suite 303, Louisville, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling the Industrial Permitting Manager at (502) 574-6000, emailing airpermits@louisvilleky.gov, or at the following website: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/APCD/docket. Copies of the application are available upon request. Written comments will be accepted at airpermits@louisvilleky.gov until midnight or at the District office until 5:00 p.m. on May 25, 2018.

EPA has agreed to treat this draft Title V permit as a proposed Title V permit and to perform its 45-day review provided by the law and regulations concurrently with the public notice period. Although EPA’s 45-day review period will be performed concurrently with the public comment period, the deadline for submitting a citizen petition to object to the EPA Administrator will be determined as if EPA’s 45-day review period is performed after the public comment period has ended (i.e., sequentially).

The status regarding EPA’s 45-day review of this project and the deadline for submitting a citizen petition can be found at the following website address: http://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/clean-air-act-permitting-kentucky.

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:  2229 Cedar St.
Case Number:    WR1055845
 

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:

5/11/18

 More information on the Beecher Terrace Redevelopment Project visit this website: http://visionrussell.org/historic-preservation/section106/

Cynthia Johnson, Metro Historic Preservation Officer at 574-2868

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

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

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