  Mayor Greg Fischer today joined Sadiqa Reynolds, President and CEO of Louisville Urban League, and community leaders to announce that Louisville Metro Government (LMG) has entered into a development agreement with the Louisville Urban League (LUL) for the redevelopment of the Heritage West site, a 24-acre acre property in the Russell neighborhood. LUL’s master plan is centered on a 4,000-seat indoor and outdoor track and field facility and will feature community green space and outdoor event space.
“It’s an exciting time to be in west Louisville as it is experiencing nearly $1 billion in investment right now, and we are thrilled to add this sports and education complex to the list,” said the Mayor. “This project will activate a vacant lot, bring investment and jobs to the Russell neighborhood and serve as a healthy outlet for youth and adults from across our country. I applaud Sadiqa and her team at Louisville Urban League for their vision to bring a state-of-the-art sports facility to west Louisville.”
The development agreement states that, pending Metro Council approval, LMG will provide $10 million toward construction costs of the track. Construction is expected to begin in early 2019.
“There is no silver bullet in community revitalization and while sports may be part of an answer, track is not now, nor has it ever been the entire answer. While we can’t ignore the cries of our local track teams to ‘build this facility,’ this project is about more than sports. It is about economic opportunity, families traveling into our community with disposable income and the jobs and organic growth that will happen as a result of this catalytic project. It is truly about the need for a facility like this in our community and since it is to be built, why not right here in Russell,” said Sadiqa Reynolds, President and CEO of Louisville Urban League. “I am thrilled about the work we are about to do and the support this project has garnered, not just from the local community but from partners like the National Development Council (NDC), a national not-for-profit economic development agency that has been working to increase the flow of private capital into underserved areas for almost fifty years.”
The complex will be designed to host a variety of sporting events supported by organizations such as USA Track and Field, and the NCAA, our local and regional public and private schools and local track teams. The facility also will feature retail space and related amenities and will be owned and operated by the LUL. Browne Engineering & Construction has been selected as the Project Manager and Moody Nolan has been selected as the architect.
“NDC is delighted to have the opportunity to be working with the Louisville Urban League and its first rate committee on this mixed-use recreation facility that will be a catalyst for future development opportunities and lead to a substantial community impact in the Russell neighborhood for years to come,” said Kevin Gremse, Senior Director of National Development Council.
Heritage West is located on the western border of the Russell neighborhood, which is currently seeing an influx of investment, including the $29.5 million mixed-income, mixed-use redevelopment of Beecher Terrace, a project expected to leverage at least $200 million in new investment; Waterfront Park Phase Four expansion; relocation of Passport Health Plan’s headquarters; construction of a new YMCA at 18th and Broadway; and the city’s first Bus Rapid Transit Line.
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 Louisville, KY (June 27, 2018) – Former U.S. Attorney Kerry B.
Harvey, appointed last year by Mayor Greg Fischer and Metro Council to conduct
a special investigation into allegations surrounding the Louisville Metro
Police Department Explorer program, today submitted his report to the Mayor and
the Council.
The report was redacted pursuant to orders of various courts and other
statutes.
The Mayor and Council thanked Mr. Harvey for his service and diligence on
this critically important matter.
“I asked for this review because it is important that we know what happened
in the handling of these disturbing allegations,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “If
mistakes were made, if policies and procedures are inadequate, we will make the
necessary changes to ensure our children are protected.”
Council President David James said: “I am pleased to have the report
produced by Mr. Harvey finally released to the public. I look forward to
the Public Safety Committee’s review of the report with the goal of providing a
complete understanding of how the LMPD Explorer program operated, who all
was involved and what we as a government are going to do to make sure children
are protected and that this kind of situation never happens again.”
Mr. Harvey’s final bill for the review totaled $141,743. That amount
included the original contract estimate of $50,000 and two amendments totaling
$91,743. Legal contracts are often amended during the course of such
work, and in this case, Mr. Harvey was instructed to pursue any and all issues
and interview as many people as necessary in order to give the Mayor, the
Council and the citizens of Louisville a comprehensive and detailed analysis of
the Explorer matter.
Jeff Mosley, the city’s general counsel, noted that Mr. Harvey and his team
performed the work at a 40 percent discount off their normal rate. Mr.
Harvey also did not charge the city for any of his team’s work after April
2018, as his team was compiling and completing their work.
Read the report here:
https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/mayors_office/redacted.pdf |
