Join 5^th Division LMPD officers tomorrow, Friday, June 7, at 5:00 p.m. at VINT, 2309 Frankfort Avenue, for coffee and conversation. No agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers in your neighborhood. Questions, please call the 5^th Division at 574-7636.

It’s almost time to clean house and get ready for another junk collection if you live in the 9^th District Louisville Metro Urban Services District (USD). You may begin setting out your junk on Friday, June 14, in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, June 17 at 6:00 a.m. Some items (hazardous materials, construction debris, etc.) are not collected. For collection guidelines, please click here. To sign up for junk set out reminders by email and text, click here! To see if you are in the collection area, visit www.louisvilleky.gov/district9, scroll to the bottom, click on “Find City Services by Address” and enter your address.

Louisville Water Company (LWC) has started the third and final phase of the “Eastern Parkway Project” to renovate a 1930s water main that stretches from the University of Louisville to LWC’s Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant. The project will extend the life of one of Louisville Water’s oldest water mains. To minimize disruption, LWC is using an innovative process called slip lining. For more information on this process go to LouisvilleWater.com/EasternPkwyProject.

Phase 3 is along Lexington Road and Stilz Avenue and is expected to run to May 2020. Residents will not lose water service during the work, but there will be detours and lane closures. The project will require some road closures and the narrowing of Lexington Road from four to two lanes.

The first complete closure is Stilz Avenue from Grinstead to Lexington Road. LWC has also closed two lanes of traffic on Lexington Road between Grinstead and Cross Hill Road. Both of these phases of the project began June 3 and may last up to three months.

Please do not use Pleasantview Avenue as a detour. It has been designated “Local Traffic Only”.

Maps are available here:

• Eastern Parkway Phase 3 Overview
• MOT Phase 6 - Stilz Avenue from Lexington Road to Grinstead Drive
• MOT Phase 1 – Lexington Road from Grinstead Drive to Cross Hill Road

A WHAS11 story on the project is here.

If you have any questions, please email LWC at publicinfo@lwcky.com. You can also sign up to receive email communications at LouisvilleWater.com/EasternPkwyProject.

This weekend, Americans from coast to coast will #WearOrange as a symbol of unity against senseless and preventable gun violence in America.

On Friday, June 7, wear orange and share your picture on social media with the #WearOrange hashtag.

Then, on June 7-9, attend one of the hundreds of events taking place across the country, https://wearorange.org/. I’ll be joining Moms Demand Action at two events in Louisville and hope you will join us too!

• Friday, June 7: Gun Violence Prevention Day Press Conference. 10:30 a.m., Jefferson Square Park, 301 S. 6^th
• Saturday, June 8: Wear Orange Picnic. Noon, Sheppard Park, 1601 Magazine Street.

The Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program offers rebates on new lawn equipment to residents of Jefferson County. Proof of residency must be provided when purchasing new equipment or when submitting a mail-in rebate request to the Air Pollution Control District. Failure to do so will result in not receiving a rebate. There are two ways to get the rebate:

• Purchase your equipment, then use the rebate request form to request a standard or bonus (with trade-in) rebate. If your request meets all the requirements, you should receive your rebate within 60 days.
• Participating dealers offer the rebates up front as dollars off the purchase price.

Call the Air Pollution Control District at 574-6000 or click here for more information.

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 Cultural Pass is now available and may be picked up at any Louisville Free Public Library branch. Pass holders can register and track the progress of your Cultural Pass online at www.lfpl.org/culturalpass.

While you’re at the library, sign up for the Summer Reading Program! The program runs from June 1 – August 10. More information is here.

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the nation’s most prestigious organization working to build great places and walkable, vibrant neighborhoods, will host its 27^th Annual Congress in Louisville June 11-15.

The annual Congress for the New Urbanism is the premiere national placemaking event, convening 1500+ diverse, interdisciplinary urbanists and placemakers to exchange ideas, explore urban places, work alongside residents, and learn in the field. Attendees come from all fifty states and dozens of countries, and the Congress reaches hundreds of thousands more through CNU’s member base and digital reach. Congress programming is varied and accessible to urbanists and members of the public at any level of knowledge and understanding of New Urbanism.

As part of its partnership with Louisville, a number of CNU events will be free and open to the public.  This is a wonderful opportunity for our community, and we urge citizens to attend as many of these events as possible:

• Tuesday, June 11^th from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Seelbach Hotel, 500 S. 4^th Street
  • Regional Plenary session, “Designing the Healthy City of the Future”
• Wednesday, June 12 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4^th Street
  • “Compassion at the Core: Toward a More Human City”
• Thursday, June 13 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4^th Street
  • “Building Together: Urbanism as an Engine for Resilient, Fair Communities”
• Saturday, June 15^th from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Seelbach Hotel, 500 S. 4^th Street
  • Louisville Legacy Projects: 1) Woodlawn Avenue; 2) 18^th Street Corridor
• Saturday, June 15^th from 11:15 a.m. -12:15 p.m. at the Seelbach Hotel, 500 S. 4^th St
  • Louisville Legacy Projects: 1) Beargrass Creek; 2) East Portland

For more information on sessions and general information, please visit https://www.cnu.org/cnu27.

In mid-June, Metro311 is launching a whole new online reporting system and mobile app that makes it much easier to report issues online or on your phone, lets you see issues that have already been reported on a map, and improves how you track progress of your issue along the way.

We know you're going to love the improvements!  In the meantime...

Louisville MSD proudly sponsors Ohio River Sweep with the Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), LG&E and Louisville Water. Ohio River Sweep is one of the largest annual environmental cleanups in the United States.

On June 15 from 9:00 a.m. – Noon, thousands of volunteers will remove tons of trash and debris. This cleanup encompasses the entire length of the river, from its origin in Pittsburgh, PA to its end in Cairo, IL, including nearly 3,000 miles of shoreline and many tributaries.

MSD is hosting six cleanup sites in Jefferson County. An MSD employee will coordinate each site, supplying volunteers with gloves, trash bags, and a commemorative T-shirt.

Below is a list of D9 sites. Please plan to volunteer!

• Eva Bandman Park, 1701 River Road
• Karen Lynch Park, 1731 Brownsboro Road

For more information, and to pre-register for the trash cleanup, please click here.

Kentucky's largest LGBTQ event, the Kentuckiana Pride Festival, is taking place on the Big Four Lawn at Waterfront Park on June 14-15.

On Friday, June 14, the festival runs from 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. and on Saturday, June 15 from Noon – 11:00 p.m. The festival includes food, vendors, music, VIP experience, family fun zone and more. There will be entertainment on two stages. For a complete listing, please click here.

Weekend early bird general admission passes can be purchased for $10 plus fees. Click here to buy your advance passes. Tickets can be purchased at the gate on the day of the festival for $5 per day. Children age 5 and under are FREE with a paid adult admission. Seniors age 65+ are FREE.

Pride Weekend begins with an annual parade, which will step off from the corner of Market and Campbell Streets in Downtown Louisville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 14.  The parade will travel westbound on Market Street to Preston and continue to the festival site at the Big Four Lawn. Please join your neighbors and celebrate diversity and community in Louisville!

Every year, over 10,000 Crescent Hill neighbors and friends gather at the Peterson-Dumesnil House to celebrate our nation’s birthday and enjoy music, games, the pet show, the art fair, and, of course, the fireworks. The event is organized by the Crescent Hill Community Council (CHCC) and supported by membership dues and generous donations from the community. But an event of this size is very costly to put on. The fireworks alone cost $10,000!

Help CHCC continue this neighborhood tradition and become an Individual Sponsor today! Your support also helps keep the festival a free community event.

Just submit your payment online or complete this form and return by mail with your payment.

With the help of local partners, a major donation from Papa John’s and a contribution from former University of Louisville and current Atlanta Falcons player Jamon Brown’s foundation, Mayor Greg Fischer announced a plan for summer swimming alternatives for youth and families in the Louisville area.

The plan includes 10 community swim events at two YMCA of Greater Louisville locations, structured swims at Central High School’s pool, and daily community swim sessions at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center – along with transportation options for those who otherwise would have trouble getting to the pools.

The four outdoor pools typically operated by Louisville Parks and Recreation – Norton (Camp Taylor), Algonquin, Sun Valley and Nelson Hornbeck (Fairdale) – will not be open this year due to budget cuts caused by the pension crisis and the Metro Council vote in March against new revenue sources.

Papa John’s donation of $90,000 through the Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community, along with the $5,000 donation from the Jamon Brown Foundation and a matching $5,000 donation from the Atlanta Falcons, will be used for pool operations, including lifeguards.

Beginning June 8, the Southwest and Downtown YMCAs will host 10 community swim events -- five at the Southwest YMCA, 2801 Fordhaven Road, and five at the Downtown YMCA, 555 S. Second St.

Southwest YMCA

• Saturday, June 15^th from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, June 29^th from 3:30- 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 13^th from 3:30- 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, July 26^th from 5:30- 830 p.m.
• Friday, August 9^th from 5:30- 830 p.m.

Downtown YMCA

• Saturday, June 8^th from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 23^rd from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 7^th from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 21^st from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, August 4^th from 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Fees are $3/person 14 years and over & $2/youth 13 and under. Vouchers for the summer swim events can be purchased at Metro Parks Administrative Offices, 1297 Trevilian Way; at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Avenue; or at the YMCA, beginning 30 minutes before the start of the event. Capacity for these events is 100 people/event.

A partnership with JCPS will allow for structured program swims at Central High School’s pool, 1130 Chestnut St., beginning June 14. These four-hour sessions on Fridays and Saturdays will host summer camps, community organizations and individuals interested in swim lessons. Group rates are $2 per child. The swims are from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays in June and July. Interested organizations should call the Parks and Recreation main office at (502) 574- 7275 for additional information.

The Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center will host daily open community swims beginning June 10. The hours are Monday-Thursday from noon-4 p.m.; Friday from 12-8 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from noon-4 p.m. Pricing for 12 and under is $3.00 and adults are $8.00.  

Realizing that transportation may be a barrier for children and families seeking the opportunity for one of these three options, Louisville Parks and Recreation is also working with TARC to provide rides to swim sites for those without access to a vehicle. For more information, please call Parks at (502) 574-7275.

The 170^th Annual St. Joe’s Picnic for the Kids is scheduled for Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10. The picnic pre-party on Friday is from 5:00 – 11:00 p.m. The pre-party features The Crashers, bourbon & beer garden, cornhole tournament, rides and inflatables, and some raffles and wheel prize booths will be open. For more information visit, http://sjkids.org/picnic/picnic-pre-party/. The official picnic on Saturday is from Noon to midnight. For more information, please visit http://sjkids.org/picnic/.

St. Joe’s Picnic For the Kids would not happen if it weren’t for the thousands of Picnic volunteers who show up each year to help raise needed funding for the children and families of St. Joseph Children’s Home. Both individual and groups needed!

For questions and to sign up, please visit sjkids.org/picnic/volunteer/.

Does your neighborhood or homeowner’s association want the inside scoop on garbage, recycling, yard waste, hazardous materials or any other solid waste issue in Louisville? Karen Maynard, Public Education Coordinator in Metro Public Works’ Solid Waste Management Services Division, is available to speak to community groups across the city free of charge. She's the same Karen who recently started the “Know Waste Wednesday” quiz on the Nextdoor app. Get information about these topics and more:

• Litter
• Illegal dumping
• Large item (junk) collection
• Hazardous waste
• Recycle Coach app
• Healthier gardens and reduced yard waste

To schedule a presentation, email Karen at karen.maynard@louisvilleky.gov or call her at 574-4620.

New Directions Housing Corporation has a Repair Affair Program. Repair Affair annually gathers volunteers to assist homeowners with repairs ranging from simple yard work to complicated carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work.

You may be eligible for Repair Affair assistance if you meet the following criteria:

• Low-income homeowner
• Age 60+ or certified disabled
• Must sign and return Repair Affair work agreement

To request an application, please contact Teresa Devine at 719-7153 or email TeresaD@ndhc.org.

Written by: Brigette Brouillard, Second Chances Wildlife Center, Director

Tis the season…for wildlife babies! Our native furry friends are having babies. You might come across some babies in need…or not! How should you care for these babies? You don’t! You call a licensed rehabilitator like Second Chances Wildlife Center (#888-5470). Not only is caring for wildlife without a permit illegal, but people are generally not equipped to care for wildlife. Wild animals are not cats, dogs or guinea pigs. They have special needs. In fact, did you know that giving a wild animal cow milk can be fatal? Or that puppy or kitten milk is not good for them, either, despite what the “Internet” or pet stores say? Their nutritional needs are very specific. Bringing wildlife into your home also opens up doors for potential disease, parasites, and bites. Lastly, wild animals need to stay wild instead of getting used to humans.

So how do you know when an animal needs help? Fawn and baby bunnies do not share a nest with Mom. Mom only is with her babies five to ten minutes a day. Unless a fawn is crying for more than two consecutive hours, they do not need rescuing. Fledgling birds flop around on the ground for days before flying. Baby birds can be placed back in nests. Squirrels have multiple nests at a time. If you disturb one, she’ll move her babies to another one. Think of it as their main home and vacation homes.  Find squirrel or raccoon babies on the ground? Place them in a box by where the nest was and wait for Mom to come get them one at a time when there is no disturbance from humans or pets. If you see a tiny possum or skunk, they do need help as Mom is with them at all times. For more details on each specific species and what to do if one really does need intervention, please visit http://secondchanceswildlife.org/is-it-really-orphaned/

How do you prevent wildlife from becoming orphaned and injured? Check your grass before mowing. Keep an eye on outdoor pets. If you know there is a nest in your yard, you can keep your dog on a leash or inside for a week or two so the babies have time to grow and leave your yard. The best time of year to trim trees is late fall, when there are no babies in nests. Just following these few simple things will save many lives!

We need our wildlife to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Our wildlife needs our respect and compassion. After all, isn’t Louisville a compassionate city?