Head to Bingham Park this Saturday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m. for a neighborhood Bike-In! Like a drive-in movie but with bicycles, this FREE community event features live music, food, drinks and movies, thanks to support from Kentucky Select Properties and Kentucky Intentional Sounds. Bingham Park is located off Coral Avenue just south of Brownsboro Road. The event runs from 5:00 – 11:00 p.m.

• 🎥A screening of the movie A Bug’s Life
• 🎵 LIVE music from Dr. Dundiff and Rayul
• Food from local food trucks and 🍺 from West Sixth Brewing.
• Activities and games for kids of all ages from sonaBLAST! Records, Falls City Community BikeWorks, Side by Side Studio Art Bus, Olmsted Parks Conservancy Free Play.
• 🚴‍♀️Bike Racks are provided by Bicycling for Louisville‘s Every Commute Counts, and a Bike Giveaway sponsored by Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling – St. Matthews.

Hosted by Olmsted Parks Conservancy and curated by Louisville’s own Ben Sollee and Hal Riedling, this event is the second of five FREE Neighborhood Bike-Ins. Each event is designed to highlight each park’s unique local neighborhood, artists, organizations and businesses. Bike or walk in, and join your neighbors at Bingham Park.

For more information, please visit https://www.olmstedparks.org/events/event/neighborhood-bike-in-bingham-park/.

I am always happy to hear from constituents.  To make meeting with me in person more convenient, I hold office hours at various places around District 9, in addition to our regular, evening D9 Community Conversations.  On Tuesday, July 23, from 10:00 a.m. – Noon, I’ll be at the St. Matthews Library, 3940 Grandview Avenue. Please stop by with any questions or concerns. You can also call anytime at 574-1109 or email me.

My office has received several calls from constituents regarding the recent junk collection in D9. SWMS has been strictly enforcing their collection guidelines and did not accept hazardous waste items, automotive parts, construction/demolition waste, appliances, or woody waste, unless it was trimmed and bundled. Click here to view the most recent collection guidelines.

If you have junk that still needs to be disposed of, below are several resources for you.

• Waste Reduction Center, 636 Meriwether Avenue – Jefferson County residents can dispose of tires, household bulky waste (metal, appliances, electronics, tree limbs/stumps (up to three feet in diameter), unbagged yard waste, construction debris and furniture. Up to three household bulky items may be dropped off at no charge – the other items might incur a fee. The Waste Reduction Center is open Tuesday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For more information, please click here.
• Haz Bin, 7501 Grade Lane – residents can drop off unwanted household hazardous materials. Haz Bin is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. For a list of what items are collected, please click here.
• River Metals Recycling, 2045 River Road - turn your metal into cash. Click here for a view of the process. Open Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. – Noon.

Recycling has been in the news lately, with Metro Council’s decision to continue weekly recycling in the Urban Services District, at least for this year.  Given our dramatically increased pension invoice from Frankfort, there was a cost to this, of course, including elimination of a wet-dry recycling program downtown. 

You can help to make recycling successful in Louisville by following a few recycling tips:

Here are some tips to help you get started being the best recycler you can be:

• Reuse, or even refuse, items whenever possible!
• Recyclables should be empty, but they don't have to be washed.  
• Do not use plastic bags - leave recyclables loose in your bin or cart.
• Keep lids attached to containers.
• Flatten boxes to save space in your bin or cart or drop-off location dumpsters.
• NO Styrofoam in curbside or drop-off locations. Foam Fabricators accepts non-food contaminated Styrofoam for recycling. MUST be clean; free of tape, stickers, or labels; may NOT have been used for food.
• NO plastic grocery bags. Plastic grocery bags can be recycled at participating stores.

The Recycle Coach app will help -- download it now for information and alerts!

Still have questions? Contact Karen Maynard or call (502) 574-4620.

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. 

This week Metro Public Works is highlighting sections of the Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances that often come as a surprise to residents and businesses. They basically require property owners and residents to keep the area around properties clean and free of obstructions, from the center line of the street to the center line of any adjacent alley.

• 156.051 RESPONSIBILITY OF PERSONS.

  (B)   Sanitary condition.

• Every occupant of a structure or part thereof shall keep that part of the structure or premises which that occupant occupies, controls, or uses in a clean, safe and sanitary condition… the owner shall keep the premises free of all weeds...to the center line of such street, easement or alley as are adjacent to or abut the premises.   

That includes that patch of grass between the sidewalk and the curb known as a verge and any tree wells in the sidewalk.

What is a Right-of-Way Obstruction?

Any structure that may prevent or impede the full and free use by the public of the entire sidewalk, street, alley, or public way (right of way).  Some examples of right-of-way obstructions:  basketball goals left on the curb line, concrete pyramids, piles of brush, items being sold, political/advertising signs, retaining walls, cars parked in the right of way, and any obstructions to cross visibility. 

Back to school expenses can become a burden for some parents. St. Matthews Area Ministries (St. MAM) is hosting a “Back-To-School” supplies drive to assist children in need of school supplies. Specific items are designated for collection during each week in July but all supplies may be donated by July 31.

Previous weeks have included pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, washable markers, crayons, yellow highlighters, colored pencils, red pens, spiral notebooks, solid colored pocket folders and loose leaf paper. Items may be dropped off at St. MAM, 201 Biltmore Road (under the carport next to playground), Monday – Friday between 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. no later than July 31.

During this week and next, St. MAM is seeking these supplies:

• Week of July 14 – glue sticks, Fiskars blunt tip scissors, small pencil sharpeners, soft & hard pencil cases.
• Week of July 21 – composition notebooks, steno pads, 2” binders, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc.

St. MAM is also seeking volunteers for fundraising/special events, office volunteer on Tuesdays, food pantry, home delivery drivers, and unloading deliveries. If you are interested, please contact Suzanne De Gregorio at 893-0205.

Although the 2018 tax filing season has ended, there is still free help available in preparing past due and amended tax returns.  Now through October, the Louisville Asset Building Coalition’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, or VITA, will provide federal and state income tax assistance to income eligible residents who need help filing prior returns. It is also still possible to receive a refund for returns from the years 2016 to 2018 for those who qualify. Taxpayers earning $66,000 or less can make an appointment with a VITA team member by calling 574-5687.

Summer/early fall VITA tax preparation sites are located at the following:

• The Edison Center, 701 W Ormsby, Suite 201, 40203 - Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Louisville Urban League 1535 W Broadway, 40203 - Wednesdays, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. 
• Saturday hours are also available on the following dates at the Edison Center:  Aug. 3, Sept. 7 and Oct. 5, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

For more information on LABC services, please visit www.labcservices.org.

On one side of the fence millions of gallons of water are cleaned and delivered every day. On the other side, a playground full of children rule the schoolyard.  The fence that normally divides Louisville Water Company’s Crescent Hill Treatment Plant and Field Elementary School, has been transformed to celebrate the neighborhood and a very special partnership.

Fourth and fifth grade members of Field’s Technology Team sponsored a schoolwide contest producing art to decorate the fence separating the two neighbors.  The team designed a computer-generated grid and students colored tiny squares on the template to create their unique designs. 

The winning designs: a caterpillar, falcon (the school’s mascot), star and a puzzle piece, depicting the universal symbol for autism. A giant “W”, the water company logo, was placed in the middle.

Unofficially called “cup art”, the hard, plastic pieces look like the bottom of a disposable plastic cup.  The multicolored Lego-like discs, snap onto the fence, creating the winning patterns.

On Saturday, August 3 from 11:00 a.m. -10:00 p.m., Frankfort Avenue between Lexington Road and Bauer Avenue will be transformed into one of the best street festivals in Louisville! You’ll find bands, food, vendors, and activities for both adults and children. Showcased will be area retailers, restaurants, and live entertainment. Family fun and activities include the free Kids Zone, Fun Zone and Wellness Fair. For more information, please visit http://stmatthewsstreetfestival.com/.

LMPD will host the 26^th Annual National Night Out on Tuesday, August 6 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Peterson-Dumesnil House, 301 S. Peterson Avenue. There is fun for all ages, including food, music, and exhibits for guests and children to explore. National Night Out is a great way to interact with the LMPD officers who keep us safe every day.