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It is officially fall. More importantly, it is still construction season. There is an onslaught of paving and sidewalk repair work currently underway in District 8 as described in the Streets Report below but, in addition, there is a number of other noteworthy projects scheduled to be completed before winter.
Yesterday (9/24), we installed the prototype of our Old Cardinal Stadium Seating Bus Stops on westbound Bardstown Road at Douglass Boulevard. Soon, there will be 15 more installations located along Bardstown from Grinstead to Wrocklage, and another two stadium seating benches on Barret. After that, 25 other units will go out across the city. In total, we are partnering with the Urban Design Studio at the University of Louisville and other friends to rescue 120 old stadium seats from the landfill. We are seeking sponsors to support this endeavor. Stadium seating benches feature a vinyl plaque that can be customized with the message of your choice. Three-seat segments cost $850 and two-seat segments cost $637.50. We will work with you to select from the available locations. Please call or email me for more information.
We are also moving forward with some recommended crosswalk improvements arising out of the Bardstown Road Corridor Safety Study that do not necessitate alterations to the roadway. This includes extending the island where Baxter Avenue and Bardstown Road split at Highland Avenue, installing new shortened crosswalks that connect with the extended island on the south side of the intersection and extending the pedestrian landing areas/sidewalks on both sides of the west side of Highland Ave. See Chapter 4.2.3, Page 27, Figure 24. It also includes refreshing all of the existing basic crosswalk and higher visibility bar markings, enhancing as many signalized intersections with bar walks as possible and adding crosswalks at all of the stop-controlled side street intersections between Broadway and Dundee Road (as well as adding yield bars at two of the existing mid-block school crossings near Edenside and at Alfresco). It is a good start.
Meanwhile, participatory budgeting project implementation is nearing a finish. As of Monday (9/23), the Douglass Community Center’s gym and weight room are closed for two weeks due to building renovation. (Silver Sneakers classes will be held at Cherokee Park Rehabilitation, 2100 Millvale Rd. We apologize for the inconvenience.) The indoor basketball court has been ordered and the gym floor will be completed during the shutdown. The outdoor courts have been repaved and new goals are up. Once the asphalt cures, the contractor will apply a colorful acrylic coating, similar to what is on a tennis court. No less an authority than my 16-year old nephew advises, “Douglass looks sick! The new courts look awesome!” [Editor’s note: “sick” means “good.”] As for the other projects that were funded: the Bloom Elementary School playground renovation grant agreement has been executed and the check is being processed; the first seven of 12-15 green, street recycling bins are soon to be installed throughout the district (the other ones will follow); and the westbound Speed Avenue radar feedback sign will be installed while LG&E-approval is pending to install the eastbound sign on one of its poles.
Finally, Tyler Park is making great progress. Design concepts for the ramp through the tunnel will be completed over the next two weeks. The playground mulch has been laid and the equipment will be installed toward the end of October. The sprayground and restroom will be completed on a similar timeline. Moreover, the Tyler Park Neighborhood Association has raised or received pledges for about $40,000 of $120,000 needed to repurpose the four-tennis court set for two tennis courts, two pickleball courts and one half-basketball court. If you live in the Tyler Park neighborhood or play in the park, please consider helping TPNA to cross the finish line by making a tax-deductible donation here. To arrange for a major gift, please contact TPNA Treasurer Manny Carralero at: manuel.carralero@yahoo.com – thank you!
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In two weeks, I will be out of the office for the Jewish High Holiday Yom Kippur and Jasmine will be in Japan on vacation. Our new interns Taylor Gore and Alex Leeper won’t be ready to write eNews quite yet (although their turn is coming as part of their work experience), so it will be an abbreviated newsletter next time.
For breaking news and information, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have a question or comment, please call me at: (502) 574-1108 or email: brandon.coan@louisvilleky.gov (and copy jasmine.weatherby@louisvilleky.gov). If you have a service request, please call Metro 311 or visit Metro 311 online. Visit the District 8 Strategic Plan page here.
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