Be on the look out! The new traffic light at Ashby Lane and Greenbelt Hwy will finally begin functioning next week.

The official unveiling will take place Wednesday, October 16th. This addition has been a long time coming and will hopefully make this stretch of roadway safer for all who travel it!

We encourage all residents to take part in the spring 2019 Brightside & Passport Health Plan Fall Community-Wide Cleanup on Saturday, Oct. 19. The event is a great service opportunity for boy/girl scouts, sports teams, faith groups and community organizations.
Cleanups are an integral part of Brightside's mission and without the help of volunteer groups, and many other volunteers throughout the year, Brightside could not achieve their goals of a cleaner, greener Louisville.
Neighborhoods can hold their own cleanups at any point throughout the year and we can provide gloves and bags for each Neighborhood Cleanup. We will work with Solid Waste Management to have the collected litter bags picked up. Give us a call at (502) 574-2613 or register online about two weeks prior to your event to schedule your cleanup and for information about getting supplies.

TreesLouisville is a nonprofit organization focused on restoring urban tree canopy in Louisville.  They are partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation to provide 1500 free trees to Louisville residents. 

Louisville loses around 54,000 trees annually and this is one way we can help restore our depleted canopy. 

To participate go to arborday.org/treeslouisville, type in your address, and choose your tree! Trees will either be shipped to your home or you can pick up a larger tree at one of our two events. 

• Pickup events are scheduled for October 20, 12pm-4pm at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E Main St, Louisville, KY 40202 or November 9, 10am-2pm at Americana Community Center 4801 Southside Dr, Louisville, KY 40214.

This is the second of four seasonal Community Canopy programs.  Last winter 870 free trees were delivered to residents of Louisville and the goal is to provide more than 3,500 free trees over the next two years. 

• The following species are available: American Sycamore, Black Tupelo, Serviceberry, Redbud, Kentucky Coffeetree, Overcup Oak, Shadblow Serviceberry, Swamp White Oak, Sweetbay Magnolia, and Tulip Poplar.

The Halloween season is here but not everything needs to be spooky! Below are a ton of Halloween themed events going on this month that the whole family will love.

• DABA's 6th Annual Trick or Treat: Wednesday, October 23rd; 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. @ Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing
• Sun Valley Community Center Halloween Party: Friday, October 25th; 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. @ Sun Valley Community Center
• St. Peter the Apostle Trunk or Treat: Sunday, October 27th; 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. @ St. Peter the Apostle Church

Need a ride to polls on Election Day? A. Philip Randolph Institute (502.774.4834) provides free rides. Lyft and Uber may be giving reduced rides to the polls, or call your local party headquarters.
If you become sick or are in the hospital, you can still vote with an Emergency Medical Ballot. Request a paper absentee ballot between Tuesday, October 22 and Tuesday, November 5. Call your local Board of Election office to get an Emergency Medical Ballot. You will have to find someone to notarize your application for a ballot and then take that application to the Board of Elections to get your ballot. Once you’ve filled out your ballot, someone must take your ballot back to the Board of Elections before 6 PM on Election Day!
EARLY VOTING HOURS
Monday-Friday: Sept. 23 – November 4 from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Saturdays: October 19, October 26, and November 2 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
For more information please contact the Jefferson County Election Center: Tel: 502.574.6100 • Fax: 502.574.5014 • Email: Elections@JeffersonCountyClerk.org

The $35 million New Dixie Highway project is on schedule and construction will be complete by the end of this year. That means that the medians, sidewalks, and crosswalks will be in place, the bus stations will be installed, and all the lanes will be open.
December is not usually the best time for final surfacing, final striping and landscaping, so that work is currently slated for Spring 2020. That kind of work will not be as disruptive to drivers, however. The New Dixie Highway Project broke ground in December of 2017.
“We really appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to make The New Dixie Highway – a safer, more attractive and efficient roadway,” said John Callihan, project manager. “We are nearing the finish line and soon we will be able to enjoy the new roadway.”

VITA is now offering free tax preparation to help with the following questions/topics:
      -2018 Missed Deadline
      -Prior Year Returns
      -Amendments
      -Tax Question

May 13th - October 16th
Mondays: 9AM - 4PM (Edison Center)
Tuesdays: 9AM - 4PM (Edison Center)
Wednesday: 11AM - 7PM (Louisville Urban League)
Saturdays at the Edison Center will run from 9AM - 3PM on Aug. 3rd, Sept. 7th, and Oct. 5th
Edison Center - 701 W. Ormsby Ave, 2nd Floor
Louisville Urban League - 1535 W. Broadway
Call 502-574-5687 to book an appointment!

Southwest Community Ministries food closet is in need of toilet tissue and shaving supplies for men and women. These include shaving cream, razors, after shave etc. These items along with non perishable food items can be taken to Southwest Community Ministries (8504 Terry Rd.).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact (502) 935-0310.

This week MetroCall switched to a new Metro311 reporting system for the general public. You can now report issues, track issues, view past issues, comment on issues, and more from one site. Please visit http://iframe.publicstuff.com/.
To report a new issue, follow these steps:
       1. Visit http://iframe.publicstuff.com/
       2. For City, type in Louisville and select “Louisville Jefferson County Metro Government”
       3. Program developers suggest you now “sign up” for an account in top right corner. This will allow the system to track all requests. You can also choose not to sign up, which will let you make service requests anonymously.
       4. To report an issue, select the issue or type something into the search box. Then select issue.
       5. Next fill out the series of questions. You can enter an actual address or drag and drop the pin on the map to the location. Please be sure to check the address to ensure it’s a valid address.
       6. Include all details in the description and click submit.
Play around with the new system to become familiar with all the great features. You can now track other people’s service requests and the system will keep them in your account. Please let our office know if you have any issues.

Are you or someone you know in need of services but don't know where to look? LouieCONNECT.com is the perfect one stop resource that can connect people to a wide variety of helpful agencies.
This is a mobile optimized website that pulls together the services is our community that provide support for people experiencing a difficult time. It includes only those services that are free and provides all of the information needed to know what they offer, where they are located, when they are open, and any requirements to receive help.

If you are having an issue but don't know where to turn for help, LouieCONNECT.com could be just what you've been looking for.

JustServe.org is a free volunteer website dedicated to bringing communities together through volunteerism. Non-profits can post the need for volunteers and those in our community can go to the website and see all the opportunities to volunteer. Because the website is self-funded, they never ask for donations to maintain the website, they never sell advertising and they never sell any information. All those connected with JustServe.org are volunteers and there is no paid staff. The website is zip code driven, easy to use and 100% free.

If you are looking for volunteer opportunities, this is a perfect place to start looking! There are plenty of organizations to chose from that are conveniently located in your area.

I get calls every week about speeding on our D14 streets - and with good reason. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that most people who are speeding through residential areas actually live in the neighborhood! You might be eager to come home after work, but that’s no excuse if a child is hit and injured. Quite literally, speed kills: If you hit a pedestrian at 20 mph, 5% will die. If you hit a pedestrian at 30 mph, 45% will die. At 40 mph, 85% will die. 

Driver behavior is crucial to safety in residential neighborhoods.  When you’re driving, go slow enough to see and respond to every new circumstance. Look under parked cars, and you may see children’s feet from the sidewalk, though you can’t see them otherwise. If it’s dark, take another 10 mph off your speed, just in case. In short, take every precaution necessary to avoid bringing tragedy to your own neighborhood.

Please use good judgment when you are driving and remember that, in most cases, traffic behind you will be forced to slow down if you do.

Interested in Volunteering?

Do you have time to participate in Meals on Wheels?

Southwest Community Ministries is looking for kindhearted, friendly people to deliver meals to home-bound seniors in the 40272 and 40258 zip codes.

Delivery takes about an hour weekly. There is a route on Tuesdays that departs from Sun Valley Community Center (10:00 am) or a route on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays route departing from St. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital in the afternoon (3:30).

If you want to make a difference in a senior's life please contact Jessica Burnett 502-935-0310 ext. 244. 

We all know that illegal dumping--putting waste on property that is not licensed as a disposal facility--is an eyesore that is expensive to clean up, diminishes quality of life, discourages economic development and even sends plastic debris into our waterways.

That's why people caught dumping along our city's alleys, sidewalks, fields and roadsides are subject to fines and impoundment of any vehicle used in the dumping. That's where citizens can help with the problem. If you witness illegal dumping while it's happening, report it.

We've developed a new online form you can use to tell us where it happened, describe the vehicle(s) involved, preferably with license plate number(s), and even upload pictures. Of course you can always call Metro Call 311 or 574-5000. For more information about illegal dumping, including a link to the reporting form, visit our illegal dumping webpage.

Another illegal dumping vehicle impounded

Pickup was used in two separate incidents

This week Solid Waste Enforcement tracked down a white pickup truck that was recorded by surveillance back in February as it was used to illegally dump tree debris in the 3600 block of Parthenia Avenue. The offender was found through information received as we investigated a separate illegal dumping incident in the 4100 block of Craig Avenue in April for which the person was also determined to be responsible. In total, the illegal dumper will owe $1,500 in fines and approximately $250 impound fees.

We are excited to announce the Metro Arts Community Center is now open! The building recently received a colorful new window wrap, and new programs and classes will be coming to the site, which is now known as the Metro Arts Community Center.

Visit the website to view open hours, and try to solve our interact jigsaw puzzle based on Hannah Thompson's artwork. 

https://louisvilleky.gov/government/parks/metro-arts-center

Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure set for Saturday, October 19

Adventure will feature overnight camping for the first time

Families can enjoy fall color and outdoor fun at Jefferson Memorial Forest during the Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure on Saturday, October 19, beginning at 4 p.m. And, for the first time ever during this annual event, families are encouraged to pitch a tent and stay overnight. For $15, campers can set up in the field in the Horine Reservation. Daylight activities include a children’s nature exploration area, a climbing wall, pumpkin decorating, guided hikes, archery, activities at the nature center and more. Music will be performed by Grandma’s Boys, and food trucks will be on site. Nighttime activities will include storytelling by the campfire along with night hikes and stargazing with the Louisville Astronomy Society and the Louisville Free Public Library. Camping set-up and activity registration will take place from 3-4 p.m. on October 19.

With 6,600 acres, Jefferson Memorial Forest offers many opportunities for individuals and families to enjoy and explore the outdoors. The forest features more than 35 miles of marked hiking trails, fishing and primitive camping.  Event hiking will be through the Horine Reservation of the Forest, located at 12304 Holsclaw Hill Road. Several different trail routes will be featured, providing a range of options for hikers of all abilities. The trails range in length from one-fifth of a mile up to two miles, and have terrain varying from relatively flat to rugged. “We’re looking forward to this true adventure at Jefferson Memorial Forest this fall,” said Dana Kasler, director of Louisville Parks and Recreation. “Whether you’re a family that camps often or maybe one looking for a safe introduction to the outdoors, this is the perfect event for you.”

The Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure is sponsored by Quest Outdoors and Louisville Public Media. 

Consideration & Conversation: KY Opioid Epidemic

• Saturday, October 12, 2019; 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
• Join us for a thoughtful discussion of an important regional topic that affects our community. Please read the articles below to prepare for our discussion. Articles obtained from databases may be accessed at the library, or at home with your library card at www.lfpl.org.

Toddler Storytime

• Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
• Foster a love of reading in your toddlers through this engaging storytime! Join us for books, songs, movement, and art activities that encourage the development of early learning skills. Ages 2-3

Preschool Carnival

• Saturday, October 26, 2019 - 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
• Preschool children and their families are invited to join us for carnival themed activities, crafts, and special performances by Cirque Louis. Every child will receive a free book. Sponsored by Jefferson County Community Early Childhood Council.

http://www.lfpl.org/events/