Solid waste services will be altered under the following schedule for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weeks. 

Garbage/Yard Waste/Recycling

There will be no residential waste collection on Friday, December 25 or Friday, January 1 within the Urban Services District (former Louisville city limits). Residents who usually have garbage/recycling collection on Friday will have service instead on Saturday, December 26 and Saturday, January 2. (Thursday and Friday yard waste will still be collected on those Saturdays as previously announced.) Use the Recycle Coach app to stay informed about holiday changes!

Residents normally serviced by private waste haulers should check with those companies for holiday collection schedules.

Staffed Drop-off Locations The full-service recycling locations, along with the Waste Reduction Center and Haz Bin, will be closing early, at 1 p.m., on December 24 and December 31. They will be closed all day on December 25 and January 1. 

• East District Public Works Yard, 595 N. Hubbards Lane
• Southwest Government Center, 7219 Dixie Highway
• Central Government Center, 7201 Outer Loop
• Waste Reduction Center, 636 Meriwether Avenue
• Haz Bin, Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 7501 Grade Lane

Louisville Fire Department promotions

Mayor Greg Fischer joined an online ceremony Thursday morning promoting members of the Louisville Fire Department. 

"We're celebrating 31 dedicated public servants of Louisville Fire who have proven themselves in the eyes of their leaders and their peers and are receiving promotions today," Mayor Fischer said. "Please join me in thanking them for their service to public safety!"

Video of the online ceremony is here. 

GE Appliances is hiring

We're using our home dishwashers more than ever - GE Appliances on Monday announced an $80 million investment in a new dishwasher line that will bring more than 280 jobs to Appliance Park in Louisville. 

The hiring process for the new line began in early fall, and 150 of the 280 jobs have yet to be filled, GE Appliances spokeswoman Julie Wood said. 

Pay for the positions starts at $15.50 an hour for first shift and $16.50 an hour for second shift. Benefits kick in on the first day. More information is here. 

Mayor Greg Fischer on Tuesday announced Louisville Metro Government (LMG) priorities for the 2021 General Assembly, focusing largely on reimagining public safety, dismantling systemic racism, and working for greater economic inclusion.

“One of the lessons of 2020 is that we, as a city, state and nation, have a lot of work to do to dismantle systemic racism and create opportunities for all people to reach their full potential,” the Mayor said. “In Louisville, we are committed to urgently addressing the issues that hold us back, because it’s the right thing to do for individuals and our city as a whole. I look forward to working with Metro Council and our partners in the General Assembly to advance this work.”

Metro Council President David James said, “As we enter this new legislative session, we are asking the General Assembly to help us make our city better, by modifying state laws that will help us all.”

LMG priorities include amending KRS 67C to increase accountability and transparency in law enforcement with measures that would allow the city’s new Civilian Review & Accountability Board, through the newly created Office of Inspector General, to have subpoena power; and repeal a section that prohibits police and city officials from discussing pending internal disciplinary cases.

“It’s important that the Civilian Review Board just created by our Metro Council be given all the tools it needs to do its job which includes subpoena power," Councilman Mulvihill said. "Also, the ‘gag rule,’ which does not allow officials to discuss pending investigations and the officers involved, needs to be repealed in the interest of transparency and accountability."

"The elections in this difficult year showed the need for early voting and mail-in options so our Commonwealth can hear from its citizens and maximize participation in the most important of our civil responsibilities," Councilman Mulvihill added. "Finally, if a resident of our State has paid his or her debt to society, he or she needs to be given the opportunity once again to participate in selecting who governs and makes our laws.”      

Among other police reforms, the Mayor supports criminalizing attempts to “blind” an officer with a laser light device, and the practice of “doxing” – maliciously publishing the personally identifying information of a law enforcement officer or public official.

The Mayor also supports reforming Kentucky’s pretrial release system to eliminate cash bail in most circumstances and implement an evidence-based standard for pretrial detention; and amending Kentucky’s current hate crimes statute to add provisions for qualifying criminal activities when a defendant’s actions are motivated by bias.

The Mayor urges new laws to enhance the public’s opportunity to vote, including restoration of voting rights to those who have served their time and complied with all sentencing terms; and measures to expand mail-in and early voting options.

Other priorities to advance racial equity include enhancing initiatives to assist with post-incarceration re-entry to our communities – and declaring racism as a public health crisis in Kentucky, as Louisville did this week.

He also supports measures that would expand tools currently available for cities to address vacant and abandoned properties, including creating conservatorships for rehabilitation of qualifying areas; increased funding and policy solutions to meet the growing demands for affordable housing and boost home ownership rates among historically disadvantaged communities; and legislation to improve tenant protections related to evictions.

The Mayor also urges legislators to begin discussion on changes to insurance rate setting policies “to eliminate any processes that create disadvantages among residents in historically disinvested neighborhoods and, specifically, to provide affordable property and casualty insurance rates in these neighborhoods.”

Kentucky should follow the lead of 30 other states and increase the state minimum wage, support efforts to raise the Federal minimum wage, the Mayor said, and focus on a true family-supporting wage as the standard to work toward.

“Our state and our nation face many challenges, but within those challenges is historic opportunity,” Mayor Fischer said. “My hope is that working together, state and city officials will seize this moment and transform our state together.”   

Louisville Metro Government issued a Request for Information (RFI) Wednesday, asking all interested parties to submit comments, questions and ideas that will help the city shape its decision-making around financially supporting the creation of an incubator to serve minority-owned businesses, or growth of an existing entity.

“We know that minority-owned businesses, and specifically Black business owners, face greater economic challenges, including lack of access to capital and overall support, that prevent them from enjoying the same economic benefits and financial stability as other businesses,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Providing funds to a Minority Business Enterprise incubator is another action Louisville Metro is looking to take to help move the needle toward ensuring opportunity is evenly spread across our city.”

Through Louisville Forward’s Department of Economic Development, Louisville Metro is looking to fund one or more organizations for the purpose of opening and operating a business incubator to provide business support resources and services that could include shared office space and supplies; networking opportunities; programming and mentoring around accounting and business finances; HR and legal services; capital strategy; and marketing and social media.

“We encourage anyone and everyone to provide feedback and insights that will help Louisville Metro best identify what the community needs in order to support Black and Brown entrepreneurs,” said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, Chief of Louisville Forward. “By finding new ways to support minority-owned businesses, we hope to narrow the racial wealth gap.”

A business incubator is different from a business accelerator, which offers access to capital and investment in return for startup equity, and from co-working space, which provides a physical space but no support resources.

Commenters are encouraged to answer questions, including:

• Is a business incubator to serve minority-owned businesses needed in Louisville?
• What do you think a business incubator is and/or what should it include?
• What metrics should be used to measure the effectiveness of an incubator?
• What are the best examples of a minority-owned business incubator to model?

All comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 15.

Following the conclusion of the comment period, Louisville Metro may draft and issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking organizations who are interested in operating a minority-owned business incubator in Louisville.

For more information about the RFI or to provide comments, visit https://louisvilleky.bonfirehub.com/projects/view/36074. 

Verizon Wireless is serving notice that an application has been filed with Metro Public Works and Assets to install a wireless small cell node in Council District 10 on Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government controlled right-of-way.

The work will be in the Camp Taylor, George Rogers Clark Park, and Audubon Plaza areas. Verizon Wireless has provided the following document including location of poles in District 10, with general description of the installation type. To view the file, click here. If you have questions or concerns, email VZW.KY.SC@verizonwireless.com. 

Some areas of D10 may see more work in alleys next week as Public Works' Alley Action Clean-Up initiative continues. 

Click the map for a detailed view of Alley Area A.

Public Works' Alley Action Clean-up initiative follows the same rotational format as the Large Item Pick-Up events (A,B,C, etc.), but due to its more involved nature, Alley Action, may be taking place in different areas as Large Item Pick-Up on a given week.

Once a given alley area has been completed, a new area will be announced in the Works Week enews.

Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville’s Chief Health Strategist Dr. Sarah Moyer announced Tuesday the formation of a COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force amid news that the first doses of the vaccine had arrived in the city.

Comprised of representatives from Norton Healthcare, Baptist Health, University of Louisville Health, local community health centers, pharmacies, local employers, local insurers and scientific advisors, the task force will work with local, state and national partners to get the COVID-19 vaccine distributed throughout the city. Bill Altman, a consultant with the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness and the department’s Interim Medical Director Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage are co-chairs of the task force.

“This is outstanding news and a victory for medical science,” Mayor Fischer said of the vaccine news. “While we have a lot of challenges and concerns to face right now in our city related to COVID-19, one thing that’s incredibly exciting and encouraging is that the vaccine will enable us to end COVID-19 in Louisville.”

Altman said that similar to the testing task force that mobilized and brought community partners together to ensure COVID-19 testing sites and resources met city-wide demand, the same approach is being used to coordinate and collaborate the logistics of delivering a vaccine to the community.

“It’s going to take a community-wide effort,” Altman said. “From the hospital systems, our pharmacy partners and community health centers, the vaccine task force is designed to bring all stakeholders who are needed to have an effective plan to distribute this vaccine and bring it to all parts of the community.”

Weekly COVID-19 Update

During the weekly COVID-19 update, Dr. Moyer reported that positive case counts of the virus were down to 3,561 cases added over the last week and that the overall incidence rate had also declined.

Despite the encouraging signs, Dr. Moyer said she still holds concerns after Governor Beshear’s restrictions were lifted on Sunday.

“My advice to everyone is to act like the restrictions are still in place,” she said. “The virus is still spreading throughout our city.”

With news of a vaccine arriving in Louisville earlier, Dr. Moyer said that while reassuring, doses of the vaccine are trickling in and there isn’t enough supply to vaccine all of Louisville’s healthcare workers just yet, noting that their skills are needed at this time.

“Many of our hospital workers are already going to have to forgive any time off with their families because of the surge in cases we’ve had. They’re taking care of our friends, families and others who have been infected with the virus.”

Here are the key COVID-19 data metrics for the week of December 15:

• There were 3,561 new cases over the previous week.
• Hospitalization data:
  • 20 percent of patients currently hospitalized have COVID-19.
  • 73 patients in ICU with COVID-19 as of December 15, a decrease from 91 the week prior.
  • 52 COVID-19 patients on ventilators as of December 15, compared to 54 last week.
• COVID-19 cases are in every ZIP code and each of them is in the red.
• Largest increase in cases is in the 20 to 44-year-old demographic at 42.2 percent
• We’re seeing a disproportionate number of cases in our African American and Latinx communities. We continue efforts to provide resources for residents needing to quarantine and increasing testing capacity.
• With high-level community spread, interactions with individuals outside the household put residents at a greater risk of bringing an infection home. Once a member of the household is infected, it is likely to spread to other members.

As Louisville heads into the holiday season, Dr. Moyer emphasized that now isn’t the time for residents to let their guard down and reinforced a message of washing hands, wearing a mask, limiting where they go in order to keep the community healthy, support the health care workers and get the city back on its feet.

“I know this year has been difficult on all of us, and the vaccine is offering us hope,” she said. “Let’s hang in there and keep doing what we know works. Please stay strong!”

From Dr. Sarah Moyer, Director/Chief Health Strategist, Department of Health and Wellness:

It hasn’t been easy but this fight isn’t over. We need you now more than ever.

COVID19 resources and information at Stay Strong Louisville.

The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness is offering free radon test kits while the supply lasts. You can request a kit by visiting this link or by calling 574-6650. The test kits come with an instruction sheet and postage to send back to the lab for it to be analyzed free of charge.  The only way to know a building has radon and if you’re being exposed is to test.

Radon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless chemical radioactive gas. It forms naturally when uranium, radium and thorium break down in rocks, soil and groundwater. Radon attaches to dust or tobacco smoke and gets carried into the lungs. Prolonged exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer. People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing radon in air that comes in through cracks and gaps in homes and other buildings.

The entire state of Kentucky is at high risk for radon exposure with about 40 percent of homes estimated to have unsafe levels.

From MSD: Help shape the future for Middle Fork Beargrass Creek. We need your input for how you live, work and play within the Middle Fork Beargrass Creek watershed.

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey and help support the development of this plan: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BDLDGLT

Residents who normally receive city yard waste collection on Thursdays or Fridays will temporarily receive collection on Saturdays until January 16. This change is due to COVID-19 constraints on waste collection staff and operations.

Garbage and recycling routes and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday yard waste routes are not affected. Any missed routes will receive service on Saturday. 

Yard waste winter schedule starts January 16 and until April 5, all yard waste will be collected on the household's regular collection day by Metro311 request only.

Dog of the week: Ski

Ski is ready to spread holiday cheer. The four-year-old Labrador Retriever is a shy, but happy go lucky girl who smiles all of the time! Adopt Ski and give her a home for the howlidays for free, thanks to the Pay It Forward Program. She’s already spayed, microchipped and vaccinated. Ski weighs 71 pounds, so if you’re planning to trim your figure after the new year, Ski would make an excellent workout buddy. To meet Ski, visit Animal House Adoption Center, 3516 Newburg Road, from noon to 6 p.m. daily – no appointment required. For more info about Ski, email animal services.

Kittens!

Purr for the Holidays! Gift an adorable kitten a home for just a $25 donation or adopt any adult cat for free, with an approved application. Every adoption includes spay/neuter, microchip and vaccinations. Visit Animal House Adoption Center, 3516 Newburg Road, open from noon to 6 p.m. daily. For more information, call 473-PETS.

Santa Claws is one of several kittens that have been fostered and are now ready for adoption. 

Jefferson County Public Schools’ (JCPS) meal sites:

• The evening pick-up time is 3 to 5 p.m. at the sites currently offering evening meal distribution:
• Butler Traditional High School
• Carrithers Middle School
• Eastern High School
• Greathouse Shryock Traditional Elementary School
• Male High School
• Seneca High School
• Valley High School
• Westport Middle School
• Roosevelt-Perry Elementary School
• Farnsley Elementary School no longer offers evening meals.

Since Sept. 1, the 130 meal sites at schools across the district have served an average of 16,800 children each Tuesday and Thursday. The number of children served has steadily increased each week. 

Click here for a list of schools distributing meals from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.

Winter Woods Spectacular

From the producers of the popular Jack O’Lantern Spectacular, Winter Woods Spectacular will debut in Iroquois Park through January 2. Winter Woods is a half mile drive of lighting and artistry that will explore and celebrate the holiday season. Proceeds will benefit the Louisville Parks Foundation. 
Visit https://www.winterwoodsspectacular.org/ for more information.

Fête de Noël

Paristown’s Fête de Noël is back this year, featuring Louisville’s only authentic outdoor ice-skating rink. Residents are invited to skate, shop, eat and drink in the heart of Paristown and enjoy holiday movie nights, karaoke, silent disco on ice, Stoneware & Co. ornament decorating, and much more. Fête de Noël is open through January 3. For more information, visit www.paristown.com/fetedenoel

Short term rental enforcement continues in large part to be complaint-driven, based on public reporting of alleged violations to administrators.

A new interactive map tool contains all of the registered short term rentals in Louisville having an active permit to rent their property out to paying customers on STR websites like Airbnb.

If you believe someone is using a property as a short term rental but it does not show up on this registry, or if the registry indicates a non-owner occupied property does not have a CUP, then please report the issue here (select “Zoning and Business Concerns,” “Zoning Concern,” “Short Term Rental,” complete the form and submit). Or contact our office. 

The Louisville Metro Police Department uses a Crime Mapping website to display crime on a map in Jefferson County. Zoom in to see crimes in an area, or put an address in the address bar at top left to search. You may sign up for auto email alerts for crime around an address. Reports are made available to the public after a process of internal review, often in the same day as the report taken. Due to the nature of some crimes, reports are made available to public upon the completion of a thorough investigation and will be made available as soon as practical.

Or use the crime mapping iPhone app. If you see crime occurring, please contact the Louisville Metro Police Department. Call 911 for emergencies. Call 502-574-7111 for non-emergency related help or to find a towed vehicle. Call 574-LMPD to report crime tips.

These LMPD divisions serve sections of District 10:

• Link to LMPD Fourth Division 
• Link to LMPD Fifth Division
• Link to LMPD Sixth Division

LMPD working in District 10 have asked us to share this reminder: please call the LMPD non-emergency number, instead of sending an email, if you're seeing suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Sending emails to LMPD delays response, and officers need to be dispatched for the activity. These citations continue the nuisance abatement process. The LMPD non-emergency line is 574-7111 or 574-2111.

From the Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program for the Air Pollution Control District: Take advantage of the Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program and save up to $100 on a new, air-friendly, electric-powered mower. You can get rebates on electric string trimmers, electric blowers, and reel mowers, too. Now is a great time to recycle that old, polluting equipment and save some cash on new gear that will make breathing a little easier for you and your community. Please see our website, louisvilleky.gov/lawncare, or call 574-6000 with questions.

Get directly involved in making Louisville a more litter-free community through the Report-A-Litterer program aimed at motorists who throw fast-food wrappers, cigarette butts, soda bottles or any type of litter out their car window. Click here to report.

What's the difference between a Recycling Bin and Recycling Cart?

The District 10 Discount Cart Program only includes Recycling Carts in 65- or 95-gallon size. Please call 574-1110 or email us for the form. This offer is available to urban service district residents.

Households with city waste services receive one garbage cart (all black) and one 18-gallon orange recycling bin for free. If you have just moved into a residence and either of these are missing, contact Metro311 online or call 311 or 574-5000 to make a request. 

Receive notifications about garbage, recycling, bulk waste, and yard waste collection services through the RecycleCoach app. 

The app also has a “what goes where” feature to allow a person to input a certain item to get information on disposal or recycling. Download from the App Store or Google Play.

If you wish to make a Metro311 request, please make a report online or use the mobile app. You'll receive a service request number that will help the District 10 office assist you.

You can report online here, or download the free mobile 311 app from your app store. Or tweet @LouMetro311 or call 574-5000. 

You can now look to see if an issue you want to report has already been reported. And you'll get notification of your issue along the way. Visit Metro311 to learn more: 

Louisville Metro Government's Metro Business Portal, where you apply for permits, licensing and applications with Louisville Metro, is here. 

Eligibility criteria:

•    Must be owner occupied for at least one year.
•    Not available on rental property.
•    Must meet income guidelines (See intake staff) 
•    May receive assistance once in a five year period.
•    Louisville-Jefferson County only

Types of repairs:

• Furnace repair or replacement (October-April only)
• A/C unit- repair or replacement (Requires medical statement, available May-Sept. only)
• Electrical repairs/upgrades
• Water line repairs/replacement
• Sewer line repairs/replacement
• Water heater repair/replacement, gas line leaks

For further information contact Jackie Wilson-Rudy at 574-5850.

Interested in volunteering for one of Louisville Metro Government's Boards and Commissions? Serving on a board or commission, you will have a chance to improve the quality of life in our community.

There are approximately 100 boards and commissions with many areas of interest, including business and economic development, land planning, parks and recreation, public health and public safety.

To learn more about board applications, please click here.