Meet Megan: The District 8 LA

I’m pleased to introduce Megan Metcalf who joins the District 8 office as our new Legislative Assistant. Megan and I first met working at Legal Aid Society, where she and I both served as attorneys representing our neighbors living in poverty. Megan has a JD from Vanderbilt Law School, and expertise in housing policy (among many other things!). We both are married to lifelong Highlands residents and we have made District 8 our homes for our growing families. We both are committed to making our District and our city a vibrant, thriving community for all our neighbors. Please feel welcome to email Megan at Megan.Metcalf@louisvilleky.gov And if you see her trying out the roller skates she got for Christmas or chasing her son Theo, please stop and say hi!

District 8 Public Safety: An Update!

This is where we give Fifth Division crime reports and share other information related to public safety.

Perhaps the biggest news in Public Safety this week had to do with the release of the Hilliard Heintze report that reviewed the policies and practices of LMPD. A lot has been written about its findings (in short: we have a lot of work to do and have to make a lot of changes to how we think about policing), and those who want to read the report themselves can do so here. You may also want to watch Chief Erika Shields's appearance at our Public Safety Committee meeting this week. You can watch a video at this link (just click on the Public Safety Committee video link).

As for crime, the following numbers represent significant crime in Beats 2, 3, and 4 of the Fifth Division in the last two weeks. As Major Grissom noted in our town hall, the most common type of crime continues to be people taking things out of unlocked vehicles. Please remember to lock your vehicle when you exit!

• Larceny: 2
• Motor Vehicle Theft: 4
• Assault: 3
• Robbery: 1
• Burglary: 1

District 8 Events Calendar

Want your organization, meeting, or event included here? Email Megan.Metcalf@louisvilleky.gov

Events Hosted by the District 8 Council Office

• Coffee with Cassie (Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26, 9:00am - 10:00am): Please join our virtual office hours at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8397391773. The link is the same every week.
• District 8 Advisory Board (Feb 22, 7:30pm): District 8 Advisory Board. Come join Cassie, the presidents of the neighborhood associations, and other District 8 stakeholders to discuss the goings on of our neighborhoods. Email megan.metcalf@louisvilleky.gov for the meeting invitation.
• Budget Priorities Virtual Town Hall (Feb. 24, 6:00pm): Join us on Zoom or Facebook Live for a conversation about budget priorities. The link will be posted on our Facebook and Twitter next week. You can also email megan.metcalf@louisvilleky.gov. The Zoom room only holds 100 people, so log on early if you have a strong preference to watch via Zoom. We will be monitoring the feedback on both forums, so you'll be able to participate regardless of how you watch.

Other District 8 Events

• PVA Reassessment Virtual Public Meeting (dates below): The Jefferson County Property Value Administrator will begin property value reassessments for both residential and commercial properties in District 8 this year (PVA Area 2).  This reassessment was postponed last year due to COVID-19. The process this year will be based on available data including sales analysis, activity, and property data including square footage. Assessors will not enter the interior of your property. The Jefferson County PVA is inviting the public to learn about the reassessment and appeals process through an online meeting. I strongly encourage you to attend the public meeting to learn about your options to appeal and to learn about tools like the homestead and disability exemptions.
  • Area 2 Residential on March 23, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
  • Area 2 Commercial on March 25, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
  • Go to www.jeffersonpva.ky.gov for more information on these meetings

• Hal Warheim Park Fundraiser (until February 22nd): Hal Warheim Park has been generously donated a Lakeside Swim Club sponsorship to begin with the upcoming summer 2021 season. This sponsorship is for an individual or family membership. Raffle tickets may be purchased from January 23 until 11:59 p.m. on February 22nd. Only 100 tickets will be sold at $100 per ticket. The winner will be selected from a blind drawing and will be notified that evening. Buy a raffle ticket at https://halwarheimpark.rallyup.com/!

Announcements and Important Info!

Covid Vaccine Info: The Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness post Covid updates at the link below. Visit the following link to sign up for the Health Alerts and stay in the know about the latest information: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-covid-19-resource-center/covid-19-vaccine-information

Public Art!: Making it Public is a FREE five-week workshop designed to provide practical knowledge about the fundamental aspects of public art. The workshop hosts guest speakers, discusses the field, profession, history, and contemporary issues in public art, and presents tactical information about RFQ process, working with community, and finding funding. I signed up to learn more about public art and how we can bring it to District 8. I hope many of you will join me, and register by clicking here.

Utility Bill Assistance: See the below image for information about assistance for folks who need help with overdue utility bills. Share with those who could benefit!

Car Free Cherokee: I hear from a LOT of you with opinions about cars in Cherokee park. Good news! The Parks Department will soon be hosting a community conversation about their proposed plan for moving forward. There isn't a date set yet, but there will be soon. You can follow us on Facebook or Twitter  to find out when the meeting is set--hopefully the end of February or early March.

Broadway All The Way: Although only a small part of Broadway is in our district, many District 8 residents use it to commute downtown each day. The city is working on a project to reimagine this corridor called Broadway All The Way, and I hope that many of you will take their survey and provide feedback at this link. Your input can help shape the future of this important road! See the graphic below for more information.

Invite Cassie to Your Meetings!: With so many groups and organizations meeting virtually it can be hard for our office to know what all is going on in the community. Hosting a community or neighborhood event? Part of an organization that you think I should know more about? Invite me! My email is cassie.armstrong@louisvilleky.gov.Click to edit this placeholder text.

Constituent Corner: Little Libraries

This is where we highlight a constituent in District 8 and a project they care about. This week we are highlighting Patty Payette, from the Seneca Vista Neighborhood. Want to be featured in constituent corner? Email cassie.armstrong@louisvilleky.gov

A Little News about Little Free Libraries

By Patty Payette, Seneca Vista Neighborhood

Little Free Libraries are neighborhood book exchange sites that promote literacy for all ages and provide free access to books for people across our community and around the globe.  Anyone can donate  books to a Little Free Library and browse and select books to take home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Begun in 2009 by Todd Bol who built the first free-standing Little Free Library box, the Little Free Library nonprofit now reports there are over 100,000 of these library boxes set up in over 100 countries.

 Little Free Libraries are built and maintained by citizens like you who are called stewards.  Interested in becoming a steward? You can access instructions on the Little Free Library website (https://littlefreelibrary.org/)  on how to build your own library box, or how to buy a kit and assemble the library box at home.   You then register your box and location on the Little Free Library website. As a steward, you receive a charter number and sign to identify your official Little Free Library site.  This registration process allows any individual to search and find Little Free Libraries boxes across the world.  You can locate Little Free Libraries using their interactive map feature:  https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/  Need some help with your search? You can watch this 2-minute video on how to use the interactive map: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x0YuOmlC3E

In 2020, the Little Free Library movement and its users responded to the significant social and cultural changes in the world around us in a number of key ways.  The pandemic and the experience of isolation and the closing of many libraries made these neighborhood book sharing sites more vital than ever; the number of Little Free Library registered sites increased by 20,000 over the course of the year, as compared to 15,000 boxes that typically get added to the network annually.  Some locations—including some Little Free Libraries here in Louisville-- were converted into food pantries and some held both books and food open to anyone in the community.  The national Little Free Library nonprofit also kicked off a Read in Color initiative in order to encourage people to share and read books that feature diverse cultures and perspectives and sign a Read in Color pledge: https://littlefreelibrary.org/read-in-color/  They also launched a digital event series called Little Free Libraries Unbound to connect book lovers, stewards, and supporters virtually: https://littlefreelibrary.org/lfl-unbound/

There are Little Free Libraries dotted across Metro Louisville, including a new German Free Library outside of Gralehouse restaurant which features books, magazines and newspapers in German:  https://wfpl.org/new-little-free-library-in-louisville-will-have-books-publications-written-in-german/

The interactive map is the best way to find locations across the Louisville community: https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/

You can learn more about local library boxes and food pantries by visiting this Facebook group called Friends of Louisville Area Little Free Pantries & Libraries at this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/224652294978151/  

And, this Facebook group is designed to share information and news about Little Free Libraries in Louisville: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1480991625502741

 If you have a question or comment, please call me at: (502) 574-1108 or email: cassie.armstrong@louisvilleky.gov (and copy megan.metcalf@louisvilleky.gov).  If you have a service request, please call Metro 311 or visit Metro 311 online. If you have AT&T you may have to dial 502-574-5000.

Thanks for reading, and tune back in next month!  

Councilmember Cassie Chambers Armstrong  |   Louisville Metro Council   |   District 8

601 West Jefferson Street, Third Floor

Louisville, Kentucky 40202

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