Sometimes things change soon after we publish this newsletter and last edition was one such case. The plan to move yard waste collection in the Urban Services District to every other week has been scrapped. Yard waste will continue to be collected weekly, except in January and February.

Other changes are still happening. Recycling collection begins a bi-weekly schedule the week of July 12.

Households within the USD that currently recycle using an 18-gallon bin or their own container will receive a free 95-gallon recycling cart, after Louisville applied for and received grant support for advancing recycling in the community. A waste container audit was performed throughout the USD over a three-week period. Any household that participated in recycling during the audit but did not have a recycling cart will receive one. Cart delivery begins June 1. (The new carts have blue lids, as a first step to move Louisville to the blue color associated with recycling in most of the country.)

If you had previously purchased a larger 95-gallon recycling cart with an orange lid, you will continue using that cart for bi-weekly recycling. If needed, you can supplement that with a store-bought container as long as it is 30-40 gallons, has handles, and has a lid. You can also purchase another 95-gallon cart.

Learn more about recycling in the USD and please see frequently asked questions and answers about the changes at this link.

YARD WASTE COLLECTION DATE CHANGE: Effective immediately, yard waste collection for everyone who normally gets Friday service will occur on Saturdays. This is a temporary change due to constraints on current staff. We’ll let you know in the eNews or on social media if and when that changes.

It’s time to clean house and get ready for another large item collection if you live in the 9^th District Louisville Metro Urban Services District (USD). You may begin setting out your junk on Friday, June 11, in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, June 14 at 6:00 a.m. Some items (hazardous materials, construction debris, etc.) are not collected and these guidelines are being strictly followed. For collection guidelines, please click here.

To sign up for large item set out reminders by email and text, or to find out if you are in the collection area,  click here and enter your address. After selecting your address from the list of suggested addresses, you can view collection dates by month, or sign up for reminders.

We’ve now completed eleven days of budget hearings with several more to go.

Thank you to the participants or viewers of our D9 Budget Town Hall this week. It’s recorded on my Facebook page.

If you have a view on how we should spend your money, let us know. An online form for written comments is available on the Metro Council Clerk’s website. Comments will be taken through May 31.  Every comment is distributed to all Metro Council members.

A complete schedule of Budget Committee meetings is here.

The public may watch all committee meetings live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184, on UVERSE at Channel 99, or on Facebook. Proceedings may also be streamed live from the Metro Council Clerk’s Archived Media page.  

The proposed budget is here.

Vaccinations are now available for all Kentuckians ages 12 and older and there is virtually no wait. Getting every eligible person vaccinated is the best way to fully reopen the community and keep us all safe.

The best way to access vaccines is at the website https://www.vaccines.gov/. Enter your zip code and vaccine sites near you will appear. You’ll find links to click and numbers to call. You can also search for vaccine type, which is important for children ages 12-15, who are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

Below are links to other websites for information and appointments. 

Baptist Health
Costco
CVS Pharmacy
Kroger
Meijer
Norton Healthcare (call 502-861-4499 for assistance)
St. Matthews Pharmacy
U of L Health (includes Cardinal Stadium and Brook Street)
Veterans
Walgreens
Walmart

For residents who don’t have access to technology or have difficulty using an online process, the staff at Louisville Metro’s COVID-19 Helpline, (502) 912-8598, can assist with scheduling an appointment.

Need a ride to get a COVID-19 Vaccine? Please call (888) 848-0989 to schedule a free ride to your appointment.  Rides must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance of your appointment.

To stay informed on vaccine efforts in Louisville, please sign up now for weekly Covid-19 updates.

To see Louisville’s COVID-19 data dashboard, including total number of cases, deaths, testing locations and more, click here. 

The latest news about COVID-19 in Kentucky is here.

There have been some changes in Driver’s Licenses in Kentucky and a mail-in renewal option ends on June 30.  Here are some updates:

• The Mail-In Renewal option (which began last year in response to COVID) will sunset on June 30, 2021. Those needing a regular license renewal and who meet the applicable criteria are encouraged to take advantage of this option. https://www.drivejefferson.com/mail-in-renewal/
• The federal government has extended the Real ID enforcement deadline until May 3, 2023.
• Did you know you can visit ANY Driver Licensing Regional Office in Kentucky to renew your license or apply for a REAL ID? https://drive.ky.gov/driver-licensing/Pages/Regional-Offices-Map.aspx
• By Kentucky law, the examination of applicants for driver’s permits and licenses is the sole responsibility of the Kentucky State Police, and Driver Testing is by Appointment ONLY. http://kentuckystatepolice.org/driver-testing/

More information is at this fact sheet or visit  Drive.Ky.gov or DriveJefferson.com.

Celebrate the start of summer with Whitehall House & Garden’s exciting new live music series on Sunday, May 30 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The first concert features "Gypsy Jazz" band Swing '39, performing on the Whitehall terrace, 3110 Lexington Road. Seating will be available under the tent, and guests are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs. A cash bar will be available, and guests may bring their own food. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children (5-12) and free for kids under 5. Click here to purchase tickets.

Upcoming Sunday concerts are June 27, featuring The Decades, and July 25, featuring the Derby City Dandies.

Thousands of cyclists, paddlers and walkers will be on the move again at the Mayor’s Hike, Bike & Paddle Monday, May 31 as it returns for a 17th consecutive Memorial Day at Waterfront Park. All portions of the event have been reworked to ensure participants will be socially distanced.

T-shirts will be available for the first 2,000 participants.

The event also provides an opportunity for participants to get vaccinated. Appointments are not required and those wanting to receive the vaccine will only need to provide their name and date of birth. Proof of insurance is preferred, but not required in order to be vaccinated.

For hikers, this year features three routes, as the first option will travel along Waterfront Park to the Big Four Bridge and then back toward the Great Lawn. The second option is a 5K route traveling along Waterfront Park, over the Big Four Bridge to Indiana and back to the Great Lawn. The third option will accommodate hikers walking with their four-legged friends, traveling along Waterfront Park to the Louisville Community Boathouse to River Road and back to the Great Lawn.

The 15-mile bike route will take cyclists along Waterfront Park to Market Street past the new Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center. Cyclists will continue to Shawnee Park and back to the Great Lawn. Turnoffs will provide options for cycling routes as short as two miles on this closed-loop route secured by LMPD. There will be signage along the route.

Experienced cyclists will take off first at 9 a.m. The Louisville Bicycle Club and Scheller’s Fitness and Cycle are providing “bike captains” to help cyclists follow the rules of the road. The event will have rolling starts similar to Tour De Lou or the Derby Festival Mini Marathon.

The paddling activity features a new route as participants will start at the Community Boat House, and will go behind Tow Head Island, Waterfront Botanical Gardens and up Beargrass Creek.

Due to COVID, the event will not have Voyager Canoe rides or rentals from Harbor Lawn. Those features might be back for the Labor Day edition of Hike, Bike & Paddle.

Hike, bike and paddle maps are available online, https://louisvilleky.gov/government/city-events/mayors-hike-bike-and-paddle.

Starting at 8 a.m., the event will showcase demonstrations and group participation in Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba in socially distanced PODs on Waterfront’s South Great Lawn.

Participants are encouraged to bring water bottles, as there will be no refill station this year, but Coca-Cola will provide bottled refreshments upon completion of hike or bike activity.

The Crescent Hill Garden Club will host the Annual Crescent Hill Garden Tour on Saturday, June 5, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The tour will feature private gardens in the Crescent Hill neighborhood, showcasing creative gardening in smaller spaces and providing inspiration for the new or experienced gardener. For the past 27 years, this popular event has attracted garden enthusiasts from all over Kentucky and neighboring states, who come to view Crescent Hill’s unique display of urban gardens. Tickets are $15 each. To purchase tickets in advance, click here. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the tour at the Peterson-Dumesnil House at 301 S. Peterson Avenue, where the tour begins.

There will also be an herb sale during the tour at the Peterson-Dumesnil House. A three-herb pot of basil, thyme and Italian parsley will be available to purchase for $10. Click here to purchase in advance and pick up the day of the tour.  ‘Garden Angels’ will be located at each garden to help direct and manage traffic. Masks are optional and will be available at each garden location. Please note: Restrooms will not be available. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s tour will benefit United Crescent Hill Ministries. To learn more about UCHM’s compassionate mission and life-saving community programs that provide vital social services to those in need, click here.

Spring has definitely sprung and your grass is growing. Why not 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. You can also get larger rebates on more powerful equipment with our Lawn Care for Cleaner Air Professional program. Please visit, louisvilleky.gov/lawncare, or call (502)574-6000 if you have any questions.

The 2021 Cultural Pass offers families in Greater Louisville with children ages 0-21 access to participate in arts and cultural activities provided by 51 venues, free of charge, from June 1 through August 8, 2021.

The Cultural Pass is designed to inspire, explore, and discover new experiences. After going virtual last year, this year Cultural Pass will offer both virtual and in-person experiences so that every family can participate in a way that works for them!

Created from Vision Louisville, the Cultural Pass is an innovative initiative to promote art and culture and improve summer learning in our community

How to Register (FREE)

Visit the Louisville Free Public Library’s website, https://www.lfpl.org/summerreading/,and follow link to sign up for the 2021 Cultural Pass and the Summer Reading Program.

For more information, visit https://fundforthearts.org/culturalpass/.

Help keep seniors and residents with disabilities cool this summer. Monetary donations are appreciated to purchase fans. $20 can purchase a fan for one household. Checks can be made payable to KIPDA, Attn: Fan Fair, 11520 Commonwealth Drive, Louisville, KY 40299. Checks must be postmarked by June 5, 2021. Free giveaways start in mid-June. For more information on how you can help, please visit www.louisvilleky.gov/FanFair or www.kipda.org.