When I went to get my COVID-19 vaccine booster on Saturday I was happy to see over 700 people signed up for the clinic.  I was even happier to see that many of those who had signed up were getting their first or second shot, not a booster.  

COVID-19 vaccine boosters are now available for the following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients who completed their initial series at least 6 months ago:

• 65 years and older
• 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
• 18+ who work in high-risk settings
• 18+ who live in high-risk settings

Find the latest information on COVID vaccine booster doses here.

Initial vaccines are available for everyone 12 and older - and getting everyone vaccinated is the key to bringing this pandemic under control. More than 70% of the residents in 40206 and 40207 have received at least one shot, higher than the 63.5% of residents in that category county-wide.  All of the data is here: Louisville COVID-19 Resource Center | LouisvilleKY.gov. To reduce infections, hospitalizations and deaths, and get our economy moving, it's imperative that vaccination rates, including first and second shots, increase.

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.

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.

To stay informed on vaccine efforts in Louisville, including pop-up clinics all over town, click here.

Louisville Water is roughly 6 weeks into the Frankfort Avenue main replacement project.  Phase I involves the removal of a 36-inch pipe installed in 1877 and replacing with a new 60-inch water main.  The new main has been installed from Stilz Avenue to just east of Pennsylvania Avenue.  Louisville Water does not anticipate the opening of Hillcrest before Halloween.  Unfortunately, there is no safe way to open the road that remains in the middle of a major construction zone.  Phase I also involves the installation of a new main on Stilz Avenue between Grinstead Drive and Frankfort Avenue.  Louisville Water doesn’t have a firm date for when work on this phase of the project will begin.  They believe they are approximately 4 weeks away from starting work on Stilz. 

Louisville Water will continue to provide updates as the project progresses and postcards will be mailed to residents before work on Stilz begins. 

More about the project is here. To see the work in a 1 minute, 42 second video, click here.

Work has started on a sidewalk repair project along Frankfort Avenue. In the last year, we’ve appropriated almost $150,000 for Frankfort Avenue sidewalk repairs. The first step was precision cutting to repair trip hazards that could be fixed without replacing entire sections.  The work underway now replaces sidewalk sections that can’t otherwise be repaired. In a few cases, trees will unfortunately be removed as part of the work. Every tree will be replaced!    

The budget Metro Council passed in June appropriated $2,000,000 for sidewalk repairs, and other D9 sidewalks will be repaired with part of that appropriation.  We’re using D9 funds for the Frankfort Avenue work because Metro general funds are not available for repair of sidewalks along state highways.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 5 Office advises motorists that the lighting upgrade on I-64 East and West in the Cochran Hill tunnels has been completed ahead of schedule.

Crews finished all rewiring, LED/fixture installation, testing, and maintenance work within three weekends. Therefore, the remaining weekend closures have been canceled (originally scheduled for October 1-3 and October 8-10). Motorists may see crews around the tunnel area completing corrective work; however, no additional closures are scheduled.

When driving through the tunnel, motorists may notice that the lighting in the tunnel will transition between daytime and nighttime brightness levels at the dusk/dawn hours.

This LED upgrade is a continuation of an existing project announced at the end of 2020, which also includes replacing thousands of lower-efficiency roadway fixtures across the commonwealth by early 2022. Altogether, KYTC plans to replace more than 18,000 lights with new LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which last longer and require less energy yet provide greater visibility. Also, as a part of this closure, KYTC crews swept the shoulders and cleaned the tunnel walls to remove the build-up of dirt and debris.

Visit goky.ky.gov for the latest in traffic and travel information in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  You can also get traffic information for the District 5 counties at facebook.com/KYTCDistrict5 and twitter.com/KYTCDistrict5.

The future of vehicles is electric.  That's been apparent for some time but the importance of electric vehicles to our region became even more obvious this week when Governor Andy Beshear announced the single-largest economic development project in the history of Kentucky, a $5.8 Billion investment in two battery-making plants in Hardin County.  They will create 5,000 full-time jobs. Ford's selection of Kentucky to build twin battery plants will vault the state into a global leadership role in the electric vehicle market, Gov. Beshear said.   

On Friday, October 1 at 10:30 a.m., Drive Clean Louisville, with partners EvolveKY, LG&E, and Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, will commemorate National Drive Electric Week with Driving Electric Together, a Virtual Electric Fleet Showcase.

Driving Electric Together is a free, virtual event featuring local organizations that are using their fleets to lead the charge to a cleaner and more sustainable Louisville. It will include local electric fleet success stories, a guide to local resources, and a panel that will answer questions on what it takes to make the switch to electric.

The event will also feature a call-out for Drive Clean Louisville’s Green Fleet Challenge, a program that invites local businesses to join Louisville Metro Government in increasing the number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) in fleets.

Transitioning to electric vehicles is an important step towards achieving 100% clean energy for Louisville Metro Government operations by 2035. In May 2021, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer signed an executive order directing all Louisville Metro Government (LMG) agencies and departments to prioritize the purchasing of electric and hybrid vehicles, green equipment, and necessary infrastructure to support LMG’s transition to electric vehicles. Learn more on October 1.  Follow this link to register for this free, online event. Once you register, an access code and link to join the meeting will be sent your way.

Following a one-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, bikes, scooters, skateboards, and pedestrians will once again take over part of Bardstown Road on Sunday, October 10 as the popular Tom Owen CycLOUvia returns.

The event, which will be pared down this year, highlights and promotes alternative modes of transportation and is named in honor of former District 8 Councilman Tom Owen, a lifelong advocate for bicycles and pedestrians in our community.

From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Bardstown Road from Grinstead Drive to Douglass Boulevard will be closed to vehicular traffic, with LMPD facilitating motor crossings at Eastern Parkway. All participants are encouraged to socially distance and wear masks amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in an effort to keep all participants safe.

During CycLOUvia, streets are opened to people of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds looking to improve their mental, physical, and emotional health. Commercial establishments along the Bardstown Road corridor also are encouraged to open their businesses during event hours and to engage with participants.

For more information, please click here.

On Tuesday, October 12, there will be a follow-up to the recently held public charrette meetings for "One Park North", the proposed development on Lexington Road near Grinstead, across Lexington from "One Park". A formal meeting will not be held, although from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. design team representatives will be present to show plans, take added comments and address continuing questions and concerns. The session will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center, 222 South 4^th Street in Ballrooms A & B. Plans will also be posted online that day at https://oneparklouisville.com. Click here to view the invitation letter.

It will soon be time to clean house and get ready for another junk collection if you live in the 9^th District Urban Services District (USD). You may begin setting out your junk Friday, October 15 in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, October 18 at 6:00 a.m.

Some items (hazardous materials, construction debris, etc.) are not collected and THESE RULES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED. We continue to hear from residents who have set out construction debris and are disappointed when it is not collected, and they are forced to remove it. Please avoid this by following collection guidelines: http://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-works/services/junk-and-bulk-trash-disposal.

Sign up for junk set out reminders by email and text, click here! To see if you are in the collection area, go to http://mapit.louisvilleky.gov/, enter your address and check under “sanitation services.”

CSX Railroad has scheduled railroad crossing work the week of October 18. The following crossings will be affected. Once we have additional information, we will post in the bi-weekly District 9 eNews, or on the blog and social media sites depending on the timing of the information.

All but the last three crossings are near Frankfort Avenue. 

• Pedestrian crossing near Clifton Avenue
• Jane Street
• Keats Avenue
• Ewing Avenue
• Hite Avenue
• Birchwood Avenue
• Hillcrest Avenue
• Pennsylvania Avenue
• Reservoir Avenue

• Chenoweth Lane
• Clover Lane at Westport Road
• Hubbards Lane

The League of Women Voters will host a community forum on Fair Maps 2021 Redistricting: Gerrymandering vs Fair Maps at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing Avenue. Check in and networking begins at 5:30 p.m. with the program scheduled from 6 – 7:30 p.m. Guest speakers include Dee Pregliasco and Susan Perkins Weston. This event is free to attend, but seating is limited. Reservations are required. Register online here, call 895-5218 or email LWVLouisville@gmail.com.  

If you’ve been complaining about litter, please mark your calendar and plan to join your neighbors on Saturday, October 23, to do something about it at the D9 Fall Community Cleanup.

In partnership with Brightside, volunteers will be working along the Frankfort Avenue corridor, picking up litter, working on tree wells and generally making things brighter and cleaner. Volunteers should plan to meet at 9:00 a.m. at the public parking lot at Frankfort and Keats Avenues. The District 9 office will provide bags, gloves, tools and t-shirts on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you would like to register your own neighborhood team through Brightside, please click here.

Annual Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular runs Thursday, September 30 through Sunday, October 31 at Iroquois Park, 1080 Amphitheater Road. 5,000 artistically-carved pumpkins line a ¼ mile trail and illuminate an organic art gallery. For tickets and more information, please click here.

Free Dive in Movie on Friday, October 22, at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Avenue, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Plan to watch the movie, Beetlejuice. No registration is required and children must be accompanied by an adult 18 or older. Questions, please call 574-1498.

Halloween in Brown Park on Saturday, October 23, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. This is a free event. Trick-or-treating will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. at the pavilion. For more information, please click here.

Ghost Stories by the Fire on Friday, October 29, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Avenue. No registration is required and children must be accompanied by an adult 18 or older. Questions, please call 574-1498.

Did you know that street light outages should be reported directly to LG&E? When you see one that isn’t working, report it online, https://lge-ku.com/outages/report/streetlight. Please make sure to include your contact information in case LG&E has any questions about the request. LG&E will make every effort to repair the light within 48 hours of the request. Some repairs may take longer due to unforeseen circumstances, such as the nature of the repair or weather-related events. Please do not hesitate to contact LG&E again if the repairs are not made within seven (7) days. 

Please look at the street lights in your area and report outages.  It’s the only way we get those lights turned back on!

Hungry? Can’t decide what to eat tonight? Consider liking the Facebook Frankfort Avenue Food Adventure (https://m.facebook.com/FrankfortAveFoodAdventure/) page to see different restaurants along Frankfort Avenue highlighted.

Our local businesses have been through a lot in the last 18 months, with pandemic shutdowns and now reduced business due to the Delta variant of COVID-19. Some have reported less traffic after three blocks of The Avenue closed to westbound traffic due to Louisville Water Company work. Every business is OPEN and accessible.  Help our restaurants – and other businesses - out by visiting them today. 

We publish this newsletter every other week, with the next edition scheduled for October 14. For up-to-date announcements between newsletters, we update our blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed.  You can access the blog here, and, if you wish, sign up for blog updates by email at that site (they are relatively rare, so we don’t overload mailboxes). You can also like the “Councilman Bill Hollander” Facebook page and follow “Bill Hollander” on Twitter.