We're cruising right along into September and pretty soon I'll be saying things like "Happy Thanksgiving" and "Happy New Year" and I'm just not alright with that. In the meantime though, there's plenty of fun fall events and ways to get involved to help your community.

I hope to see you this weekend at the Schnitzelburg Clean-up, Iroquois Park Cleanup, CycLOUvia, and/or The Big Table. It's all free and family-friendly, plus the weather looks pretty dang good!

Some quick updates/reminders/shout-outs: 

• I was featured in a Courier Journal article last week if you want to read it and get a better idea of who I am and what I stand for. If you're obstructed with a paywall and want to read, reach out to my office and we can hook you up.
• Give for Good is coming up on Thursday, September 14th. If you are able, please consider donating to one more more of our wonderful local non-profits—they need you!!
• The University of Louisville is back in session (welcome, students!), and that means fall sports have started back up. Check out the full schedule for all the games here.
• The St. Joseph Area Association (SJAA) and Schnitzelburg Area Community Council (SACC) had INCREDIBLE turnouts to their August neighborhood meetings! It was wonderful to see so many people gathered in local parks! I'm going to challenge both neighborhood associations for their October meetings: Which neighborhood can get more neighbors to show up?
• LMPD 4th Division District Resource Officer Vaun Brannock recently helped launch the "Who in the Lou am I?" to help identify criminals and connect anonymous tips directly with the respective detective handling the case. 
• Have you heard about the goats in Iroquois Park?

In the next issue, I'm super excited to introduce you to the new D15 intern, Brooke Gallagher!

See you around D15, 

In & Around D15

Iroquois Park Open to Cars: September 9 & 10

The Iroquois Park Overlook will be open once again to vehicular traffic on Saturday September 9th and Sunday, September 10th. The gate will be open from 10 am to 4 pm. 🚗

Please be courteous to pedestrians and DRIVE SLOWLY.

Schnitzelburg Community Cleanup: September 9

The Schnitzelburg Area Community Council (SACC) is hosting a community cleanup on Saturday, September 9th from 9 am to noon. Meet at Emerson Park to grab donuts, coffee, gloves, and garbage bags (aka everything you need to clean)! Participants will also receive a voucher for a FREE slice of pizza at The Post (valid 9/9 ONLY).  

Iroquois Park Cleanup: September 9

Help clean up Iroquois Park on Saturday, September 9th! At 10 am, meet at the gate near Uppil Road to grab supplies to cleanup the park in the area you choose. 

CycLOUvia: September 10

CycLOUvia is coming back to Three Points Louisville!!

We will be transforming the Three Points Loop (Goss Avenue, Logan Street, and Shelby Street, between Texas Avenue and Kentucky Street), into a paved park on Sunday, September 10th from 2-6 pm. Walk, bike, dance, or skate through some of Louisville’s great urban neighborhoods—sans cars! This event is free, fun, and family-friendly.

Be on the lookout for new murals coming to the Three Points intersection in the coming weeks. CycLOUvia will coincide with the 2Buck Invitational happening that weekend, so these new murals will be some of many that will be painted across the community!

The Big Table: September 10

Louisville’s largest potluck, The Big Table, is happening this Sunday, September 11th in Iroquois Park from 5-7 pm! The Big Table is one of the world's largest potlucks, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to break bread, convene in conversation for greater understanding, and celebrate cultural diversity. Each year, nearly 3000 attendees participate in the Big Table at Iroquois Park. Volunteers will help facilitate conversations among the group. There will be no central stage or entertainment schedule. The only goal will be to engage with each other, and leave as friends rather than strangers.” The event is free but you’re encouraged to register.

Bourbon & Beyond and Louder than Life: September 14-24

The Bourbon & Beyond and Louder than Life Community Hotline is now available for neighbors who have questions or want to provide feedback: 502-233-4880. During non-event days, the caller may leave name, address, contact number and a reason for calling on the voice mail. Someone will return the call within 24-hours if requested or will document feedback/suggestions. The hotline will be answered by a live attendant on event days only.

If you'd like to volunteer, email info@dwpresents.com. Include full name, cell phone, email address and dates you are available.

As a thank you to the neighbors, Danny Wimmer is offering special pricing for weekend or single day tickets:

Bourbon & Beyond: https://bit.ly/bbneighbors Password: BEYONDFRIEND23

Louder than Life: https://bit.ly/ltlneighbors Password: LOUDFF23

For event details on Louder than Life, please visit BourbonandBeyond.com & LouderThanLifeFestival.com.

Louisville Grows Plant 5K: September 16

Louisville Grows is giving 5k a whole new meaning by using their annual Plant 5K to help plant 5,000 trees in Louisville by 2025. 🏃‍♀️🌳 Sign up on your own at https://www.plant5k.org/ or join the D15 team.

Schnitzelburg Fall Walk: September 16

Hispanic Town Hall: September 19

You are invited to a Hispanic Town Hall on Tuesday, September 19th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Sojourn Carlisle (3548 Taylor Blvd) to engage with elected officials with the presence of interpreters. 

The city of Louisville has 53,120 non-US-born residents, of those residents, 36,857 are Hispanics (69%) and 22,386 are eligible voters (42%). While it is possible that more than half of the Hispanic population in Louisville are what they call "undocumented immigrants", they are making huge contributions in state and local taxes. For instance, in 2018, undocumented immigrants in Kentucky paid $53.3M in state and local taxes. For this reason, it is imperative that our elected officers engage with this community.

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Está invitado a un ayuntamiento hispano el martes 19 de septiembre de 6:30 a 8:30 p. m. en Sojourn Carlisle (3548 Taylor Blvd) para interactuar con funcionarios electos con la presencia de intérpretes.

La ciudad de Louisville tiene 53.120 residentes no nacidos en los Estados Unidos; de esos residentes, 36.857 son hispanos (69%) y 22.386 son votantes elegibles (42%). Si bien es posible que más de la mitad de la población hispana en Louisville sean lo que ellos llaman "inmigrantes indocumentados", están haciendo enormes contribuciones en impuestos estatales y locales. Por ejemplo, en 2018, los inmigrantes indocumentados en Kentucky pagaron 53,3 millones de dólares en impuestos estatales y locales. Por esta razón, es imperativo que nuestros funcionarios electos interactúen con esta comunidad.

Taylor Blvd/NewCut Road Safety Study: September 20

Give your input regarding safety on Taylor Blvd and New Cut Road. The first public meeting of the Taylor/New Cut Safety Study is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, from 5-7pm, at Lynnhurst UCC (4401 Taylor Blvd).

Friends of Iroquois Park Meeting: September 25

The next Friends of Iroquois Park meeting will be on Monday, September 25th at 6:30 pm at the Iroquois Library (601 W. Woodlawn Ave). All are welcome to attend! Please come share your ideas on how to improve Iroquois Park and find ways to get involved.

Cloverleaf Health & Community Fair: September 30

The Cloverleaf Neighborhood Association is hosting the Cloverleaf Health and Community Fair on Saturday, September 30th from 11 am to 4 pm at the Cloverleaf Baptist Church (7009 Manslick Road). Check out a variety of vendors while mingling with your neighbors.

DeSales Day on the Grounds: September 30

DeSales is hosting the 3rd Annual Day on the Grounds on Saturday, September 30. It is a tasting event with more than 35 local food & beverage vendors providing samples! All monies raised go to support students through tuition assistance. Ticket information can be found at www.DesalesTaste2023.com.

FREE Summer Movie Series at Iroquois Amphitheater

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular Tickets on Sale Now

The Louisville Jack O' Lantern Spectacular is celebrating its 11th year at Iroquois Park! This year’s theme is “Wanderlust: The World is Your Pumpkin,” and will feature scenes of travel destinations from across the country and around the world. Guests can weave their way through the woods and visit national parks, ancient wonders of the world, and other “bucket list” destinations, like Route 66, the Grand Canyon, ancient pyramids, and Merry Olde England.

Louisville Ghost Walks Benefiting Wilder Park

The Wilder Park Neighborhood Association and Louisville Ghost Walks have teamed up, for an ongoing fundraiser, to raise money for the annual Christmas party for neighborhood children.

Louisville Ghost Walks has agreed to donate $3 of each ticket sold to go toward purchasing gifts, food, and prizes for the Annual Wilder Park Christmas Party held in December. The 90-minute walking tours occur every Friday and Saturday night now through November 3rd and include some of downtown Louisville’s most famous haunted addresses, such as The Brown Hotel & Theater, the Palace Theater, and more. Admission is $23.00. The tour group meets at 6:45 pm at the Brown Hotel's statue of Mr. Brown on 4th Street and departs at 7:00 pm.

Reservations are required, and you must mention reading this announcement so your donation of $3 is recorded. For reservations, text or call 502-689-5117, or email loughstwalks@aol.com. Book early, dates fill up quickly.

Find more info: www.louisvilleghostwalkingtour.com

Goss Avenue/Spratt Street Improvements

Improvements are coming to Goss Avenue!!!! 🙌 The intersection of Goss and Spratt will be getting a makeover that includes crosswalks, a flashing actuated beacon (RRFB), painted bump-outs, designated scooter parking, and some sidewalk replacement.

Timeline? IDK! Autumn 2023? 🤞 I've been trying to nail down the status and timeline for the project, but getting that answer has been like herding a hundred kittens. I'll keep y'all updated.

We've been working on this for a minute, so it's not a rapid response to the accident involving Four Pegs over the weekend. @schnitzelburg_sacc has tried for over a decade to make improvements to Goss, however, we've been told by KYTC that traffic studies conducted on Goss don't warrant a reduction in the speed limit, stop signs, or a traffic signal. That's why we've turned to things like painted medians and parking spots to help us calm traffic. I applaud the Office of Advanced Planning for remaining committed to helping us find an alternative solution to slow down traffic.

And, while I'm here...let's stop acting like it's some big unsolved mystery as to why these accidents happen. Slow down and get off your phone. 📵

Ellison Repaving/Redesign

Public Works has finalized the plans for the redesign and repaving of Ellison Avenue from Barrett Ave. to Charles St. The final plans, community engagement, and other documents for the project can be found at http://www.louisvilleky.gov/rightsizing.

UofL & Louisville Metro Digital Training Program

The University of Louisville’s Digital Transformation Center is honored to be a part of the Healthcare Workforce Innovation Coalition, funded by Metro Louisville’s American Rescue Plan grant. This group is led by CEOc, the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, and their Health Career Lab, to create a digital workforce train the trainer program, expanding the digital skills of our community. We will upskill 100+ community trainers (earning $500.00 for completing the program!) throughout all 26 districts. In turn, those 100 trainers will train at least 10 others within their community, producing more digitally upskilled and reskilled citizens.

Community trainers will be empowered with free training curriculum, materials, and support through areas of digital literacy such as data analytics, ChatGPT, conversational artificial intelligence, and forms data collection.

Learn more here.

Future Dreamers Civic Leadership Academy 2023

CASA Needs Volunteers

CASA of the River Region is a non-profit that trains volunteers to serve as advocates in family court for abused and neglected children. Last year, CASA served over 650 children. There are currently over 200 children who need CASA, however, the organization lacks enough volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering to gain more information, contact Eugina Scoggins at eugina@casariverregion.org or (502) 400-8042.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Earlier this year, Imagination Library of Louisville expanded their zip codes and they now cover more families in D15!

Imagination Library of Louisville is the local affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and they mail a FREE monthly, age-appropriate book to children under five years old to help them develop a love of reading and get ready for kindergarten. Scan the QR code on to register or click here.

Food Vision 2030

Food in Neighborhoods (FIN) wants your input to help shape the Food Vision 2030 multi-year strategic plan for a better food system. The information you provide in this survey will help develop a multi-year strategic plan to build a more just and sustainable food system in Louisville. The goal is to engage as many residents as possible in the community food survey, with special emphasis on those experiencing food insecurity and living and/or working in areas of concentrated poverty. Take the survey: Bit.ly/FOODVISION2030

Green Resources for Residents Guidebook

The Office of Sustainability is excited to launch the Green Resources for Residents Guidebook, a one-stop resource to help individuals and families save costs while going green! Residents can learn about financial incentives available through the Inflation Reduction Act, Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Gas & Electric, and more.

Mosquito Prevention

Mosquito season is officially here. To protect Jefferson County residents from diseases the pests can carry, the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) is out in the community actively treating known breeding grounds, trapping mosquitoes and testing them for diseases.

Each spring and summer, LMPHW treats 14,500 catch basins to eliminate mosquito larvae as well as 8,982 miles of swampy areas and large areas of land known to collect standing water. The department also places 148 mosquito traps around the city and county.

To protect you and your family from mosquitoes, remember the three D’s: Drain, Defend, Dress.

Drain: Prevent mosquito breeding grounds by emptying standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, toys, pet water dishes, discarded tires and drain birdbaths on a regular basis.

Defend: Use insect repellents when you go outdoors. Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection. To optimize safety and effectiveness, repellents should be used according to the label instructions.

Dress: Wear long sleeves, long pants, socks and closed-toed shoes when outdoors. Avoid perfumes and scented lotions.

To make a complaint about mosquitos in your neighborhood, call Metro Call at 311 or 502-574-5000. To learn more about mosquitoes and ways to prevent mosquito bites, click here.

Jail Population Dashboard

Mayor Greenberg announced a new transparency tool that allows citizens to access to real-time information on who is residing in or in the care of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. The Louisville Metro Corrections Dashboard, which can be found here, displays daily infographics on the corrections population that includes gender, race, length of stay, category of charge, amount of set bond, and other information.

PrimeGov Conversion

Metro Council is in the process of transitioning to a new meeting information system, PrimeGov, which is replacing the Legistar system.

Metro Council meeting agendas are now accessed by the public online at: https://louisvilleky.primegov.com/public/portal. 

The public may watch the proceedings live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184, or on UVERSE at Channel 99, Metro Council's Facebook page, or streamed live on Swagit (select Watch Live). 

Currently, you may view archived meetings and search passed legislation on the old Legistar system at http://louisville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2, but all meetings are now available on the PrimeGov site exclusively.