District 12 eNewsletter - February 7, 2024

Louisville Metro Government sent this bulletin at 02/07/2024 11:00 AM EST

Councilman Rick Blackwell

601 West Jefferson Street

(502) 574-1112

Email Rick

Heather Blazis

Legislative Assistant

(502) 574-1112

Email Heather

Visit the D12 Website

In this edition...

UPCOMING EVENTS
HEADLINES
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

UPCOMING EVENTS

Café LOUIE 2024

9:00 am - 10:00 am Saturday mornings

Attend Café LOUIE - an informal gathering of civic-minded individuals interested in meeting with their elected officials to discuss local issues at libraries all across town. Participants will be offered refreshments and conversation. The focus of these meetings is engagement through personal conversations, and they are open to the public.

Councilman Blackwell is scheduled to attend the February 17 event at the Southwest Regional Library, and March 16 at the Shively Library.

Community Open House: Mixed-Housing & Mixed-Use Development Priority Area Map

Louisville Metro’s Office of Planning invites you to attend a community open house to present and discuss a draft of the Mixed-Housing & Mixed-Use Development Priority Area Map. Two opportunities to participate are available. Join them at either location on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 to review the map, learn more about the project, talk with city planners, and provide feedback!

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

1:00 – 3:00PM at the Western Library (604 S. 10^th Street)
6:00 – 8:00PM at the Newburg Library (4800 Exeter Ave)

What is the Mixed-Housing & Mixed-Use Development Priority Area Map?

The Office of Planning is working with national planning and urban design firm Opticos Design to create this priority land use map. As Louisville Metro strives to increase housing choice and opportunity, this map will further assist in guiding the location of mixed-use and mixed-housing developments across all communities.

This project is part of the ongoing LDC Reform process. To learn more, visit www.louisvilleky.gov/ldcreform or contact ldcreform@louisvillky.gov.

Harbor House of Louisville asks for your support of their new Intergenerational Life Center. This Center benefits the entire community by providing meaningful employment for many in our community, offering a safe place for loved ones; whether in the Child Enrichment Center, Before & After school programs, aging parent or guardian with disabilities engaging in stimulating activities during the day. Join them for their Beacon Ball on March 9. Click here for more information and tickets.

Join us for the Mill Creek Sweep!

Southwest Community Ministries works to be a helping hand to our community neighbors in crisis. You can support them by attending the Giving Back Gala. Click here for information and tickets. They are also always in need of volunteers and items for their food pantry.

HEADLINES

State of the City Address

On February 1, Mayor Greenberg provided his State of the City Address. For a complete version of Mayor Greenberg’s State of the City Address, click here. Louisville can also view the address on MetroTV. To see a full list of accomplishments from 2023, click here.

Metro Council Meeting Highlights

The Louisville Metro Council held their regularly scheduled Council meeting February 1. Here are some of the highlights from the meeting. https://youtu.be/tx8ZAqVnkPI

Old Business

O-270-23: an ordinance appropriating District 21 Neighborhood Development Funds (NDF) for the replacement of two electrical poles at the Beechmont Youth Complex.
O-296-23: an ordinance appropriating NDF funds for costs associated with the 11^th Annual Riverview Independence Festival, scheduled for Saturday, June 29, 2024.
O-297-23: an ordinance relating to the zoning of properties located at 6803 and 6805 Beulah Church Road.
O-294-23: an ordinance relating to the zoning of properties located at 8816 West Manslick Road.

Special Recognitions and Proclamations

Councilwoman Hawkins recognized the District 1 page, Samari Giles.

Special Legislation

R-002-24: a resolution approving the Metro Council Committee meeting schedule for 2024.

Consent Calendar – all items passed unanimously.

O-277-23: an ordinance appropriating District 8 NDF to construct a concrete walkway adjacent to Eastern Parkway.
O-290-23: an ordinance appropriating NDF from Districts 8 and 9 for graffiti removal.
O-293-23: an ordinance appropriating District 26 NDF to LMPD’s 6^th Division for overtime.
R-178-23: a resolution accepting $1,999,481 from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant program for the implementation of intelligent, sensor-based platform that can report real-time data on viaduct flooding.

The Council meeting and attachments may be viewed online here: https://louisvilleky.primegov.com/public/portal, and on the Louisville Metro Council Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleMetroCouncil/.

The next regularly scheduled Council meeting is on Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.

Imagination Library Now Serving All of Jefferson Co.

TARC’s Operational Schedule Adherence Program Launched

On January 29 TARC debuted the Operational Schedule Adherence Program to improve on-time performance along Routes #4, #10, #23, and #28. When two buses along these lines bunch, the late bus may receive a call from the Control Center to switch to a "Drop Off Only" operation. The bus will no longer stop for pickups until it is told to switch back to standard running or as it drops off passengers.

Passengers can be assured that when a bus switches to "Drop Off Only," the next bus is less than five minutes away. This little one-time delay will mean fewer extensive delays up and down the line.

TARC is implementing this program in response to feedback from their first annual Customer Experience Survey. On-time performance is noted as one of the most important elements of bus service to their customers, and one of the success factors their riders are currently least satisfied with. The Operational Schedule Adherence Program follows the successful pilot program focused only on #23.

For more information please visit https://www.ridetarc.org/tarc-launches-new-initiative-for-more-reliable-buses/

Louisville Zoo Nominated in USA TODAY’s

“10 Best Readers’ Choice” List for Best U.S. Zoo and Exhibit

The Louisville Zoo is proud to have been nominated for two awards as part of USA Today’s “10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.” The Zoo is nominated as Best Zoo in the United States and the Glacier Run exhibit as the best zoo exhibit in the United States. Voting has begun and continues through Monday, March 4 at 11:59 a.m. EST. The rules allow the public to vote online for one nominee per category, per day. Guests can vote at https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/.

The Zoo is open daily year-round. Fall/winter hours are 10 a.m. ─ 4 p.m. (stay until 5 p.m.). The Zoo is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Visit louisvillezoo.org for more info.

The Southwest YMCA is offering the above programs. Sign up today for:

Parkinson's program - Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-2:00pm (includes a free three-month membership)
LiveSTRONG program - Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:30pm (includes a free three-month membership)

Turning catastrophe into community investment

After an August 4, 2009, flood devastated the California neighborhood, MSD later purchased 114 of the eligible 128 properties through a FEMA grant to help residents move out of the flood-prone area along Maple Street. MSD conserved about 20 acres of land for what is now Alberta O. Jones Park at 744 S. 23rd St.

The grand opening of Phase I of AOJ Park was celebrated in 2023, in part due to MSD’s Community Benefits Program, which included over $105,000 in commitments to the Parks Alliance of Louisville. Their contractors are encouraged to invest in the community through workforce development, education, and economic development. Investments through the program have been long-lasting, Equity & Community Partnerships Chief Sharise Horne said.

Their Community Benefits Program leverages economic, environmental, and social impacts through their large-scale construction, construction-related, professional services, and engineering projects by ensuring ratepayers benefit from their capital investment.

Commitments from five firms as part of 14 MSD construction projects went to financial, in-kind, and volunteer commitments to the Parks Alliance of Louisville to help transform the land into a park and community space.

This project adds to the $4 million worth of MSD Community Benefits commitments that are being realized with schools and nonprofits all around us in the community.

The Louisville Free Public Library celebrates Black History Month with programs throughout February

This February, the Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) is offering more than fifty free programs in celebration of Black History Month. Programs include book discussions, film screenings, history talks, storytimes, art activities, and more, designed to inform, inspire, and engage audiences of all ages.

At libraries around the city, a number of authors, professors, local experts, and performers will explore aspects of Black history often overlooked. The Main Library welcomes Peabody Award-winning journalist Michele Norris to discuss her newest book Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity on Friday, February 16 (7 p.m.). Her book draws on a narrative archive Norris founded using a simple prompt for people to reflect on race in only six words – a prompt that was answered by more than half a million people. This free event is presented by Carmichael’s Bookstore will feature Norris in-conversation with former Kentucky State Representative Charles Booker. Register online at www.LFPL.org/Authors, or call (502) 574-1623.

Local Black History is also front and center this year. On Tuesday, February 20 (6:30 p.m.) at the Main Library, UofL English professor Dr. David Anderson will examine the social contributions and literary legacies of three prominent Black educators in Louisville at the beginning of the twentieth century: Joseph Seamon Cotter, Sr., Nannie Helen Burroughs, and George Marion McClellan. Register online at www.LFPL.org/MyLibraryU.

Members of the Chickasaw Book Project will share their stories about life in the Chickasaw neighborhood during the 1940s-70s at the Shawnee Library (Saturday, February 10, 1:30 p.m.). At South Central, Chautauqua performer Elizabeth Lawson will bring Charlotte Dupuy, the enslaved woman who sued Henry Clay for freedom, to life (Saturday, February 17, 2 p.m.).

Get moving in the Library with a special concert with The Ron Jones Quartet who will bring the music of Julian “Cannonball” Adderley to the Shawnee Library (Saturday, February 24, 1 p.m.).

February also marks the return of the Black History Month Film Series. Presented in partnership with UofL Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion, with support from Louisville Public Media and Lean Into Louisville, the series is held every Sunday in February at the Main Library and features thought-provoking and award-winning films, followed by discussions with university professors and local experts. The 2024 lineup features the film Maya Angelou – And Still I Rise, a double-bill of documentaries looking at Black health, The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution and The Deadliest Disease in America, the new biographical drama Rustin, and the blockbuster hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. To register for this free series, visit www.LFPL.org/BHFilms. Teen Librarians have also programed a series of Black History films curated just for teens ages 13-19, screening every Wednesday night in the Teen Underground at the Main Library.

Black History Month at the Library has something for all ages, with special storytimes, craft sessions, and showcases for children and teens as well. Cartoonist Randy Gray gives a lesson on visual storytelling and how to make a comic book for kids in grades 3-6 (Monday, February 19, 2 p.m., register at [502] 964-3515).

For the complete list of LFPL’s Black History Month programs, please visit www.LFPL.org/BlackHistory.

February Discounts

Downtown is everyone’s neighborhood! Where else can you go to a basketball, soccer, baseball, or volleyball game, catch a Broadway show or concert, eat and drink top-notch food and beverage, or visit any of the 30 amazing attractions that showcase our culture and diversity? Louisville’s downtown has so much to do, you can build a day or a weekend of being a hometown tourist… check out the Downtown Hometown Tourist Celebration taking place Feb. 1-11 in participating attractions and hotels.

Small businesses also are getting some more love with an expanded Small Business Loan through the Downtown Commercial Loan Fund. The loan is designed to help overcome gaps in funding for existing or new small businesses interested in relocating to or expanding their footprint in the Downtown area with improvements or upgrades to their current ground-floor retail spaces. Visit here to learn more.

Contact Louisville Downtown Partnership for more information, at 584-6000.

Louisville Free Public Library now accepting student submissions for annual Cotter Cup poetry writing contest

In 1913, renowned Louisville poet, educator, and community leader Joseph S. Cotter, Sr. started an annual storytelling contest for children at the Western Library – the first public library in the US created for Black people and staffed entirely by Black professionals. The ‘storytelling bee,’ as it was often called, was a way to encourage young children to read and learn through the art of storytelling. A perfect marriage of books, literacy, and libraries, the Cotter Storytelling Contest was held annually from 1913 to 1939 and awarded cash prizes to the winners. The names of the winners were even engraved onto a silver loving cup that became known as the ‘Cotter Cup.’

Today, Joseph Cotter’s legacy lives on at the Western Library through the continuation of his storytelling contest, now called the Cotter Cup Storytelling Contest. The Louisville Free Public Library, in partnership with the UofL Writing Center, brought the Cotter Cup Storytelling Contest back to Western in 2021. Open to all Louisville students, grades K-12, the contest now focuses on storytelling through poetry.

Participation in the contest is free and prizes will be awarded to the winners in three age groups. To be eligible, students must register and submit their wholly original poem online at www.LFPL.org/CotterCup no later than March 14 (one entry per student). Computer access and assistance is also available at any Louisville Free Public Library location.

For students looking for additional help with their writing, Western Library will host tutors from the UofL Writing Center every Wednesday, 3 to 6 p.m., January through April. Tutors will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to help students improve their writing skills on school assignments, creative writing projects, and their Cotter Cup entries.

Learn more at www.LFPL.org/CotterCup or call (502) 574-1779.

Free Tax Preparation

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Offers Free Tax Help

The Louisville Asset Building Coalition’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides trained, IRS-certified volunteers who offer free tax services at 15 sites across the city. VITA is available to individuals and families who earned less than $66,000 in 2023.

Eligible Louisville residents can make an appointment to visit these VITA sites for in-person free tax filing. Most sites use convenient drop-off services.

Americana Community Center, 4801 Southside Dr.
Bates, 728 East Lampton St.
Edison Center, 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Ste 201
Family Scholar House U of L, 403 Reg Smith Circle
Family Scholar House Riverport, 3311 Cathe Dykstra Way
Goodwill Resource Center, 909 E. Broadway
Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway
Oldham County LaGrange Library, 308 Yager Avenue (LaGrange)
Portland Promise Center, 1831 Baird St.
Shively City Hall, 3920 Dixie Hwy.
St. Vincent de Paul Family Success Center, 1029 S Preston Hwy.
Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Lane
United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 State St.
Wesley House Community Services, 5114 Preston Hwy.
Various mobile locations around the city (check www.labcservices.org for sites)

To schedule an appointment for in-person tax assistance, call 502-305-0005 or visit https://louisvillekyvita.cascheduler.com. For more details, including days and hours of drop off services, visit https://labcservices.org/.

Free tax preparation kicks off in 2024 with the annual “Taxathon” event which offers 24-hours of free tax preparation at the Louisville Urban League. The Taxathon event runs Friday, February 2nd, from 9am to 9pm, and Saturday, February 3rd, from 9am to 9pm. Filers can walk in during these times for free tax preparation services.

Residents can also choose to have their taxes prepared at MyFreeTaxes.com, which provides a free self-file program offered in partnership by United Way Worldwide and TaxSlayer.

AARP Tax-Aide also provides free tax prep services, with special attention to people age 60 and older. AARP Tax-Aide sites will begin operating at eight sites in early February. For more information, visit http://www.aarp-tax-aide-lou.org.

Potholes! What to do?

Potholes are showing up everywhere! Why is that and how do they get fixed?

Potholes are caused by water seeping into the cracks of asphalt. This is caused by water getting into surface cracks caused by a weakened asphalt. Winter in the Metro Louisville area can be brutal with the constant amount of rain and snow that we have in the area. If the asphalt is already weakened, then the pothole is inevitable. Potholes are hard on our cars!

The good news? This is one of the easiest things to get fixed! How do you do that?

Report it! Be sure to give the exact location.

Report it by calling Metro311 or 574-5000 or complete a form online here.
You can also report by using the Metro Call App! The link to download the app can be found here.
You may also give our office a call at 502-574-1112 or email Heather.Blazis@louisvilleky.gov and we will submit it for you.

Don’t forget to write down and keep the 311 case number when you call. That gives us a way to track the process.

We have requested several pothole repairs in the last year and Public Works has done an amazing job of getting them fixed. Let’s make sure we continue to do that! Report it as soon as you see it! Let’s get them scheduled! Working together we will make sure that we take care of these as quickly as possible!

To report a pothole on an interstate in Jefferson County, go to the “contact us” dropdown menu and select “report a hazard” on KYTC’s website http://transportation.ky.gov or click here.

23-LANDSCAPE-0203

Project Location: 7299 Dixie Highway

Project Description: Scooter's Coffee #1593. A landscape plan for a Coffee Kiosk.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

LMPD IS LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES

WHO WANTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

LMPDJobs.com

Free lifeguard training offered to future Louisville Parks and Recreation employees

Louisville Parks and Recreation is now hiring lifeguards for the 2024 swim season. Certification classes have begun at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Avenue.

Each class costs $200 to take but is free if participants commit to working one year at a Louisville Parks and Recreation pool. Participants must be at least 15 years of age or older. The course will provide lifeguard, first aid and CPR/AED certifications. The purpose is to teach candidates the skills needed to prevent and respond to aquatic emergencies, ultimately working together to help the public safely enjoy the water.

Lifeguards will have the opportunity to work at the outdoor pools in Sun Valley and Nelson Hornback (Fairdale) parks as well as the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center. The outdoor pools at Algonquin and Camp Taylor (Norton) parks will be closed during summer 2024 but are expected to reopen the following year with new renovations and water features.

Participants must attend all classes to complete the course and receive certifications. The starting pay for the position of a Louisville Parks and Recreation lifeguard is $16.65/hour with a guarantee of 36-40 hours per week.

Those interested can call Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center at (502) 574-1498 or click here to learn more about lifeguard training.

Below please find MSD's recently posted positions.

For position descriptions, pay information, and to apply please visit their website: http://www.louisvillemsd.org/Careers

Buyer II
GIS Analyst I/II/III/Sr.
Collections System Supervisor (Maintenance Supervisor)
Network Engineer II/III
Facilities Maintenance Technician
Health & Safety Program Manager
Maintenance Mechanic I/II/III

Find a rewarding career! Serve the Louisville community!

Join the PW - A Team!!

Apply today!

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