Ben's Pen

A Note from CM Reno-Weber

Dear District 8,

Since stepping into office, it has become abundantly clear that safety is the foremost concern for many (if not most) people in our community. We are listening, and I want to assure you that we are not only hearing you but are also taking decisive and proactive steps to address these issues with partners across Metro.

Like many social issues, we believe violence is best addressed from a public health framework: addressing crisis points (see the Bardstown Road Bars Update below), supporting those intervening (like the 911 Deflection), and investing upstream in prevention programs. Everyone deserves a neighborhood in which they feel safe in their homes and on the streets, and we will continue to push for investments and concrete actions until that is the case.

We also continue to get incredible reports from Block by Block and the work they do to keep our neighborhood clean and welcoming. Please thank them when you see them at work.  

And as always, we are grateful to the neighborhood associations, parks, libraries, and community centers hosting activities and programs that make our community such a vibrant place in the summer.  

Our office is grateful to serve the most active community in our city, so please continue to reach out with stories, suggestions, and issues.

Don't forget to read to the end for the punchline to this month's dad joke: What kind of water cannot freeze? 

- Ben

Around D8

TARC & JCPS Press Conference Early this month, Jefferson County Public Schools and Transit Authority of River City (TARC) signed an important agreement that will help our community address our children's needs. If we are going to be the community we want to be, we have to invest in transit that works for all. Read more here.

Celebrating Pride at Big Bar with Mayor Craig Greenberg It was an honor to join Mayor Greenberg at Big Bar to celebrate Pride. This event was a powerful reminder of our community's commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity. Together, we reaffirm our dedication to ensuring equality and respect for all.

World Refugee Day at Tyler Park This month we celebrated World Refugee Day with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. We were very happy to be joined in the celebration by Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe, Legislative Assistant Ashkan Rezai from District 21, and Amos Izerimana from the Office for Immigrant Affairs. Making District 8 more welcoming starts with showing up, but it doesn't stop there. Kentucky Refugee Ministries plays a vital role in supporting relocated families, strengthening our entire community with their dedication and hard work.

Bardstown Road Public Safety Update

Recent complaints of violence and noise led Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to refer Afrokanza and Cafe 360 to Code Enforcement. Cafe 360 voluntarily gave up their extended liquor license (meaning they can no longer serve alcohol past 2 am) after a man was killed in their restaurant.

Notably, these two establishments have accounted for 135 police calls in the first 120 days of the year.

We are grateful to ABC and Code Enforcement for their swift actions. We hope that Cafe 360 and Afrokanza will take meaningful steps to address the harm caused and restore trust within our community.

Read more here.

Watch CM Reno-Weber discuss below: 

D8 Works

Every month we aim to highlight examples of our residents, the D8 office, and other local government agencies working together to improve our community.

On May 13th we received this message from a constituent:

I am writing regarding the alleyway on the north side of Mid-City Mall. This is a busy alleyway as many people use it to get from the Bardstown Road side to Baxter Avenue. My son crosses this alleyway each day on his way home from school. There’s no stop sign or paint striping to indicate that vehicles should stop and my son has two close calls with cars here. Though many children walk with their parents, older children like mine often make the trip unaccompanied. I’m writing in hopes that this can be made a little safer for pedestrians.

One month later, we got confirmation that the issue had been fixed. A special thanks to Public Works for their support on this and for helping make D8 safer for everyone.

If you have an issue that needs addressing, please contact us at 502.574.1108.

What's Bubbling Up?

Upcoming Events & Opportunities to Engage

The Cherokee Triangle Neighborhood Association is hosting a series of free concerts on Sunday evenings. Please consider bringing a donation for Highland Community Ministries or Dare to Care Food Pantry. Canned goods, toiletries, dish detergent, and school supplies are all accepted.

Listen, Learn, Act is starting its 4-Week Anti-Racism Challenge (ARC) on Friday, July 5th. Participants will receive 10-12 anti-racist activities every Friday and will be challenged to complete at least three to maintain their commitment to challenging racism. Sign up here.

An urban forest master plan is underway in Louisville, focused on health and quality of life. Why, you might ask? Here's what we know:

• Louisville is dealing with heat stress and challenges with air quality. This has impacts on us all, but is especially impactful for underserved and low-income communities. 

• Trees are one of the most effective ways to deal with these issues - cooling neighborhoods, intercepting air pollutants, absorbing stormwater and more. 

• We also know from studies that we were losing tree canopy. We have been working hard for more than a decade to reverse this trend, and have started to make some progress, but there are still significant inequities between neighborhoods and much more work to be done. 

• Additionally, we know that the majority of tree canopy is on private property, so while Louisville Metro is working to improve canopy on public lands, any real change and progress will require community-wide effort.  

The Louisville urban forest master plan (called the Louisville Tree Plan) is needed to comprehensively explore the challenges and opportunities we face, bring the community together to identify our needs, priorities and resources, and engage all involved to come away with a solid strategic plan for addressing the urban forest over the next two decades. 

Provide your input to the team at Trees Louisville via this link.

Important City Announcements

Animal House provides homeless shelter pets with shelter and a chance to be adopted. If you are looking to make a difference this summer or make a new friend, stop by Animal House, 3516 Newburg Road from 12-6PM to see some dogs in need of a home.

As pool season begins, it is more important than ever for all children to know how to swim. The YMCA Safety Around Water program provides basic swim and water safety lessons for all children.  Sessions are located at Shawnee and Central High School and you can find the schedule here.

Be Smart: Gun Safety

Everytown for Gun Safety launched the Be SMART campaign to take action to promote responsible gun ownership and reduce child gun deaths. The campaign focuses on education and awareness about child gun deaths and secure gun storage. Learn more here.

Dad Joke of the Month

What kind of water cannot freeze?

Hot water.

Councilmember Ben Reno-Weber  |   Louisville Metro Council   |   District 8

601 West Jefferson Street, Third Floor

Louisville, Kentucky 40202

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