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Mayor Greg Fischer, Metro Council members and other leaders today announced the opening of free tax preparation sites across Louisville that will provide federal and state income tax assistance to eligible residents.
Louisville Asset Building Coalition’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, and AARP Tax Aide programs provide trained, IRS-certified volunteers to offer free tax services at more than 20 sites across the city. The service is available to individuals and families who earned less than $64,000 in 2017.
VITA and AARP volunteers will also help determine if residents are eligible for the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), a refundable federal tax credit for low- and middle-income working individuals and families. Eligibility for the EITC is based on income, the number of family members and other criteria, such as the amount of a families’ credit. Working families who earn about $53,000 or less may be eligible, with average credits last year more than $2,400.
“For many working families, free help with taxes and guidance in qualifying for the EITC can be a game-changer,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “That’s money that can go toward buying or fixing a car, paying tuition, paying off bills or making long-deferred household purchases.”
Last year, the VITA campaign and Louisville AARP sites processed more than 14,000 returns, adding more than $19.7 million to the local economy, including nearly $6 million in Earned Income Credits to residents.
Appointments are recommended for VITA free tax assistance service and can be made now by calling (502) 305-0005 or scheduling online at https://louisvillekyvita.cascheduler.com.
The VITA free tax preparation sites are located at:
- Americana Community Center, 4801 Southside Dr.
- Bates Community Development, 1228 Jackson St.
- Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place, 1411 Algonquin Pkwy. (Self-file only beginning Jan. 29)
- Edison Center , 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Suite 201
- First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Road
- Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway
- Nia Center, 2900 W. Broadway
- Portland Promise Center, 1831 Baird St.
- Salt and Light Community Development, 3025 Gerald Dr.
- Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Lane
- United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 State St.
- Wesley House Community Services – 5114 Preston Hwy.
For a complete list of VITA locations, including mobile sites, as well as hours of operation, visit http://labcservices.org call Metro United Way’s 211 help referral service.
Also visit the website at information about a free service for those interested in filing their own taxes online. Starting Jan. 29, two software packages — MyFreeTaxes and Turbo Tax Freedom Edition — will be available for those who meet eligibility.
In addition to the VITA sites, AARP Tax Aide’s mission is to serve any person comes through the door, with special attention to those 60 and older.
AARP sites will open Feb. 1 at the following locations:
- Buechel Park Baptist Church, 2403 Hikes Lane
- Central Government Center, 7201 Outer Loop
- Clifton Christian Church, 131 Vernon Ave.
- East Government Center, 200 Juneau Dr.
- Iroquois Branch Library, 601 W Woodlawn Ave.
- Jeffersontown Senior Center, 10631 Watterson Trail
- Lyndon Baptist Church, 8025 New LaGrange Rd.
- Portland Branch Library, 3305 Northwestern Parkway
- Southwest Government Center, 7219 Dixie Hwy.
For a full AARP schedule and listing, including mobile sites, visit http://www.aarp-tax-aide-lou.org or call (502) 394-3443.
To help preparers accurately determine EITC eligibility and prepare returns, individuals should bring:
- Picture ID and Social Security cards for everyone listed on the return
- Copy of 2016 tax return with all attachments and schedules
- W-2s and 1099s from your employers
- Other 1099s for interest, dividends, state tax refund or other income
- 1095 for health insurance
- 1098 for education credit, plus detailed financial statement from the school
- Bank account number and routing number for direct deposit as well as savings account number (if applicable)
- Child care information, including Provider ID and actual amounts paid
- Summarized list of other income/expenses for those who itemize or are self-employed
- Additional tax information that may be required
Visit http://labcservices.org/ or http://www.aarp-tax-aide-lou.org for more information about the required documentation.
The work of the Louisville Asset Building Coalition and the AARP Tax Assistance Program is made possible by Metro United Way, Louisville Metro Government, the IRS, the AARP Tax-Aide Foundation and dozens of other partners.
photo credit: Jamesmac96
Venue industry publication, Pollstar Magazine, released its 2017 Year-End Worldwide Ticket Sales rankings and AEG Facilities’ managed KFC Yum! Center is ranked 24th in the nation and 50th in the world for ticket sales by venue, having sold more than 386,000 tickets in 2017. The arena broke its records for total tickets sold and total number of concerts hosted in a calendar year, both set in 2014.
AEG Facilities, the KFC Yum! Center’s management group, owns, operates or is affiliated with 26 of the top 100 arenas worldwide, including the No. 1 ranked The O2 in London.
Multiple factors contributed to the success of the arena including the record breaking number of concerts, quality of artists who performed at the venue and fan support. Of the 29 total concerts hosted at the KFC Yum! Center in 2017, 14 sold out and three were ranked in the top 10 tours in the world, including Guns N Roses, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. The Louisville community visited the venue in record numbers, but more than half of the venue’s ticket sales came from regions outside Louisville, including Lexington, Cincinnati, Evansville and Indianapolis.
The KFC Yum! Center is excited for a strong slate of amazing shows in 2018, including Kid Rock, Luke Bryan, P!nk, Maroon 5, among many others.
*Value includes concerts and family shows only; does not include sporting events, private meetings or trade shows
A major project to improve safety along one of the city’s most traveled highways began a new phase today, as Mayor Greg Fischer and U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced the construction kickoff of the New Dixie Highway Project.
Upon completion in December 2019, the improved corridor will include safety improvements such as new medians, wider sidewalks and clearly marked crosswalks; efficiency improvements including responsive traffic signals linked by fiber optic cable; and the city’s first bus rapid transit system which will vastly improve bus travel times to and from downtown.
“The U.S. Department of Transportation’s $16.9 million TIGER grant is providing nearly half of the funding for the New Dixie Highway Project to greatly improve the Louisville area transportation network,” said Secretary Chao. “As a resident of Louisville, I have spent a lot of time driving Dixie Highway and am delighted to be part of this effort to improve the safety and efficiency of the city’s busiest traffic corridor.
The $35 million project will create a New Dixie Highway that’s safer for drivers and pedestrians, and will fuel transformation of a major economic corridor for southwest and west Louisville. The New Dixie Highway Project is the first major construction project under the Mayor’s MOVE Louisville initiative.
“We’re investing more money into improving Dixie Highway right now than any other corridor in the city,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “This road is a crucial connector for people to get to schools, to work, to health care, and most importantly, to get back home. This project will not only make Dixie safer for drivers, but it will make it more attractive for business owners, consumers and investors.”
Dixie Highway carries nearly 60,000 vehicles per day near its busiest intersections, which is a higher traffic count than some interstate stretches. Dixie Highway also suffers a fatality rate three times higher than comparable Kentucky roadways.
The project includes funding from federal, state and local sources, including a $16.9 million federal TIGER grant, $5.28 federal funds through KIPDA, $12 million in state funds, and $600,000 from Louisville Metro.
“It takes collaboration and support between city, state and federal partners to move a project of this size forward,” said KYTC Secretary Greg Thomas. “The upcoming construction, coupled with roadway improvements in recent years, will completely transform Dixie Highway into a safer, better-connected corridor.”
Mayor Fischer, Sec. Chao, KYTC Sec. Thomas, Congressman John Yarmuth, Metro Council members and other leaders celebrated the New Dixie Highway construction kickoff at the Kroger Marketplace, a $23 million grocery and retail superstore, at 4915 Dixie Highway. The location is appropriate, Mayor Fischer said, because the project builds on the renaissance already under way on the corridor, with tens of millions of dollars in private investments in new restaurants, retail businesses, housing and other developments.
Safety improvements lead the way
This month, MAC Construction began preparations for construction, including temporary lane shifts and utility location. Safety improvements will include new concrete medians designed to limit left turns between Crums Lane and Greenwood Road. Dedicated turn lanes will reduce the risk for head-on collisions. Pedestrians will enjoy new, more accommodating sidewalks that are eight feet wide in many areas, and better markings for crosswalks.
The city’s busiest transit corridor will also get the region’s first “bus rapid transit” line, including distinctive TARC buses and high-visibility shelters to help move thousands of people daily and better define the 14-mile corridor. More than 100 trees will be planted along the route, as well as native grasses and plants within the new landscaped medians.
Mayor Fischer thanked state legislators, Metro Council members and the KYTC for their commitment to improving safety and mobility along Dixie Highway, noting that without their work to secure state and local matching funds, the city would not have been able to leverage the federal grant to jump-start the project.
Bus rapid transit will help move people to work, home
Fueled by a $16.9 million federal TIGER grant, the New Dixie Highway project will include a new bus rapid transit line along Dixie Highway from around the Gene Snyder Freeway to Broadway, and connect to the downtown business district. It will include specially designed vehicles and bus stations that will reduce travel times for riders and increase reliability along Louisville’s most used public-transit corridor.
“This strategic investment in a proven transportation solution will help transit users get to work, to stores and back home faster and more reliably than today,” Yarmuth said. “That’s important for working families, employers and our regional economy.”
With more than 30 distinctively branded bus shelters, new buses and sidewalk improvements, the New Dixie Highway project will also help transform the look and feel of the corridor.
Multiple improvements on Dixie are already underway or completed
Overall, more than $50 million has been invested in Dixie Highway in a series of projects over the past two years. The total investment of federal, state and local dollars includes:
- $14.5 million in pavement replacement and resurfacing underway along a five-mile segment from Stonegate Manor Drive to Greenwood Road
- $2.5 million in resurfacing work completed this summer – a two-mile section from Algonquin Parkway to Maple Street (31W) and a six-mile section from the Jefferson/Hardin county line to Stonegate Manor Drive
- $2.5 million project to clean and repaint the Dixie Highway overpass at the Watterson Expressway completed last year
- $800,000 project completed this fall to add a new sidewalk along the east side of Dixie, and straighten ramp and add a signal at the westbound I-264 Shively exit
Open house meetings planned for early 2018
Citizens will get a chance to learn more about the planned improvements at an open house meeting in early 2018. Citizens can also get more information through the project website (www.TheNewDixieHighway.com) and social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.
Follow progress on the New Dixie Highway at TheNewDixieHighway.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @NewDixieHighway.
Mayor Greg Fischer cut the ribbon for the grand opening of a new Metro Public Works Operations Center designed to improve efficiency by centralizing operations from three separate locations into one site.
The Operations Center, at 3507 Newburg Road, replaces an outdated Central District facility of the Roads and Operations Division of Public Works; brings the Signs & Markings team together on one floor; and brings Electrical Maintenance storage, which was split in three locations, into a single site.
Critical daily functions, such as road and traffic signal maintenance, fabrication and installation of all traffic signs and road markings, along with snow removal, are performed or supported at the Operations Center, which will also function as the Public Works Emergency Command Center during major incidents.
Creation of the $4.5 million Operations Center is part of Mayor Fischer’s overall facilities needs planning, which also calls for using the old Central District site for construction of a new Louisville Metro Animal Services’ Care Center to replace an outdated center on Manslick Road. Plans for the new animal care facility, which will be next to the city’s Animal House Adoption Center, are still under development.
Mayor Fischer said, “Coordinating development of these facilities shows how we can leverage existing resources to create more efficient services for citizens and better working conditions for city employees.”
The six-acre Operations Center complex includes a 14,400-square-foot operations building, a 10,920-square-foot storage building, an open storage yard, and a salt dome that can house 5,000 tons of road salt — a 67 percent increase over the 3,000-ton dome of the old facility. Salt also can be loaded into the dome from the top via an automatic conveyor system that is much more efficient than the old system of using multiple truck runs to dump salt on the floor.
Electrical power to the complex is backed up by an external generator. There is also above ground diesel fuel storage for emergency use. The truck standby parking area includes a plug-in rail to warm diesel engines for more efficient cold weather operation.
Following an extensive community engagement effort and a detailed evaluation process, The Marian Group and Louisville Metro Government have signed a letter of intent to redevelop the former Urban Government Center (UGC) site in Paristown.
The UGC property totals 11.85 acres and is located in the Paristown neighborhood near the Original Highlands, Shelby Park, Germantown and Smoketown. There are currently four buildings on the UGC property: 810 Barret Avenue, 850 Barret Avenue, 768 Barret Avenue, and a steam plant to the west of 850 Barret Avenue.
The Marian Group’s proposal aligns with community priorities expressed during an extensive public engagement period. These priorities include the preservation of green space and an existing community garden, the creation of new housing choices at multiple price points, the ability of the site to support multi-modal transportation options, including transit and bicycles, the reuse of existing facilities and materials, the incorporation of community gathering spaces, and the use of innovative building and site management techniques to make the development a model of sustainability.
These values are mirrored in broader community priorities captured in Vision Louisville, including improving connectivity, enhancing identity, fostering creativity, incorporating sustainable energy and improving health.
The development will feature such diverse housing options as townhomes, shotgun-style single family homes, multi-family rental units, and condo flats. Additionally, Marian plans to develop several types of affordable housing—including a Family Scholar House campus and housing for seniors. The development will include office and commercial space, and The Marian Group will also be exploring development of a boutique hotel.
“We are proud to have been selected to partner with Metro on this project. We believe it represents what is great about our city and this neighborhood—mixed-use, mixed-income, intergenerational and interconnected,” said Marian principal Justin Brown.
Marian principal Jake Brown added, “This project reaffirms our commitment to inclusive housing opportunities across a wide range of income levels, including affordable, first time home buyers, seniors and the sixth local Family Scholar House campus.”
The selection of The Marian Group comes after a community engagement process of over one year that included multiple on-site public meetings to hear the concerns and values of people from adjacent neighborhoods. In their proposals, development teams were asked to incorporate what was heard at public meetings.
Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith, who represents the area, said: “Today is a great day. Today is another win for our community. I congratulate everyone who worked so hard on the evaluation panel for several months reviewing and analyzing each proposal. The panel did exactly what it promised to do in delivering a recommendation on schedule, and that aligns with community priorities. I am especially impressed with the attention paid and results delivered to build affordable housing. This site will always be known as the historic Kentucky Baptist Hospital, the mission of which was to care for those in times of need. We are now moving forward with a project that ensures a better quality of life for all.”
Councilman Brandon Coan, whose district is immediately adjacent to the UGC property, said that he applauds the quality and attentiveness to community priorities reflected in all five of the proposals: “I am pleased with the process the city used to reach today’s announcement, and the importance that community sentiment and values played in shaping the future of the Urban Government Center property. The Marian Group’s proposal reflects the density, connectivity and variety of housing options that the community clearly desired. I hope historic preservation receives all due consideration but I am generally supportive of this project. 2018 will be a transformative year for the Barret Avenue corridor.”
For more information on the Urban Government Center and to view The Marian Group’s proposal as well as the signed letter of intent, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/urban-government-c…
Mayor Fischer announced yesterday that he is creating a task force to review city policies and procedures in dealing with homeless encampments.
The new Homeless Encampment Task Force will be led by Eric Friedlander, the city’s Chief Resilience Officer, and will include representatives from the Coalition for the Homeless, St. John’s Center, LMPD, Metro Corrections and Metro’s Office for Resilience and Community Services.
“The way that Louisville Metro Government takes on challenges, from economic development to public safety to sustainability, is to bring people who have different perspectives together around a common purpose,” the Mayor said. “The task force will help us find better ways to serve our homeless citizens.”
Mayor Fischer also announced his support for Metro Councilman Bill Hollander’s homeless protection ordinance, which, among other procedures, would mandate 21-day notices before clearing out homeless encampments. And the Mayor said he is suspending all operations clearing out homeless encampments until after the ordinance passes and/or updated procedures are in place.
The goal, he said, “is to build on the success we’ve had in reducing homelessness in our city.” For example:
- The Long Term Housing Division of Resilience and Community Services subsidizes housing and provides case management for over 400 citizens who used to be homeless.
- In 2014, Mayor Fischer joined mayors across America in signing the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness and, working with the Coalition for the Homeless and other agencies, secured housing for all 360 homeless veterans known at the time, achieving “functional zero” by November 2015. The city now has procedures in place to house homeless veterans as soon as they are identified, and remains at “functional zero” for homeless veterans.
- On Aug. 1, the Coalition for the Homeless and a team of local service providers and community leaders launched the 100-Day Challenge: To house at least 100 homeless youth and young adults in our city by Nov. 8. The city exceeded the goal, housing 115 youth within those 100 days.
Citing Metro government budgetary pressures and reductions in state and federal funding for such work, the Mayor also today urged all citizens and private organizations to step up and help out, by volunteering time and donating funds to help the homeless.
“Every human being who finds themselves living on our streets is an individual with their own story and their own needs. And we want to treat them with dignity, respect and compassion, and do everything we can to help them get the resources they need,” he said. “That’s a shared community goal, and it will take the work of all of us to realize that goal.”
He encouraged people to find out more by going to the Coalition for the Homeless website, at Louhomeless.org.
Photo: Kentucky Derby Museum
The Kentucky Derby Museum received a grant from the Kentucky Colonels in the amount of $7,150 to help purchase a new golf cart for the Museum. After the success of both the Around the Golf Cart and Race Day Golf Cart tours, adding a second golf cart to the Museum’s fleet will help keep up with demand for the specialty tours, especially as Derby season fast approaches.
The Kentucky Colonels is an organization of talented and capable men and women appointed by the Governor because of their citizenship and service. Their primary objective is to support Kentucky organizations who stand ready to help our citizens everywhere. The Kentucky Colonels, through their Good Works Program, distributed $1.5 million to support 171 worthy causes this year, which will impact over 3 million people across the state.
“A Kentucky Colonel is more than just a certificate, it’s a group of compassionate individuals that care about the citizens of Kentucky and who want to make a difference. We harness our members’ generous donations and award grants to not-for-profits to help those most in need throughout the Commonwealth,” Barbara Dutschke, Commanding General of the Board of Trustees of the Kentucky Colonels said.
The golf cart will be ready for tours this spring. If you are interested in reserving your spring or Derby season tour, visit DerbyMuseum.org.
