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A partnership between Kentuckiana Air Education (KAIRE) and Louisville Parks and Recreation has led to the creation of colorful advertisements stressing an anti-idling message that can be seen approximately a dozen parks throughout Louisville.
The message, “People Idle In Parks – Not Cars,” can be seen on pavement decals affixed to surfaces in high-traffic areas at some of Louisville busiest parks, including Joe Creason, Seneca, Thurman Hutchins and Sun Valley.
The advertisements have been placed in 16 parks with 14 more to follow in upcoming weeks.
“The advertisements are a reminder that parks are spaces where we promote the enjoyment of clean air and a healthy environment,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We’re encouraging our visitors to turn the engine off if they can, and possibly step outside of their car and go for a walk, and enjoy the surroundings.”
Unnecessary engine idling can create an air pollution “hot spot” in places like parking lots, school pick-up lines, and drive-thru windows. As Louisville’s overall air quality improves and vehicles become cleaner, idling is still a blind spot for many motorists.
“Modern cars don’t belch out black, smoky fumes anymore, but they still pollute the air,” said Air Pollution Control District Director Keith Talley Sr. “This is an easy way to reduce your personal pollution footprint.”
Credit: KY State Parks
Kentucky State Parks across the Commonwealth will host Halloween events throughout October.
Many of the park system’s campgrounds will have special activities for campers, including decorations, costumes, hayrides and games for the kids. Resort parks, recreation parks and historic sites will also have special Halloween events during October.
A list of events is available at: http://parks.ky.gov/halloween/
Parents of young children should check in advance as some parks have age recommendations for events.
Many state resort parks have inexpensive rates for lodge rooms and cottages during the fall. In addition to excellent restaurants, Kentucky State Parks have trails, playgrounds and plenty of wildlife viewing areas and fall colors that make for excellent family outings.
For more information about state park events, or to make lodging or camping reservations, visit www.parks.ky.gov
Credit: KY State Parks
The Garden Club of Kentucky will dedicate two more Monarch butterfly waystations at the William Whitley House State Historic Site and Carter Caves State Resort Park in September.
The William Whitley House ceremony is Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. and the Carter Caves event is Sept. 27 at 2 p.m.
Members of the Garden Club of Kentucky have worked with state parks and other groups to design and install Monarch waystations.
Monarch butterflies need specific resources for their migration to and from Mexico. Those include nectar producing flowers, shelter and milkweed, the only plant that Monarch caterpillars will eat. These Kentucky waystations serve millions of migrating Monarch butterflies.
Other Kentucky State Parks with Monarch waystations include: Kentucky Dam Village, Waveland, Blue Licks Battlefield, Perryville Battlefield, Old Fort Harrod, Fort Boonesborough, Cumberland Falls, Lake Barkley, Jenny Wiley, Pennyrile Forest, General Butler and Barren River Lake.
For more information about the Monarch waystation program or butterfly gardening, visit www.monarchwatch.org
For more information about Kentucky State Parks, visit www.parks.ky.gov
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has received reports of two laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, indicating the presence of flu activity in Kentucky. The cases were from Jefferson County.
Beginning in October, DPH officials will begin to report weekly influenza activity to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of statewide flu surveillance efforts.
Photo: CDC
Adequate supplies of flu vaccine are expected to be available for this year’s season. This season, only injectable influenza vaccine formulations will be distributed in the United States. Vaccination can be given any time during the flu season.
“Getting the flu can be debilitating and sometimes life-threatening, and vaccination is the best tool we have to prevent illness. It’s also extremely important to take simple preventive steps to avoid it,” said Hiram C. Polk, Jr., M.D., commissioner of DPH. “You should also follow the advice your parents gave you to prevent flu and other illnesses that tend to circulate at this time of year – wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and stay home when you’re sick.”
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends flu vaccine for all individuals aged six months of age and older. People who are strongly encouraged to receive the flu vaccine because they may be at higher risk for complications or negative consequences include:
• Children aged six months through 59 months;
• Women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season;
• Persons 50 years of age or older;
• Persons with extreme obesity (Body Mass Index of 40 or greater);
• Persons aged six months and older with chronic health problems;
• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
• Household contacts (including children) and caregivers of children aged ≤59 months
(i.e., aged aged ≥50 years;
• Household contacts and caregivers or people who live with a person at high-risk for
complications from the flu; and
• Health care workers, including physicians, nurses, and other workers in inpatient and
outpatient-care settings, medical emergency-response workers (e.g., paramedics and
emergency medical technicians), employees of nursing home and long-term care
facilities who have contact with patients or residents, and students in these professions
who will have contact with patients.
Infection with the flu virus can cause fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing and body aches. Flu can be very contagious. For more information on influenza or the availability of flu vaccine, Kentuckians should contact their primary care medical provider or local health department. Influenza information is also available online at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm.
Following an extensive community engagement effort and a detailed review conducted by a committee of Metro staff and citizen volunteers, Mayor Greg Fischer today announced that the Louisville Urban League has been selected to develop a state-of-the-art multi-sports complex anchored by an indoor track and field facility on the 24-acre Heritage West property located at 3029 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
“The Urban League’s plan reflects the community’s desire for a project that will bring immediate life to this key piece of land, and provide healthy outlets for youth and adults to engage in a variety of sports and other activities,” said the Mayor. “This is an exciting process, and I look forward to returning to this site soon to break ground on a new development that brings the vision and values of the people of Russell to life.”
The complex will be designed to host a variety of sporting events potentially sponsored by organizations such as USA Track and Field (USATF), the National College Athletics Association (NCAA), colleges and universities, and local and regional public and private schools. The facility also will feature retail space and related amenities.
“We are thrilled to be chosen as the development partner for the Heritage West property,” said Sadiqa Reynolds, President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League. “This project will bring 20,000 visitors with disposable income into Louisville and more importantly into west Louisville. Louisville will be a U.S. track and field destination.”
(Learn more about the Louisville Urban League’s plan)
The total project cost is expected to be $30 million.
Heritage West is located on the western border of the Russell neighborhood, which is currently seeing unprecedented levels of investment, including the $29.5 million mixed-income, mixed-use redevelopment of Beecher Terrace, a project expected to leverage at least $200 million in new investment; Waterfront Park Phase Four expansion; relocation of Passport Health Plan’s headquarters; and construction of a new YMCA at 18th and Broadway.
“The community has anxiously awaited an exciting development and concept for the property that will help transform the neighborhood and help put west Louisville on the map,” said Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton, District 5. “We hope that this athletic facility project will become a reality for Heritage West and will be a place to help our young people realize their dreams.”
The city began the Heritage West redevelopment process in March, when it issued a Solicitation of Interest that drew four innovative and exciting proposals, one of which was eventually withdrawn. More than 125 public comments were received on the four proposals.
The West Louisville Community Council (WLCC), a grassroots organization of residents, neighborhood associations, places of worship, educational and cultural institutions, focused on responsible, citizen-engaged redevelopment of vacant and abandoned properties in west Louisville, has been a key partner throughout the review and engagement process.
The WLCC has co-hosted community visioning meetings and public review meetings for the Heritage West Property, and sponsored an art contest that led to the renaming of the site as “Heritage West.”
“Positive outcomes can be achieved when community, organizations, and government agencies strategize collectively around issues impacting people. Heritage West is an example of how our collective resources can spur transformation within a community,” said Natasha Cummins, Chair of the Executive Committee, WLCC. “Today marks the day where the community’s voice was heard and decision makers took heed. We support this announcement and know that this initiative will create a positive vibe in our community and gain national recognition. West Louisville Community Council will continue to work closely with all involved and expect Heritage West to focus on community benefits as the project evolves.”
To read more about the project, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/advanced_planning/lul_track…
Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that a public-private partnership to help people who are visually impaired find points of interest in Louisville will expand, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation.
The Indoor Explorer program, which is operated by the American Printing House for the Blind and created in partnership with the city’s Office for Civic Innovation, places low-power Bluetooth beacons in public buildings that feed information about amenities and points of interest to an app called Nearby Explorer.
People who are visually impaired will use this information to independently find their way through and around the public buildings to find features, such as an airline ticket counter at the airport.
“The American Printing House for the Blind is a nationally recognized leader in innovation, and so is Louisville Metro Government — so this is a natural partnership,” Mayor Fischer said. “This program will expand opportunities for citizens and visitors with vision loss, and is another example of big ideas becoming a reality in Louisville through collaboration, good thinking and hard work.”
The grant will fund the installation of low-power Bluetooth beacons inside additional public buildings, expanding the uses of the Nearby Explorer app for independent travel, employment, civic engagement, tourism, education, dining, recreation, shopping and more. The beacons will also improve indoor navigation — which is limited under current technology — for app users who are blind and visually impaired.
“We are energized by Mayor Fischer’s commitment to making APH’s vision of a world where people who are blind or visually impaired can work, learn and live without barriers a reality here in Louisville,” said APH President Craig Meador. “Working together we have the opportunity to show the world what a truly welcoming community looks like by making Louisville the most accessible city for people who are blind and visually impaired.”
The project aligns with Louisville Metro’s Smart City initiatives, which also include the Waze app for traffic notifications, collaboration with the app IFTTT, and the LouieLab civic innovation space in downtown Louisville.
Credit: KY State Parks
Students from nine more Kentucky schools are taking field trips to a Kentucky State Park this fall thanks to a transportation grant from the Kentucky State Parks Foundation.
The KSPF’s “Inside Out Education” initiative allows schools to seek the grants that enable students to learn about the environment, history or culture at a Kentucky State Park. The recent round of grants brings the total number of students served to 3,919 with 56 grants awarded.
“We’re very proud that more students are having the opportunity to experience the outdoors at a Kentucky State Park with the help of these grants,” Parks Commissioner Donnie Holland said. “These students will get to see history and the environment up close.”
The nine schools and parks they plan to visit are:
Beechgrove Elementary, Kenton County, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Madison County High School, Madison County, Carter Caves State Resort Park
Daniel Boone Elementary, Madison County, Waveland State Historic Site
Frayser Elementary, Jefferson County, Old Fort Harrod State Park
Owensboro Middle School, Owensboro, John James Audubon State Park
Muhlenberg County High School, Muhlenberg County, Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park
Muhlenberg County High School Muhlenberg County, Jefferson Davis State Historic Site
Longest Elementary School, Muhlenberg County, John James Audubon State Park
Longest Elementary School, Muhlenberg County, Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site
The Muhlenberg County school trips are made possible by a grant from the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation.
For 2018 spring/summer consideration, applications are due March 1, 2018. For more information, visit: http://www.kentuckystateparksfoundation.org/about/inside-out-education/
For more information about Kentucky State Parks, visit: www.parks.ky.gov