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Photo: Neighborhood Place
Neighborhood Place partners offer resources to help expectant parents and enhance fathers’ roles as well as an information session about becoming a foster parent. To learn more about these offerings and several others please refer to the list below.
Also six back to school events remain in early August featuring free school supplies, sponsored by Neighborhood Place and numerous community partners.
Two Opportunities for “4 Your Child – Dads Making the Difference” workshop series
For more information and to register, contact Dr. Cheri Langley at (502) 709-9323. “4 Your Child” is an eight-week fatherhood program that aims to improve the quantity and quality of fathers’ involvement by integrating responsible parenting, economic stability, and relationship education services. Participants may be compensated for their time up to $220 but registration is required.
- Sat., Aug. 5 – Sept 19, First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Rd., 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Sat., Aug. 5 – Sept. 23, Charmoli Neighborhood Place, 200 Juneau Dr., 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Aug. 2 and 16, Legal Aid Office Hours at South Central Neighborhood Place, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Located at 4255 Hazelwood Ave. Call 485-7130 for more information. A Legal Aid Society staff member will be on hand to answer questions, talk about cases that Legal Aid handles and provide referrals.
Aug. 8, Foster Parent Recruitment Meeting at First Neighborhood Place, 6 – 8 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Rd., side of Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Call 595-5437 (KIDS) for more information. Detailed information will be provided on the requirements and process of how to become a foster or adoptive parent. Information such as an explanation of foster care, special needs adoption, and information on foster parent training classes will be provided. Sponsored by Kentucky Foster Care and the training classes will be provided. Sponsored by Kentucky Foster Care and the Special Needs Adoption Program.
Aug. 9 and 10, A Healthy Journey for Two Educational Baby Shower
For more information and to RSVP, contact Mendy Mason at 502-341-5400. A Healthy Journey for Two is an educational baby shower open to any expectant mothers. The class will include a range of information and resources, as well as free baby items, gift cards, prizes, and snacks. Hosted by Seven Counties and KIDSNow. Fathers are welcome but must be registered.
- Aug. 9, Ujima Neighborhood Place, 3610 Bohne Ave., 1 – 3 p.m.
- Aug. 10, First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Rd., 1 – 3 p.m.
Aug. 10, Becoming Weight Wise at South Central Neighborhood Place, 12 – 1 p.m.
Located at 4255 Hazelwood Ave. Call 313-4089 for more information. It’s not easy to manage body weight. This course will allow self-discovery, skill building and support can help you learn about weight control. This program is based on approaches that are promising ways to achieve better health. Sponsored by Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness.
Aug. 14, Sodexo Hiring Opportunities at South Central Neighborhood Place, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Located at 4255 Hazelwood Ave. Call 574-4516 for more information. Sodexo, a food-service agency, will provide on-the-spot interviews for positions with Jewish Hospital, Our Lady of Peace and University of Louisville Hospital. Bring your resume and be prepared for an interview. This is one of Sodexo’s busiest hiring seasons. Stop by if you are looking for employment that can lead to a full-time or part-time position.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
With the back drop of the Peterson-Dumesnil House, residents of Crescent Hill, Clifton, the Highlands, and St. Matthews will have a chance to find out what’s going on in the fight against crime on Tuesday, August 1st.
For a sixth year, the Fifth Division of Louisville Metro Police will host the 2017 National Night Out Celebration at this well-known landmark, located at 301 S. Peterson Avenue in Crescent Hill.
“Many of us on the Metro Council have had a sharp focus on crime in our districts. Fighting Crime begins with working with the men and women who patrol our streets,” says Councilman Bill Hollander (D-9). “National Night Out provides the chance for anyone to know what’s going on out in the streets.”
Hollander along with Council members Brandon Coan (D-8), Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) and Angela Leet (R-7) are encouraging the public to come out for National Night Out which will be held from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
“One of my goals in District 8 is to increase the number of neighborhood watch groups that can actively work with officers to keep our neighborhoods safe,” says Coan. “National Night Out is an opportunity to learn more about and sign-up for our program.”
“I talk many times about how people need to be connected to each other to improve our quality of life. An important connection is to know the men and women who keep our neighborhoods safe,” says Sexton Smith.
“Events such as National Night Out, help link neighbors to one another as well as help to build partnerships between the community and police,” Says Leet. “We need events like National Night Out to help empower our citizens to put a stop to the growing rates of violent and property crime.”
There is fun for all ages, including food, music, door prizes, and the making of child ID cards. There will also be a way to safely dispose of expired drugs.
For more information about the Fifth Division’s National Night Out event, call 574-LMPD (5673).
Louisville Metro Animal Services expected its Pay It Forward free adopton promotion to last about a month, but Louisvillians proved LMAS wrong! Six months later, the free adoption promotion is still going strong, thanks to Jefferson County’s compassionate animal lovers who continue to pay it forward.
The free adoption promotion got underway in January when LMAS offered $1,000 worth of free adoptions. LMAS asked adopters to pay it forward with donations to help cover adoption fees of other shelter pets. LMAS promised to continue offering free adoptions until the money ran out. Today, the Pay It Forward free adoption promotion is still going strong, thanks to those who continue to donate!
As a result, more than 400 additional animals have been adopted, compared to year-to-date 2016, in which 150 animals were adopted! LMAS hopes to continue this life-saving promotion indefinitely. Continued support from compassionate community members gives LMAS hope that this goal will become a reality.
Help save a shelter pet today and pay it forward! Click here to make a donation to LMAS’ non-profit fundraising entity, Friends of Metro Animal Services. FOMAS is dedicated to saving animals’ lives. Help them help the shelter pets of LMAS!
Pay It Forward FREE adoptions include vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery and microchip. All cats (6 mos. or older) and dogs (40 lbs. or more) are free. Puppies and kittens are not included in the Pay It Forward FREE adoption promotion. The promotion is meant to encourage the adoption of animals who are often overlooked in the shelter.
In an effort to address the needs of Louisville residents with disabilities and improve accessibility in many historic commercial structures in Metro Council District 8, Councilman Brandon Coan today announced that his office has partnered with the Department of Economic Development to create a dedicated revolving account that will loan up to $5,000 to businesses located in the district, already seeking the city’s accessibility loan program, to help pay for bigger and more accessibility improvements.
“The District 8 Accessibility Loan Program is part of my strategic objective to improve equitable access to the built environment,” said Coan. “Many Highlands-area businesses are hard to navigate for people using wheelchairs or otherwise having limited mobility. I hope local businesses will take advantage of this opportunity to improve their properties, expand their customer bases and make District 8 an even more welcoming community.”
To be eligible for the loan, the business must be located in District 8, be approved by the Metropolitan Business Development Corporation (METCO), the city’s board that governs small business loans, and be used on a project already borrowing $15,000 from METCO. The loan will be matched up to $5,000.
The city’s accessibility loans are offered to commercial property owners for the purpose of making buildings more accessible to people with disabilities. The loans are restricted to ingress and egress improvements, including but not limited to: accessible paths of travel, doors, handrails, threshold adjustments, and restroom updates.
“The Accessibility program is an important tool for improving the accessibility for everyone in our community, and District 8, anchored by many historic buildings, is ripe for these improvements,” said Scott Herrmann, Director of Economic Development. “Councilman Coan’s partnership with METCO is a testament to the city’s commitment to improving accessibility and furthering the vitality and quality of life in the Louisville community.”
The Center for Accessible Living has agreed to provide pro bono Accessibility Surveys to applicants seeking to take advantage of the new loan program. The surveys identify ADA compliance issues and make compliance suggestions – the kinds of improvements intended to be funded by the loans.
“As a compassionate city, Louisville should strive to be accessible to all people, and the District 8 Accessibility Loan Program is a positive development toward that goal,” said David Allgood, Director of Advocacy at the Center for Accessible Living. “The Center for Accessible Living is proud to partner with Councilman Coan on this initiative. People with disabilities are the city’s second-largest minority, and we have money to spend at local businesses we can access and enjoy.”
July 26, 2017 is the 27th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The law prohibits discrimination based on disability and improves access to the built environment through standards and requirements.
To learn more about the city’s accessibility loan, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/local-loan-programs.
President David Yates is encouraging residents to come out to the next “Talk with David” on Monday, July 24th, at the Southwest Regional Library beginning at 6:00pm.
President Yates has invited representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), District 5 to come and give an update on the Dixie Highway Paving Project. KYTC has not yet confirmed that they will be attending but President Yates wants to provide an opportunity for the state to listen to his constituent’s safety concerns and learn about the impact this construction has had on local businesses.
“My Southwest Council colleagues and I are very well aware of the continuing delays and frustration this state paving project has been experiencing,” says Yates. “It is important that people not confuse this project with the federal $16.9 million TIGER Grant for the Dixie Do Over. It is also important that state officials provide some answers and hear from our community.”
The project began in late 2015 and was to focus on repaving between Bethany Lane to Greenwood Road. It has been inundated with delays.
Representatives from LMPD, MSD, Code Enforcement and United States Congressman John Yarmuth’s office will be on hand to help answer any questions and concerns.
“Please come out and join us. This is also a chance to talk with me about any concerns you might have about any issue.” says Yates.
For more information about the next “Talk with David”, contact President Yates’ office at 574-1125.
Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Free Public Library officials welcomed the public today to the new $14.5 million South Central Regional Library located at 7300 Jefferson Boulevard near Jefferson Mall in Okolona.
The 40,000-square-foot facility, which replaces the much-smaller Okolona branch, enhances service for more than 160,000 people in south central Jefferson County, with new books and cutting-edge technology that encourages learning at all stages of life.
The library the second of three regional libraries included in the Louisville Free Public Library’s Updated Master Facilities Plan; the Southwest Regional Library opened in 2014, and construction on the third regional library in Northeast Jefferson County will begin this year.
“Lifelong learning is one of our core city values,” Mayor Greg Fischer said during today’s ribbon cutting. “And the gorgeous new South Central Regional Library is another example of how we’re bringing that value to life for the people of Louisville.”
The new eco-friendly library features more than 120,000 books and other materials – including more bestsellers, DVDs, large type, materials in multiple languages, books for youth, and graphic novels – as well as two large community meeting rooms; several smaller rooms for studying, reading, and collaborating; and dedicated spaces for teens and children. New technologies at South Central include plenty of computers and free internet access, plus, for the first time, a laptop kiosk for patrons to checkout laptops for use within the library.
“Our new South Central Regional Library provides the community with a world-class resource that will energize and expand opportunities for learning, growth, and engagement,” said Library Director Jim Blanton. “I challenge everyone in Louisville to take advantage of these new opportunities and seize them with excitement. I know I will.”
Overall, the South Central Regional Library project utilizes green building construction methods and materials and has been designed to save energy, improve quality of life, and reduce operating costs through such elements as geothermal heating and daylight harvesting interior lighting.
Walls of glass and clerestory windows fill the space with abundant natural light and offer incredible views of more than an acre of preserved woodland. The Library was committed to keeping as many trees as possible in order to preserve the beauty of the site and to minimize environmental impact, and while some of the hardwood trees had to be removed, many were milled and reused on the interior of the new library. The design team for the South Central Regional included JRA Architects of Louisville, Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle Ltd. of Minneapolis, and library staff, in consultation with neighborhood residents and leaders.
“District 24 is honored to have been chosen to host the Regional Library for this area of Metro Louisville,” said Councilwoman Madonna Flood. “For years we have dreamed of what the building would look like, what kind of technology would fill the space, and what kind of programs would be presented here. We can now see it, work in it and learn in it; our dreams have become reality. We are very excited for the Grand Opening of this grand Regional Library in Okolona.”
The South Central Regional also offers another LFPL first: the COLLIDER artist-in-residence program. The COLLIDER will host an array of artists and craftspeople from across the community – rotating monthly – including those working in visual arts, traditional crafts, music, dance, and digital art. Generous funding from Councilwoman Flood enabled the creation of the necessary space, artist equipment and materials, as well as a stipend for participating artists. The special studio space within the Library allows the artists to create on-site, while encouraging patrons to drop in, interact, and learn about a given artistic process. The program also features scheduled workshops for the public during each artist’s month in residence. To learn more about the COLLIDER’s artists-in-residence, visit LFPL.org/Collider.
Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch, whose District 13 is near the library said she was thrilled about its opening. “This location is about a mile from the border of District 13, so I anticipate great usage from my constituents in the Okolona, Hillview, and Yorktown areas,” she said. “The unique features such as lap top check out and artist in residence provided by Councilwoman Flood are expected to be a huge asset for our people!”
James Peden of District 23 agreed the new library is a tremendous asset to the community. “It will serve as the perfect place for checking out a book, holding meetings, and gaining knowledge,” he said. “We encourage everyone to stop by and check it out as soon as they can.”
Construction of the South Central Regional Library began in September 2015. The total cost for construction, books, computers, and furnishings was estimated at $14.5 million, with $6 million coming from the state, $6 million in capital funds allocated by Mayor Fischer and approved by the Metro Council, and an additional $2.5 million raised from private donors through the Library Foundation.
Mayor Fischer, Blanton, and Metro Council members were joined at today’s event by Congressman John Yarmuth, Library Foundation Vice Chair Bill Dunbar, and Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives representative Paige Davidson.
The opening weekend celebration continues on Saturday, July 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with artist-in-residence demonstrations, a family scavenger hunt, storytimes, and refreshments. For more information on the new South Central Regional Library, please visit LFPL.org/SouthCentral, or call (502) 964-3515.
If you visit the South Central Regional Library
The hours of operation are: Sunday: 1–5 p.m., Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. The library hosts a variety of free programs, classes, and events every month for adults and youth including weekly storytimes, computer classes, and multi-cultural programs. Search the library’s online calendar at LFPL.org for upcoming program dates and times.
In addition, the South Central Regional’s meeting rooms are available for use by community groups and organizations; it’s free but reservations are required. For more information call (502) 964-3515 or visit LFPL.org/meeting-rooms.htm.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Secretary Greg Thomas has approved the issuance of $929,004 in grants to improve multimodal freight transportation through the KY Rail Crossing Improvement (KRCI) Program. Administered through the KYTC Division of Planning, these funds are used to maintain and improve local and regional railroads.
“Safety continues to be the first priority of the Cabinet and this extends to all modes of transportation. We are pleased to partner with our rail companies to improve safety for the public and to support the movement of freight across Kentucky,” said Thomas.
Three applicants submitted requests for railroad improvement funds. Awards were issued to Paducah and Louisville Railroad (PAL), RJ Corman Railroad Group (RJC) and Port of Louisville Railroad (LOR) to fund improvements for 16 projects affecting 14 crossings. Awardees will be reimbursed 50% of the total project cost through the program for the $1.9 million in rail improvements.
“Railways are a major logistical resource for industry in our part of the state, and a major component of our transportation system,” said Rep. Steven Rudy, R-Paducah, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations & Revenue. “I commend the Transportation Cabinet, as well as Paducah & Louisville Railway, for working together to fund these critical safety and design improvements. These projects will have an overwhelmingly positive impact when it comes to relieving traffic congestion at our railroad crossings, by improving traffic flow and increasing the safety of our citizens. Public-private partnerships like these are the way of the future, and it is encouraging to see the public and private sector working together on innovative solutions to improve our infrastructure.”
When selecting KRCI awardees, the cabinet examined factors such as crash history, vehicle, train and truck traffic, physical condition, project cost, and the federal railroad crossing score. Some of the crossings had average daily traffic counts as high as 13,000 vehicles. Safety improvements include the installation of signals, lights, barriers, gates, bells or other equipment. The majority of projects will have rehabilitate crossing surfaces including pavement, ballast, ties and rail replacements.
For a list of railroad crossing projects, click here.