He was a driving force behind the modernization and expansion of Louisville’s public transportation system. It is a system that handles the needs of a wide variety of commuters ranging from the poor and working people of the city and young and old.

On Thursday, President David James (D-6) will honor the work and dedication of Barry Barker by officially dedicating an honorary street sign near the place where he worked.

“The people of Metro Louisville owe Barry Barker a great deal because as Executive Director of the Transit Authority of River City, he made sure they had a way to work if they didn’t own a car,” says President James. “He continues to work for the community even though he has retired from TARC’s day to day operations.”

On Thursday, April 18th President James will join family, friends and representatives of TARC to unveil an honorary street sign for Barker at 2:00pm.

In March, the Metro Council gave unanimous approval the sign to be located at the corner of 10th Street and West Broadway just east of Union Station in Louisville and so designated as “Barry Barker Blvd.”

“Barry retired from TARC on December 1, 2018 and continues to remain active in non-profit work to improve the community; and we are grateful for Mr. Barker’s service and dedication to our community and thank him for his service,” says James.

For more information about the Barry Barker Sign Unveiling, contact President James office at 574-1106.

Google Fiber will pay $3.84 million to Louisville Metro Government (LMG) to restore roads and other public rights-of-way affected by its departing service in Louisville.

Louisville Metro Government and Google Fiber agreed to these payments to fulfill the company’s obligations under its franchise agreement and local regulations, which require restoration of rights-of-way should a service provider end service in Louisville. Citing technical challenges, Google Fiber announced its exit from Louisville in February.

The payments will be made over 20 months and will cover the costs for:

• Removing fiber cables and sealant from roads.
• Milling and paving activities where needed.
• Removal of above-ground infrastructure.

The agreement addresses network installations in Portland, Newburg and the Highlands, where Google Fiber offered services. Where necessary, construction will begin as part of the Public Works paving season currently underway.

In addition, Google Fiber is making a $150,000 cash donation to the Community Foundation of Louisville’s Digital Inclusion Fund to support LMG’s digital inclusion efforts, which include refurbishing used computers for low-income individuals and the enrollment of public housing residents in low-cost internet access through other companies providing service in Louisville. The company is also planning to make a donation of 275 refurbished computers to the Louisville Metro Housing Authority.

“Infrastructure in neighborhoods and public properties affected by Google Fiber will look as good or better than they did before the company began construction, just as our franchise agreement stipulated,” said Grace Simrall, LMG’s Chief of Civic Innovation & Technology. “The city will diligently repair these roads and public spaces over the 20-month period.”

Simrall added: “It’s clear that Google Fiber’s presence in Louisville led other providers to step up and increase investment in Louisville, and that was good news for consumers everywhere. Moreover, we appreciate Google Fiber’s donation to our digital inclusion work, because improving equity in access to technology and digital skills is essential for Louisville’s economy today and tomorrow.”

Google Fiber is ceasing service in Louisville at 11:59 p.m. today (Monday, April 15). The company first shared this information with customers and LMG in February. Since then, Google Fiber has provided two months of free service to allow customers time to arrange an alternate internet service provider.

“This plan provides for the long-term protection of the city’s infrastructure and empowers LMG to prioritize and execute all aspects of the required work based on the needs of the community,” said Mark Strama, General Manager for Google Fiber. “We are also happy to be able to support digital inclusion efforts in Louisville to increase internet access and digital literacy across the city.”

“Discontinuing service in Louisville was a very difficult business decision for Google Fiber, and we will forever be grateful to Mayor Fischer and his team for their commitment to the residents of Louisville and their dedication to driving internet connectivity and digital inclusion across the city,” Strama said.

The Healthy Start Initiative of the Department of Public Health and Wellness has been awarded a five-year $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). 

Healthy Start works to reduce infant mortality, the rate at which babies die before their first birthday, and to improve the health of newborns in five west Louisville ZIP Codes – 40203, 40208, 40210, 40211 and 40212.  The infant mortality rate in these neighborhoods is more than double the overall rate in Louisville.

From 2013 – 2015 the overall infant mortality rate in the five Healthy Start ZIP Codes was 11.12 deaths per 100,000 live births for all babies and 13.68 for African American babies.  This compared to a rate of 5.30 for the overall Louisville area.  Among participants in the Healthy Start program for this same period, however, the average yearly infant mortality rate was 1.13, well below the city average.

“The ZIP Code that a baby is born into should not determine how long she will live or how healthy he will be,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.  “From the very beginning, my administration has been committed to making Louisville a healthier, more compassionate city that promotes life-long learning.  This grant from the federal government is helping us to achieve this.  Thanks to Congressman John Yarmuth for his continued work on behalf of our children and their families.”

“The Healthy Start program has the power to save lives and promote healthy families, and I’m so glad this important federal funding is coming home to Louisville,” said Congressman John Yarmuth. “It has been my honor to lead efforts to fund Healthy Start in the budget each year, and I’m proud to see that Louisville has become a national success story in ensuring that our children have the best possible chance at a life well-lived.”

Begun in Louisville in 1998, the Louisville Healthy Start program has served more than 10,000 children and their families, more than 800 last year alone.  The program promotes safe pregnancies by visiting the homes of pregnant women both before and after the birth of the child to ensure that women have early and continuous access to prenatal care, that they keep all their prenatal appointments and that newborns reach developmental milestones.  Other family support services include the WIC nutritional program, parenting classes, childhood immunizations, physical and mental health screenings and special fatherhood trainings.

The percentage of Healthy Start families in which fathers play an active role has increased from 14% in 2013 to 77% in 2015.  During the same period the percentage of mothers breastfeeding their children at six months rose from 50% to 75%.

“The future prosperity of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and wellbeing of the next generation,” said Dr. Caloia, medical director of the Department of Public Health and Wellness. “When a society invests wisely in children and families, the next generation will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and engagement. We are deeply grateful to be one of only 100 cities in the country to receive these funds. This helps us in achieving our mission of having a city where everyone and every community thrives.”

For more information about Healthy Start visit https://louisvilleky.gov or 502 Fathers or call 502.574.MOM1 (6661). To see how Healthy Start and many other partners in the Healthy Babies Louisville Coalition are working to foster healthy, thriving families, visit www.healthybabieslou.org.

Councilwoman Donna Purvis (D-5) is encouraging the community to attend the meeting of the Shawnee Park MSD Basin Project on Tuesday, April 23rd.

This will be the final meeting for the Shawnee Park project and MSD will be providing an update on the project and the date for the project dedication.

The meeting will be held at the Shawnee Golf Course Club House, 460 Northwestern Parkway from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

The Shawnee Park Basin Project, also known as Southwestern Parkway CSO Basin Project, consists of construction of the retention basin to eliminate untreated storm water and sewage from entering the Ohio River, new park features, and improvements.

According to MSD officials, the Shawnee Park Basin Project will create a cleaner river, provide new amenities, and restore the core of Shawnee Park.

For more information about the meeting, contact Councilwoman Purvis’s office at 502-574-1105.

“We’re continuing our Age of Hamilton programming at Locust Grove with a recreation of what Revolutionary War military life was like in Kentucky and Indiana,” says Brian Cushing, Locust Grove’s Program Director. “At the same time George Rogers Clark was starting his western campaign, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton were leading the fight in the Eastern states, so guests can experience the world of the soldiers and the civilians that supported their cause.”

Visitors to Encampment can tour the historic house, watch meal preparations in the hearth kitchen, and meet the troops to hear their experiences during the American Revolution. A surgeon and two blacksmiths will also be on hand to demonstrate their trades and show how tools and supplies used by soldiers were made. Young visitors to Encampment can even participate in recruitment for new, pint-sized troops. 

A Revolutionary War Encampment will be held at Locust Grove on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm. Admission is $6 for adults, free for children 12 and under. Snacks will be available for sale. Part of the Age of Hamilton series at Locust Grove.

Locust Grove is located at 561 Blankenbaker Lane (between Brownsboro Road and River Road), Louisville, KY 40207. For more information call 502.897.9845 or visit www.locustgrove.org.

For more information about this event, please contact Hannah Zimmerman, Marketing and Communications Director at marketing@locustgrove.org or call 502.897.9845 x108.

The Kentucky Exposition Center will host the Brightstar Events Spring Craft and Vendor Show this weekend. Show hours are:

• Friday, April 12 – 3 PM to 7 PM
• Saturday, April 13 – 10 AM to 6 PM
• Sunday, April 14 – 10 Am to 4 PM

The show will be held in the South Wing and is open to the public with free admission. Parking is $8 per vehicle.

Mayor Greg Fischer today provided the public with an update on steps being taken to address a $35 million budget shortfall in the fiscal year starting July 1, and he and Metro Council President David James invited employees and residents to share their ideas for efficiencies via a confidential online form.

Noting that the new fiscal year is just 87 days away, the Mayor said he and his staff “are poring over details of the budget, working to find ways to address this shortfall while imposing the least amount of pain to the people we serve.”

The Mayor outlined some steps he and his team have already taken and will take over the next several weeks to address the budget shortfall, which is expected to grow to $65 million by fiscal year 2023:

• The June LMPD recruit class is being canceled, because offers would have to have been made this month, before the Mayor presents his budget on April 25 and before the Council votes on June 25. “It’s just financially unwise to hire people without knowing you have the budget to pay them,” the Mayor said, adding that decisions about future classes in the next fiscal year are pending.
• The city has informed employees of changes to their health insurance benefits. Most policies for Metro employees will see an increase of 3 percent on premiums, and most plans will see an increase on deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses.
• The city is looking at the possibility of eliminating cost-of-living increases for Louisville Metro Government employees in the next fiscal year. Because 75 percent of the workforce is represented by unions, the city began with letters to union leaders asking them to consider voting to accept this measure.
• The city is examining leases and contracts, including LMPD’s contract with ShotSpotter, that may need to be altered or canceled before July 1 in order to meet the budget gap for fiscal year 2020.
• Parks & Recreation will not open its four outdoor swimming pools this summer and is increasing fees at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center. The decision not to open the pools is being made now because this is the time the process of hiring lifeguards would begin.

Mayor Fischer said he and his team also are in the process of meeting with suburban city mayors to discuss Metro assets within their city limits, such as libraries, and how they might manage or help manage the cost of those programs. And he noted that Louisville Tourism’s board has agreed to provide $500,000 to the Belle of Louisville to keep that distinctive attraction operating.

Karen Williams, President & CEO elaborated on that decision: “The Belle of Louisville has been an iconic attraction for the city for decades, providing entertainment for locals and visitors alike. With such a growing momentum in visitation, the Board of Louisville Tourism did not want to lose a treasured asset that could impact family travel options in a lucrative coming tourism season. This funding will ensure that an authentic experience on an historic steamboat is still one of the many options families can enjoy.”

The Mayor also called on other partners, companies and organizations and individuals to support or sponsor external agencies that have relied on Metro funding.

“Think about the work our external agency partners do to help people in our community,” he said, adding that in the face of cuts, “we must be creative in keeping them going,” and “that has to start with community members stepping up and doing the right thing, over and over again.”

City employees and residents urged to share ideas

Also today, Metro Council President David James and the Mayor outlined ways that Metro employees and residents can submit ideas for efficiencies to address the budget shortfall.

The Mayor noted that Metro provides more services today than eight years ago, with about the same number of employees (outside of LMPD), thanks in part to the nationally recognized Office for Performance Improvement and a long-term commitment to using data and innovation to improve services without additional costs. And the city has the fourth lowest employee-to-resident ratio among peer cities.

 “Our employees see Metro in action every day and have been an essential piece of making our city the lean, efficient operation it is today,” he said. “We’re looking forward to hearing more of their ideas, and ideas of the people we serve.”

Form for residents

The Council president agreed: “Our Metro employees are our No. 1 asset. Reaching out to them to find efficiencies and opportunities for reorganization — without fear of reprisals — is very important in this budget process. I look forward to hearing what they have to say and what our citizens have to say.”

The form for employees were sent via email. The form for residents can be accessed at louisvilleky.gov, along with the city’s 2018 Progress Report and 2018-2019 budget materials to guide their suggestions.