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Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14) has been reappointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2018 Transportation and Infrastructure Services (TIS) federal advocacy committee.
This committee has the lead responsibility for developing NLC’s federal policy positions on issues involving transportation, including planning, funding, safety and security of public transit, streets and highways, aviation, railroads and ports.
The appointment was announced by NLC President Mark Stodola, mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas.
“As we begin the modernization of the New Dixie Highway, bringing transportation and infrastructure into the 21st Century, working on this committee is vital to Metro Louisville,” said Fowler. “The NLC is a strong partner to keep these kinds of projects at the forefront of public safety and economic development for the people we all serve.”
As a committee member, Councilwoman Fowler will continue to play a key role in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocate on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress, with the administration and at home.
The Councilwoman also serves as the Chair of the NLC Large City Council through April and served as vice chair prior to this appointment.
“Serving on an NLC committee is one of the most effective ways for a local official to advocate for their community in Washington,” said NLC President Stodola. “I am thrilled to have Councilwoman Fowler join a team of local leaders from around the country working to craft our policy platform and to solve the most pressing challenges facing our communities.”
The leadership of this year’s committee will consist of Chair Pam O’Connor, councilmember, Santa Monica, California; and Vice Chairs James McDonald, councilmember, Pinecrest, Florida; and Oscar Trevino, mayor, North Richland Hills, Texas.
For more information on NLC’s federal advocacy committees, visit: www.nlc.org/advocacy/committees.
The annual program that helps prevent low income residents of Louisville from being disconnected from utility services begins Monday, Jan. 8, 2018.
LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, is administered by Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services. The Crisis Phase of LIHEAP will run from Jan. 8 – March 30, or until available funds have been expended, whichever comes first.
This year’s Crisis Program features expanded eligibility which allows residents receiving a current utility bill with a past due amount to apply, in addition to continuing to serve residents receiving a disconnect notice.
Residents wishing to apply must make an appointment utilizing the automated appointment system. Appointments can be scheduled by phone by calling 502-991-8391 or online atlouisvilleky.cascheduler.com. The toll-free service is currently open and is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Applicants must be Jefferson County residents with a household income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guidelines (e.g. for a household of four, the gross monthly income cannot exceed $2,665.00).
Applicants must also meet one of the following eligibility requirements:
- Disconnect notice from utility service provider, or
- Current bill with a past due amount, or
- Eviction notice if utilities are included in the rent, or
- Bulk fuel is within four days of running out; or
- Pre-paid electric services is within ten days of running out.
Applicants must provide the following documents.
- Proof of all household income for the preceding month (Food Stamp award letter, Social Security Award letter, pay stubs, or other proof of $0 income). Note: Zero Income forms are available at the LIHEAP offices or at 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Suite 201 or by clicking here.
- Social Security card(s) or (official documentation with Social Security Numbers) or Permanent Residence card (Green Card) for each member of the household; and
- Disconnect notice or a current bill with a past due amount; or
- Eviction notice if heating expenses are included in the rent. If heat is included in rent, clients must also provide a copy of the lease in addition to the eviction notice; or
- Statement from utility company that shows 10 days or less of service if participating in pre-paid electric service.
Individuals who are unable to apply for this program in person may send an authorized representative on their behalf with a signed, written, note including the applicant’s name, address, phone number, Social Security Number, and the name of the designated representative. The authorized representative must provide a picture ID to verify they are the person designated in the note. Residents who are homebound and who are unable to send a representative may call 502/780-7937.
LIHEAP applications will be completed at the time of the appointment at one of the six locations listed below.
- Northwest Neighborhood Place/Academy at Shawnee, 4018 W Market St., 40212
- South Central Neighborhood Place, 4255 Hazelwood Ave., 40215
- Neighborhood Place Ujima/Duvalle Education Center, 3610 Bohne Ave., 40211
- Neighborhood Place/Bridges of Hope, 1411 Algonquin Pkwy., 40210
- Newburg Community Center/East, 4810 Exeter Ave, 40218
- Southwest Government Center/Dixie Highway location. 7219 Dixie Highway, 40258
Callers who require more information can contact MetroCall 311 by simply dialing 311 or 574-5000, email metro.call@louisvilleky.gov, visit the website’s On Line Customer Service or Live Chat at www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocall, tweet @LouMetro311, or download the free Mobile 311 app from the website. Residents can also call Metro United Way’s 2-1-1 help referral service.
3As previously announced, the Louisville Parks and Recreation storage and maintenance barn at Joe Creason Park will be removed beginning the week of January 8.
The barn, which dates to November 1918, served as The Motor School Garage building for Camp Zachary Taylor during World War I. Although altered over time, the barn incorporates a distinctive wooden lattice truss structural system that spans 102 feet. Originally built as a temporary structure, the wood structural elements have deteriorated over time and have begun to shift and buckle, making the building structurally unsound and unsafe.
The 2017-18 capital budget approved by Metro Council includes funding to take down the Creason barn. The decision to remove the building is based on findings from engineering assessments that cite significant structural deficiencies in the now vacant facility.
Louisville Parks and Recreation continues to work closely with the Camp Zachary Taylor Historical Society and The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure elements of the structure are documented, salvaged and repurposed to commemorate the barn’s history.
“While we are sad to see the structure removed, we are well aware of the current condition,” said Ken Maguire, president of the Camp Zachary Taylor Historical Society. “I’m happy to be working with Louisville Metro to preserve as much of the history as possible and creating a lifetime memorial to Camp Zachary Taylor for future generations.”
Design for the new maintenance facility will begin sometime in 2018.
The structural assessments obtained by the city may be viewed at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/parks/about-us.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15) has been reappointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2018 Community and Economic Development (CED) federal advocacy committee.
This committee has the lead responsibility for developing NLC’s federal policy positions on issues involving housing, community and economic development, land use, recreation and parks, historic preservation and international competitiveness.
The reappointment was announced by NLC President Mark Stodola, mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas.
“It is an honor to continue to serve on the Community and Economic Development Committee. The work of this committee is important to maintaining a strong working relationship with Federal officials to ensure their involvement and support in the positive growth we are experiencing in Metro Louisville,” said Butler
As a committee member, Councilwoman Butler will play a key role in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocate on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress, with the administration and at home.
“Serving on an NLC committee is one of the most effective ways for a local official to advocate for their community in Washington,” said NLC President Stodola. “I am thrilled to have Marianne Butler join a team of local leaders from around the country working to craft our policy platform and to solve the most pressing challenges facing our communities.”
The leadership of this year’s committee will consist of Chair Gina Bivens, councilmember, Fort Worth, Texas; and Vice Chairs Lou La Monte, mayor, Malibu, California; and Kevin Thompson, councilmember, Mesa, Arizona.
For more information on NLC’s federal advocacy committees, visit: www.nlc.org/advocacy/committees.
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.
Metro Public Works will provide curbside pickup of Christmas Trees within the Urban Services District (the old City of Louisville boundaries) after the holiday. Beginning Tuesday, December 26, residents with City curbside yard waste pickup may set their Christmas trees and greenery out on their regular collection day. Trees must not be in plastic bags, and all decorations must be removed.
Drop-off sites will also be available for all Louisville/Jefferson County residents at three locations. Two of the three drop-off sites will also instantly recycle trees in to mulch that will be offered back to citizens for home use.
Those wishing to receive mulch must bring an appropriate container in which to carry it. Trees picked up from curbside will also be recycled but not offered as mulch. All lights and ornaments should be removed from trees before they are set out or dropped off.
Residents normally serviced by private waste haulers should check with those companies to see whether and when tree pickup is available.
Christmas tree vendors may recycle their unsold trees on Tuesday, December 26 only, and only at the Hubbard’s Lane site.
DROP OFF LOCATIONS
- East District Recycling Center, 595 N. Hubbards Lane (Bring containers to take home fresh mulch.)
- December 26 – 29, January 2
- Hours: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
- Southwest Government Center, 7219 Dixie Highway (Bring containers to take home fresh mulch.)
- December 26 – 29, January 2
- Hours: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
- Waste Reduction Center – 636 Meriwether Avenue (Tree drop-off only. Mulch is not available at this location.)
- Through January 31
- Hours: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Don’t throw away that old television, computers or other electronic device that’s you just replaced. Let Metro Public Works recycle those newly obsolete devices instead.
Free post-holiday electronics drop-off service is available at our Waste Reduction Center at 636 Meriwether Avenue. Drop-off will be available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on these three Saturdays: January 6, January 13 and January 20.
The special holiday promotion is in addition to our regular year round electronics recycling program. Details on the regular program are available on our website at https://louisvilleky.gov/recycling.
