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Mayor Greg Fischer today joined U.S. Census Bureau representatives and community leaders to officially open the Louisville Census office.
The Broadway office will house Census Bureau managers, staff, materials and equipment needed to support the 2020 Census efforts for 43 counties in central and western Kentucky, including Louisville. Census office employees will be conducting local Census operations to guarantee that a complete count of residents is reached in 2020.
“The Census helps determine government representation and the distribution of billions of dollars for local communities for highways, schools and hospitals,” Mayor Fischer said. “We need every person living in Louisville to be counted, and I’m thankful for our community partners on the Municipal Complete Count Committee who are working throughout the city for full representation.”
The official Census 2020 date is April 1 and households will begin receiving Census information in mid-March.
The Municipal Complete Count Committee (MC3) is comprised of Louisville Metro staff, community leaders, and faith organizations. The MC3 is working to raise awareness of the Census throughout the community, particularly with historically under-counted populations, children age 5 and younger, immigrants and young African-American men.
The new Census Office will house training and recruitment efforts. The Census must hire thousands of employees for part-time, temporary, work from home positions with pay up to $23.50 per hour plus mileage reimbursement. Apply online at: 2020census.gov/jobs. The application takes about 30 minutes and averages 30 to 60 days to hear back. Most of these are work from home field positions with paid training and a laptop provided.
Additional 2020 Census jobs are available at the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Processing Center, located across the river in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Job vacancies at this facility are posted on USAjobs.gov and include clerks, technicians, warehouse positions, office staff and supervisory staff.
“We need help filling thousands of jobs, and we are looking for people who want to be a part of history,” said Carolyn Franklin, Regional Census Partnership Specialist. “It is important that we get an accurate count in the Census because we supply population count data for the next 10 years. That data is used to fund school lunches, Head Start/Jump Start, emergency services, Medicaid, Health Centers, Medicare Part B, nonprofits, and other quality of life programs.”
For the first time, all households will be invited to complete the Census online. In mid-March, addresses will receive a mailed invitation to respond online. If there is no response to the online invitation, a paper form will be mailed with options to respond to the form or by phone.
More information about the 2020 Census and the Municipal Complete Count Committee can be found at louisvilleky.gov/census, or contact Catalina Cordova, Louisville’s Census Coordinator at Catalina.Cordova@louisvilleky.gov or at (502) 574-5040.
One of Louisville’s signature parks is adding a new feature certain to draw more visitors to the area and enhance the opportunity for recreational enjoyment of the Ohio River.
A public boat ramp and accompanying parking area planned for Shawnee Park will provide boaters with convenient river access below McAlpine Locks and Dam and the renowned Falls of the Ohio.
On Friday, Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Mike Berry and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commissioner Rich Storm joined Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and other city officials in breaking ground near the park’s Louisville Loop trailhead for the joint project between Louisville Parks and Recreation and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.
“This project shows the power of strong partnerships,” Storm said. “Expanding access to the river is a win for the community and all anglers, boaters and hunters of the Commonwealth.”
River-based recreation is important for many in Louisville, Jefferson County and the surrounding areas. That mirrors the interest in outdoor recreation across the state.
Each year, more than 2 million people fish, hunt, boat, or participate in other wildlife-related recreation in Kentucky.
“Fishing, hunting and boating are vital to Kentucky’s adventure tourism industry,” Berry said. “Together with wildlife watching, they contribute more than $5.9 billion to Kentucky’s economy.”
The project is a key infrastructure investment supporting the West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative to improve equitable access to nature in the community.
Last year, the city’s ECHO (Engaging Children Outdoors) program unveiled a new bicycle track near the planned boat ramp, and future plans include a modern outdoor education center to be nearby.
The Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) recently installed an underground water basin in Shawnee Park and has made several million dollars worth of improvements there. Those include new basketball courts at the site of the historic Dirt Bowl, new baseball fields, a new restroom and shelter, a new sprayground and updated walking path and a newly paved road through the park.
“The new boat ramp in Shawnee Park will provide a highly-sought-after recreational amenity in this historic Olmsted Park,” Mayor Fischer said. “I look forward to seeing it used by anglers, canoers and those looking to simply get out on the water and have some fun. Our dive and rescue teams from the Louisville Fire and Louisville Metro Police departments also believe it will greatly enhance public safety with better access to the Ohio River. I want to thank Kentucky Fish and Wildlife for their partnership on this important project.”
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife maintains more than 160 ramps statewide and its crews will build the two-lane concrete ramp at Shawnee Park. It also plans to create an area adjacent to the ramp for bank fishing access.
For its portion of the project, the department is using Sport Fish Restoration Program grant funds, which are derived from dedicated federal excise taxes on equipment used for fishing, and recreational boat motor fuels.
Louisville Parks and Recreation has contracted with private firms on the design and construction of an access road and parking area large enough to accommodate more than two dozen vehicles and boat trailers.
Construction could be finished this fall, barring inclement weather or other conditions that could potentially delay the project’s completion.
Designed by landscape architect and conservationist Frederick Law Olmsted, Shawnee Park sits along the Ohio River in Louisville’s west end just minutes from Interstate 264.
The new Shawnee Park ramp will provide a second Jefferson County location for boaters to enjoy the Cannelton Pool of the Ohio River, and it will be the closest Kentucky ramp downstream of McAlpine Locks and Dam and the Falls of the Ohio.
“The Ohio River is a tremendous resource for recreational boaters, and the Falls of the Ohio area offers some of the best fishing in the state,” Storm said. “Beyond improving recreational access, this ramp also will help our conservation officers’ efforts on the water and ongoing efforts to fight the spread of Asian carp. The Falls of the Ohio is a moderate barrier to these invasive fish, and the Cannelton Pool is the farthest pool upriver where we are seeing Asian carp in large numbers. We continue to work with our counterparts in Indiana to facilitate commercial removal of Asian carp in this area, and the Shawnee Park ramp will provide another access point to help make that happen.”
With the 2020 U.S. Census less than 90 days away, Mayor Fischer today rallied with community partners working to help ensure a complete and proper count of all Louisville residents. The official Census 2020 date is April 1 and households will begin receiving Census information in March.
“The data from the Census is used to allocate federal resources to many programs affecting communities and families, and that means we need everyone in our state and within the city of Louisville to be a part of it,” the Mayor said. “This is our one chance in 10 years to make sure Louisville and Kentucky gets everything we’re due.”
The Mayor added that the Census also determines representation in Congress and is a factor in education funding, grants, research, and business site selection decisions.
Mayor Fischer made the remarks during an address to the Municipal Complete Count Committee, which is comprised of Louisville Metro staff, community leaders, and faith organizations. The committee is co-chaired by Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Dailinger and Senior Policy Adviser Ashley Parrott, and is assisted by Census Coordinator Catalina Cordova.
The Municipal Complete Count Committee is working to raise awareness of the Census throughout the community, particularly with historically under-counted populations such as immigrants and children age 5 and younger.
“We have groups in our city that are at risk of being undercounted, and we must work together to reach out to them to make sure they are involved,” said Cordova. “Particularly within the immigrant community, there are concerns about privacy. We hear those concerns, and want our immigrant friends to know that the Census is confidential, safe, easy and important.”
How will the census be taken? For the first time, all households will be invited to complete the Census online. In mid-March, addresses will receive a mailed invitation to respond online. If there is no response to the online invitation, a paper form will be mailed with options to respond to the form or by phone. The form has only 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. See a Sample Census Questionnaire, available in English and Spanish, at https://louisvilleky.gov/census.
Census Bureau Employment Opportunities
The 2020 Census is hiring thousands of temporary workers. In Louisville, the pay is up to $21.50 per hour for part-time, temporary, work from home position plus mileage reimbursement. Apply online at: 2020census.gov/jobs. The application takes about 30 minutes and averages 30 to 60 days to hear back.
Additional 2020 Census jobs are available at the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Processing Center, located across the river in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Job vacancies at this facility are posted on USAjobs.gov and include clerks, technicians, warehouse positions, office staff and supervisory staff.
Mayor Greg Fischer today announced Louisville Metro Government has been awarded $50,000 from the national Historic Preservation Fund to survey and inventory properties in the Chickasaw neighborhood with the goal of listing the neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District.
The Historic Preservation Fund is administered by the National Park Service as part of its Underrepresented Community Grant Program. Louisville received the highest amount awarded this grant cycle.
“We are grateful to the National Park Service and the Historic Preservation Fund for this award. Placement on the National Register of Historic Places would allow property owners in the Chickasaw neighborhood to improve their properties by taking advantage of federal and state historic tax credits,” said the Mayor.
The historically African American neighborhood is made up of single-family residences with few multi-family and commercial properties, a result of the effects of segregation and historic redlining, which led to economic depression, disinvestment and a lack of development in Chickasaw and other west Louisville neighborhoods.
Listing on the National Register as a historic district is an honorary recognition. Louisville currently has more than 40 neighborhoods listed on the National Register including Russell, Parkland, Smoketown, Cherokee Triangle, Old Louisville, the Highlands and Limerick. Being listed on the National Register of Historic Places does not place any new restriction on properties.
The city will now undertake a survey of the Chickasaw neighborhood and determine the Historic District boundaries. It will take two years to complete the survey work and draft the National Register nomination application.
The city is hosting the first of multiple neighborhood outreach meetings from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Catholic Enrichment Center, 3146 W. Broadway.
Develop Louisville, the Chickasaw Neighborhood Association, and the Samuel Plato Academy of Historic Preservation Trades are co-sponsoring the event, which will answer questions about the grant, the survey process, and what it means to live in a neighborhood on the National Register. Louisville Metro historic preservation specialists and representatives with the Kentucky Heritage Council will lead the discussion.
“I hope this national distinction and localized opportunity compels a genuine and collaborative effort, promoting wellness of Chickasaw and surrounding historic neighborhoods,” said Ameerah Granger, President of Chickasaw Neighborhood Federation.
Originally built as a community for African American residents, the Chickasaw neighborhood is generally bounded by West Broadway to the north, Louis Coleman Jr. Drive to the east, the Ohio River to the west and Woodland Avenue to the south. The Chickasaw neighborhood was part of John Garr’s 1,500-acre farm in the early nineteenth century. It later housed the first permanent state fair grounds on Cecil and Gibson avenues in 1908 and the short-lived White City Amusement Park from 1907 to 1910, according to The Encyclopedia of Louisville
The neighborhood evolved after the 1922 construction of Chickasaw Park, one of the multitude of parks in Louisville created by the Olmsted firm. The park was designed for the African American residents of west Louisville because most other parks were considered white-only, according to Life Behind a Veil: Blacks in Louisville, Kentucky, 1865-1930 by author George C. Wright.
Photo: Louisville Forward
During the month of October, Mayor Greg Fischer will join local leaders, business owners, and workforce development providers to celebrate National Manufacturing Month. Accounting for 12 percent of the region’s total employment, manufacturing continues to be a major driver in the Louisville economy, with companies ranging from automotive to home appliances, machining and chemicals.
The manufacturing sector employs more than 80,000 workers regionally, working at approximately 1,400 manufacturing companies. The industry accounts for 16.5 percent of the region’s annual GDP, compared to 11.2 percent of national GDP.
“Louisville has a storied history as a manufacturing hub that it continues to benefit from today. As the industry evolves, we have expanded our skilled workforce pipeline through key partnerships with local manufacturers, Jefferson County Public Schools, and KentuckianaWorks to meet the growing need for employees with technology skills,” said the Mayor. “We are excited to work with these partners and others to give our students an inside look at the broad-ranges of careers available in our strong and diverse manufacturing sector.”
In recognition of Manufacturing Month, Mayor Fischer will join employee-owned heating and cooling manufacturer and metal fabricator KCC Companies on Oct. 3 in welcoming students from local high schools and technical colleges to tour its facilities and learn about the advantages of a career in manufacturing. The Mayor also will join GE Appliances next week for an announcement that will benefit the next generation of manufacturing employees.
As manufacturing grows in the Louisville region, the demand is increasing for workers who have greater skills and training. The Academies of Louisville initiative in JCPS exposes students to career options in the manufacturing industry and early training opportunities, and Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center, run by KentuckianaWorks, helps people identify career pathways that manufacturing companies have to offer and to attain new skills to advance their careers.
Last academic year, there were more than 2,000 students in manufacturing pathways in the Academies of Louisville, and KentuckianaWorks helped clients earn 618 certificates through the Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center.
KentuckianaWorks is currently offering several free training courses designed to quickly prepare people for good jobs with local manufacturing companies. They include:
- The Manufacturing Training and Employment Connection (M-TEC), an intensive, 3-week program where participants can earn multiple training certificates valued by manufacturing companies. The next class starts Oct. 7.
- The MSSC Certified Production Technician (CPT) training, a four-week course that gives people an industry-recognized credential. The next class starts Oct. 28.
KentuckianaWorks will close out Manufacturing Month with a job fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center, 160 Rochester Drive. The event will include employer booths, legal aid and expungement, college admissions advisors, live music, free food, and giveaways.
Louisville-based manufacturers and those participating in events are encouraged to join in Manufacturing Month by using #MadeInLou on social media.
To learn more about Louisville’s robust manufacturing sector, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/advanced-manufacturing.
Louder Than Life kicked off its three day run yesterday as the final festival in the Danny Wimmer Presents Tri-Festa concert series. Heavy metal fans were treated to the performances of Motionless in White, A Day To Remember, Phil Anselmo and the Illegals, Gwar, and many more. The night ended with headliner performances given by Staind and Slipknot. Saturday’s event will feature, among many others: Suicidal Tendencies, Stone Temple Pilots, Dropkick Murphys, Ice Cube, Godsmack and the night ends with a Guns N’ Roses performance scheduled for three full hours.
This weekend will also feature local bands with Oldham County’s Knocked Loose at 6:40 today and Louisville’s own White Reaper on the Oak Stage tomorrow at 2:25PM. The final day includes performances by Sum41, Three Days Grace, In This Moment, Breaking Benjamin, Marylin Manson, Rob Zombie and Disturbed.
Weather this weekend is clear but hot. If working your way into the throngs of crowd surfing, mosh-pitting people doesn’t appeal to you, there is plenty of space allocated for blankets and chairs to enjoy some personal space with your music. The festival likewise features the food, bourbon and beer selection seen at the previous Tri-Festa events, Bourbon & Beyond and Hometown Rising, including some band collaborations, such as Blackened, a whisky that was made in collaboration between master distiller Dave Pickerell and Metallica or their Enter Night beer from Stone Brewing. New to Louder Than Life, there is a stand featuring a whiskey by Slipknot – No. 9 Iowa Whiskey. If you walk around with a keen eye, you may even find a hidden speakeasy with an air conditioned area with a drink menu featuring Angel’s Envy.
The event is held at the Highland Festival Grounds, located within the Kentucky Exposition Center. While parking is $20 per vehicle, which is the same as the parking at the Champions Park, all of the parking is on pavement and the traffic management to exit is much smoother than previous year’s venues. Free shuttles are available which will take attendees from the parking lot to the festival entrance.
Tickets are still available for today and tomorrow, pricing starts at $95. Attendees are encouraged to read what can and cannot be brought into the festival grounds (there are strict rules on bag sizes and types). Chairs and blankets are permitted, but only in designated areas. Since it is so hot, attendees are encouraged to bring a factory sealed water bottle (less than 20oz) into the festival or an empty reusable water bottle of any size. The Louisville Water Company provides water stations to fill and refill your bottles on site. Continue reading
In accordance with the proclamation by President Donald J. Trump and the U.S. Flag Code, both American and state flags at public office buildings will be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, in observance of Patriot Day.
President Trump further calls upon Americans “to participate in community service in honor of those our Nation lost, to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. EDT (7:46 a.m. CDT) to honor the innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”
All individuals, businesses, organizations, and government agencies are encouraged to join in this tribute of lowering the flag “in honor of the brave first responders, resolute members of our military, and ordinary Americans who showed extraordinary courage to save others on that fateful day.”
Flag status information is available at http://governor.ky.gov/flag-status/.
