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The free family event, 200 Years On the Ohio: A Living Timeline Event, will take place this weekend, Saturday 17 September and Sunday 18 September.
The event will feature exhibition of clothing, tools, pastimes, weaponry and cooking from Louisville’s historic timeline.
Highlights of the educational event include a late 19th century “base ball” game on Sunday, September 18 at 1:00 PM between the Cincinnati Red stockings and the Cincinnati Buckeyes.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet Mr. Lincoln as portrayed by Dennis Boggs as well as a “fashion show” featuring the clothing from various periods throughout Louisville’s history.
$1.4 million project features new stone seat wall; landscaping updates
After years of planning and months of work, the revamped and freshly-completed North Overlook project in South Louisville’s Iroquois Park was unveiled to the public today by a group that included Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilwoman Marianne Butler and officials from Metro Parks and Recreation and the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
“The view from the top at the North Overlook is as spectacular as ever, and once the surrounding native grasses and other plantings have a chance to grow in, the whole experience at the summit will really be enhanced,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “The work cements Iroquois Park’s position as one of the premier tourist destinations in the South Points Scenic Area.”
“The opening of this serene and scenic overlook is a testament to the dedication of the employees at Metro Parks and Recreation and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Living in the shadow of the park for over two decades, I understand the draw and the majesty of the park,” said Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15). “The park users, my neighbors and future generations will benefit and appreciate this view for years to come.”
Feedback gathered from the public during two public meetings in summer 2014 resulted in many of the improvements. A meandering, wheelchair-accessible path now takes the park user to a spectacular area with improved vistas of downtown Louisville and the Indiana Knobs, where the panorama is widely acknowledged as the best in the area.
Visitors will enjoy sitting on a rustic stone bench or in the grassy picnic areas. Native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants populate the walkway and several stormwater retention basins, which help control erosion. The vegetation likely won’t begin realizing its true potential until next spring, according to officials. Continue reading
University of Louisville officials today announced construction of a Welcome Center on the east side of campus, near Eastern Parkway and I-65. The $2 million facility, which is being funded through private donations, is expected to open in fall 2017.
The center will be named the Herman and Heddy Kurz Welcome Center to honor the Louisville couple who have been supporters of the university for more than 60 years. Heddy Kurz is a member of the UofL Board of Overseers. She and Herman, who died in 1999, are adopted alumni of the university. The university previously honored the couple by naming a residence hall in their honor in 2004. That facility, Kurz Hall, now houses about 400 honors students.
“This will be a first-class welcome center that will serve thousands of visitors each year,” said Interim Executive Vice President and University Provost Dale Billingsley. “Herman and Heddy Kurz have gifted the university not only through their philanthropy, but also as supporters of our students and our work in areas ranging from medicine to music. They have served as goodwill ambassadors, and it is fitting that the staff of this center will continue their efforts.”
To be located at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Hahn Street, the one-story structure is expected to serve as a resource not only for the university, but also the Belknap Research and Innovation Park currently under development, the neighborhoods around Belknap Campus and the Louisville community. The center also will serve visitors to the Cardinal Park athletics complex.
While many details remain to be developed, plans include informational kiosks, daily hours, student staffing and possible retail opportunities. The property also includes a billboard, which the university will use for promotional purposes.
Business investments growing, strengthening corridor
More than $50 million in transportation improvements under way and planned over the next two years will create a New Dixie Highway and fuel transformation of a major economic corridor for southwest and west Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer announced today.
The New Dixie Highway, the first major construction project under the Mayor’s MOVE Louisville initiative, will include safety design enhancements, signal improvements, sidewalks, crosswalks and resurfaced lanes.
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.
“The New Dixie Highway project is the largest concentrated investment in Louisville’s transportation network since we began the Ohio River Bridges Project,” Fischer said. “Over the next several years, we will create a new Dixie Highway that’s safer for everyone, more efficient for motorists, more reliable for transit users and more enticing for business owners, consumers and investors.”
Fischer, Congressman John Yarmuth, Metro Council members and other leaders provided the New Dixie Highway update at the soon-to-be-completed Kroger Marketplace, a $23 million grocery and retail superstore at 4915 Dixie Highway. The location is appropriate, 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 and other developments.
Safety improvements will include new signal technology throughout the corridor, and median enhancements, dedicated turn lanes and defined crosswalks concentrated in the Crums Lane to Greenwood Road segment. Future phases will address other segments of the road.
Fischer thanked state legislators and Metro Council members 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. Continue reading
70-mile section of the Natcher Parkway to eventually become an interstate spur
Gov. Matt Bevin and U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie today announced plans to designate a 70-mile section of the William H. Natcher Parkway from Bowling Green to Owensboro as the “Future Interstate 65 Spur.”
The partnership between federal and state officials to upgrade the Natcher Parkway to an interstate spur was forged during a sign unveiling ceremony at the Owensboro Riverport this afternoon.
“Today, we stand firm behind our commitment of unlocking the infinite economic potential that this spur will have. Not only will it attract key investors to Western Kentucky, but it will improve the commute for motorists across the region,” said Gov. Bevin. “From its inception, Congressman Guthrie has championed this project each step of the way. I applaud his diligent efforts as well as our federal and state partners to help secure the necessary funding to begin the process.”
The designation of an interstate spur elevates the prominence of a highway into a federally-recognized corridor. In turn, businesses and other entities look to locate along a major federal thoroughfare. In addition, upgrading the parkway to interstate standards enhances the safety and mobility of the route.
“Nearly two years ago I joined state and local leaders to discuss a path forward for the Natcher Parkway and the designation as a future I-65 spur was a top priority for me in the latest highway bill. I am pleased to see that today we are one step closer to making this designation a reality and I look forward to the opportunities that it will create for Western Kentucky,” said U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, of Bowling Green.
On Aug. 2, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) plan to designate the Natcher Parkway as a future interstate spur. A future agreement between FHWA and KYTC will identify and outline the requirements needed to upgrade the parkway to interstate standards.
The work will include upgrading bridge rails and guardrails; improving exit and entrance ramps; constructing new and/or modifying existing interchanges; and raising some overpass bridges to increase vertical clearance. Continue reading
Councilman Tom Owen will be meeting’s featured speaker August 29
Metro Parks and Recreation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host the first in a series of three public meetings on Beargrass Creek restoration efforts from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday, August 29 at the Douglass Community Center.
Metro Parks and the Corps are partners in a planning effort entitled: “Beargrass Creek Trail Conceptual Shared Use Path and Ecological Restoration Plan.”
The plan area will extend generally along Beargrass Creek from its confluence with the Ohio River to the area of the Grinstead Drive/Lexington Road intersection.
As part of the planning effort, there will be three public meetings over the next five months to gather public input and to share the planning team’s findings, alternate courses of action, and final recommendations.
The Douglass Community Center is located at 2305 Douglass Blvd, 40205.
The intent of this meeting will be to seek public input on potential shared use path segments in the study area. A highlight of the meeting will be Eighth District Metro Councilman Tom Owen discussing the history of Beargrass Creek.
We are well into summer 2016 and the weather has been, for the most part, wonderful. School is ready to start back up, pools are filled, barbecues are lit, bike paths are bustling, and vacations are being planned – but you do not need to go on vacation to get away from it all.
The Louisville Metro Parks department affords outdoor enthusiasts from across the region many great opportunities to get out and enjoy nature on the various hiking trails in the area. No matter where you are in Kentuckiana, the opportunity to connect with nature is not far away.
Jefferson Memorial Forest contains dozens of miles of hiking trails with trailheads at Horine Reservation, Tom Wallace Recreation Area, Paul Yost Recreation Area, and Scott’s Gap. Other scenic nature hiking trails are available at Waverly Park, Beargrass Creek, Kapertown Swamp, Fairmount Falls, and Kulmer Reserve. Note that some of the trails in Jefferson Memorial Forest can be quite strenuous and details about the trail should be researched before heading out.
If you prefer a more leisurely stroll to climbing the wooded hills of Jefferson Memorial, other area parks such as The Parklands – which has already reached 1 million visits for the year – offer easier trails. To find a park near you, visit the Metro Parks website.
When hiking area trails, a few basic rules should be followed:
- Stay on trails walking single file and do not shortcut corners.
- Dispose of waste properly by carrying out litter.
- Practice “negative trace” by picking up trash left by others when possible.
- Respect wildlife – Do not try to attract or approach wildlife and never feed human food to animals.
- Keep pets on a leash at all times and clean up after them.
- “Leave nature in nature” – Avoid moving rocks, picking plants, and disturbing cultural/historical artifacts. “Take only photos, leave only footprints.”
- Carry a trail map with you. Maps are available at the Jefferson Memorial Forest Welcome Center and the park website.
- Carry water, snacks, and a small first aid kit to stay hydrated, ensure that you have plenty of energy, and can tend to small cuts and scrapes.
- Let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return.
