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SubscribeLouisville Metro Government is seeking input for a feasibility study on the need for a new indoor aquatics center and will be hosting two public meetings to gather input during the month of December.
- Tuesday, December 11, 6-8 p.m. – Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Court, 40213
- Saturday, December 15, 1-3 p.m. – Central High School, 130 W. Chestnut Street, 40203
Those who are unable to attend either meeting can also give feedback by e-mailing parks@louisvilleky.gov or by filling out an online form located at bestparksever.com.
Half of Jefferson County children lack the basic skills and knowledge to begin kindergarten. The PNC Foundation, National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), Metro United Way’s Ready for K Alliance and Louisville Metro today announced a more than $250,000 collaboration to support Say & Play with Words, a new pre-Kindergarten vocabulary-building initiative. Say & Play with Words will target at-risk children in Louisville neighborhoods, with a goal of shrinking the word gap and increasing kindergarten readiness.
“Words unlock success for children,” said Chuck Denny, PNC regional president for Louisville. “The more words they hear before kindergarten, the more success they often achieve. The link between ‘words’ and learning motivated PNC to begin emphasizing developing children’s vocabularies as part of PNC Grow Up Great®, our signature early childhood education initiative.”
The research is clear preparing children for kindergarten starts from birth:
- By age 4, low-income children are exposed to 30 million fewer words than children from high-income families.
- Testing showed a child’s vocabulary use at age 3 predicted their vocabulary and reading skills in third grade.
- First grade vocabulary measurement predicts about a third of reading comprehension in 11th grade.
“Say & Play with Words Louisville is a comprehensive strategy to better prepare our children for academic and life success,” said Sharon Darling, president and founder, NCFL. “Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers. By arming them with the right tools, families are strengthened, and we are able to break the generational cycle of poverty.”
Say & Play with Words will equip parents with free vocabulary-building tips and activities – found on SayandPlaywithWords.org – to use at home or on the go; build upon NCFL’s existing Family Learning efforts underway in Louisville; and, will provide training for professionals working with children and families.
“Half of the children in this community are at an academic disadvantage before they even step foot in kindergarten,” said Theresa Reno-Weber, president and chief executive officer, Metro United Way. “And unfortunately, once they start behind, they often stay behind. However, parents and family members can change the course their children are on. Say & Play with Words will provide the resources to do just that.”
A Community Effort
“Kids’ Spaces” will launch in area businesses later this year as a way to meet families where they gather. Local businesses can volunteer to host a “Kids’ Space,” which will provide easy access to resources for their customers. Examples of potential locations include the waiting room of a doctor’s office, nail salon, tire shop, barber shop, etc. – anywhere parents and children may spend time. Businesses will be given Say & Play with Words signage and activity sheets that encourage young children and families to explore new words together. In addition, parents in NCFL Family Learning programs will be empowered as leaders in their communities by serving as Say & Play ambassadors.
“We are proud to partner on this program, which sets the stage at the earliest level for better academic outcomes for our next generation,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “It’s critical for the future of our city that we make sure our babies are equipped for success in their academic career and eventually, to move on to a high-quality job.”
Development and outreach for Say & Play with Words Louisville is supported by Louisville Metro Government, Lift a Life Foundation and Ready for K Alliance. The PNC Foundation’s $250,000 grant supports development and outreach, as well as implementation at existing NCFL Family Learning sites. The initiative is expected to impact about 2,400 vulnerable people.
Say & Play with Words Louisville will replicate the success of a similar program in Detroit, also supported by PNC. Since 2014, more than 3,000 Detroit caregivers have received vocabulary-building resources each week in English and Spanish and their children heard 6,000 more words per week, on average. Say & Play with Words Detroit engaged nearly 100 businesses and trained staff at nearly 400 child care providers.
Founded in Louisville, NCFL has broken generational cycles of poverty through family literacy programs across the U.S. for the past 30 years. A pioneer in family literacy, NCFL’s model programs have improved academic outcomes for children and fostered economic self-sufficiency in adults. Currently, NCFL is working with 330 partner sites in more than 150 communities in 39 states. Louisville has eight partner sites, the most for one city.
Louisville Metro Government, Cities United and The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust today announced the award of a $5 million grant to launch Russell: A Place of Promise, an initiative co-created with and accountable to Russell residents and stakeholders, and designed to be a national model for equitable community development in African-American communities.
The initiative will connect Russell residents and businesses that have been the backbone of the neighborhood with opportunities to build long-term individual and community wealth so that planned and underway new investment creating a renaissance in Russell does not result in their displacement. This initiative aims to create affordable housing, new jobs, business opportunities, new community gathering spots, opportunities for mobility, wealth creation, and whole-community health.
Project organizers have identified several initial efforts that could be used to create wealth for Russell residents, including the creation of new homeownership and business ownership opportunities. The details of these and other project activities will be informed by extensive discussion, input and decision-making from neighborhood residents and groups. Project leaders have had preliminary discussions with some of those stakeholders, and have met with local foundations and community-based organizations to understand the work they already have going on in Russell. The Place of Promise effort complements and augments that work, as well as efforts being made by local nonprofits and community groups, including the Louisville Urban League, One West, Concerned Pastors of Russell, Habitat for Humanity, Louisville Central Community Center, Inc., and Community Ventures.
“Thanks to local advocates, residents and non-profits and an injection of public funds, Russell is at the cusp of a really significant redevelopment, and we will be intentional about ensuring that this investment benefits existing residents while bringing much-needed new capital to Russell,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “We are grateful to our partner, the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, for its ongoing commitment to Louisville and its early infusion of capital to jumpstart this initiative, and we welcome the continued support of local and national partners, such as Cities United, as we move this work forward.”
Russell is a historically African-American neighborhood long referred to as the “Harlem of the South.” Despite a rich cultural history, decades of disinvestment and neglect due to then-legal racial discrimination in housing and business policy, including the practice of redlining, have left a lasting impact on Russell. As a result of these broken systems, neighborhood residents face higher hurdles related to employment, educational attainment, and access to neighborhood goods, services and health care.
“A key project value,” said Anthony Smith of Cities United, “is to ensure that the benefits of the new investment in Russell flow to the people who currently live, worship and work there, avoiding gentrification in this historic, majority-black neighborhood, which was decimated by racist practices such as redlining and urban renewal. We will do this by keeping residents’ voices front and center as we build out the initiative.”
“Louisville is a place of promise that can be a beacon that the rest of country looks to for how to build black wealth and mobility while allowing the community to define its own outcomes,” said Dorian Burton, Assistant Executive Director for the Kenan Charitable Trust, which has previously committed support to help improve the life outcomes of young black men and boys in Louisville. “This project is about not just engaging Russell residents, but also about building resources around them so they can be the heroes and heroines of their own story. We are hopeful that we can co-invest with local foundations that have already laid a solid foundation for this project in programs and projects that highlight the brilliance of the amazing people who live on the other side of 9th Street.”
Louisville Metro Government, in partnership with Cities United, will incubate Russell: A Place of Promise for up to five years before the initiative launches into a stand-alone, community based organization. Russell: A Place of Promise is fiscally sponsored by the Community Foundation of Louisville, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity, which allows the initiative to receive grants and tax-deductible donations. This work will align with the recently-announced civic engagement fellowship program being funded by an additional $5 million grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. The fellowship aims to create pathways for young Black men ages 22 – 26 to be prepared to serve in civic leadership roles, and offers opportunities for education, jobs and careers combined with leadership development and mentoring support.
Russell: A Place of Promise will be co-led by Theresa Zawacki, who will be leaving her position as Senior Policy Advisor to Louisville Forward to serve as an Executive on Loan to the Place of Promise initiative during its incubation stages, and Anthony Smith, Executive Director at Cities United.
“As we see increased investment in Russell, it is critical that we identify opportunities to strengthen existing residents and businesses so that they receive tangible, long-lasting, personal benefits from these investments and have opportunities to take part in shaping the outcomes in their neighborhood” said Theresa Zawacki. “Russell: A Place of Promise provides a framework for these kinds of conversations to take place in community, and we are very excited to be moving forward with neighborhood residents as our partners to co-create strategies that will lead to a brighter future for the Russell Community, the West End and all of Louisville.”
An initial advisory board has been created, with the goal of expansion to include additional residential and business stakeholders, to provide oversight to Russell: A Place of Promise. The initial board currently includes Dana Jackson, Better Together Strategies; Alice Houston, HJI Supply Chain Solutions; Jackie Floyd, Center for Neighborhoods; David Snardon, Joshua Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and Concerned Pastors of Russell; Kevin Dunlap, Rebound; Gill Holland, impact entrepreneur, small scale developer and community builder; Dorian Burton, Assistant Executive Director of the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust; and Trisha Finnegan, Vice President of Mission & Impact at the Community Foundation of Louisville.
Russell: A Place of Promise complements other work happening in Russell. The Louisville Urban League, for example, will invest $30 million in the Track on Ali, a multi-sports complex anchored by an indoor track and field facility to be built and operated at a 24-acre, city-owned property known as “Heritage West.” A new $130 million headquarters for Louisville-based nonprofit health insurance provider, Passport Health Plan, and a new $35 million branch of the YMCA of Greater Louisville are also under construction. One West is investing in the transformation of 18th Street and West Broadway with the launch of a “special improvements district” to focus on making the corridor clean and safe, and with plans to reinvest in area commercial spaces. A $29.5 million Choice Neighborhoods Grant awarded to the Louisville Metro Housing Authority and Louisville Metro Government is leveraging over $200 million in new investment. These activities are further complemented by longstanding partner investments in projects such as an arts and cultural district along Muhammad Ali Boulevard, the reinvigoration of existing commercial space, market rate housing development, and workforce training programs.
The community is invited to learn more about Russell: A Place of Promise at upcoming meetings to be held on:
- Tuesday, August 28th 5:00 – 7:30 pm, Joshua Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church
- Thursday, August 30th, 5:00 – 7:30 pm, Baxter Community Center
- Saturday, September 8th, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, location to be announced
As National Historic Preservation Month comes to a close, Louisville Metro Government reports significant progress in implementing recommendations from the Historic Preservation Advisory Task Force’s May 2017 report to Mayor Greg Fischer.
The Task Force, comprised of preservation advocates, architects, developers and neighborhood representatives from across the community, received technical support from National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Green Lab.
Through a yearlong process, they reviewed research and best practices and then crafted a set of recommendations, including incentive programs, program improvements, policies and public engagement strategies—with the goal of improving the community dialogue and outcomes around historic preservation.
In response, the city so far has:
- Hired a Survey Coordinator for the Historic Preservation team to identify priority survey areas and inventory historic resources as recommended by the Task Force;
- Successfully pursued an African-American Civil Rights grant from the National Parks Service to stabilize the historic Quinn Chapel in the Russell neighborhood;
- Advocated with the Building Industry Association and other stakeholders for protection and expansion of the State and Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit;
- Developed a preliminary priority survey of historic buildings in the Russell neighborhood, which is a National Register Historic District; and
- Incorporated the Task Force recommendations into the Comprehensive Plan update.
The Task Force also recommended amending local ordinances to enhance Metro’s preservation efforts. The Landmarks Commission formed a subcommittee in October 2017 to develop recommended changes to the Landmarks Ordinance, and a draft of those amendments was presented to full Landmarks Commission on May 17, 2018.
Those proposed changes include:
- Authorizing the Landmarks Commission or Metro Council to initiate a landmark designation in addition to current initiation methods, which are community petition and property owner request;
- Creating more opportunity for property owners to provide input on designation requests;
- Improving and clarifying designation criteria;
- Linking designations to community surveys and other planning processes; and
- Updating and defining language for Certificates of Appropriateness and design guidelines for the city’s seven local preservation districts
To view the proposed changes in their entirety and to comment on them, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design/historic-preservatio…
The Commission will review the amendments and public feedback at its June 21 and July 19 meetings. When the Landmarks Commission completes its review, recommended changes will be sent to the Metro Council for review and approval.
Mayor Greg Fischer is pleased to announce that Jeana Dunlap, Louisville’s Director of Redevelopment Strategies, has been named as a member of the 2019 Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Each year the Fellowship selects a group of exceptional mid-career practitioners who influence the shaping of the built and natural environment, for a year of independent study at Harvard University.
“I am incredibly excited for Jeana to receive this remarkable opportunity,” Fischer said. “Her recognition in this elite fellowship is further proof of her remarkable work in community development, in equitable investment and, specifically, in Russell. Jeana will represent Louisville among an incredibly skilled, international class of fellows.”
The fellows receive living accommodations and virtually unlimited access to the educational resources at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to fortify their perspective and expand vision, all in the service of improving the future of the built and natural environment.
This year’s Loeb Fellowship class includes architects, urban planners, public artists, civic leaders and journalists from New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Boston, Amsterdam and San Jose (Costa Rica), who all arrive to the Fellowship with one common purpose—to strengthen their ability to advance positive social outcomes and support a more equitable collective future.
“It’s a great privilege to be selected for the Loeb Fellowship and to spend the next year in Cambridge,” Dunlap said. “Although it may be hard leaving the people and places I love, I’m also looking forward to expanding my professional network, collaborating with amazing people and engaging thought leaders from around the globe. I fully intend to invest the fellowship year taking my work to the next level.”
In addition to her cross-functional work in the Russell neighborhood, Jeana most recently has led a community-wide dialogue on the historic and current-day impact of redlining practices in underserved neighborhoods. She collaborated with local urban planner Joshua Poe to publish “Redlining Louisville, The History of Race, Class and Real Estate,” a story-map that depicts the impacts that 1930s-era redlining practices had on modern-day Louisville, using such data sets as poverty, race, property values, vacant properties, home ownership and mortgage lending.
Jeana will start her year-long fellowship in Cambridge, Mass. in August.
The Louisville Metro Office of Housing & Community Development and Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund, in partnership with consultants Mullin & Lonergan Associates Incorporated, are leading an effort to develop a Housing Needs Assessment for Louisville.
The Housing Needs Assessment will look at the current housing stock and the community’s future needs, including both short and long-term projections for the next 20 years in five year increments. Once completed, the Assessment will serve as a guide for Louisville policy makers and housing partners, both private and non-profit. The Assessment is anticipated to be completed in fall 2018.
The Housing Needs Assessment will:
- Examine demographic and housing market trends
- Determine the supply and demand for housing types at various income levels across market areas
- Identify areas of opportunity across Louisville’s neighborhoods, particularly in linking housing to job centers
- Provide implementation strategies to enhance the quality of housing and neighborhoods; and
- Provide a methodology that will allow Louisville Metro to update data on an annual basis using U.S. Census and other readily available sources.
Three public meetings will be held to discuss the Housing Needs Assessment:
- May 23 from 2-4 p.m. at the Edison Center (701 W. Ormsby)
- May 23 from 6-8 p.m. at the South Central Regional Library (7300 Jefferson Boulevard)
- May 24 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Middletown Firehouse (108 Urton Lane)
All Louisville residents are also asked to complete a housing survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LouisvilleResidentSurvey, whether they can attend a public meeting or not. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and will be available until May 31.
For more information on the Housing Needs Assessment, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/housing-community-development.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Free music on a nice spring evening is one way one of Metro Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods relaxes when the 2018 edition of Old Louisville LIVE returns on Friday, May 11th.
“Old Louisville is once again the place to kick off the weekend with live music and fun for everyone,” says President David James (D-6). “It is also another great way to get out and enjoy one of the best places in our city: Old Louisville. So bring family and friends and joins us for a nice relaxing Friday night.”
Highlight this Friday’s Old Louisville LIVE is Brutally Handsome – the Eagles Tribute Band from 8:00pm until 11:00pm. Best of all, admission to the concert is FREE.
“Free concerts in Central Park are one of the great things we do in the community. We hope everyone will come out have fun and enjoy Old Louisville,” says Brent Logsdon, Chairman of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council.
The 2018 Old Louisville LIVE series has the following entertainment lineup through September:
- Sat. May 19th 7-9 pm JCPS Trio of Bands with Jecorey Arthur
- Fri. Aug 31st 8-11 pm In Lightning
- Fri. Sept 7th 8-11 pm Junior J and Shania Robinson – R& B artists
- Sat. Sept 15th 5-10 pm Hal & Ben’s Bike-In (Ben Sollee and Hal Riedling bring music and a movie to the park)
- Sat. Sept 22nd 7-10 pm Monarchs
- Fri. Sept 28th 7-9 pm John LaBarbera Big Band (Tentative)
All Old Louisville LIVE shows will take place at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Central Park, are free, and open to public. Food trucks will be onsite and concessions will of Old Louisville products will be offered for purchase.
Joining President James and the OLNC as sponsors are Louisville Metro Government, The 1300 Association, South Third Street Association, South Fourth Street Association, Garvin Gate Neighborhood Association, Belgravia Association, St. James Court Association, Treyton Oak Towers, Genscape, Paradise Tomato Kitchens and BC Plumbing.
For the latest updates about Old Louisville LIVE, visit Old Louisville Neighborhood Council’s website http://oldlouisville.org/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/oldlouisvilleneighborhood.
