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Mayor Greg Fischer today joined Metro Animal Services leaders and staff in celebrating a history-making 2017, which includes achieving no-kill status for time and space.
“Our city value of compassion absolutely extends to the animals that enrich our lives,” Mayor Fischer said. “That’s why I’m so proud that Metro Animal Services has achieved a live release rate above 90 percent, thanks to the hard work of the LMAS team, their partners and volunteers.
“We want to celebrate the work they’ve done, completing a really dramatic and impressive turnaround.”
The Mayor thanked the LMAS team and Director Ozzy Gibson, who has guided the agency’s turnaround since 2016.
“Since I got here, I’ve been impressed with the dedication of our team, partners and volunteers to the compassionate care of animal,” Gibson said. “We’re going to keep working hard, and we’ll stay committed to coming up with new ideas that lead to good outcomes for animals.”
Louisville Metro Animal Services, the city’s only open intake shelter, finished 2017 with a 93 percent live release rate — the best in its 52-year history.
And, for the first time, no animals were euthanized because of time or space. LMAS also found homes for 909 more cats and dogs compared to 2016 (3,141 vs 2,232).
Gibson said the launch and overwhelming success last year of the Pay It Forward Free Adoptions Program was a primary contributor to the turnaround. Pay It Forward is funded solely through donations, which allows LMAS to waive adoption fees for certain cats and dogs.
Key 2017 Animal Services stats:
Zero animals euthanized for time or space
- 90.8% live release rate for canines
- 93.8% live release rate for felines
- 37% increase in animal returned to owners
- 41% increase in animal adoptions
More information about Animal Services and Pay It Forward can be found at:https://louisvilleky.gov/government/animal-services.
Construction work has begun at Boone Square to replace the outdated restroom building in the 126 year old park. Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Parks and Recreation are investing $400,000 to make improvements to Louisville’s first park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. In addition, Boone Square will have new area lighting, connecting sidewalks, and a new water fountain.
Boone Square is a four acre parcel in the Portland Neighborhood. Prior to becoming park land, in 1865, it was the site for the first organized baseball game in Louisville. In 1891, the land was gifted to the city by Eliza Boone, a descendent of Captain William P. Boone and original owner, and became the first park in Louisville to be designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The park became known for recreation activities including handicrafts, volleyball and story hour for children. The park also included a wading pool, swings and seesaws. In the mid-1960s, the city built a new baseball diamond and basketball court which increased the use of the park. More improvements were made in 1982, when Trees Inc. planted 59 trees and with a $150,000 investment by the Boone Square Park Association.
In the last several years, more trees were planted and a portion of the historical wall was restored, thanks to financial support from donors of Olmsted Parks Conservancy including James Graham Brown Foundation, along with support from City of Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilwoman Cheri Bryant- Hamilton and Louisville Parks and Recreation.
Holly Hawkins, a fifth-grade teacher at Tully Elementary School, has been presented with the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award. Representatives from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and from the award sponsors — LG&E and KU and WHAS11 — honored the teacher on Feb. 6 during a ceremony at the school.
“Throughout her tenure at Tully, Holly has designed an exemplary classroom that has met with great success,” said Principal Linda Dauenhauer. “You cannot walk into her classroom without instantly becoming motivated yourself. She motivates students because of her high energy and belief that all students can learn.”
“Mrs. Hawkins encourages her students to work to their highest potential and to always put forth their best effort,” said Missy Schutte, a fellow teacher at Tully. “I witness her on a regular basis trying to pull out the very best in every student. She inspires them to become better by persevering and not giving up – valuable life skills.”
Hawkins dedicates time to her students and school community outside the classroom as well, serving on the School-Based Decision Making Council as well as numerous other committees, and organizes many of the school’s instructional nights, student council activities and extracurricular events. She also serves as assistant coach for both the cross country and track teams.
As part of LG&E and KU’s commitment to supporting education across the communities it serves, Hawkins and other ExCEL Award-winning teachers each receive a $1,000 instructional grant from the company.
Domestic violence victims at the greatest risk of lethal assault will continue to have an outlet for help, thanks to Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell and $152,450 in federal grant money.
This is the second year Jefferson County has received increased funds from the national Victim of Crimes Act (VOCA) after years of receiving approximately $50,000 annually. Previous funds paid for one victim advocate position and support services. O’Connell pushed for last year’s three-fold increase and hired two new positions with the additional funds, including one victim advocate whose sole focus is victims at a high risk of lethality.
“This second straight award of increased funding demonstrates the expertise and support we provide to victims of domestic violence,” said Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell. “The continuation of these additional federal dollars cements my office’s commitment to domestic violence victims at the greatest risk of deadly abuse,” said Jefferson County Mike O’Connell.
The victim advocates work out of the Domestic Violence Intake Center (DVIC) at the Hall of Justice. Opened in April 2001, the DVIC was the result of local criminal justice and community partners’ commitment to supporting victims seeking legal action. Founding partners included the Jefferson County Attorney’s office, the office of the Circuit Court Clerk (OCCC), LMPD, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, the Center for Women and Families and the National Council for Jewish Women, among others.
In 2009, O’Connell’s first full year in office, the DVIC was relocated to an expanded space of approximately 2,500 square feet. Prior to expansion, only victims seeking both an emergency protective order (EPO) and criminal complaint received services in the DVIC. After expansion, EPO clerks from the OCCC moved all functions permanently to the DVIC.
Now, all domestic violence victims seeking any type of offered legal service are directly assisted in the DVIC. The Jefferson County Attorney’s office provides victim advocates to meet with all victims 96 hours each week, from 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m. each week day and 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on weekends. Combining all services in one centralized location has resulted in significant increases in clients obtaining needed advocacy services.
O’Connell operates two specialty units for criminal prosecution: domestic violence and DUI. Since 2014, the DV unit has prosecuted nearly 12,000 domestic violence and sexual assault cases, earning a 90.7 percent conviction rate. Nearly 40 members of O’Connell’s staff are involved with domestic violence cases on a daily basis.
The Center for Women and Families honored O’Connell with its Public Service Award last October. O’Connell joined a list of notable recipients of the award, including Jerry Abramson, David Armstrong, Judi Patton, Anne Northrup and John Yarmuth, that was first given in 1991.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
In an effort to keep Metro Louisville’s public golf courses sustainable financially, Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14) is sponsoring an ordinance calling for a modest increase in greens fees this year.
“I want everyone in the Louisville area to be able to enjoy our public courses. These courses are the hub of our communities, providing senior and junior programming close to their homes as well as golf scrambles supporting many of our nonprofits,” says Fowler.
The Councilwoman is proposing a modest $2 green fee increase at high utilized courses and $1 at all other courses. Additional changes include military discounts and senior age limits reduced to 60 years from 62 years old.
“The last time we had an increase to help sustain golf was in 2007 with a 50 cent increase every other year. However, we have just not kept up with the demands of maintenance and other repairs,” says Fowler. “In order to keep public golf courses open in underutilized areas we must ask the help of the more widely used courses.”
Under the proposed ordinance, here are the proposed fee increases:
Seneca and Charlie Vettiner will go from $14.50 to $15.50 on weekdays and $17 to $19 on weekends in the summer. In winter, $12 to $12.50 on weekdays, $13.25 to $14 on weekends.
At Sun Valley, Shawnee, Long Run and Iroquois in summer, the fee would go from $13.25 to $14 on weekdays and $15.75 to $17 on weekends. In the winter, $10.75 to $11 on weekdays, $12 to $12.50 on weekends.
At Bobby Nichols and Cherokee in summer the fee would go from $12 to $13 on weekdays and $13.25 to $14 on weekends. In winter, $9.75 to $10 on weekdays, $9.75 to $10 on weekends.
Finally, Crescent Hill’s Hill nine hole course in the summer would go from $13.25 to $14 on weekdays and $15.75 to $16. In the winter the fee would go from $10.75 to $11 on weekdays and $12 to $12.50.
“It is my belief that public courses provide a service to our communities and to make them sustainable we must provide that service as whole entity. This will bring the needed revenue to bring public golf as a whole into the black.”
The proposed ordinance has been assigned to the Metro Council’s Parks and Sustainability Committee which is chaired by Councilwoman Fowler. The Committee will hold its next meeting on Thursday, February 8th.
DPL Financial Partners LLC, an independent insurance consulting firm, will expand in Louisville with a $3.6 million-plus investment expected to create 40 full-time, high-paying jobs, Gov. Matt Bevin and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced today.
“The financial services industry is building momentum in Kentucky, which is yet another sign of a fast growing economy,” Gov. Bevin said. “DPL’s expansion is proof that service companies are realizing the many advantages of doing business in Kentucky, including our skilled employees, high quality of life, low business costs and close proximity to much of our nation’s population. We welcome DPL to the commonwealth and are grateful to them for their investment here.”
DPL, currently on Stanley Gault Parkway, will move within Louisville as part of its expansion. Company leaders have yet to finalize the exact location. Following a soft launch in 2017 and with recent recruitment of investors, the company stands primed for growth. In the coming months, DPL will add sales and marketing, information technology and finance positions to its current staff.
“Louisville is an ideal location for our growing firm,” said David Lau, DPL founder and CEO. “We’ve attracted experienced, talented individuals to our team and appreciate the governor’s support as we look to expand our staff in the future.”
DPL is an insurance network for registered investment advisors, providing them and other fee-based advisory practices with a new model for offering low-cost, commission-free insurance to consumers. Lau founded DPL in 2014 to provide consultation to some of the nation’s largest insurance carriers on commission-free products. The commission-free approach saves money for customers, increases value and, ultimately, improves insurance products.
Mayor Fischer said the company makes a great fit in the city’s existing insurance and financial business community.
“Louisville is proud to have a historically strong financial services sector that can support new business growth such as these new, high-wage jobs at DPL Financial Partners,” he said. “I applaud DPL’s double down on investment in our city and look forward to seeing their fast-paced rise on the national financial services scene.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in January preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $600,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over a five-year agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting certain targets. Those targets are: creation of up to 40 jobs paying at least an average $62 an hour including benefits, and the investment of $3.6 million. The company has since decided to inject more capital into the project without additional incentives.
In addition, DPL can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal 2017, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for more than 120,000 Kentuckians and 5,700 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
For more information on DPL Financial Partners, visit www.dplfp.com.
Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart is bringing Disney•Pixar’s record-breaking animated feature Finding Dory to the ice for the first time in this live production produced by Feld Entertainment. The ice skating extravaganza featuring Disney
Photo: KFC Yum! Center
Pixar’s Inside Out, Disney’s Frozen and other beloved Disney stories visits Louisville from April 5 to 8 for five performances at KFC Yum! Center. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, February 13.
Just keep swimming with Dory, Nemo, Marlin and new pal Hank from Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory as they embark on a life-changing excursion to find her parents and discover the true meaning of family.
Cheer with the Emotions from Disney Pixar’s Inside Out –Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust– as they help Riley find the confidence to win the hockey championship and experience the emotional rollercoaster of growing up.
Venture to wintery world of Arendelle where Olaf and Kristoff help reunite royal sisters Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen and learn love is the most powerful magic of all.
See Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana and the Disney Princesses make their dreams come true through their virtues of bravery, kindness and perseverance. And celebrate true friendship with Buzz Lightyear, Woody and The Toy Story gang. Make unforgettable memories with Mickey, Minnie and all your Disney friends when Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart skates into your hometown!
Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart start at $18. All seats are reserved, and tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster, (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Date and Time of Performances at KFC Yum! Center:
- Thursday, April 5 – 7:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 6 – 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 7 – 1:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 7 – 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday, April 8 – 1:00 p.m.
