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In response to the passage of a Metro Council resolution, Louisville Metro’s Planning & Design Services, the city’s agency responsible for reviewing development applications and ensuring they align with our planning and zoning regulations, will hold public meetings to engage with the public on an update of Chapter 10 of the Land Development Code. Chapter 10 concerns trees, landscaping and open space.
The resolution passed by Metro Council on October 11 asked the Planning Commission to review the Land Development Code and to review the tree preservation and planting requirements to preserve and increase Louisville’s tree canopy.
The updates to Chapter 10 of the Land Development Code will only affect tree canopy requirements for development applications submitted to Planning & Design Services.
The update follows a tree ordinance aimed at preserving and increasing the tree canopy on public rights of way, which was passed by Metro Council in 2017.
“I was pleased to see the unanimous Metro Council vote to begin the process of improving Louisville’s Land Development Code, reducing tree loss and increasing our shrinking tree canopy,” Metro Council District 9 Councilman, and one of four sponsors of the resolution, Bill Hollander said. “There’s a bipartisan consensus that changes are needed. I encourage everyone to attend a meeting or make a comment as part of this process.”
The meetings will take place at the following dates, locations and times:
- November 13: Jeffersontown branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (10635 Watterson Trail) from 12-2 p.m.
- November 27: Okolona Fire Department (8501 Preston Highway) from 12-2 p.m.
- December 4: Portland branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (3305 Northwestern Parkway) from 6-8 p.m.
- December 11: East Government Center (200 N. Juneau Drive) from 6-8 p.m.
Proposed changes to Chapter 10 of the Land Development Code are due to Metro Council by March 1, 2019.
Changes related to tree requirements were last reviewed in 2014. Increases to preservation and planting requirement were deferred at that time pending the completion of an Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. The Assessment was complete in 2015 and showed a loss in tree canopy from 2004 to 2012 and predicted further losses without changes to City requirements.
For more information and a public comment form, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design/land-development-cod…
Photo: Kentucky Department Fish And Wildlife
Less than two weeks remain to see a rare, two-headed copperhead snake before the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort closes for the winter.
The unique, month-old copperhead is on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. Time to view the snake is limited, however, as the Salato Center closes for the season after Nov. 21. Salato will reopen March 1, 2019.
The Salato Center closes seasonally each year to allow the staff to maintain and update exhibits and facilities. This helps ensure a quality experience for the 50,000 visitors who come to the center each year.
During this year’s closure, center staff plan to expand the existing indoor snake exhibit, among other projects. Work to clear hiking trails blocked by fallen trees is planned during this time. Staff closed trails through Davison Woods in the fall, due to the number of trees felled by a severe storm.
Fans of the Salato Center can see what’s going on behind the scenes during the winter closure by following the Salato Facebook or Salato Twitter page.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources operates the Salato Center to educate and inform the public about wildlife and conservation. The center is located off U.S. 60 in Frankfort, approximately 1½ miles west of the U.S. 127 intersection. A bronze deer statue marks the entrance of the main Kentucky Fish and Wildlife campus.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Salato is closed on Sunday, Monday and state holidays.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth 5 to 18. Children 4 and under are admitted free. The center also offers annual memberships for individuals and families.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, all veterans and active military personnel with valid identification will be admitted free on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Lakshmi Sriraman of Lexington built a career as a performer and teacher of classical Indian dancing, but in February 2017 she added another layer to her artistry when she started painting.
Sriraman split her time between dance rehearsal and the canvas, and eventually decided in 2018 to apply for the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted arts marketing program. In September, she was one of nine Kentucky artists juried into the elite program.
Kentucky Crafted is an adjudicated arts marketing assistance program that provides opportunities to Kentucky visual and craft artists through arts business training, networking, sales, exhibit and promotional opportunities. Adjudicated visual and craft artists become eligible to exhibit at The Kentucky Crafted Market, March 15-17, 2019, at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena in Lexington.
“It’s a tremendous validation of an artist to be selected for Kentucky Crafted, especially since I’m a self-starting artist,” Sriraman said. “I literally started painting in February 2017 and I’ve had a lot of feedback from friends who said I should apply. I was hesitant in the beginning, but I said, ‘I’m going to do it.’ The worst that could happen is that I’d get good constructive criticism on how to improve my application in the future.”
Sriraman was already familiar with the arts council’s jurying process, having been adjudicated into the Performing Artists Directory in 2013.
“I’m very grateful for the support and infrastructure the Kentucky Arts Council provides to artists here,” she said. “When I see the care the arts council takes with the adjudication process, I realize it’s all there for a reason. The arts council highlights the best in Kentucky art, and it’s a great honor to be included in that list.”
Teresa Webb is another relatively new artist who was juried into Kentucky Crafted. She creates unique dolls in her home-based studio in Berea. She agreed with Sriraman that there’s a validation in carrying the Kentucky Crafted brand.
“I’m no longer a hobbyist,” she said. “I can finally say I’m a maker.”
Webb is looking forward to joining the community of Kentucky’s finest visual and craft artists, and is interested in expanding her business.
“I would love to be able to contact someone and say, ‘I know you do woodworking, but how can what you’re doing relate to what I’m doing?’ I want to keep learning. It’s a whole new world. I want to learn from others so I can apply those lessons to my craft.”
The new Kentucky Crafted program artists are:
- Robert Bridges (Rob Bridges Illustration), Georgetown, painting
- Margaret Cooney (Cooney Pottery), Elizabethtown, ceramics
- Michelle Hayden (Michelle Hayden Fine Art), Richmond, sculpture
- Edward Lawrence (Zedz Press), Frankfort, photography
- Sharon Matisoff, Frankfort, painting
- David Neace, Nicholasville, painting
- Lakshmi Sriraman (Lakshmi’s Studio), Lexington, painting
- Teresa Webb (Worker Bee Sewing Co.), Berea, fiber art
- Mary Ann Woolery-Bussey (Blue Lick Hollow), Berea, fiber art
Applicants to the program must be visual or craft artists who have a well-developed body of work in any medium, full-time residents of Kentucky, and over the age of 18. For more information on the Kentucky Crafted program, contact Dave Blevins at david.blevins@ky.gov or 502-892-3120.
On Saturday, November 24 Bob Bernhardt and the Louisville Orchestra will celebrate the holiday season with two concerts filled with Christmas cheer and the phenomenal talent of LaKisha Jones from American Idol! The festivities begin at 11AM with a one-hour concert for the whole family. Bring the kids early to meet Santa in The Kentucky Center lobby and participate in the pre-concert activities! At 8PM, the twohour LO Pops concert brings more music and magic of the holidays!
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt continues to bring his unique combination of easy style, infectious enthusiasm and wonderful musicianship to the city and orchestra he loves. He has been a constant presence with the Louisville Orchestra for the past 37 years.
LaKisha Jones makes her Louisville Orchestra debut with her favorite holiday tunes like Mariah Carey’s, “All I Want for Christmas is You” and “O Holy Night!”
The Louisville Youth Choir joins in for musical highlights from popular holiday films like Home Alone and The Polar Express!
Tickets to Home for the Holidays range from $15-$85* and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org. Pro-rated subscription packages are still available by calling 502.587.8681 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Brightside will hold its fall planting event Saturday, November 10 along West Broadway. Volunteers will join Brightside, who has partnered with the Division of Community Forestry and corporate sponsors to plant approximately 115 trees on West Broadway between 22nd and 37th streets.
“Brightside’s Community-Wide Planting Day is a terrific example of how we can be compassionate neighbors and caregivers of the environment,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “This year’s 115 trees will add to the 150 planted in 2015. West Broadway neighbors, businesses and travelers should see positive effects from these trees for years to come.”
In addition to improving the overall aesthetics of the surrounding neighborhoods, planting trees improves storm water management, increases property value, reduces urban heat island effect, improves air quality, and lowers energy costs.
“Brightside is glad to be celebrating its 5th Community-Wide Planting Day by returning to West Broadway and planting more trees,” Brightside Director Gina O’Brien said. “We would like to thank our sponsors and volunteers and welcome those on West Broadway to watch these tree grow and bring shade, storm water management and a beautiful streetscape.”
Brightside will also be joining with volunteers from UPS, Brown-Forman, Kentucky Derby Festival and Heaven Hill to plant 60 trees along 18th Street from West Kentucky Street to Greenwood Avenue and Greenwood Avenue from 18th to 20th Street.
Brightside’s recent plantings, as well as those of other Metro and non-profits partners, have been focused in west Louisville, where an increase in tree canopy is needed. This year’s planting will add to the 150 trees Brightside planted on West Broadway in 2015. In 2016 and 2017, over 330 trees were planted in along Virginia Avenue and adjacent streets in the Parkland and California neighborhoods. 80 trees were planted near Chickasaw Park in 2014.
On Saturday, November 10 at 10 a.m., Brightside will meet volunteers in Kroger parking lot at 2710 West Broadway. A limited supply of shovels and other tools will be provided by Brightside, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own tools. All ages are invited to attend the event.
There is still time for volunteers to register. To register, volunteers can fill out a form at Brightside’s website here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/brightside/community-wide-planting-day
Applications are now being taken for mobility-impaired hunters wishing to hunt from two specially constructed blinds at Doug Travis Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Hickman and Carlisle counties. Applications for these quota hunts must be postmarked by Nov. 15.
“One blind, Blind 19, is a boat-only blind, built for mobility-impaired hunters,” said Wes Little, migratory bird biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The whole boat hides in this blind. The other blind, Blind 13, is an above ground blind that is wheelchair accessible. The mobility-impaired hunt party will be able to drive to this blind.”
The hunt dates for the mobility-impaired quota hunts during 2018-2019 are: Nov. 22–25; Dec. 3–6; Dec. 7-9; Dec. 10–13; Dec. 14–16; Dec. 17–20; Dec. 21–23; Dec. 24–27 and Dec. 28–30; Dec. 31, 2018 – Jan. 3, 2019; Jan. 4–6; Jan. 7–10; Jan. 9–12; Jan. 11–13; Jan 14–17; Jan. 18–20; Jan. 21–24; and Jan. 25–27.
To register to be drawn for this blind during one or more of the mobility impaired hunts, mail a 3 x 5 white index card in an envelope addressed to:
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Attn: Wes Little – Doug Travis WMA Mobility-Impaired Waterfowl Hunt Application
1 Sportsman’s Lane
Frankfort, KY 40601
The envelope must be postmarked between Nov. 1 and Nov. 15.
“Hunters must specify on the index card the dates for which they are applying and list them in order of preference,” Little said. “While they may apply for up to three hunting dates, they can only be drawn for one hunt. The index card must include the hunter’s name, complete mailing address and phone number as well.”
Successful applicants may invite up to three guests. After Nov. 15, those selected for hunts will be mailed a quota hunt permit for the dates they are drawn, a map showing the blind location and other instructions concerning the hunt. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified. Duplicate applications for the same hunt will result in disqualification.
“The hunting party will be responsible for bringing and placing decoys as well as retrieving birds,” Little said. “These blinds are open to standby hunters on a first-come, first-served basis if the blind is not occupied by the drawn party by one hour before sunrise, but priority for its use will go to mobility impaired hunters.”
If not completed already, waterfowl hunters must go online at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website at fw.ky.gov and fill out the Harvest Information Program (HIP) survey before they are legal waterfowl hunters.
Online applications are being taken through Nov. 15 for youth and mobility-impaired waterfowl quota hunts at two state-owned fish hatcheries near Frankfort and Morehead. Hunts will be available on each Saturday and Sunday in January 2019.
Hunts are being held at the Minor Clark Fish Hatchery in Rowan County and the Pete Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery in Franklin County.
“There are five blinds at Minor Clark Hatchery and two blinds at Pete Pfeiffer,” said Wes Little, migratory bird biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Drawn hunters must provide their own decoys, put them out and retrieve their own birds.”
Interested youth or mobility-impaired waterfowl hunters may apply online by clicking this link or going to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife homepage at fw.ky.gov and clicking on the “Hunt” tab, followed by “Quota Hunts” tab. Applications must be submitted by Nov. 15.
Hunt dates in 2019 include Jan 5-6, Jan. 12-13, Jan. 19-20 and Jan. 26-27. Youths under age 16 may apply for these quota hunts. A mentor age 18 or older must accompany the youth hunter. A mentor and youth drawn for a hunt may invite two additional youth hunters or one youth and second mentor to hunt with them. Selected mobility-impaired hunters may only have one assistant in the blind with them.
Drawn hunters will receive a quota hunt permit in the mail in late November notifying the hunter the dates for which they were drawn, along with detailed maps and other instructions concerning the hunt.
If not completed already, waterfowl hunters must go online at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website at fw.ky.gov and fill out the Harvest Information Program (HIP) survey before they are legal waterfowl hunters.
