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Photo: Louisville Metro Housing Authority
Mayor Greg Fischer today named Lisa Osanka as the Interim Director of the Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA).
“Our Metro Housing Authority is a national leader in neighborhood revitalization and housing development,” the Mayor said. “Lisa brings an activist’s passion and expertise in community engagement that will enhance an already remarkable team. We appreciate her commitment to the city and its residents.”
Osanka currently serves as the Director of Leased Housing for LMHA and has more than 26 years of experience in housing and community development
As the Interim Director, Osanka will partner with staff and LMHA’s Board of Directors to carry out the current and future goals of the agency, including the $30 million HUD CHOICE Neighborhoods grant for the revitalization of the Russell neighborhood.
“At the early age of 14, I learned that not every child had a safe place to call home and since then, I have committed myself to securing affordable housing for all,” said Osanka. “I appreciate the support of Mayor Fischer in appointing me, and I welcome the continued opportunity to serve the Louisville Metro community, especially the over 14,000 families we at LMHA serve every day.”
Prior to joining LMHA, Osanka held positions at Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Washington D.C., Louisville Tenants Association, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and Habitat for Humanity International.
Osanka earned her Juris Doctor from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from Valparaiso University.
Osanka replaces long-time LMHA Director Tim Barry, who is retiring in the spring. She will begin her new role April 21.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilman Rick Blackwell announces the next “Coffee with your Councilman” is set for Saturday, March 17th. It is an opportunity for District 12 residents to meet with their Councilman.
It will take place at Panera Bread at 6900 Dixie Highway beginning at 10:00am to 12:00 pm.
There is no formal program and no need to sign up, just stop by and talk with the Councilman about any issue or concern you may have for District 12 or Southwest Louisville.
For more information about this “Coffee with your Councilman,” contact Councilman Blackwell’s office at 574-1112.
3-day summit to train educators on restorative intervention strategies
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and Spalding University are teaming up to host a three-day summit to highlight and train educators on restorative justice practices.
The Restorative Justice Practices Training Summit, being held March 14-16 at Spalding, will educate school administrators, teachers, staff and school resource officers about the methods of restorative practice, a social science that seeks to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and restoring relationships.
“Restorative practice has been a valuable tool in guiding how we respond to conflict and misbehavior in the classroom while emphasizing safety and accountability,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said. “Our ultimate goal is to utilize these strategies to decrease referrals and improve school attendance.”
JCPS has turned to intervention strategies such as restorative practice and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports in recent years to proactively manage student behavior. The district implemented a restorative practice pilot at 10 schools this fall, with another eight schools to be added in the 2018-19 school year. Preliminary data indicate that restorative practice elementary and high schools were outperforming the district on suspension incidents, suspension days and in-school suspensions, while two of the three middle schools in the pilot have shown recent improvements in the suspension data.
“We look forward to hosting JCPS leaders and resource officers on our campus to learn more about restorative practices,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “At Spalding, we’ve made restorative practices a priority and believe they are a thoughtful, compassionate way to manage conflicts and build community. Spalding has implemented restorative techniques and methods on our campus to help find solutions and understanding in a range of settings.”
The first day of the conference is designed for professionals who work in K-12 educational settings and are interesting in finds ways to implement restorative practice in their schools.
School resource officers will take part in the second and third days of the conference, which will include training and offer examples on how to utilize authority in restorative ways. The focus will be on fostering positive relationships with students and how to implement talking circles – controlled group conversations designed to promote dialogue about difficult topics and offer all parties equal time to talk freely in a safe setting.
In some cases, restorative practices are also being used as an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system in Louisville. With restorative practices, the offender and victim volunteer to participate together to express what harm has been done, who is responsible for repairing that harm and how can that harm be repaired, according to Restorative Justice Louisville, whose offices are located on Spalding’s campus.
The International Institute of Restorative Practices and local law enforcement agencies will all be partners in the training. In addition, JCPS Behavior Support Systems Department Coordinator Naomi Brahim and resource teachers Angel Jackson and Ronzell Smith will present, along with Spalding Director of Forensic Psychology and Restorative Studies Dr. Ida Dickie and forensic psychology graduate student Mariya Leyderman.
The conference is being held at Spalding University’s College Street Building, 812 Second St.
Louisville Metro and Airbnb announced today the finalization of an agreement that will allow the company to collect and remit taxes on behalf of its hosts in Louisville and Jefferson County. Effective April 1, Airbnb will automatically collect and remit the Louisville Transient Room Tax (8.5%) for taxable bookings. The agreement allows Louisville to fully benefit from people visiting and staying longer through home sharing.
Collecting and remitting hotel taxes can be complicated, as the rules were designed for traditional hospitality providers and large hotel corporations with teams of lawyers and accountants.
That’s why Airbnb has begun partnering with governments throughout the world to collect and remit taxes, making the process seamless and easy for hosts to pay their fair share while contributing new revenue for local governments. These agreements are particularly impactful for a city like Louisville, where some homeowners may only be hosting visitors during a handful of large events such as the Kentucky Derby, and therefore are less likely to be aware of the applicable taxes associated with short-term rentals.
“I am delighted to see that the city has settled on an agreement with Airbnb. We have leisure and convention travelers requesting the option of an Airbnb. We have a growing number of Airbnb Hosts in Louisville – this will put them on the same playing field as our other accommodations in paying the transient room tax,” said Karen Williams, President & CEO of the Louisville Convention Bureau.
“We are always looking for opportunities to better serve taxpayers,” said Louisville Metro Revenue Commission Director Angela Dunn. “This agreement advances that goal by streamlining the local tax process for hosts.”
This marks Airbnb’s third tax agreement in Kentucky. In September 2017, the company announced a statewide tax agreement with the Kentucky Department of Revenue that authorized the company to collect and remit the state sales tax on all Kentucky Airbnb bookings (including in Louisville Metro). And earlier this year, Airbnb and Lexington announced an agreement authorizing Airbnb to collect and remit Lexington’s local room tax.
“We believe this agreement will unlock significant new revenue for Louisville Convention Bureau moving forward, and we’re so thrilled to have finalized it well prior to the Derby,” said Laura Spanjian, policy director for Airbnb. “With clear, fair rules to regulate home sharing and now a tax agreement to bring in new revenue, Louisville has emerged as a national model for how cities can capitalize from the sharing economy.”
The agreement comes at a time of dynamic home sharing growth in the Greater Louisville area. In 2017, Louisville-area Airbnb hosts earned $10 million in supplemental income while welcoming over 78,000 guest arrivals to the city.
Mayor Greg Fischer joined with U of L Football Coach Bobby Petrino to announce plans for a special flood relief fund to help aid families who have been hit hard by the flooding.
The fund was created with a $100,000 donation from Bobby and Becky Petrino and the Petrino Family Foundation, as part of its #LoveLouisville campaign, and will go to families displaced by the flood, as well as to help people cover some of their clean-up and recovery costs.
Households that meet income eligibility requirements and other criteria can get up to $1000 to cover emergency expenses caused by the flooding.
This program will be coordinated through the Neighborhood Place system, which is administered by the city’s Office for Resilience and Community Services.
In order to qualify, applicants must be Jefferson residents with a household income at or below 80 percent of Area Media Income (AMI) and must have been living in their home as a primary residence at the time of the flood.
The funds can be used to cover the first month’s rent and deposits up to $1,000 for displaced families who are in need of a new or temporary residence. Funds may also be used to purchase cleaning, household or other emergency supplies.
Residents who want to apply can contact MetroCall 311 by simply dialing 311 or 574-5000, email metro.call@louisvilleky.gov, visit the website’s On Line Customer Service or Live Chat at www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocall, tweet @LouMetro311, or download the free Mobile 311 app from the website.
Be prepared to leave your name, address, phone number, email address and what type of assistance is needed.
Within 48-72 hours, a staff person with Neighborhood Place will contact all applicants. Applicants will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.
“After experiencing the worst flood Louisville has seen in more 20 years, our citizens have once again stepped up to help fellow neighbors bounce back,” said Fischer. “The generous donation from Coach Petrino and his family is a shining example of what a compassionate and caring city looks like.”
“The #LoveLouisville campaign was started as our way to attempt to speed more love and unity around the city of Louisville. Acknowledging that one of the ways to do that is by extending a helping hand to those in need, and after seeing some of the devastation caused by the recent flooding, we knew we needed to do something. By working directly with City leaders, I believe we have come up with a plan that will help those most affected by the flooding feel some of that love we are trying to spread,” said Kelsey Petrino Scott, Executive Director, The Petrino Family Foundation. Coach Petrino added: “Both Becky and myself felt it was important to help with the flood relief after so many unexpected people and families were affected in our home community. The plan my daughters and the City have come up is great, and one I believe will go a long way for many people. Louisville is our home, and it’s hard to see so many families in our home community who have lost so much. We are happy to be a part of the effort to help get them back on their feet.”
Mayor Fischer also reminded residents who would like to volunteer to aid stricken residents and help with general community cleanup to contact Metro United Way 2-1-1 for a placement. And anyone who would like to request help from volunteers can contact Metro Call at 311. Read more at https://louisvilleky.gov/news/mayor-fischer-announces-assistance-those-n… The city has also applied for assistance from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency to help recoup the millions of dollars in damages and response and recovery costs.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Parks & Recreation have begun a $1,100,000 restoration project in the Bonnycastle Hill/Hogan Fountain area, one of the most active areas in Cherokee Park. To improve the area and provide a better park user experience, a picnic pavilion will be added in the southern area, the basketball court will be relocated, and other improvements include walking paths, and an upgraded parking area. The McCall shelter will remain in the area.
This popular area of Cherokee Park is named in honor of Mrs. Hattie Bonnycastle who donated the land to the city in the late 1800s. The Bonnycastle Hill area was included in the original plan for Cherokee Park by Frederick Law Olmsted. Sharing this area is the popular Hogan Fountain landmark, designed by Enid Yandell.
The Project is made possible by financial support from donors of Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s Campaign for Extraordinary Parks including the Stegner Family, along with support from the City of Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilman Brandon Coan and Louisville Parks and Recreation.
Estimated completion will be Fall 2018.
Photo: Louisville Metro Public Health And Wellness
A former employee at the Denny’s restaurant located at 4030 Dutchman’s Lane in St. Matthews has been diagnosed with acute hepatitis A.
The employee worked at the restaurant from February 9-22, 2018. As a result, customers who ate at the restaurant during that time period may be have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus. If they develop symptoms of hepatitis A such as fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice, (yellowing of the skin and eyes), they should see their healthcare provider. Persons can become ill 2 to 6 weeks after being exposed to the virus.
Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, communicable disease of the liver caused by a virus. It is usually transmitted person-to-person through the fecal-oral route or consumption of contaminated food or water. Antibodies produced in response to hepatitis A infection last for life and protect against reinfection. The best way to prevent hepatitis A infection is to get vaccinated.
Customers who may have been exposed are encouraged to visit www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav for more information.