The News: Memorial Weekend Edition

- In the wake of the announcement that Sears is opening an outlet store at the Dixie Manor Shopping Center, we are discussing outlet stores and outlet malls as a possibility for Southwest Louisville over on our facebook fan page.  Come on over and get in on the discussion.

- The Local Weekly's Keith Salyer speaks with the guys at Park TV and the plan to upgrade merchants' store fronts for a more pleasing presence on Dixie Highway.

- The mayor's new budget proposal includes funding for a new Library in Fairdale. The library will be a 7,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility, "green" technology, three times the number of current computers, a teen center and community room. District 13 Councilmember Vicki Aubrey-Welch says, "The old, mold-filled building will be demolished to make way for the new one. We just have to get it through the Budget Hearings and get all of the Council to agree to keep it in the proposed budget. I will be lobbying all of them to do just that!"

If you are in Fairdale and you support the construction of the new library, it may be a good idea to either attend the public hearings on the budget or make some phone calls to council members to insure this proposal becomes reality. Tell them to keep the Fairdale library in the budget.

- Have a happy and safe Memorial Day.  Please keep in mind the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  That is what this day is all about.

Public Hearings Scheduled For Mayor's Budget Proposal

Two public hearings set for June 2nd & 14th

The Louisville Metro Council’s Budget Committee will begin its review of the Mayor’s proposed 2010- 2011 Capital and Operating Budgets on Tuesday, June 1st. Various departments of agencies of Metro Government will appear before the committee through the month of June.

“While there are indications we have turned the corner on this recession, balancing the 2011 Budget will be difficult at best,” said Councilman Jim King (D-10), who chairs the Committee. “This will be our third year of declining revenues although the decline is less than previous years.”

King has released the 2010 Budget Hearing Schedule for the month of June. The Committee will begin its work at Tuesday, June 1st. The first item for consideration is the revenue overview for the coming fiscal year by officials of the Abramson Administration and Dr. Paul Coomes, Economist of the University of Louisville.
“We will strive to ensure that the Metro Council’s priorities, in terms of services, are reconciled with those of the administration.” said Councilman Kelly Downard (R-16) Vice Chair of the Committee. “We will focus on making sure each dollar is spent wisely and in a way that benefits the people we serve”.

Public Safety agencies, including Metro Police and Louisville Fire and Rescue, will appear before the committee on Tuesday, June 8th and Wednesday, June 9th.

The public will have two chances to comment on the budget with two scheduled hearings. The first will take place on Wednesday, June 2nd from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. The second hearing will occur on Monday, June 14th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Details about how to sign up to speak for the hearing will be forthcoming.

“Given the recent concerns addressed by the State Auditor’s report on Metro Government finances, the Budget Committee will also use the hearings as an opportunity to pursue control deficiencies cited in each department,” said King. “Our first priority is to make sure essential services remain intact while at the same time using taxpayer dollars wisely.” “The Office of the State Auditor left us with a blueprint for improved accountability and the delivery of services” said Downard.

A complete listing of the Budget Committee’s hearing schedule can be found on the Metro Council’s homepage at www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocouncil . There will be live web streaming of the hearing that can also be accessed by the Metro Council Home Page and clicking on the “Watch Meetings Online” icon.

All hearings will also be broadcast live on Metro TV.

Large Crowd Gets No Answers On LG&E Toxic Ash Landfill

The Courier Journal is reporting more than 125 people attended the public hearing on Tuesday concerning the proposed toxic coal ash landfill at LG&E's Cane Run power plant. Some of those in attendance suggested LG&E dump the waste in the east end of Louisville, a comment that drew wild applause and acutely demonstrated the sense of frustration being felt in Southwest Louisville in relation to the rest of the community. One notable quote in the paper's story:

Ron Gruzesky, environmental engineering branch manager for the state Department for Environmental Protection and the moderator of the meeting, told participants he understands there are a lot of concerns about coal-fired power plants. He said he wanted to keep the meeting focused on the proposed landfill, and was not ready to answer most questions about the proposal.

If you were in attendance, I would be interested in talking to you about your experience at this meeting. You may send me an email HERE.  All correspondence is 100% confidential.

You can read more about other toxic coal ash dumps and how they are affecting the water supplies of communities around the nation by clicking the following links:

• Michigan Messenger
• News Channel 5-Nashville
• Scientific American
• Baltimore Sun
• publicintegrity.org
• Richmond Times-Dispatch

Tuesday News

- Earlier this month at the UAW National Ford Council Meeting, UAW Vice President Bob King vowed to strike the Ford Motor Company over product commitments for the Louisville Assembly and Michigan Truck plants if the company does not make good on its promise of new work. The new product commitments for the plants were negotiated and approved by the membership as per the 2007 and 2009 contracts. Ford is still building the Explorer at the Louisville Assembly Plant on Fern Valley Road and is expected to wrap up production of that vehicle in November. As of this writing, Ford has not officially announced any future product for Louisville Assembly, although media speculation has been mainly focused on the Kuga crossover vehicle currently built for Europeans.

- Just one month after the introduction of the federally-funded "Energy Star" appliance rebate program, the state has announced the $4 million has been spent. [Business First]

- There's another huge retail development going up in Fern Creek at the Bardstown Road/Gene Snyder interchange. The development will be nearly 400,000 square feet on 43.5 acres and will include "a big-box retailer, movie theaters, restaurants, a coffee house and clothing and electronics retailers." Meanwhile, folks in Southwest Louisville continue to wish for a big-box retailer, movie theaters, restaurants, a coffee house and clothing and electronics retailers.

Dream Team Hosting Mayoral Primary Winners

News from the Southwest Dream Team:

We have scheduled the next Southwest Dream Team meeting. It will be held on Wednesay June 2nd at 5p.m. The meeting will be held at the Southwest Center 8009 Terry Rd. The Southwest Center is at the corner of Terry and Paradise Ln and the doors to the rental hall are around the back of the building. Our guest speaker will be Greg Fischer, recently the winner of the Democratic Primary for Mayor of Louisville. It will be our opportunity to ask Mr. Fischer questions about what type of Mayor he will be and how we can get our hopes and dreams for the South End and Southwest Louisville to the next administration. We will be holding another meeting, featuring the Republican Primary winner, Councilman Hal Heiner in the next few weeks.
Please plan on attending this important meeting and prepare to ask questions of someone who could become the next Mayor of Louisville. We look forward to having a very well attended meeting and we will have some information on what else the Dream Team has in store. Don't miss it.

MSD Seeks to Jack Up Rates Again

According to an article today's Courier-Journal, the Metropolitan Sewer District board has unanimously approved a proposal to raise rates by 6.5%. The paper, as is its usual custom, compares sewer rates with other cities in an effort to "sell" the idea that our rates are low.

You can write the MSD board of directors at this address: P.O. Box 740011, Louisville, Ky, 40201-7411