End of Week News & Blues

"Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past." - Jack London

- Tattoo Charlie's legendary Berry Boulevard location will close for good on Sunday, August 29.  [Business First]

- Louisville's Metro Council has approved a $330 million bond sale for MSD by a vote of 24-2. Doug Hawkins and Deonte Hollowell voted no.  Question: Where does the money come from if you do not allow the bond sale?  [CJ]

- Good weekend project idea: RAIN BARRELS ARE AVAILABLE AT LOUISVILLE NATURE CENTER. Rain barrels collect, store, and divert rooftop runoff during a rain event. They are good for the environment and help save money on your water bill. The Louisville Nature Center has rain barrels available for $70 each, or $65 each for two or more. The barrels come already assembled with a spigot and overflow tube. The assembly work is done for you by Youth Build, a non-profit community youth group. Best of all, you can pick up your barrel at LNC on Illinois Ave. Call 458-1328 for more information.

Have a nice weekend, and THANK YOU for reading The Valley Report.

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

MSD to hold meeting with residents of District 15

MSD to hold meeting with residents of District 15
Butler encourages homeowners to attend October 13th event

Louisville – Councilwoman Marianne Butler is hosting a community meeting with officials from Metropolitan Sewer District to talk with residents about drainage issues and backflow prevention.

“South Louisville has had a history of drainage issues, this is the opportunity for residents to find out MSD plans for the short term and long term to address drainage issues,” says Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15).

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 13th at the Salvation Army located in Wyandotte Park, 1010 Beecher Street beginning at 7:00pm. The meeting will be structured to allow one on one conversations with MSD officials.

MSD will have information on the backflow prevention program which is available to all homeowners free of charge. To learn more about the back flow program call MSD at 540-6000 or go on line to www.msdlouky.org.

For more information about the meeting, contact Councilwoman Butler’s office at 574-1115

Yeah, It Smelled BAD.

The Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District welcomed about 25 people to the Guthrie Water Quality Treatment Center this morning for a tour. It was part of an ongoing effort by District 12 Councilman Rick Blackwell to educate the public about the challenges involved in treating waste water in Jefferson County. They call it a "Water Quality Treatment Center" because that name paints a much prettier picture than what actually happens there. In a word, "disgusting". Another word would be "essential".

The conversion of seriously fouled liquid into water that can be safely discharged into a river is one of the things that makes civilized life in Louisville possible. It is also, perhaps, more complicated than you might ever imagine. After spending the morning at the facility, I have a better appreciation for the service provided by MSD. It has not, however, given me much faith in the bureaucracy's ability to explain to customers what it is doing with their money. The political aspect involved is very real and very discouraging. Out of the 25 or so in attendance, about a third had their own political agenda and, to a small degree, disrupted the tour in a search for answers to their personal problems with the agency. But this wasn't a discussion of the agency. It was a discussion of the service.

The process of waste water treatment is not something that can be properly illustrated by "dumbing-down". That fact makes it hard for MSD to interact with residents, particularly the residents living near a treatment facility or people that fear the expansion of one. This makes it important that each resident actively seek out information and educate themselves on the subject.

The Guthrie plant can handle tens of millions of gallons of raw sewage. Just bringing up the possibility of expansion sets off extreme paranoia, and as history has shown, for good reason. The fact is, people just do not understand the process, and until they do, MSD can expect challenge after challenge to any plans in Southwest Louisville, for good or ill.

They are trying, as evidenced by the tour. But there is no "try". Only "do". MSD has a long way to go in educating the public on the real issues, minus the politics. That, in a word, is "essential" too.

MSD Tour This Saturday

You can tour MSD’s Guthrie Water Quality Treatment Center this Saturday, February 28th, at 10am, 11621 Lower River Rd. This is a great opportunity to gain knowledge so that we may speak more intelligently about our drainage and sewer issues in Southwest Louisville.

It is not the most glamorous setting, but essential nonetheless. See you there.

Join Councilmen Rick Blackwell and Bob Henderson for a tour of the water treatment facility that serves Southwest Louisville. The tour is free and open to the public. Attendees will be free to ask questions of MSD employees regarding the future of drainage in Southwest Louisville. If you are interested in attending please call either Councilman Blackwell’s office at 574-1112 or Councilman Henderson’s office at 574-1114.

Public Tour of MSD Guthrie Facility Planned

If you are curious about waste water treatment and want to know more about the MSD facility in Southwest Louisville, please consider joining Councilman Rick Blackwell on a public tour on February 28th. Here's the release:

For Immediate Release:
Councilman Blackwell invites public to tour MSD Guthrie facility
Event set for Saturday, February 28th

Louisville – In an effort to separate fact from fiction, Councilman Rick Blackwell (D-12) is offering the public a chance to tour MSD’s Guthrie Water Quality Treatment Center to learn more about future sewage treatment plans for Southwest, Lousville.
“The best way to find out about MSD’s plan is to actually see what is being talked about,” says Blackwell. “This tour is a chance to separate reality from rumor.”
The tour will get underway at the Treatment Center begin at 10:00am on Saturday, February 28th. The facility is located at 11621 Lower River Road.
MSD has conducted a series of public hearings to discuss the future of drainage in Jefferson County.
“I want to invite anyone who is really interested in this project to come out, take the tour, ask questions and then decide what you think,” says Blackwell.
Anyone who is interested in taking the tour, please contact Councilman Blackwell’s office and RSVP so we can accommodate the size of the group. For more information, call 574-1112.

Tuesday Afternoon Roundup

C-J: MSD is asking citizens to keep ditches and drains clear of storm debris, just days after city officials told residents to put the debris in front of their homes, but out of the street, for pickup.

LEO: Phillip Bailey has written a column in this week's LEO on the number of lawsuits facing Louisville Metro, and it is a good one. Filing a lawsuit against the city seems to be the only way to get a response from them these days.

The Local Weekly: Looking for a party? St. Andrew Academy’s First Annual Mardi Gras Purple and Gold Gala. 7724 Columbine Drive, Louisville, KY 40258. February 21, 2009.
Dinner 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Games from 7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Dancing all night long, Silent and Live Auctions throughout the night. Your ticket includes admission, dinner & drinks for two!(You must be 21 years of age or older to enter. FOR INFORMATION, OR TO PURCHASE A TICKET FOR $50.00 per couple,$30 for a single. CALL BETH BOLUS at 935-4578 ext.276.

WHAS11: Among other things, it looks as though President Obama's stimulus bill will lower taxes on those receiving unemployment. This is a good idea.

Fox41: Rest easy. The KFC secret recipe is now in a new vault, after being transferred from an "undisclosed location" overnight.

District 12 Meeting, Jan. 20

About 30 people were in attendance last night for Metro Councilman Rick Blackwell's "District 12 Dialogue". These are good meetings, and any district with a councilman that does not currently put on an event such as this should be asked to do so.

I was running late, and missed most of what MSD Director Bud Schardein had to say. But the tone and the setting of this meeting differed considerably when compared to the last time Bud was in Southwest Louisville. He was a real gentleman, and seemed sincere when he stated he understands why residents in the Southwest feels the way they do. Schardein even said some of the "paranoia" was justified.

I had the opportunity to study a map of Jefferson County, and the locations of the waste-water treatment facilities. The "best case" scenario was laid out (a large facility on the Salt River near Fort Knox), and the situation makes much more sense when overall geography is considered. MSD still has a long way to go in convincing residents that it's Project WIN plan is not discriminatory towards the South End, but small meetings like these help to deal with the situation without political theater and overblown hype, some of which I myself have been guilty of. Also discussed was the possibility of treatment plant tours for interested groups. Contact your councilperson. More on this subject later.

Councilman Blackwell updated those gathered on the synchronization of traffic lights on Dixie Highway, the addition of turning lanes at Lower Hunters and Dixie, and at Blanton Lane and Dixie. Blackwell has "high hopes" for a leading tenant at the Shively Center, especially since the face lift of the property was completed, and heard a report on a sharp increase in home and auto burglaries for the Graston/Rockford/Lower Hunters area. Please lock up your valuables, and do not leave things in plain sight inside your automobile.

I will pass on information relating to the next meeting when I receive it. If you couldn't make this one, try to attend the next one.

It's Inauguration Day, Where Are Your Balls?

Are you planning to celebrate Inauguration Day by going to an Inaugural Ball or attending one of the local get-togethers? Heading down to the Seelbach Hilton for the swinish "I Voted McCain" Party? If not, and you live in Metro District 12, consider coming out to the "District 12 Dialogue" tonight, where you can interact with your Metro Councilman Rick Blackwell and other Metro Government agencies. There may not be much to eat there, but there will be dancing. Bud Schardein from MSD is attending, and I am always impressed by his ability to dance around the issues. Besides, you never know who will show up.

It starts at 7pm and it is being held at Conway Middle School, 6300 Terry Road.

District 12 Dialogue - January 20th

This looks like it could be an interesting get-together. Any time Bud Schardein shows up in Southwest Louisville there could be fireworks. But then again, it could turn out to be a normal neighborhood meeting. One never knows. Besides, Congressman Yarmuth's office is sending a representative. If you live in District 12, try to make this meeting. If you cannot be there, don't worry. The Valley Report will be providing full coverage.

District 12 Dialogues resume on Tuesday, January 20th
MSD Director featured speaker for 7:00pm event

Louisville -- Councilman Rick Blackwell announces the kickoff for the 2009 District 12 Dialogues will be on Tuesday, January 20th at 7:00pm.

"I want to issue an invitation to everyone in the district to come out and meet with me as we continue to address concerns and issues in Metro Louisville," says Blackwell.

The featured guest for this first District 12 Dialogue will be Bud Schardein of the Metropolitan Sewer District. He will discuss future MSD programs during the meeting as well as update current drainage projects and sewer projects that are ongoing.

"MSD has made a great many improvements to our area," says Blackwell. "This is a chance for residents to get the correct information about what MSD is planning with improvements and how it will affect everyone."

The meeting will be held at Conway Middle School, 6300 Terry Road.

Representatives from Louisville Metro Police, the Division of Licensing and Permits, Neighborhoods and other departments of Metro Government will be on hand to answer questions about programs or concerns. A representative of Congressman John Yarmuth's office will also be in attendance.

For more information about the January District 12 Dialogue, contact Councilman Blackwell's office at 574-1112.

Southwest Dream Team Update; MSD Hearing Tonight; Open the Books!

Today I will be meeting with the Historical Committee of the Southwest Dream Team. We will be visiting the Louisville Photo Archives to gather materials for a long-overdue book on the history of Southwest Louisville. It looks to be an exciting afternoon, as I always enjoy spending time with the members of this group.

• - The next meeting of the Southwest Dream Team is Monday, December 9. The meeting is to be held at the Southwest Government Center and starts at 5:30pm. Try to make it if you can. It is a worthwhile cause.

• - And do not forget that our MSD public hearing is this evening! Everything you need to know about the MSD hearing can be found HERE. Register now to speak if you have not already done so. Your comments will be entered into the official record.

• - The city's unions have a great idea on how to deal with the budget shortfall. They have demanded the mayor "open the books". HERE is the story in today's Courier-Journal.

• - There's a new Facebook group in town. Save Otter Creek Park is now active. Join now!
  

• - Keep sending those emails! I appreciate those who have taken the time to write. Again, all emails are strictly confidential.

MSD Public Hearing This Tuesday, December 2

The following is from the Official Public Notice sent by MSD to the citizens of Louisville, KY.

Public Hearing
December 2, 2008
6:00 p.m.
MSD Main Office Board Room
700 W. Liberty Street
Louisville, KY 40203
502-540-6000

Oral comments received during this public hearing will be recorded, transcribed, and treated in the same manner as written comments. People wishing to speak at the public hearing will be asked to register, either in advance or in person at the hearing. Comments will be limited to no more than 5 minutes per person, and speakers will be scheduled in the order that they were registered. Advance registration can be made via email to Kandris Goodwin at (502) 540-6000.

If you did not send a letter to MSD opposing their plan, you must be present at this meeting to have your comments put into the public record. Do not forget that you must register to speak. This is your last chance to voice your opinion on this issue. When the process begins to select the treatment facility that will receive the excess sewage, your comments will be reviewed and considered. If you do not attend this meeting and get on record as being against this plan, you cannot complain about it if MSD decides to pump the sewage to Southwest Louisville. Please be in attendance if at all possible to influence this decision.

J-Town Sewer Meeting - No Flash, No Bang

Evidently, no TV media thought the MSD meeting at the Jeffersontown Fire Station was worth covering. The Courier-Journal skipped it. Again. So did Bud Schardein. But Rick Redding from The 'Ville Voice was there. Read his account of the story HERE.

There is one last "informal"meeting on the subject November 20th at the East Government Center, 200 Juneau Road . Then the big shindig December 2nd at MSD Headquarters.

If you want to say anything at the official hearing at MSD Headquarters, you must contact them first, or you will not be allowed to speak. All of that information is HERE.

Again, if you want or need help writing a letter pertaining to this issue, let me know. The deadline is 5pm, December 5th.

MSD Meeting in Jeffersontown Tonight

MSD is conducting another meeting on the Project WIN proposal tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Jeffersontown Fire Department, 10540 Watterson Trail.

Any residents in Southwest Louisville that have the time may want to travel to J-Town tonight to see what goes on.

I also ran across a Courier-Journal article from 2006 that outlines a plan to address the capacity issue in Jeffersontown to be relieved by sending sewage to the Floyd's Fork station. This action was not mentioned by Bud Schardein as an alternative at the meeting Monday in Southwest Louisville. It includes construction of a 4 mile pipeline, opposed to a 40 mile one.

You can view the C-J article from 2006, hosted on the Metro Chamber of Commerce website HERE.

Also, from Leo Weekly's Stephen George comes a report on MSD's crazy legal expenses. It is a good one. Read it HERE.

Extreme Behavior at Southwest Government Center

Over 200 people jammed a courtroom at an overheated Southwest Government Center on Dixie Highway tonight, seeking answers and demanding that MSD find alternatives to its proposal to pump sewage from Jeffersontown to the waste water treatment facility in Southwestern Louisville. Mostly angry and whipped into some sort of frenzied lather, the crowd became vocal after MSD Executive Director Bud Schardein started the meeting off by criticizing Chris Theineman for passing out literature. The literature in question was dismissed as "flatly false" and "propaganda" by Schardein, who was visibly pissed off. Bud seemed to be backed into a corner, and was irked at the idea that people actually showed up for the "presentation". There were some valid questions and some strong suggestions that MSD should look at other ways to address the waste water capacity problem, all of which made perfect sense. There was much shouting, and people crammed the doorways with necks craned to hear all the ruckus. Those in attendance repeated their belief that a decision had already been made, to which Schardein replied, "No decision has yet been made". Wild laughter ensued.

There was heavy anger directed toward the conspicuously absent Mayor, affectionately dubbed "King Jerry" by attendees . WAVE-3 was the only television station that did not bother to send a reporter. The Courier-Journal also ignored the story, which I believe to be inexcusable. I contacted every reporter from every department that had an interest in the story, yet the paper saw fit to act as though the meeting contained nothing worth reporting.

The action that residents seek can be accomplished in a thoughtful way, such as writing letters against any measure that would indeed send sewage from the East Side to Valley Station. You will not get what you want if you only fall prey to someone's personal agenda. It is essential that this is done correctly.

If you need assistance in drafting a letter outlining your opposition to the plan, please let me know. I will gladly help all of you get letters to the appropriate officials, something that wasn't offered by any of the "leaders" present tonight. We, as citizens, have a right to be heard and our efforts will not go unnoticed if we do it correctly. Again, please let me know if I can help.

Rick Redding@ The 'Ville Voice has an excellent take on the meeting. Read his account HERE.
Ed Springston @ Louisville News and Politics also has the story. Read Ed HERE.

Stop The Surge of Sewage TONIGHT!

In the 1970's, residents of Southwestern Jefferson County saw the arrival of a coal-fired power plant. Ever since, the area has become a favorite dumping ground for local government. In the late 1980's and 1990's, locals had to organize to stop hazardous waste incineration in Kosmosdale and put a stop to the relocation of slaughterhouses to the neighborhood, among other issues. Now the people are being called upon again to defend their community against a surge of raw sewage from Eastern Louisville.

Tonight at 6pm, at the Southwest Metro Government Center on Dixie Highway, MSD officials will be on hand to discuss their short-sighted and disastrous plan to convert a waste water treatment plant in Jeffersontown into a pumping station and build a 40 mile pipeline to send raw sewage to Southwest Louisville's treatment facility. This policy must not be allowed to become reality.

MSD's plan is expensive, and we will be expected to pay for it while Executive Director Bud Schardein collects his $175,000 salary. In 2006, Schardein said "We have four or five alternatives to accomplish this..."

From 2000 to 2003, MSD invested $600,000 of your green dollars on noise and odor abatement in the Jeffersontown treatment facility. You may view the improvements HERE.

It is our responsibility to see that MSD exercises fair judgment, and chooses one of the many alternate plans in order to build an efficient infrastructure that serves all parts of Metro Louisville, rather than relying on Southwest Louisville to, once again, shoulder the burden.

By using nearly all the excess capacity at the Southwest treatment plant, MSD is stifling future growth for us, while opening up new development on the East side.

Bring a neighbor or a friend, and I'll see you there at 6pm.

Do Not Forget: MSD Meeting on Monday!

MSD's plan to pump raw sewage from Jeffersontown to Valley Station is nearing reality, but we can let them know that enough is enough. We can stop this plan and insure future growth for all of Louisville. There are alternatives. Please go to the meeting Monday night and voice your opinion. HERE is the official public notice.

Monday, November 10th
6:00 PM
Southwest Government Center
7219 Dixie Hwy.
933-3440

We have a real opportunity to change the Southwest for the better with this issue. We should let it be known that this is the last time we will withstand "proposals" like these that decrease home and property values and stifles growth in Southwest Louisville while promoting it elsewhere. When we demand better, we will get it. Learn as much about this issue as you can.

We need to urge MSD to invest in infrastructure in all parts of Louisville, thereby improving the quality of life for all parts of Louisville.

UPDATE:
WHAS-11's Mark Hebert has an exclusive report on the corruption at MSD. View it HERE.

And check out this link for more:
Louisville News and Politics: MSD Wastewater Plan

ALERT- MSD Going Ahead With Plan to Pump East-End Sewage to Southwest Louisville

First Time Here? Go To The MAIN PAGE

I know a lot of residents out here feel as though they are being "shit on" by Metro Government, but this is ridiculous. Ed Springston over at Louisville News and Politics has commented on this subject before, and he brought up the possibility of MSD pumping raw sewage from Jeffersontown and other East End neighborhoods to the facility in Southwestern Jefferson County. It seems as though his concerns have been validated by THIS Courier-Journal article.

Although it would be cheaper to build a facility around the area that needs it instead of setting up a 40 mile-long pipeline, MSD doesn't want to upset the East Enders by expanding the existing wastewater treatment plant in J-Town, so the Metropolitan Sewer District has opened a comment period on its $843 million construction plan that includes piping J-Town crap to Valley Station, and you are invited to "air" your concerns and/or opposition to the plan.

Written comments must be received by 5 p.m. Dec. 5 and should be mailed to: MSD Executive Director Bud Schardein at the utility’s headquarters at 700 W. Liberty St., Louisville, KY 40203. People also can express their displeasure at a hearing at 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at MSD headquarters. Here's a MAP.

Agency staff will informally discuss and answer questions about the plan at three other meetings: Nov. 10, Southwest Government Center, 7219 Dixie Highway; Nov. 12, Jeffersontown Fire Department, 10540 Watterson Trail; and Nov. 20, East Government Center, 200 Juneau Road. All are at 6 p.m.