The service is FREE if you earned $50,000 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or less in 2011 or if you quality for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).  We are offering four tax preparation dates – Fridays February 3rd and 24th and March 2nd and 30th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at United Crescent Hill Ministries, located at 150 S State Street.

CALL TODAY to make an appointment – 574-1109 or email kyle.ethridge@louisvilleky.gov.

We are also looking to recruit volunteers to help staff and prepare taxes.  Full training is provided by the Louisville Asset Building Coalition.  To volunteer or to obtain more information please contact our office directly at 574-1109 or email kyle.ethridge@louisvilleky.gov for a list of training dates and information.

Active Living’s 2011 Person of the Year: Tina Ward-Pugh, 9th District Councilwoman

A special thanks to Tina Ward-Pugh for being a strong leader for policies and improvements that make it easier to be active in Louisville. A champion for walkers, bicyclists and everything environmental, she most recently negotiated the installation of a new big rack on Frankfort Avenue, giving up one car parking space for up to 12 bike spaces outside of the Irish Rover.

In addition, she served as an inspiration on an Active Living Conference panel on advocacy and has been a tireless supporter of the Brownsboro Road Diet, slated to begin this spring. That project would narrow the road from four the three lanes from Ewing to Drescher Bridge Road so that a sidewalk can be added to the north side of the street. This is enormously important to Clifton and Clifton Heights, where a large number of blind people live. Support your 9th district council woman.

Click here to read the January 2012 Active Living full newsletter.

The Brownsboro Road Reconfiguration and sidewalk project will add sidewalks along the north side of Brownsboro Road from Ewing Ave. to Lindsay Ave. by reducing a lane of traffic.  Crosswalks at signalized intersections (N. Ewing Ave., N. Clifton Ave. & Haldeman Ave.) are to be marked with high visibility markings to improve pedestrian safety. An evaluation of the existing sidewalk on the south side and curb ramps will be made to determine adequacy in meeting ADA requirements, and deficiencies will be corrected. If you support this project please sign onto the electronic petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/brownsboro-road-reconfiguration-and-sidewalk/.  Make your voice count and sign on today.

10th Annual Black History Month Nomination Form

Please join me and my staff next Wednesday, January 25th, for a community forum.  The forum will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Kentucky School for the Blind Auditorium, 867 Frankfort Avenue.  Hear updates from LMPD on crime stats and safety tips, Metro Parks on Breslin Park and the Brownsboro Road Reconfiguration and Sidewalk Project.  Click here to view flyer

To sign up for the eNews please contact Kyle Ethridge at kyle.ethridge@louisvilleky.gov.

LOUISVILLE, KY (January 12, 2012) – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) road crews in Louisville and the surrounding counties are ready for the winter precipitation forecasted for today.  KYTC staff are monitoring the weather and will send salt trucks out on the roadways as temperatures drop and the rain turns to snow this afternoon. 

District 5 personnel have the responsibility for clearing more than 2,500 miles of state-maintained highways in the counties of Bullitt, Franklin, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble.  Crews are prepared to work through the night clearing any accumulation from the roadways. 150 state and contract trucks are utilized to salt and plow the roadways in these eight counties with 64 of these trucks concentrated on the interstates in Jefferson County.  Per an agreement with Louisville Metro government, the Metro Department of Public Works will be clearing snow and ice from all state routes in Jefferson County, excluding interstates.

To view the priority network for snow removal, go to http://transportation.ky.gov/Maintenance/Pages/Snow-and-Ice-Priority-Maps.aspx and select a county.

The District 5 facilities combined have approximately 37,000 tons of salt, 150,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride and 82,000 gallons of salt brine on hand to combat snow and ice this winter.

As KYTC crews have made preparations for clearing roadways, motorists should also be prepared for driving in snow and ice by following these tips:

• Make sure your vehicle is sufficiently winterized – check the battery, antifreeze level, heater, defroster, wipers and windshield washer.
• Check the forecast and call 511 or visit 511.ky.gov for the latest condition reports before traveling. Avoid nonessential travel if conditions are dangerous.
• Dress warmly for the weather –in layers of loose-fitting, lightweight clothing, in anticipation of unexpected emergencies.
• Try to keep your gas tank at least two-thirds full to prevent fuel line freezing and to prepare for possible lengthy delays on the roadway.
• Make sure a friend or relative is aware of your travel route.
• Carry a cell phone.
• Make sure your vehicle has an emergency care kit. It should include jumper cables, flares or reflectors, windshield washer fluid, an ice scraper, blankets, nonperishable food, a first aid kit, and traction material.
• Drive carefully. Allow plenty of time to get to your destination. Do not use cruise control.
• Give a wide berth to snow removal equipment. 
• Remember that bridges and exit and entrance ramps can be icy when other areas are not.
• Stopping in snow requires more braking distance than stopping on dry pavement – up to four times more distance. Make sure to put plenty of distance between yourself and the vehicle ahead.
• Be visible. Dull, cloudy days will cut down on visibility, so drive using low-beam headlights.
• Steer into the skid. Stay calm and ease your foot off the gas while carefully steering in the direction you want the front of your vehicle to go.

Condition reports on major routes are available by calling 511 or logging onto the 511 travel and traffic information website at www.511.ky.gov.  Road conditions are described in the following manner:

Wet Pavement – The roadway is wet. Ice could form as temperatures drop.

Partly Covered – The roadway is partly covered with snow, slush or ice.  Markings may be obscured.

Mostly Covered – The roadway is mostly covered with snow, slush or ice. Roadway markers may be difficult to see because of packed snow and rutting conditions.

Completely Covered – The roadway is completely covered with snow, slush or ice and markings are obscured.

Impassable – Roadway conditions are not suitable for travel unless required by an emergency.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, through the 511 service strives to provide the most descriptive and up-to-date information for motorists so they know what to expect when they get out on the road.  You can also get traffic information for the District 5 counties at www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict5.

To be added to the Green Triangle distrubition list please email Katie Holmes.

Owen, Ward-Pugh and Ackerson host meeting for residents concerning Bowman Field tree situation

Louisville – In an effort to answer questions and hear concerns, Councilman Tom Owen (D-8), Councilwoman Tina Ward Pugh (D-9) and Councilman Brent T. Ackerson (D-26) will host a special meeting concerning the FAA plan to cut and replace trees in several areas around Bowman Field.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, January 19^th at 7:30pm at the Douglass Community Center’s Gymnasium, 2305 Douglass Boulevard.

 “Our goal is to provide an occasion where citizens can seek answers to their questions in an orderly fashion while at the same time express their fears and disappointment about this program,” says Owen.

The meeting will be moderated by the Center for Neighborhoods to ensure a productive exchange of information and concerns. The Louisville Regional Airport Authority will make a power point presentation and then the floor will be open for questions and comment.

“As Council members who represent Bowman Field and the neighborhoods surrounding it, we want to make sure all sides have a say in what is about to happen,” says Ward-Pugh.

The Federal Aviation Administration was invited to attend the forum but declined to send a representative.

The subject of tree removal and replacement around Bowman Field has raised many questions by residents and neighborhood associations. The FAA and LRAA have maintained the trimming and cutting of trees is needed to allow Bowman its viability as an airfield under changing FAA Regulations.

The Council members want to ensure that those living in the effective area have the opportunity to understand what is proposed.

“If you live in this area and have wondered what all this discussion has been about, then you need to attend this meeting to let us know how you feel,” says Ackerson.

For more information about the meeting, contact Councilman Owen’s office at 574-1108.

Dear Bowman Field Neighbor:

We want to thank you if you were able to attend our December 19 public workshop on the proposed Airport Area Safety Program for Bowman Field. If you weren’t able to be there, we’d like to update you on the second, upcoming neighborhood workshop.

Due to the strong interest at the first workshop, we have changed the location of the upcoming Wednesday, January 4, 2012, public workshop/information briefing to a larger facility —The Breckinridge Inn, 2800 Breckenridge from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.. There will be a brief presentation at the beginning of the workshop/briefing. (Residents may submit written questions relevant to the program, which will be answered after the presentation.) Separate breakout sessions relevant to specific areas surrounding Bowman Field will follow.

For your convenience, we have enclosed a copy of some frequently asked questions and answers about the proposed program, along with a map showing the areas in which trees MIGHT be affected by the new FAA standards for Bowman Field. (These also may be found on our FlyLouisville.com website http://www.flylouisville.com/clientfiles/upload/Bowman%20Area%20Safety%20Program%2012-14-11.pdf The new FAA standards requiring us to undertake this program are also linked from our website at http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/150_5300_13_chg17_cons_p2.pdf

In addition, since the enclosed FAQ was developed and the first workshop was held, we’ve learned of several concerns that we’d like to address. Specifically:

• The LRAA does NOT have any current or future plans to add a runway or extend the two existing runways at Bowman Field.
• Complying with the new FAA safety standards for Bowman Field will NOT allow larger/heavier aircraft to use the airfield; it simply will maintain the status quo.
• The new FAA safety standards will not change the altitude at which aircraft arrive or depart Bowman Field; the standards simply provide an extra cushion of airspace for safety.

 If you didn’t have an opportunity to come to our December 19 public workshop, we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming workshop/information briefing.

12-28-11 Letter to Neighbors and Overview of Bowman Area Safety Program

Please call Trish Burke at 363-8506 with any questions.