The Kentucky Division for Air Quality will conduct a public hearing on Feb. 3, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET in the conference room of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, 850 Barret Ave., Louisville, Ky. 

This hearing is being held to receive comments on a proposed State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision to redesignate the Kentucky portion of the Louisville, Kentucky-Indiana area from nonattainment to attainment for the annual PM_2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard to address sections 107 and 175A of the Clean Air Act (CAA).  If no request for a public hearing is received, the hearing will be cancelled.

Further information can be obtained by calling Leslie Eggen at the number below or email at lesliem.eggen@ky.gov.

Go to http://air.ky.gov/Pages/PublicNoticesandHearings.aspx to download the entire document.

I am often amazed by how quickly my brain can absorb a new acronym so that I can barely remember a time when I didn't know what it meant. This has been the case with ARRA (pronounced air-rah), the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Many people just simply call it The Stimulus.

I use the word ARRA about 10 times a day, usually while harassing someone at KIDPA or Public Works, asking for lists of ped/bike projects. I was happy when I discovered the following sources of information: a list of ARRA projects from KIPDA including this list of sidewalk improvements. The new Louisville at Work website is also a helpful source of information about local ARRA projects. I am sharing these resources with you, dear readers, to spare you the pain I experienced while trying to find them.

(from Bike Louisville & Business First of Louisville) "Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government is seeking public input on a plan to preserve River Road and improve accessibility for bicyclists, walkers and joggers.

The meeting, part of a yearlong study led by Gresham, Smith and Partners, is scheduled for June 16^th, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Gingerwoods Event Hall, [next to Henry's Ark] 7611 Rose Island Road. The study concerns a seven-mile stretch of River Road, from Zorn Avenue to U.S. 42.

[update] See the River Road Scenic Byway Corridor Improvement Study (3.1 MB PDF file)

The Park DuValle neighborhood (southwest of downtown Louisville) was named after Lucie DuValle, the first female principal of a high school in Louisville. I tutor students at the Park DuValle clubhouse, but the other day I learned something new there.

Like several other neighborhoods in Louisville, Park DuValle is the result of hundreds of public housing units being rebuilt as a mixed-income community. A large sign in the clubhouse lobby says, "Like many of Louisville's great neighborhoods, the Villages of Park DuValle are designed to be walkable and easy to get around in. A well-planned system of sidewalks and interconnected streets encourages walking and reduces the dependence on cars. It's cleaner, quieter and friendlier." The sign is what got my attention.

Maybe I'm slow on the uptake, but Park DuValle is the only Louisville neighborhood I know of that was formally designed to reduce dependence on cars. Do you know of any others?

Villages of Park DuValle website: http://morethanhouses.com/villagesofparkduvalle/index.php

Jon is leaving his position as Bike/Ped coordinator for Louisville. The position has not been eliminated. CART is sad to see him go, and wishes him success in his next endeavor.

The Brookings Institute unloads on Louisville, and the C-J is tabulating the fallout:

Residents of Louisville and Lexington are among the worst contributors to climate change, according to a study of the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas.

Researchers with Washington's Brookings Institution blame factors such as sprawling development that encourages driving rather than walking, biking or mass transit, and the cities' reliance on cheap, coal-fueled electricity.

Its list — which measured carbon emissions per resident based on per capita emissions from residential and highway energy use in 2005 — puts Lexington at the top of a list of offenders, and Louisville fifth.

While the ranking could be a public relations issue for leaders trying to attract industry and new residents, Louisville has made strides in recent years to improve air quality, add cycling lanes and begin a detailed study of the city's carbon output, said Bruce Traughber, the city's economic development director.

Click here to scroll & zoom the map in a new window.

source: Cranked Magazine

§ 71.04  VEHICLES CROSSING SIDEWALKS.

     (A)     It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to drive within any sidewalk space except at a permanent or temporary driveway or by special permit from the director of department of public works.

by David Coyte, edited by David Morse

Our business community needs to take a deep breath and face the economic realities that now, and for the foreseeable future, will grip our economy. It is time to detach ourselves from the obsolete policies of Greater Louisville, INC (GLI) and examine what will truly serve us in this century. No where is this more important than in our consideration of the Bridges Project.

 Download PDF (1 big page, 500kB)

Contents:

• The most shortsighted and politically motivated decision the city has ever suffered.
• other tidbits...