Old Louisville Journal, January 2004

OLNC/OLIC Officers and Board Members Elected for 2004

The following individuals were elected at the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council general meeting in December.

Old Louisville Neighborhood Council and Information Center Officers:

Chair: John Sistarenik
Vice Chair: Joan Stewart
Secretary: Jan Morris
Treasurer: Rhonda Williams

Old Louisville Information Center Board:
Peggy Cummins
Chris Eagan
Gary Kleier
Mary Martin
Madonna Wilson

Oak Street News

The Stuart apartment building at Sixth and Oak is undergoing a $1.5 million dollar renovation. Baja Works Development Corporation, run by Old Louisville resident, Bob Bajandas, and his son, Roberto J. Bajandas, has begun work to convert the building into 20 one- to three-bedroom apartments. Some of the street-level units will contain space suitable for retail as well as living quarters. Built in the 1920s, the building sustained fire damage in 1997.
The old Steak and Egg restaurant, on Fourth near Oak, has been demolished. Vacant for approximately 20 years, the boarded-up eyesore was bought at a Court Commissioner’s sale in August by Bob and Roberto Bajandas. They plan to rebuild and attract a business that will be a positive addition to the neighborhood’s commercial center.
A new restaurant and winery, Chef’s Table, and the Old Louisville Winery, will open this spring at First and Oak. Creative Cuisine, currently operating a café and catering business on Bardstown Road, is renovating and redecorating the 5,000 square foot commercial and retail space most recently occupied by the Corner Market. The new establishments will occupy all three buildings at the site. Outdoor patio dining on the adjoining vacant Oak Street lot is being considered. Warren Enterprises, LLC, comprised of Herb and Gayle Warren and H. Lee and Michele Warren, owns the property.
Warren Enterprises is renovating the 28-unit DuPont Manual Apartments at Brook and Oak. The former HUD low-income housing will be converted into market rate property.
After over 40 years, the Ninth Street Roadway is complete. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on December 3, 2003, followed by the opening of the ramps at Oak Street and Oak Street itself. Construction of the long-awaited project began in June, 2001. Total cost was $22 million.

New business hours for the

Old Louisville Information Center:

Tuesday - Friday

1pm - 5pm

What’s on your mind regarding Louisville Metro? You can tell Mayor Jerry Abramson and other leaders of the new Louisville Metro government in person at the Mayor’s Community Conversations. At Community Conversations, department leaders, Metro Council members and the Mayor come together at rotating locations throughout the community to hear citizen questions, concerns and ideas. Whether it’s a problem in your backyard or a communitywide concern, Community Conversations are an opportunity to have your voice heard and your needs met.

"As we continue building a better local government and a stronger community, it is important that all citizens have a number of ways to share ideas and voice concerns," Abramson said. "One of our top priorities is to build stronger neighborhoods throughout our new community and connect our citizens to all aspects of local government."

Held monthly (except December), the Mayor’s Community Conversations begin at 6:30 p.m. Mark your calendar and come out on the following dates:

Editor’s note: This is a copy of a letter sent to the mayor on December 30, 2003.

There was another serious accident last evening at the corner of First and Oak Streets whereby one of the vehicles ended up smashing the front of Ermine’s Bakery. I purchased my home nearby five years ago and there have been many such accidents at this corner. The fact that a pedestrian has not yet been injured or killed qualifies as a miracle.

Relying on a miracle is bad public policy. One of these times a pedestrian walking in front of the bakery will be struck and the city will find itself in court explaining to the judge why it should not be charged with negligence. I will be a witness for the plaintiff because I know that the owner of the bakery has repeatedly asked the city for help in solving the problem without success.

One possible solution is to slow down the traffic on First Street by making it two way starting at Breckinridge. Another solution is to install barriers like they have on Fifth Avenue in New York near Rockefeller Center to prevent vehicles from encroaching on the sidewalk. Maybe the city should have a contest to see who can come up with the most creative and esthetically pleasing solution?

I also worry that Ermine’s will decide to close. Their insurance rates must be skyrocketing. It would be a shame because things are just now getting better along Oak Street. In fact, a new restaurant is planned for this spring on the same corner, "The Chef’s Table."

This is Dave Norton with no connections, the longtime taxpayer and neighborhood resident from 2nd Street by lovely Magnolia Avenue. While walking the neighborhood which I live in, rather than making my living off of, with my mongrel dog which I saved from said street, I pondered your "Perfect Solution" to the neighborhood litter problem.

I will give you the fact that people facilitate litter. But I can take you to a number of large apartment complexes in the neighborhood, and we will find little more than street waste thrown from cars. Apartments cause no more litter than single family homes. All apartment dwellers are not litter bugs any more than all Hill Street residents throw down cellophane and cigarette buts in front of my business.

Ownership neither promotes nor discourages cleanliness. Good citizenship makes us aware of our community responsibilities. As far as the alleys are concerned, I offer you and anyone else concerned with the non-compliance of solid waste management laws to join Alley Action. Be a good neighbor and remind your fellow residents that there can be a fine involved when our trash receptacles are not moved back into our yards. Take action - call MetroCall (574-3333, or simply 311) when there is trash or dumping in an alley. We also have a very strong Action leader in our neighborhood. Her name is Virginia McCandless, and I will tell you that she is not afraid to confront anyone about her alley. It is a garden path; well-lit and landscaped (no litter) from one end to the other.

My goodness, we don’t want any rowdy parties where people might be having a good time - surely litter and sinful activity will follow. Bull. If people were having a better time they probably wouldn’t be sulking around the neighborhood with frowns of unhappiness on their faces. Let's face it, this "rowdiness" issue has long been used by the newly-upwardly mobile to differentiate themselves from the "common folk"- i.e., elitism.

Before we ever get into the higher taxes, let’s talk about each and every one of the 700 members of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Association doing something rather than getting government involved. With the amount of time you and I have spent writing letters on this subject, we both could have picked up the litter on half a block of our respective streets. (By the way, I look forward to seeing those people so eager to assign blame for this problem at our next neighborhood cleanup. We target the park, certain corners, and sometimes whole lengths of street, and we always get a whole lot done, thanks to Herb Fink.)

Good citizenship is contagious. Sometimes it takes a long time, but our fellow residents will catch on. If they refuse for some rebellious reason, there are litter laws and fines on the books, and we should insist that they are enforced. You know what? I am so tired of writing that I think I will go out right now and try to improve my alley and front sidewalk. Maybe Virginia or Herb will come by and say, "Hey, it looks better over here. I wonder who took an interest?"