Lexington, KY - Certainly one of the joys of serving as your council member is to be able to take a concern, initiate action, then see the fruits of our collaborative work come together in a successful outcome.
Unfortunately, it seems like the cards are often stacked against us and a solution is hard to come by. However, sometimes the stars align and problems are solved - like in this case. Parents with children attending Christ the King, Cassidy Elementary, and/or Morton Middle School have for too long rightfully feared for the safety of their children in crossing at the intersection of Providence Lane and Colony Boulevard. Very soon that danger will be alleviated.
I can personally attest to the need for further traffic control at this intersection. Many of you probably know that this crossing is close to my home. Often I see the school kids dash across the road with heavy books and bags in tow; rushing to make it to safety. Families using the street for overflow parking on Sundays at Christ the King Church also have to run for their lives as traffic buzzes about them from all directions. Now, these children and families will have a much less perilous journey to their destination.
So I am happy to report that recently the council voted unanimously to accept the Department of Traffic Engineering's recommendation to have a multi-way stop installed at this dangerous intersection. The area will be pre-marked for installation on May 29. This pre-marking will show where signs and markings are to be permanently installed. The actual installation of the multi-way stop will be June 12, weather permitting.
I want to thank the principals of the three schools - Ronda Runyon with Morton Middle School, Rhonda Fister with Cassidy Elementary, and Karen Thomas at Christ the King - LFUCG's Department of Traffic Engineering, who conducted the needs assessment traffic analysis; Metro Police; and Dave Medley, Chevy Chase Neighborhood Association President, who all worked together to make this happen.
In other news, we held our first 5th District Neighborhood Association meeting on May 26 at Spencerian College. I would like to thank all of you who took time to come out and meet me and learn more about your community. I think all who attended very much enjoyed hearing from Mayor Jim Newberry and learned a great deal from the brief presentations from Pat Dugger, director of emergency management; Harold Tate, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority; and Jerry Hancock, executive director of LFUCG's Parks and Recreation.
While I think it was a good first meeting, I hope to have many more of you attend in the future. As you can understand, our funds for advertising such meetings are very, very limited. I hope you will please contact my office at 425-2283 or e-mail me at jbloyd@lfucg.com if you are interested in notifications or have a suggestion for an inexpensive way to get the word out to more constituents who may be interested in attending. I am exploring setting up a Facebook group for the 5th District. Please let me know what you think about that idea.
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year. As always, please call or e-mail anytime if I can be of help to you.