Lexington, KY - Visitors from around the world are in our fair city now until mid-October, or later, and we all want to show them our very best Kentucky hospitality. What better way to do this than to say "Welcome" to them in their own languages? I hope you'll drive along Newtown Pike and Versailles Road to look at the beautiful banners welcoming our visitors to Lexington in many different languages.
The second phase of street resurfacing this year will begin shortly. Although our funds have historically been insufficient to pave every street that ranks 65 and below, the 5th District now gets a larger portion of available funds through a new distribution formula based on percentage of "total asphalt feet." The previous formula simply divided the funds equally between all 12 districts, regardless of the percentage of streets in each district. I recently initiated discussion with LFUCG's public works commissioner about a strategic plan to resurface all substandard streets in our city within five years. I have also asked for an inventory of all failing curbs so we might begin addressing this integral part of the overall curb and gutter storm water drainage system, as a part of that strategic plan. If you are interested in the ranking of a street in the 5th District, please feel free to contact my office or me.
A new public safety service has been created for enhanced protection in our community. The system will automatically call conventional landlines in Lexington/Fayette County in the event of a serious emergency in our community, and can be targeted to specific geographic locations throughout the city. This system, called LEAN (Lexington's Emergency Alerts and Notifications system), may also be extended to cell phone or computer phone service but registration is necessary for anything other than land lines. To register go to www.lexingtonky.gov/lean.
The final public meeting for the Chevy Chase Re-design options was held in September, but you can still weigh in on your choices at LFUCG by visiting www.lexingtonky.gov and clicking on the Chevy Chase Re-design link to view the options. The final plan will be submitted to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for a Transportation Enhancement Grant. Your support for this project is needed.
The Planning Commission recently approved the design plan for Southland Christian Church to re-develop the blighted Lexington Mall property. Church leaders have worked very hard to gather input from the community and have agreed to discuss a potential partnership on the re-development of Idle Hour Park with me. In addition, they are also willing to meet with neighborhood associations to share their vision for the new development. Please contact me if you would like to arrange for a meeting with Southland Christian Church.
I'd like to extend my appreciation to a group of volunteers that has worked all summer to help hammer out some proposed improvements to Ecton Park. Residents surrounding Ecton Park and representatives of Eastern Little League have held a number of meetings to consider how little league baseball can continue to provide programming for children in Lexington and be a better neighbor to the residents in the area. I believe we'll see a number of changes in programming, parking and facilities for all who use the park, and we are grateful to all those who gave so freely of their time to this cause. A proposal from this committee is expected to be presented to neighborhood association members in the coming weeks. It is the hope of all involved that your park experience at Ecton, whether passive or active, will be greatly enhanced.