Month: March 2020

Dear Neighbors,

While speaking with Mentelle Neighborhood Association President Ann Olliges last week, she recommended that I write an update on the current state of the Warehouse Block.  The challenges posed by COVID-19 have made continuing business difficult for some and impossible for others.  Fortunately, our tight-knit business community has rallied to ensure the Block will persevere.

Here are a few stories about how creative businesses have been these past few weeks.  Mike with Seasons Catering was responsible for creating several heart-shaped ice sculptures with the words “we are all in this together” written on the face, and placing them around town, gaining the attention of several news organizations.  Natalie with Decorators Warehouse has been posting  “virtual shopping” videos for those looking to satisfy the shopping bug while confined at home. And Varsity Print is still cranking out their wares.  Its newest design: “I was social distancing before it was cool.”

Page at Etchison Company continues to create new floral designs daily.  Graves + Graves Construction is busy finishing two new projects, in Hamburg and downtown.  And Mirror Twin Brewing is still, well, brewing.  I am working on completing a listing of businesses still in operation and their hours and will try to post them on the Warehouse Block’s facebook page once completed.

I am truly astounded by the support that Lexington has offered to its struggling and sometimes shuttered businesses.   Mentelle has always been a good neighbor and our biggest supporter.  I appreciate your concern and, on behalf of all the businesses inside the Warehouse Block, thank you for your support.  If any corner of Lexington can pull through this tough time, it is us.  I hope this letter finds you all well, and I hope you are all staying in your pajamas a little longer each day.  If I can be of assistance in any capacity please don’t hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Chad T. Walker

(859) 227-0774

Jim Ryder took these photos Thursday evening when neighbors on the 700 block of Aurora Avenue had a “Six-foot Block Party.”  People came out on their porches and into their yards to visit and have (loud) conversations while staying a safe distance away from each other.

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This is from Hannah Maple, who with her husband is the new owner of the long-neglected house at 18 Mentelle Park. Because there has been much neighborhood interest in the house’s fate, she provided this update:

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself, and my family, as the newest members of your wonderful neighborhood. We are the Maples, Hannah and Corey, and we have three children — Hazel (5), Sam (3), and Max (19 months). I  know many of you have been quite concerned, and interested in, the future of the notorious 18 Mentelle Park home. And, I still can’t believe we are able to share this news, as it’s been a very long-awaited victory for our family, but, as of last Wednesday, we are incredibly excited new owners!

I, Hannah, was born to an architect father, and an appreciation for architecture and historical preservation runs deep in my blood. I have a background in interior design, having run a design business for 10 years, and I have quite a bit of experience with construction and renovation. My husband, Corey, owns a marketing company, and together we own Wilson’s Grocery + Meat, from which we currently live just across the street.

To say I have been obsessed with the 18 Mentelle property for years is really a bit of an understatement. And, although it’s a longer story than this introduction really calls for, Corey and I have been tenaciously pursuing that house for the past four months, and our efforts finally paid off when Heritage Baptist Church voted two weeks ago to accept our offer, which we made in early December. We are so very grateful to be the lucky recipients who have been given this incredible chance to bring life back to this property once more!

I know just how many people have wanted to purchase this home, and I still can’t believe it ended up in our hands, though we truly feel it was meant to be. (Eighteen is our “lucky” number, and we have felt deeply connected to that home for years.)

Fun fact: we ended up purchasing this property sight unseen. So, last Wednesday (March 18th), Corey and I left the closing table with the home’s keys, and set foot inside, and our eyes upon its interior, for the very first time. And I have to tell you, we were nothing short of blown away!

We had heard rumors that the interior was just as dilapidated as the exterior. And although it does need quite a bit of work, as most homes built during that era at some point do, it’s structurally sound, and much of the 1907 bones are preserved and intact. The interior is incredibly grand, with large-scale rooms, very tall ceilings — the second story has an 18-foot ceiling at its peak — and beautifully detailed interior architecture.

As we begin to clean up the expansive yard, we expect to uncover even more treasures! Just last week we found a limestone and brick patio that had been completely grown-over with grass and weeds.

Now that you know a bit about our family, I want to reassure you that this home is now in the most appreciative of hands. It has been such a dream of ours to own this property, and although we will be incredibly sad to leave our beautiful home on Cramer, which we recently renovated and added onto, we know that this home on Mentelle Park was meant for our family, and we are beyond excited to raise our three children there.

We very much intend for this house to be our “forever” home, and we very much intend to take the most wonderful care of it. After all, we are only the third family to have owned it, and we do not take that lightly — we feel it’s our responsibility to bring a much-needed light to this property once more, and ensure that the home’s history and integrity are preserved for this neighborhood, and all of Lexington.

I am in awe of the thought, integrity, and time that went into the design and construction of this house nearly 113 years ago, and we will put just as much thought, integrity, and energy into rehabilitating those wonderful bones. Corey and I sincerely look forward to joining your neighborhood, and establishing our family’s roots at 18 Mentelle Park. And we’re still pinching ourselves that she’s actually ours!

We wish you all the best — that you’re enjoying this beautiful weather, and staying safe. If you see us in the yard — we’re often out gawking at our new home — please say, hi! We look forward to meeting you.

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With so much shut down to help stop spread of the coronavirus, many Mentelle Neighborhood residents are trying to support local restaurants by ordering takeout meals when they can. Mentelle Park resident Selma Owens wants you to know that her shop, Selma’s Catering  (corner of Henry Clay Boulevard and Liberty Road), is open for call-in (859.971.2763) and online ordering for curbside pickup.

Selma’s serves lunch sandwiches and salads, hot lunch specials and soup-of-the-day. The shop also has dinner entrees, salads and desserts and is updating menu selections several times a week. Wine and beer are available with food orders. To see the menu, go to  Selmascatering.com .  Hours for pickup are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association has canceled the annual Easter egg hunt and book swap, which was scheduled for April 11. Because Fayette County Public Schools are closed until at least April 20, board members thought we should not be hosting a large gathering of families.

Other annual events, such as the neighborhood cleanup and yard sale, will not be scheduled until we know more about how long recommended coronavirus precautions remain in effect. Watch Mentelle.org for updates.

Sewer line renovation on the front half of Mentelle Park began Monday as equipment was moved into place. Most street parking in the affected area has been restricted. City officials say the project will take about two months.  Click here to read an earlier post about the project.

Meanwhile, Columbia Gas has suspended all service line upgrades that are part of its pipeline replacement projects, including those recently begun in the Mentelle and Bell Court neighborhoods. The company said it stopped work on the service lines to homes to protect the health and safety of customers and employees.

In some neighborhoods, residents will still see crews working on the main line replacements. In others, crews have been pulled because the only work left on the projects is to replace service lines. All emergency line repairs, however, will continue.  Click here for more information.

Also, Columbia Gas said it has suspended shutoffs for nonpayment for customers struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for more information.

Columbia Gas spokeswoman Risa Richardson urges residents to check the company’s Facebook and Twitter feeds for project updates.

City contractors will be on Mentelle Park for the next couple of months repairing and replacing damaged storm and sanitary sewer lines. The street was built in 1905.

Sally Lambert-Warfield, legislative aide to our late Councilman Jake Gibbs, reports that sanitary sewer line segments highlighted in yellow on this satellite image of the south end of Mentelle Park will be dug up and replaced. Contractors think other sanitary sewer repairs can be made without surface digging.

The scope of work on storm sewers will have to be determined on-site, project managers told Lambert-Warfield, because collapsed lines have made it difficult to assess their condition with video cameras. However, project managers think the work would be close enough to the sanitary sewer lines to avoid further impact on the street.

Project managers told Lambert-Warfield that the contractor, Leak Eliminators, will begin notifying neighbors when they have an exact start date for the work.

I will send out an update when I have more information.

The longtime minister of one of Mentelle Neighborhood’s three houses of worship has died. James B. “Bennie” Hill, minister of the Cramer and Hanover Church of Christ for 45 years, died Tuesday at age 74. A full obituary is on Kentucky.com. Condolences to his family and congregation.

Lexington’s Public Art Commission is working on a master plan to create more public art in our community. The commission is seeking your ideas and opinions. You can give them on a survey here:  bit.ly/publicartlexington

Among the things commission members want to know is specific areas in neighborhoods that could be enhanced through public art.  (Unfortunately, because of health concerns, a public meeting scheduled for March 26 has been canceled.)