Author: Tom Eblen

Mentelle neighborhood is about to get even better!

The Lexington Farmers’ Market is preparing for the grand opening of its Tuesday – Thursday market June 4 in the Warehouse Block. To get used to the space and allow the farmers and staff time to work on details, the market is hosting four neighborhood preview days — like a “soft launch.”

From MNA board member D’lorah Hughes:

The second annual Hambrick Avenue Block Party is next Sunday, May 19,  from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  All Mentelle neighborhood residents are invited for food, fun, and community-building. Please bring your own drink and a dish/snack to share!

Hambrick Avenue will be blocked off, so please walk or park on Ashland or Walton avenues. We’ll have:

• balloon art by local artist Twist & Shout
• a visit from the Lexington Fire Department – truck arrives at 4 p.m.
• sidewalk chalk and bubbles
• cornhole, Jenga, pickleball and other yard games
• a bounce house for the kids
• And more!

We hope you’ll join us!

From Jill and Ray DeBolt, chairs of the Mentelle median committee:

A huge thank you to all those who have donated their time to keeping the Mentelle median beautiful!

We had a dedicated work crew on Saturday, April 20th, who weeded and mulched the beds:  Ray and Jill Debolt, Gil Dunn, Tom Lillich, Shelby Reynolds and Barb Wagoner.

Many neighbors have contributed to keeping the median looking nice throughout the year:  Janet Howard and her grandson cleaned out the naturalized bed and maintained the bed on the 3rd median, Barb Wagoner has spent many hours working on the Richmond Road entrance bed, and the Eblen and Giancarlo families picked up sticks prior to the Easter egg hunt.  Many more have contributed by picking up trash and other unsightly deposits, caring for trees etc.

Thanks to all who have contributed an estimated 50 hours of sweat equity over this past year!

Have any extra books, plants, cuttings or seeds you would like to share with neighbors?  (And get a few for yourself?) Then come to the neighborhood Plant & Book Swap in the Mentelle Park median nearest Cramer Avenue today, beginning at 2 p.m.

While you’re swapping and socializing, there will be a wine tasting by a local wine merchant. If you want to participate, there is a suggested donation of $5 per person.

Have any extra books, plants, cuttings or seeds you would like to share with neighbors?  (And get a few for yourself?) Then come to the neighborhood Plant & Book Swap in the Mentelle Park median nearest Cramer Avenue next Saturday, April 27, beginning at 2 p.m.

While you’re swapping and socializing, there will be a wine tasting by a local wine merchant. If you want to participate, there is a suggested donation of $5 per person.

If you live in Mentelle neighborhood — between Walton Avenue and Mentelle Park, East Main Street/Richmond Road and Winchester Road — and are not a member of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association, please join to help support more activities such as this. Click here for more information. 

Did you know that the Mentelle Park median is an official city park? That’s why the city arborists do such a good job of taking care of our trees, and the city landscaping crews keep it mowed in warm weather. But it’s up to us to keep it looking its best. That’s important, because the median is the site of several neighborhood gatherings each year, including the Easter Egg Hunt we had on March 30 and the fall potluck we will have in September.

Neighborhood volunteers will cleaning up the median on Saturday, April 20, beginning at 9 a.m. Please come out and join them if you’re free that morning. If questions, contact Jill DeBolt, co-chair of the median committee.

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Thanks to everyone who came out for the annual Mentelle Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt this morning.  Our neighborhood children found all 912 donated eggs within 10 minutes!

Special thanks to: Kim Naujokas, who organized the event and donated the coffee and Spalding’s donuts; Dean Holt, who starred as the Easter Bunny; and to all of you who donated candy-filled plastic eggs and cleaned up and prepared the Mentelle Park median for today’s event.

You can support this and other great neighborhood events by joining the Mentelle Neighborhood Association. Click here to join.

Mentelle neighborhood residents are invited to come out to the Mentelle Park median Saturday at 10 a.m. to help get it cleaned up for next Saturday’s Easter Egg Hunt. It shouldn’t take long, and your help would be appreciated!

Lexington’s Board of Adjustment voted 4-3 today to deny an application to convert a single-family home at 714 Hambrick Ave. into an un-hosted short-term rental property under Lexington’s new STR law.

The city’s Division of Planning staff had recommended approval. The Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s board of directors opposed the application. Several neighbors spoke against the application, outlining concerns they had, including that the city has already permitted too many un-hosted STRs already in and near the neighborhood.

The applicants have the right to appeal the decision to Circuit Court.*

Click here for more information about short-term rental issues.

*Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said District Court.