Category: Uncategorized

It’s time for neighborhood associations to seek matching grants from city government. The deadline for applying is August 7, and we’d like to hear ideas and feedback from MNA members.

A pollinator-friendly project — perhaps a Monarch butterfly way station — is one possibility that some of the officers have discussed.

Eligible projects include street trees, cleanups, sidewalk repairs (but not adjacent to private property), and re-using vacant buildings. Click here for details: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/neighborhood-action-match-program-namp

The improvements must be open to the public.

The government awards up to $10,000 which the neighborhood must match with cash, donated supplies or volunteer labor and services.

We hope to have more info to share after a Zoom training next week. Feel free to join the training at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, to walk through the on-line application process. Access the Zoom meeting by clicking  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86105328042 or connect through audio by calling 1-301-715-8592 using meeting ID 86105328042 on the date of meeting.

Please email ideas or thoughts about a pollinator project to Jamie Lucke at jamiedlucke@gmail.com.

While waiting for the libraries to open, Becky Eblen has more advance reader copies of new books for you. Most are adult fiction, but there are some non-fiction and memoirs as well a box of books for ages 8 to young adult. They will be in boxes on the front porch at 52 Mentelle Park. Please help yourself and check back; as some books are taken, more will replace them.  The boxes will be out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each non-rainy day until all of the books are gone.

Good news.

The Planning Commission today approved the plan that the Mentelle Neighborhood Association negotiated with Schilling Properties for an expansion of the Blue Door Smokehouse.

The vote was unanimous.

Any lingering worries about our plan’s safety were dispelled by none other than the traffic engineer, who assured the commission, “It’s not going to be a safety issue one way or another.”

The original plan that we saw in January had two commercial driveways funneling traffic directly onto Aurora Avenue.

The main concession we won was to keep traffic entering and exiting on Walton Avenue with no intrusive commercial driveway on Aurora.

Mr. Schilling also agreed to a deed restriction protecting his house at 708 Aurora from rezoning for at least 20 years and to limit the use of vinyl siding on the expansion.

In exchange, we agreed to support the rezoning of 706 Aurora from residential to neighborhood business. We think the final design will buffer nearby residences and preserve Aurora’s residential character.

The plan will improve the looks and functionality of the Aurora-Walton corner. The parking in front of Blue Door will be replaced by landscaping. There will be a normal sidewalk and maybe some outdoor tables.

Blue Door will double in size with a larger kitchen taking up much of the addition. Blue Door proprietor Jeff Newman said this will enable the restaurant to expand its catering business.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in, including Chad Walker of The Warehouse Block who testified in support of the neighborhood’s plan, and our president Ann Olliges, who spent a lot of time on the phone with Schilling’s lawyer.

Thanks also to the Planning Commission, which overruled its staff on the traffic access question in order to unanimously support our plan.

After months of delay caused by Covid-19, the Planning Commission on June 25 will hold a public hearing on the requested rezoning of 706 Aurora Avenue to accommodate an expansion of Blue Door Smokehouse.

You’ve run out of reading material and the libraries still aren’t open?  Here’s a solution:  Becky Eblen, a former Joseph-Beth employee, has several dozen Advance Reader Copies of books in a box on her front porch at 52 Mentelle Park.  As some books are taken, more will replace them.  Please come help yourself.  The box will be out there from 9 a.m. -5 p.m. each day until they are all gone.

From a City of Lexington news release:

The city will resume weekly yard waste collections next week, on the same day as garbage and recycling pickup. Yard waste collections were suspended March 23 because of the danger posed by the COVID-19 epidemic.

The City is now cautiously optimistic that, with the public’s help, it can collect yard waste safely.  Unlike trash and recycling carts, which are mostly emptied by mechanical arms on the collection trucks, yard waste collections are done by crew members, who roll carts to the truck, touching both the cart’s handle and lid. “That made it difficult to provide the service and protect our employees,” Mayor Linda Gorton said.

Since the virus struck, the Division of Waste Management has been working to secure appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies to allow for safe operation of the yard waste service.

“We have implemented several practices to allow for weekly cleaning of all trucks, inside and outside,” said Nancy Albright, Commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works. “We have a steady supply of the types of PPE needed for employees, allowing us to resume regular service.”

In rolling their carts to the curb, Gorton urged citizens to protect Waste Management employees and themselves. Wipe down the handle and lid after placing the cart next to the curb, and then wipe the handle and lid down again before returning the cart back to your home.

“The Division of Waste Management appreciates everyone’s patience as we navigate these new working conditions and follow all safety measures to keep our employees protected,” said Waste Management Director Tracey Thurman.

For more information, contact LexCall at 311 or (859) 425-2255.

Locals’ Craft Food & Drink, at the corner of Walton and National avenues in the Warehouse Block, is among the Lexington restaurants put out of business by the coronavirus pandemic. This is sad news for the neighborhood. Locals’ had been kind enough to host the Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s monthly board meetings.  The Lexington Herald-Leader’s Janet Patton has the details here.