Winchester Rd Corridor Survey – Open Until June 20

As previously shared, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) and the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (LAMPO) have initiated a Winchester Road Corridor Study.

As part of the study, LFUCG is seeking input from the public through an online survey, which will remain open through June 20. The survey includes questions about travel patterns, safety concerns, and desired improvements along the corridor. Responses will be used alongside technical analysis to identify potential solutions, inform priorities, and guide the development of potential improvement strategies. You can participate in the survey online here.

Thanks to our Interim President, Shelby Reynolds, for attending an initial Winchester Road Corridor meeting on Tuesday, June 2  at the Charles Young Center.  He reports that a group of about 15 people attended with various ideas and concerns for this major corridor into downtown Lexington. Suggested improvements included: bike lanes, bus shelters, trees, parks, beautification, roundabouts, medians, traffic control, fewer billboards, and a bridge in front of Frederick Douglas High School since there is no safe crossing to the other side for students.

The Winchester Road Corridor Study is expected to continue through next spring. Additional opportunities for public engagement are planned as the project progresses.

Winchester Rd Roundtable – Tuesday, June 2 at 12:30 PM

Iris Dooling, a Senior Planner for the Division of Planning for Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, has invited us to participate in a Neighborhood Roundtable Discussion for the Winchester Road Corridor Study.   See their message below:

Winchester Road is one of our significant corridors, serving as a gateway into downtown as well as an address for residents, businesses, and community facilities. Through this effort we will work with the Lexington community to better understand the existing opportunities and constraints throughout the corridor and discover the potential for an improved Winchester Road for all. Through an extensive engagement process that includes community events, online surveys, and in-person events, we will plan together to accomplish the following outcomes:

  • Existing Land Use Patterns and Catalyst Sites focused on redevelopment of existing structures and new development throughout the corridor.
  • Mobility and connectivity improvements to make Winchester Road a safer place to walk, bike, stroll, and drive.

Community stakeholder participation is crucial in helping us create a safer and more connected future for the Winchester Road corridor.I’ve included the details for the roundtable below.  Please RSVP to  idooling@lexingtonky.gov if you plan to attend.

Thank you for your consideration and I hope you are able to attend the roundtable and participate in the process!

3rd District Candidate Forum – Friday, May 29th

Next Friday, May 29, the Warehouse Block in the Mentelle neighborhood will host a forum for the two 3rd District Council candidates in the November election. Jon Larson and Griffin VanMeter have agreed to record a live version of the Warehouse Block’s neighborhood podcast Inside the Block.

The event will be hosted at Minton’s (701 National Ave.) on the roof deck.  Doors will open to the event at 11:00 a.m. The live podcast will begin at exactly noon, and will wrap around 12:45 p.m.  Candidates will be available to meet folks before and after the event, which will conclude at 1:30 p.m.

If anyone would like to submit a question for candidates beforehand, email Warehouse Block owner Chad Walker.

Short-Term Rental Action Alert!

CALL 1-800-372-7181 NOW AND LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE ENTIRE KENTUCKY HOUSE AND SENATE REQUESTING THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY NOT MANDATE THAT AIRBNBs AND VRBOs CAN LOCATE IN ALL RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN KENTUCKY WITHOUT REGARD TO AIRBNB DENSITY AND DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER.

This is a local issue, a cluster of short term rentals is a nuisance, and the competition from real estate speculators for properties raises home prices and takes homes out of the residential market.

The Kentucky House added the Airbnb language to Senate Bill 9 on the last day of the regular session without it being heard in a committee. If the General Assembly passes deregulation of short term rentals, we all will need to ask Governor Beshear to veto the bill. The General Assembly only has the two-stay veto session starting today to act on SB-9.

Please post this information on your social media accounts and ask your friends to participate.

April Neighborhood Assn. Meeting – Wednesday the 15th

The next meeting of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15th in the meeting room at the back of the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass at 162 N. Ashland Ave.

Board meetings are open to all association members.  If you have questions about attendance or have an item you would like added to the agenda, please email Acting President, Shelby Reynolds.

We hope you will join us!

Thanks for a great Easter egg hunt!

Reposting because the photo slide show didn’t work on some browsers.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Mentelle neighborhood Easter egg hunt today!  It didn’t take long for our kids to find the nearly 1,000 candy-filled eggs that neighbors donated for this annual event.  Special thanks to organizer Kim Naujokas, Dean Holt, and all those who helped clean up the median and put together this event.

 

 

Action Alert re: SB 9 STR/Airbnbs!

Alert!  State Representative Donworth posted that the KY House has passed SB 9 which would prohibit Lexington from regulating its Short- Term Rentals (STRs) (or AirBnBs).

NOW is the time to call the Legislature and tell them that Lexington should be able to regulate what goes on in its neighborhoods!  It is easy and quick.

Call the LRC’s (Legislative Research Council) message center at 800-372-7181 and leave a message for all the members of the Senate saying that you oppose SB 9 and that you don’t want unregulated businesses in your residential neighborhood.   We have until the middle of April.

You can call every day!

Mentelle Easter Egg Hunt is Saturday!

We look forward to seeing Mentelle Neighborhood residents and their families Saturday at 10 a.m. for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Thanks to the generosity of our neighbors, we have lots of eggs for another wonderful hunt this year, but could always use more! If you still plan to donate eggs, please bring those to the porch of 29 Mentelle Park by Friday evening.

We will gather in between the two medians closest to Cramer Avenue. Kids aged 5-10 will hunt on the first median (closest to Cramer) and those younger than 5 will hunt on the second median. The Easter Bunny will be with us for photos until 10:30 a.m. Complimentary coffee and Spalding’s Bakery donuts will be available for all neighborhood residents to enjoy.

Parents – please keep an eye on your kiddos as you make your way to the gathering location to ensure they don’t start picking up eggs before the hunt begins. It is incredibly tempting!

See you at the hunt!

2026 Backyard Conservation Program – Applications Open!

The Fayette County Backyard Conservation Program offers a 50/50 reimbursement of up to $200.00 back for establishing, enhancing, restoring and/or maintaining a backyard conservation project. All Fayette County residents (tenants or owners) are eligible to apply.

Examples of Backyard Conservation practices include:
rain gardens, rain barrels, compost bins, pollinator gardens, beekeeping supplies, bat houses, garden plots, raised bed gardens, and more.

Applications for 2026 will exclusively be accepted online via JotForm.  More information and a link to the application form can be found here: https://www.kyfccd.org/backyardconservation

 

Giving eggs for the hunt? Hop to it!

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt is right around the corner! If you wish to donate filled plastic eggs for the Mentelle Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4, please bring them to the porch of 29 Mentelle Park. Donations will be accepted until the evening of Friday, April 3.  We would love to have at least 800 eggs to make this a fun and memorable event for our neighborhood’s children. Thank you to everyone who has already dropped off eggs!

The hunt will begin at 10 a.m. on the Mentelle Park medians near Cramer Avenue. There will be two hunts — one for little kids through age 4 and one for bigger kids between ages 5-10.  Bigger kids will hunt on the median closest to Cramer and the little ones will hunt on the second median. And the Easter Bunny will be there starting at 9:45 a.m. for photos and to hand out additional treats to the kids.

This event is for ALL Mentelle Neighborhood residents, whether you have small children in your household or not. We hope that all will join us to socialize with your neighbors and celebrate the beginning of spring. Complimentary coffee and delicious Spalding’s Bakery donuts will be available.

We hope to see all our Mentelle Neighborhood residents there!