Mentelle Neighborhood Association

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association (MNA) will hold its next board meeting on Monday, August 17th at 7:00 PM.  Please note – due to work being done at the Children’s Advocacy Center we will meet at Chad Walker’s office at 250 Walton Ave in the back of the building behind RP Fabrics.

Agenda Highlights:

• • Mark Sanders, Director of Water Quality, will speak and answer questions
  • Reina Slaymaker, assistant to Tom Eblen, will share updates on the storm sewer project
  • Discussion of bump outs at N. Ashland and Cramer Ave
  • Discussion of the annual potluck in September
  • October annual membership meeting discussion
  • And more!

Please feel free to join us in person or via Zoom.  If you have any questions, please email us at mentellelex@gmail.com.

 

The Yellow Dog Jazz Band of the Bluegrass is inviting neighbors to a performance on trumpeter Andrew Mooney’s front porch (24 Mentelle Park) on Saturday, July 18th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Bring a chair to set up in the median and enjoy the sounds of our resident Dixieland band!

Coming soon to a Mentelle home or business near you – the 2026 Mentelle Neighborhood Association (MNA) Member Directory!   All MNA members and all listed businesses will receive a copy hand-delivered to your doorstep in the next week or two.

If you are a MNA member and do not receive your copy, please let us know by sending an email to mentellelex@gmail.com.

If you are not an MNA member and would like to join and receive your very own directory, please click here.

Happy summer to all!

From Tom Eblen, 3rd District Council member:

The long-anticipated storm sewer construction project along Cramer and North Ashland avenues from Mentelle Park through Hambrick Avenue will be getting under way around July 13. But there is a new twist.

Kentucky American Water Co. (KAW) decided last month to use the opportunity of the streets being torn up to replace century-old water mains and service lines in the affected area. The good news is that it will provide cleaner, safer water pipes and keep the streets from being torn up again in the near future. The bad news is that it will make the entire project take longer.

I attended a virtual construction meeting last week involving KAW, city engineers, and their contractors. A major emphasis of the meeting was the need to get as much work as possible done around Ashland Elementary School before school resumes in August. But the entire project will continue for months after that time.

I have urged both KAW and the city’s Water Quality Division to complete the project as quickly as possible to minimize disruption to the neighborhood. But it is a big project and there will be disruption for many months.

• • • Click here to download KAW’s info sheet on the water pipe replacement project.
    • Click here to download the city storm sewer project’s plans.

After this project is completed, there will be a second phase of storm sewer work to address periodic flooding problems on the lower end of Mentelle Park, nearer to Richmond Road, as well as nearby parts of North Hanover and North Ashland avenues. Details and schedules for that work have not been completed.

If you have questions or concerns, please email me.

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.

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.

• Neighborhood Associations Roundtable Session
• Date: Tuesday, June 2   Time: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Location: Charles Young Center, 540 E Third St. Lexington, KY 40508

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

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.

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.

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!