Author: Tom Eblen

Neighbors, 

Our neighborhood school, Ashland Elementary, is trying to build a new playground. The goal is to build a playground next summer that is accessible and inspiring to all of Ashland’s students and supports more active, artistic, beautiful, creative and diverse play and garden spaces that better reflect the school and its focus on the arts.  

Estimates for final playground design are between $85,000 and $100,000. The Playground Committee at Ashland has set a goal to raise $100,000 by March 31, 2017 in order to ensure that the playground is completed by the start of the 2017-2018 school year.  To date, $22,000 has been raised through Jog-a-thons, donations gathered at events, and some generous family donations. In addition to fundraising, the committee is applying for grants and approaching local and neighborhood businesses for support. But the playground committee also needs our help.

The committee is asking that families and the neighborhood association consider a donation. No gift is too big or too small!  If you are considering your charitable donations for this year or next, please know that this is a special project of the Ashland PTA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contribution is tax-deductible. 

If you are interested in making a gift, please send an envelope marked ‘Playground’ with your name and address to: Ashland Elementary School, 195 N. Ashland Ave., Lexington, KY 40502.  Checks should be made out to Ashland PTA with ‘Playground’ in the memo. Please include your name and address so a letter acknowledging your donation can be sent to you.

If you have any questions about giving or ideas to help raise additional funds, please contact Mentelle Neighborhood resident Stephanie Spires at SeaSpires@gmail.com

Thank you!

Shelly Fortune, MNA President

Mirror Twin Brewing Co., 725 National Ave., is having an appreciation event 11:30 a.m. until midnight Sunday for residents of the Mentelle and Kenwick neighborhoods to celebrate its first few months in business. There will be $3 pints and 10 percent off Rolling Oven pizzas.  More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1807198669518573/

Please plan to attend Melody Flowers’ annual Hot Cocoa Social on the front porch of 54 Mentelle Park from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.  She will be collecting donations to put in the Salvation Army kettle of Mentelle’s most dedicated bell-ringer, our neighbor Ron Mitchell. It’s always a good time for cocoa and friends!

About 40 residents attended the Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s general membership meeting Oct. 26 at Ashland Elementary School, which included the election of officers.

Elected for the calendar year 2017 were: Shelly Fortune, president; Linda Worley, vice president; Tom Eblen, secretary; Richard Coles, treasurer; and board members Elaine Cook, Bethany Baxter, Shelby Reynolds, Jessica Mohler and Ann Olliges.

Officers reviewed the past year’s highlights, which included:

• The association got a new website, which includes a blog for news updates. Eventually, the association hopes it will replace the more costly and less timely printed newsletter. Residents can sign up for email alerts whenever a news item is posted. So far, 90 people have signed up.
• A state historical marker was placed in the Mentelle Park median to commemorate the entire neighborhood’s history as well as the history of the nearby Mentelle School, where Mary Todd Lincoln was a student.
• Neighborhood identification signs have been posted at many entrances to the area. Some signs are still pending because of right-of-way issues.
• The association sponsored several well-attended neighborhood social events in the past year, including a beer tasting, the summer picnic and the Easter egg hunt and book swap.
• There has been an increase in association membership. There are now 76 life member households and 22 annual members. Anyone interested in membership should contact Richard Coles.
• Jake Gibbs, the 3rd District Urban County Council member, awarded the association a $1,500 grant for street-tree planting. That is $500 more than in recent years. Since 2012, the association and city have provided matching grants to help Mentelle residents plant 45 trees. Nine more trees are scheduled to be planted, and money is available for six more. If you are interested in getting matching funds to plant a street tree, contact Elaine Cook.

Other items of note:

• Speed tables are being considered for Aurora and Given avenues and Bullock Place as the result of a recent city traffic study.
• The board is working with the city and the J.M. Smucker Co. to address noise coming from the Jif peanut butter plant at night. Several residents have complained.
• The board met recently with the owners of Cosmic Charlie’s, a music club moving to National Avenue. It was a positive meeting, and the owners said they want to work with the neighborhood to avoid problems with traffic or noise.
• An updated neighborhood directory will be published soon.
• This year’s neighborhood home tour, which was to have been in September, was canceled because not enough residents could open their homes. Shelly Fortune said she hopes to organize another tour in 2018. (Mentelle had its first home tour in 2014, and it made about $3,000 for neighborhood projects.)  Mentelle alternates home tour years with the Kenwick Neighborhood Association. Shelly also asked for suggestions of other fundraising ideas for the association.
• Richard reported that the association is in good financial condition, with $7,994.14 in the bank. A financial report is available upon request.

Following the meeting, David O’Neill, Fayette County’s property valuation administrator, discussed his process for reassessing home values. State law requires reassessments every four years, and Mentelle Neighborhood is scheduled to be reassessed in 2017 and 2018. He said to watch for an assessment notice in the mail after April 15. If you do not receive a notice in the mail, you can check your property information on Fayettepva.com. Please check it for accuracy.  The deadline for correcting or contesting an assessment is the third Monday in May.

State Sen. Reginald Thomas attended the meeting and urged residents to sign up for email updates from his office.

The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation brings its monthly deTours program to Kenwick next week, with a tour of two bungalow homes at 268 and 272 Lincoln Ave. at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2. The tour is free and open to the public. For more information, call (859) 253-0362 or click here.

As the leaves begin to change and the weather begins to cool, many of us start to prepare for the very cold temperatures that follow in the winter months. At this time of year, staff members at Cardinal Valley Elementary School begin to look for coats, hats and glove for students.

Cardinal Valley has many students who live in poverty: 97 percent are on free and reduced lunch. There are many students who are learning English as a second language and, as such, face language barriers in getting resources. Currently there are 700 students at Cardinal Valley.

If you would like to donate a coat, gloves or hats for the annual coat drive, it would be greatly appreciated. Coats should be sized for children ages 4-12. Items can be dropped off on the front porch at 721 Aurora Ave. (Ann Olliges).

Thank you so much for your consideration and help with keeping these students warm during the winter months.

Kentucky American Water Co. contractor ATS Construction plans to repave the east side of Mentelle Park on Friday, Oct. 21. Parking on that side of the street likely will be prohibited beginning late Thursday.

This work is being done because the water company’s previous contractor did a poor job of repaving last year when the street’s original 1906 water main was replaced. Company officials agreed to redo the work after Council Member Jake Gibbs and neighborhood association members complained.

 

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s fall general meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Ashland Elementary School. The business meeting includes election of association officers. The ballot, as prepared by the nominating committee, can be viewed or downloaded from this link:  mna-2017-ballot. Other association members are welcome to nominate themselves for any office, either by emailing secretary Liz Reucroft no later than Oct. 19 or by making a nomination from the floor at the meeting. Please plan to attend this important meeting to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood.

National Provisions, the National Avenue food complex hailed in the New York Times Travel Section in 2015, has closed and employees have filed complaints about unpaid wages and bounced paychecks. For more details, click here.