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After considering feedback from people in our neighborhood and Bell Court, Lexington’s Traffic Engineering office plans changes in the crosswalk on Walton Avenue, with construction scheduled to begin in late May or early June. The crosswalk will move south on Walton towards Hambrick Avenue. The office says the location change was made for several reasons:

• It allows for better visibility for vehicles coming from Winchester Road.
• Vehicles will have more time to slow down before the crosswalk.
• The location allows for median lines to be painted on the street, which allows for pedestrians to cross one lane at a time.

If you have questions or concerns about this plan, you may email Brian Knapp or Grace Foley in Traffic Engineering.

The regular monthly meeting of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association board will be Wednesday, May 17, at 7 p.m. in the meeting room around back of the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass, 162 N. Ashland Ave. Any MNA member is welcome to attend.

From Jill DeBolt, Mentelle median committee chair:

Thanks to an awesome team of workers, all four flower beds on the Cramer end of the median are weeded and mulched!  A special thank you goes to Gil Dunn, Krista Giancarlo and Ray and Jill DeBolt.

Also, thank you to Michael Worley, the Giancarlo family and Ray and Jill Debolt for picking up sticks and cleaning the median prior to the Easter egg hunt.

The flower bed at the Richmond Road end of the median still needs weeding and mulching.  It would be greatly appreciated if someone would take the lead on this as I may not be available.   Please let me know.

Happy Spring to all!

The event is free and open to the public.

The Mentelle Park median, believe it or not, is an official city park. That’s why the city does such a good job of mowing it and taking care of the trees. The median is also where we host many neighborhood events, such as last weekend’s Easter egg hunt and the fall picnic. That’s why neighbors spend a lot of time and effort keeping the flower beds weeded and the median in good shape. (Speaking of that: There’s a median cleanup session scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m.  Please come out and help if you can.)

The city has posted signs like the one above around the median. The main reason for this is that heavy vehicles compress soil, which damages tree roots. In wet weather, vehicles also can cause ruts. The no-parking rule especially applies to trucks and construction equipment. This includes contractors and public utilities.

If you see a vehicle parked on the median, please ask its driver to move it. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you may contact me and I will do it if I’m home. I have done this many times, and only once has a truck driver been anything but nice about moving. (And that guy moved when I told him I was walking home to call the police.)

Please do your part to keep our neighborhood park beautiful and healthy.

From Jill DeBolt, Mentelle median committee chair:

All our neighbors are invited to keep the Mentelle median looking beautiful by attending the median clean-up day on Saturday, April 15, starting at 9 a.m.  We’ll be weeding and mulching the garden beds and trimming plants.  If you’re not available on Saturday, you  can come out at your convenience to help with weeding and trimming. Email me to let me know if you have extra mulch to spare or if you can assist with delivering mulch. All help is greatly appreciated!

Jim Ryder, a longtime Aurora Avenue resident who was active in neighborhood improvement efforts, died March 28 at age 72.  A memorial gathering is planned April 22, 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m., at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning, 251 W. Second St. Condolences to Sarah and their family.  Click here to read the full obituary on Kentucky.com.

Thanks to all of the children, parents, grandparents and neighbors who came out for today’s Mentelle neighborhood Easter Egg hunt.  Neighbors donated more than 700 eggs, which were hidden on the Mentelle Park median — and collected by excited children within a matter of minutes. Still, there was plenty of time for visiting and enjoying coffee and Spalding’s donuts. Special thanks go to organizers Kim Naujokas and Katie Mueller, as well as to the Easter Bunny and his chaperone and driver, Chad Walker. Here are some photos from the event:

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See you at the hunt!