LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In a Zoom call maxed out with 100 participants, there was plenty of optimism for the subject that brought them there.
Recently-inaugurated Cassie Chambers Armstrong, the new Louisville Metro Council member for District 8, led the group on Zoom and a separate audience on Facebook Live in a discussion Wednesday on Bardstown Road's problems — and how to fix them.
“I love that this community cares so much," Chambers Armstrong said.
First, they discussed some of the positives. There are some new businesses popping up along the portion that runs through Chambers Armstrong's district and forms the backbone of the Highlands. The group also said it's happy the city is making traffic changes there to increase parking and decrease congestion.
But there are also persistent concerns about a series of worsening issues there: crime and traffic violations, business closures, litter and graffiti, as well as panhandling and homelessness.
In the virtual townhall, the people who live and work along the corridor learned resources are limited to tackle those problems.
A hundred people participate in the Zoom townhall. (WDRB Photo)
Maj. Jason Grissom, the new Fifth Division commander, told the crowd he doesn't have a single dedicated traffic officer.
“We are short on manpower," he said. "We are short on officers.”
The group learned from George Eklund with the Coalition for the Homeless that homeless resources are also stretched thin in a city where affordable housing options are limited while evictions are up.
“We have twice the national average on eviction rate," he said. "Our eviction rate is three times higher than New York City.”
Then, there’s the issue of struggling businesses. Rebecca Fleischaker with Louisville Forward said the city wants money in a new federal stimulus to help more from closing as the pandemic makes matters worse. However, the possible relief might not come fast enough for some businesses.
“I do not think we are through, unfortunately, seeing the closure of businesses," she said.
The group learned that burying unsightly utility poles would cost $1 million per block. The city also said planting trees to improve the aesthetic of Bardstown Road would also hard be hard due to a lack of space. However, even though the group of business owners, residents and city leaders don’t have all the answers or enough resources to cure all of Bardstown Road's ailments yet, they said what they do have is plenty of hope.
Watch a replay of the virtual townhall meeting here.
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