Minutes from Bon Air Neighborhood Association's September 30, 2019 meeting

The following are the minutes from BANA's September 30,2019 meeting.  Our next board meeting, which is open to the public is tomorrow night, October 14, 2019, 6:30 at the Bon Air Library. 

BON AIR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION (BANA), Inc. 

“5th Monday” Neighborhood Meeting Minutes

September 30, 2019, 6:30pm

Buechel Park Baptist Church

Attendees — 36 people named on Sign-In sheet

Meeting called to order about 6:30pm by President David Houvenagle.  Senior Pastor Erica Whitaker was introduced & she welcomed all during her remarks.

Minutes of Aug 12 & Sep 9 — Copies available for distribution by Secretary Lois Judd; also made available via email & social media postings prior to Sep 30 mtg.  One Sep 9 typo noted (Lisbon Ln misspelled); motion made, seconded & approved to accept minutes with no other corrections.

Treasurer’s Report — Charlaine Reynolds explained what $20 annual dues help cover (liability insurance, signs, PO Box, etc.) & noted that dues paid now will cover calendar year 2020 per 2019 By-Laws revisions.

Report by President David Houvenagle — 

• Commented on trend of decline in the neighborhood as businesses moved out of Bon Air Manor shopping center; spoke about “new urbanism” strategy to improve public areas & privately-owned neighborhood areas like the shopping center & to link to larger surrounding Metro economy; neighborhood needs to continue to improve
• Arts development strategy includes an art hall at the library, statuary & sculptures in the area, & stage at Farnsley Park; stage to be used for both community performances & private groups; to be funded through public-private partnerships; Q&A followed
• Jeff Noble, Legislative Liaison to Brent Ackerson, spoke about 2 meetings with Metro Parks who wants to work with current building on site & focus on Wedgewood Way entrance to park; wants stage be part of current building & not a separate structure; wants to improve restrooms & concession stands; soccer program currently rents space/field with a lease & currently uses field; parking would be on surrounding streets just as for Shakespeare in Central Park

Metro Councilman Brent Ackerson, District 26 —

• Accessible sidewalks & purpose of Farnsley Park improvements over past 10 yrs has been to attract neighborhood folks & thus deter troublemakers & “bad elements”
• Q&A about sidewalks (new & repairs to existing); garbage collection for constituents on Monday schedule; crosswalk for Liverpool Ln & Paris Dr pedestrians crossing Bardstown Rd to shopping center; car break-ins & lack of street lights (Brent’s discretionary funds helping to pay LMPD for OT officers to help address this problem); state help sought but no money available; introduced KY District 40 State Representative Nima Kulkarni, visitor to meeting; lack of state money to address engineering & synchronization of traffic light issues & continuous complaints (Bashford Manor Ln to Hikes Ln & Shepherdsville Rd to Old Bardstown Rd); one Bon Air resident (an engineer) offered to get statistics & contact appropriate state agencies for follow-up
• Follow-up announcements re: crime — David Cotton spoke about Ring camera’s presence, may lower homeowner’s insurance rate by 5%;  David Houvenagle announced his Bon Air Blog posts crime data among other things 

Block Watch Organization — Introduced Richard Pickren.; coordinating “Leave a Light On” campaign & offered battery-powered LED tea lights to make the point; promoting block watch formation among all area neighborhood associations (Bon Air, Bon Air Estates, Fureen area et al.); wants to bring people together via some event, e.g. a pancake social; can contact him at rpickren83@gmail.com.

LMPD 6th Division Resource Officer George McMillan (& Bon Air resident) — 

• Explained new chapter of Pedestrian Safety Ordinance, with formal enforcement to begin Nov 1; can cite violators if seen.
• Provided updates about recent incidents in the 1900 block of Goldsmith Ln & related shootings on Lisbon Ln & Sharon Circle; recovered shell casings & video available from neighbors helped lead to the arrest of 3 teens (2 of whom were juveniles); a home invasion was a separate incident; otherwise, Bon Air had not had a lot of violent crime.
• Officer McMillan stayed for some time after adjournment to answer questions & talk with neighbors.

Announced availability of copies of membership letter & form to encourage BANA participation; dues $20 per calendar year; monthly meetings held on the 2nd Monday each month at 6:30pm at the Bon Air Library.

Meeting adjourned pre-8pm.

Bon Air Crime Analysis for September 2019

This is an analysis for September, 2019 based on data posted by the Louisville Metro Police Department at https://data.louisvilleky.gov/dataset/crime-reports/resource/6d81fdf8-27e7-41ac-9ae4-1bfd8730f002 

It is a Microsoft Excel file that requires just a touch of manipulation and sorting

As usual it includes the crimes reported within the boundaries of the historical Bon Air Neighborhood as defined:
1) Bardstown Road on the West  
2) Hikes Lane on the South
3) Furman Blvd on the East and
4) Taylorsville Rd and the Watterson Expressway on the North. 

A disclaimer is that the analysis is not like the old games of four-square or shuffleboard as "lines are in" and not out.  What this means is that reports at locations on the borders may have actually happened in the Bashford Manor, West Buechel, Buechel/Hikes Point and Melbourne Heights sections.  

Crime was down by about 14 percent over August.  There were 54 total police reports as a whole within these boundaries. . 

• There were 31 reports in the 40218 portion and
• There were 23 reports in the 40220 section. 

What was interesting was that there were three locations that had six police reports. 

• 3300 Bardstown Rd. (this location is usually up there)
• 2300 Goldsmith Lane (to be discussed in a moment)
• 3100 Doreen Way (to be discussed in a moment)

In terms of breakdowns, the most common crimes/police reports in the neighborhood for the month were:

• Assaults =15
• Theft/Laceny=11
• Missing Person = 6
• Vandalism =6
• Fraud=4.
• Drug=3
• Vehicle Break-ins =2

When looking at the assaults, five of them happened at the 3100 block of Doreen Way.  This appears to an ongoing drama where someone continues to violate an Emergency Protective Order/Domestic Violence Order. Otherwise the other 10 were mostly along Bardstown Rd or isolated occurrences throughout the neighborhood. 

When looking at the Theft/Larceny cases, six of them were in businesses and four of them were spread out in the neighborhood in residences on Rosedale Blvd, Hikes Lane, Stratford Avenue, and Dell Brooke Avenue. 

I have not really commented much on the missing person cases in previous posts, but 99 percent of them are at 2300 Goldsmith Lane or Boys and Girls Haven.  Being a social worker I have sympathy for the situation.  To me, it does not reflect the work done at this agency.  It reflects on the clientele that they serve.  You would think that all these adolescents would have the sense to be grateful to have a place to stay and the common sense to stay put and finish their high school diploma . . . but not all of them do and some of them run for a number of emotional\behavioral reasons, which means the staff at Boys and Girls Haven have to file missing person reports.  

I think it is worth continuing to follow what happens at Boys and Girls Haven because the kids that run are the kids vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation, which I am sure will be talked about again around Derby.   If you are interested in volunteering with Boys and Girls Haven to try and reach out to these kids, I am positive they can find something for you to do to help these kids.

There were otherwise four  areas of concern to me in the numbers : 

• 3500 block of Lisbon Lane,
• 2800 block of Dell Brooke Avenue
• 2800 block of Del Rio Place, and 
• 3200 block of Stratford Avnue

Lisbon Lane had three different cases of a burglary, a weapons charge, and a domestic abuse case.  My understanding is that the police have arrested relevant parties and one particular property owner on that street is picking up and leading the charge for a block watch and I think things will be better if they are not already improved. 

The 2800 block of Dell Brooke had two distinct theft-type crimes on different days. One was a theft and one was a car break in 10 days apart from each other.  

Del Rio Place is the Bon Air Manor and it seemed to have a little more action this month than normal.   There appeared to be three police calls on different but five different reports that include a robbery in the parking lot, two thefts, and two cases of vandalism. 

The last area of concern was Stratford Avenue where there were two different reports two days in a row.  One was the apparent theft of a firearm (literally TBUT OR DISP FIREARM in the database)
and criminal mischief.

Otherwise, in terms of incidentals, there was 

• One motor vehicle theft on the 2300 Block of Meadow and
• One report of Sexual Abuse made at Goldsmith Elementary. 

I will say that I conclude that the Goldsmith Elementary matter was a child disclosing sexual abuse and not actual abuse.  When there is often disclosure of sexual abuse of a child a Crimes Against Children Unit report is made.  I met Dr Jeremy Renner, the prinipal of Goldsmith when my children went to school there and had numerous conversations with him and I would say there is not a better elementary school principal (and actual fun guy), and Goldsmith Elementary is a safe place for children to go and learn,

Much crime is preventable and I would encourage you to consider joining the block watches that are forming, getting one of the doorbell cameras, leaving your outside light on at night to keep your street lit up, and make sure your cars are locked.  We still have a very safe area compared to what is out there in Louisville and we can keep it that way. 

Come Talk with Your Metro Council Representative and LMPD at the BANA General Membership Meeting, Tomorrow, September 30

Q and A with Brent Ackerson-District 26 Rep and Officer George McMillian-LMPD are featured agenda items of the General Membership Meeting of the Bon Air Neighborhood Association, Monday, September 30, 2019 at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall of Buechel Park Baptist Church at 2403 Hikes Lane.

Enter at the the side door on the west side of the building:

The planned agenda is:

I. Call to order (6:30 pm).

II. Reports

        A. Treasurer

        B. President's report

III. Old business:

       A. Membership Letter

    

IV  New Business

      A. Brent Ackerson statement and Q and A.

      B. Discussion of organization of Block Watches

      C. Officer McMillian

 V. Adjournment




Hope to see you there. 

Minutes from BANA Sept 9, 2019 Meeting for the record.

BANA (Bon Air Neighborhood Association, Inc.)

Meeting Minutes

Sept 9, 2019, 6:30 - 7:28pm

Bon Air Library

Dave Houvenagle opened the meeting at 6:30 pm, September 9, 2019.

Minutes were accepted as presented with no changes or additions. 

Charlaine presented Treasurer's report —

* Balance:  $626.08 as of 9/9/19
* Income:  $80.00 in membership dues
* Expenses:  insurance $47.50

Guest Richard P  is trying to start a Neighborhood Watch in the area. He reported he had seven people from Nextdoor that indicated interest; however these persons were not in attendance at the meeting. Mr. P passed out informational brochures on the LMPD "Leave a Light On" program. Dave H. thanked him for coming and stated the board would consider adding a dedicated board member for these neighborhood watch efforts should the right person be identified as the person. Will need both community organizing and people skills. Charlaine mentioned that the BANA board will be seeking candidates to run for various offices. Dave also invited Mr. P  to have some time on the agenda at the Sept. 30th meeting to publicize his Neighborhood Watch effort. 

Suggestions were taken on snacks to be provided at the September 30th general membership meeting at Buechel Park Baptist Church: water, sweets, savories such as pinwheels. Charlaine will pick up some items from Costco. 

Dave passed out copies of the current membership appeal letter and noted suggestions to update. Dave will send proposed letter to board for proofreading before posting on Bon Air FaceBook page.The goal is to have the updated letter in time for the Sept. 30th general membership meeting.

There was discussion on the recent crimes on Lisbon and Liverpool. Several attendees complained about the no trash pick-up during “Monday holiday" weeks. There was a question regarding who is responsible for tree limbs and branches that stick out over sidewalks. 

J M and J F renewed their household membership.

Charlaine made a motion to adjourn, Maile seconded. 

Meeting was adjourned at 7:28 pm.

Minutes prepared by Charlaine Reynolds, BANA Treasurer

Celebrating Buechel Park Baptist Church

Our next Bon Air Neighborhood General Membership meeting will be this coming Monday, September 30, 2019 at 6:30 pm in that Buechel Park Baptist Church's "Fellowship Hall."  The church is at 2403 Hikes Lane.

Buechel Park has some memory for me.  My son was part of Troop 610 that had met at this church, and my wife worked in the church's Parent's Day Out program for a number of years, but my most cherished memory was the time we actually went to church there.

A bad storm had knocked out one Sunday in St Matthews--where we had been going to church and our church was cancelled.  We decided that we would check out Buechel Park on this Sunday. The church that we had been going to put song lyrics on the screen.   When it was time to sing the song leader said,

                    Please turn in your hymnals to . . .  

My son whispered to me:

                     Dad, what is a hymnal?

I had to chuckle and feel old and maybe slightly neglectful in educating my son, as the hymnal is (derived from the Greek  Hymnos for songs) one of those terms like 900-numbers that does not have meaning to many people anymore. 

Nevertheless, Buechel Park Baptist as an institution has been in the Buechel Hikes Point area since the 1920's and has been on its present site since 1958.

It is a part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (as opposed to the Southern Baptist Convention). It severed ties with the SBC in 2001.  It is safe to say that you will find progressive thinking at this church including women in ministry.

The church's current pastor is the Reverend Erica Whittaker, who has definitely made some attempts to reach out into the community, especially with her Bible Studies at Krazy Dave's. 

The church has long been a site for senior activities. They have hosted senior nutrition and senior fitness activities.  We hope to give them a minute or two to plug what they are doing and what they have to offer the community at our meeting. 

Tomorrow, (September 28,2019), they will have an arts and crafts fair from 10am to 3pm if you wish to go and get your decorations for the holidays.

One last note, the church has a huge parking lot to park your car and I hope that you come to the Bon Air Membership meeting, which again will be Monday, September 30, 2019 at 6:30 pm.
 

Another Pedestrian Killed on Bardstown Rd. What Are the Options?

It was sad to see that another pedestrian was killed at the intersection of Bardstown Road and Goldsmith Lane just before midnight last night.   From the pictures I have copied from the TV station websites, it looks like the female pedestrian pushing a two-wheel cart was killed on the southbound side.  The first picture is from WDRB.

The second picture is from WAVE3.

The basic facts are that the pedestrian was in a crosswalk when she was hit.   Police were out to determine who had the right of way.

A fatality happens at this intersection every few years.  I am frankly surprised that it does not happen more often for the following reasons:
1)  It is state highway with a speed limit of 45 mph at this intersection.
2) It has a high flow of pedestrians at rush hours
3) It takes a pedestrian a significant time to cross.

I otherwise have had some near misses turning off of Goldsmith northbound onto Bardstown when taking my son to school and going to work.  There have been numerous pedestrians walking in the crosswalks when I have been trying to turn right.

I think that the solutions are state government solutions since it is a state highway.

 My first thought is that a pedestrian bridge would be a good thing, but changing the speed limit and maybe a lane diet would be helpful.

Otherwise, I will be solemn as I go through this intersection this morning. 

A Letter to the Bon Air Neighborhood

(A letter we hope to distribute soon in the neighborhood/but feel free to share it with your neighbors )

Dear Bon Air Resident

The Bon Air Neighborhood Association (BANA) was formed in 2008 as a response to crimes against women in our area.  However, we have had many, positive accomplishments including:

• The magnificent Bardstown Road mural in the Bardstown Rd/I-264 underpass,
• The Bon Air streetlight pole signs that announce the neighborhood
• The four-way stop at Goldsmith Lane/Ada Lane/Del Rio Place
• The bike lanes on Goldsmith Lane.

We also have been leading advocates for the neighborhood including:

• Leading in the effort to stop a methadone clinic from opening in Bardstown Square and
• Putting pressure on the owners of the Economy Inn to clean up the situation.
• Three additional, yearly opportunities for residents to have direct Q and A with our Metro Council representative and LMPD.

We are proud of our excellent working relationship with our Metro Council representative. 

Our current focus is development.  We are pursuing an arts development strategy and the creation of a business association. The arts development strategy includes

• The building of a performance stage in Farnsley Park
• The creation of an art hall in the Bon Air Library
• Public art installations that include grand statuary.

We are excited about the interest in the arts strategy and the business organization is gaining momentum.  

However, we need your support by being a member of the organization.  Our annual membership dues are $20.00.  This helps pay for insurance, our post office box, our annual registration with the state of Kentucky, and mailing fees.  You can mail your membership payment to our post office box at  PO 34262 Louisville, KY 40231 or bring it to our monthly meeting at the Bon Air Library, the second Mondays at 6:30 pm.

You can also support us by becoming active with us by not merely being a member but also a board member.  The more people who are involved, the more effective the Bon Air Neighborhood Association will become.

If you need to see what we do first, you can like us on Facebook.  We post much of what we do on our Facebook page.  You can also go to our website at www.bon-air.org.  Regardless, we hope we see you at our next meeting as we seek to make our neighborhood a great place to live and raise families.

Best,

Dave Houvenagle, President

Bon Air Neighborhood Association