Scheri Smith
ssmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
The Preston Corridor Planning Group is seeking
volunteers to help revitalize Preston Highway north of
the Watterson Expressway.
The group, formed last year by the Preston Highway Task
Force, will meet tomorrow at 7 p.m. and asks prospective
volunteers to attend. The task force is a coalition of
representatives from small cities, neighborhoods and businesses
in the area. Deteriorating conditions along Preston,
including crumbling concrete and a lack of adequate lighting,
led to the task force's formation, Belmar Neighborhood
Association President Liz Martin said.
The task force held two meetings this year with the Metro
Development Authority and the nonprofit Louisville Community
Design Center. From those sessions a 48-page design plan was
devised for the first phase of the revitalization - between Hess
and Phillips lanes. The plan includes a possible widening of
Preston Highway, better sidewalks and landscaping. The
organization has formed eight committees to work on specific
areas: pedestrian travel, cleanliness, business relations,
safety and crime, landscape and green space, small businesses
and cities, Preston five-year design, and railroad
tracks. Each committee needs volunteers.
"It's a large effort, but we've made teams so that you can sign
up for what you want to do," she said. "It's basically a way for
you to be involved but not to be overwhelmed by the project." At
the meeting, volunteers will get a comprehensive look at the
plan. The goals include making the area more
pedestrian-friendly, attracting businesses and becoming more of
a destination for people.Mary Rose Evans, a Parkway Village
resident on the business committee, said that because Preston
is so close to attractions such as the Kentucky Fair &
Exposition Center, it gives some people their "first impression
of Louisville." "This is a neighborhood that if we don't do
something, it could go down and become a bad neighborhood,"
Evans said. "We want to prevent that."
John Fischer, assistant director of the retail division of the
Louisville Metro Development Authority, said he is impressed at
the effort so far. "I think they have shown extraordinary
organization and passion for what they're doing," he said. The
key to keeping the group's momentum is to get results early,
Fischer said. "People who care about the place in which they
live can bring change," he said.
Robbie Gibson, president of the Preston Area Business
Association and co-owner of the Belmar Flower Shop, said,
"We're excited because we've got groups that people can take
ownership in."
QUICK TAKE
The Preston Corridor Planning Group will meet at 7
p.m. tomorrow at the Boy Scout Service Center, 824 Phillips
Lane.
To view the Preston Corridor Improvement Plan,
visit www.bnainc.org and click Documents. Copies of the plan
also will be available at the meeting.
For more information, call the Belmar Flower Shop at
367-6172 . |
