Joan Stewart has big plans.
“Do you see that wall over there?” she asks excitedly as she leads me into the Old Louisville Council office. “My goal is to have that wall converted back to how it was originally. It used to be two beautiful windows, just like the others you see in this room.”
I look around the room and take in the beauty of the old building before sitting down to talk with Joan Stewart, a retired math teacher (35 years at DuPont Manual High School) and chair of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council (OLNC) these past three years.
Old Louisville Neighborhood Council for Dummies:
According to oldlouisville.org (a website sponsored by the Old Louisville Visitors Center and Neighborhood Council), Old Louisville began development in the 1830s. The architectural style of the neighborhood is varied, “from Renaissance Revival to Queen Anne to Chateauesque,” and according to Stewart, “there is much pride in the people who live here.”
“The official voice of Old Louisville is our neighborhood council,” Stewart continues, referring to the OLNC. “It is composed of eleven active neighborhood associations, each unique to itself.” Why so many associations? “Old Louisville spans from Kentucky Street to Eastern Parkway and 65 South to 7th Street. That’s a lot of ground to cover,” Stewart says as she makes a large square with her hands. “Every association has a member that attends the ONLC meetings, and they get one vote per meeting,” says Stewart. “According to the bi-laws, everyone who lives in Old Louisville is welcome to come to the council meetings.”
It is easy to become a member: some associations have dues, some don’t. The average price is $10-$25 a year with renter and student dues at half the price.
“The neighborhood council is supported by neighborhood association grants and by fundraising,” explains Stewart. “Anything that impacts Old Louisville goes through us, whether it is a firehouse that closes or zoning changes. When the council meets, we come together and report on what our associations are doing.”
The Big Idea
The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council does more than I ever realized. If it wasn’t for the OLNC, we wouldn’t have Central Park Improvement Day, a day in April in which people come together to clean up the park for the summer. When there is an election in town, the OLNC informs members about political impact and provides a forum for candidates to answer questions. Remember that terrible windstorm in August? In Old Louisville, the OLNC stepped up and helped get the trees cleaned up and the roads safe.
“I’ve lived all over Louisville, but I’ve been in Old Louisville 16 years and I will not move,” Stewart says with a resolute look. “Old Louisville is a microcosm of the US: a melting pot of people…and my heart is here.”
I look around the room again and imagine how it will look when the office building is back to its original form, with windows for walls and no more drop ceiling. Central Park looks beautiful in the afternoon, and I imagine KY Shakespeare in the Park, concerts, weddings, and picnics on warmer days. Stewart wants to identify and name every tree in this park, another one of her goals. I look up at her and we smile at one another. We both get it. Old Louisville is pretty darn special.
–Stacy Geyer
Five OLNC Committees
I want to shout about:
PIC – Property & Improvement Committee
The PIC keeps track of vacant or boarded up properties in disrepair. If people aren’t taking care of their property, they first try to help them. The second step is turning them in to the city.
ZALU – Zoning & Land Use
ZALU looks at zoning issues when one of the homes in OL is up for sale. Good: taking a home with 4 apartments and making it a single family home. Bad: trying to split up a single-family home into apartments.
The rule? A single family home has to stay single family. If a home that is already separated into apartments has been vacant for over a year and it was built prior to 1900, it reverts back into single family status.
S.A.F.E. – Saftey Awarness for Everyone
This group focuses on how to keep the neighborhood safe and not open to crime.
CEC – Community Events Committee
This group deals with everything from book clubs, dinners, and game outings. They are looking to create a Mahjongg Club – a tile game similar to Dominoes.
Ad Hoc
This group was pulled together with people who had new ideas. For example, someone thought a Spring Festival would be great – now it’s slated for May 19th. Currently, the committee is looking for people to champion the festival and make it happen.
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