The Louisville Metro Council held its regular meeting on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 6:06 PM in Council Chambers, adjourning at 7:34 PM. The meeting included recognitions, public addresses, approval of the consent calendar, debate and votes on several old business items, and introduction of new legislation.
Over the course of the last year, Barstown Road and the Highlands area has seen a multitude of changes. Some have been met with enthusiasm from the community, and others have been the source of concern for residents and businesses. Joining us today for our discussion about all there is to celebrate about the highlands and the ways that it can respond to these present challenges and opportunities. We have with us three panelists. If you've heard that Louisville is the economic engine of the state, if you've heard that before, then surely of that engine, Barstown Road in the Highlands has to be a cylinder in that engine, and it deserves proper investment and uh leadership to carry that forward. Barstown Road essentially has two Barstown Roads. You have a daytown Barstown Road, and you have a nighttown Barstown Road. And one has issues and one has a perception issue. So Daytown, I would say is probably the safest area of the city. Statistically speaking, there are no issues on Barstown Road in the daytime. We get into the nighttime. In the past, have there been issues? Absolutely. Have there been shootings? Yes. Have there been murders? Yes. As last year, has there been a murder? No. We are digging ourselves out of where we came from from 2020. I'm a carpenter physician, so that seems to be like kind of a catch-all. So it could be anything from like repairing walls to help clean up after a flood or whatnot. Um, but also building a window for uh to replace the city hall. And I think that is what I enjoy the most about working at Metro is it's a variety of tasks. Whereas my previous job was just straight carpentry, and we're working all the time, whereas it's quite the variety here. I'm the plumber here at facilities here at Metro downtown on the North Side crew. So Metro Hall, City Hall, see Metro Council people all the time, and of course our mayor. Um what I like working most about Metro is uh getting to interact with the public, giving people directions, which we do very often, and uh the sense of community here downtown. It's a really good crew. I'm a bigger. I do motor, training, you know, different prices coming along. I enjoy everything and everybody. Nobody here at once like the Unicold, I'm so excited on this Earth Day, the 56th birthday that we've had. We're here to launch the fifth consecutive Solarized Louisville campaign here in our city. The Solarized Louisville program has delivered a record 89 residential and commercial projects in 2025, and we look forward to so many more in the coming years. These transformative projects show what's possible when trusted partners, clear information, and community commitment come together to make clean energy accessible to all. The program streamsline the entire process by matching participants with a vetted installer, providing step-by-step guidance, and offering steeply discounted pricing. Solarized Louisville is proof that when you remove barriers and give citizens a clear, trusted path to clean energy, they take it. Lower bills, predictable energy costs, and a smaller carbon footprint are all characteristics of our 300 plus projects and households and nonprofits across the city. How detailed the review depends on the size and type of your project. Coming this May, you can fly nonstop to Gulf Shores Orange Beach, Hartford, and Pittsburgh. Getting there is a breeze with Louisville Mohammed Ali International Airport. Visit Fly Louisville. I knew it was something that was needed in our community. And use it in a way of positive situations in their lives. Also, who has the program and who's facilitating a program truly matters, especially for youth like my son. His legs hurt. His energy level, I could just tell with his energy level. I know the first day of asking him, you know, we're coming back, and he was like, for sure. And so excited, we end up bringing our cousin too.