"Livability" Report Presented to Shawnee, Portland Neighborhoods Tuesday

Louisville Metro Parks officials and community leaders from the Shawnee and Portland neighborhoods will present a report on the barriers to healthy living Tuesday evening.The “livability” report was paid for by federal stimulus funds and is aimed at reducing obesity, largely by making the area more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists."Walkability is a good thing," said Dre Dawson who served as a resident on the advisory committee.Dawson, like others in the Shawnee and Portland neighborhoods, would like to see the waterfront open up. Part of this involves connecting the various parks in the area and making them more "active," he said.A large part of the report being presented addresses the need for a detour around an eroded portion of the Louisville Loop trail, said Carolyn Cromer, environmental planner with Metro Parks.The original Loop path needs to be maintained and fixed, but a permanent detour needs to be in place until flooding problems are solved, she said.“Specifically for Metro Parks we wanted to make sure people had a safe way to get to the Louisville Loop and to nearby parks wither via walking or bicycle, anything other than getting into a car," Cromer said.Residents identified several problems regarding access around the neighborhoods, she said.“But the number one issue that people had was speeding on Northwestern Parkway. Other issues were a lack of sidewalks and connectivity in the neighborhood or sidewalks that needed repair," she said.The report addresses short and long-term projects that different groups may decide to take on.