The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page B2

B2 THE COURIER-JOURNAL EDITOR: VEDA MORGAN PHONE: 582-4167 FAX: 582-7080 Neighborhoods DAILY NEWS REPORT BRIDGE CLOSING Clark Memorial (Second Street) Bridge: Northbound and southbound lanes will be closed from 8 tonight through 4 a.m. tomorrowto allow for replacing bearing devices as part of the bridge-deck- replacement project. TARC UPDATE The Transit Authority of River Cardinal Express service will be available to the University of Louisville-University of Houston football game tomorrowat Papa Cardinal Stadium. Rides are $3. Buses will arrive at the stadium one hour before the 3 p.m.

kickoff. The buses will leave 45 minutes after the gameends. Passengers will be picked up at the Forum Center at 1p.m. (park in the middle of the lot away from stores and restaurants); McMahan Center at 1:20 p.m.; and Bashford Manor at 1:30 p.m. The drop-off and pickup site is on Floyd Street near the main gate of the stadium.

The Cardinal Express will also be available to the UofL basketball game at 2 p.m. Sun- dayat Freedom Hall. Buses will arrive at 1:30 p.m. Passengers will be picked up at the Forum Center at 12:30 p.m.; McMahan Center at 12:50 p.m.; and Bashford Manor at 1p.m. For more information, call TARC at 585-1234or TTY at 587-8255; or check www.ride- tarc.org.

KENTUCKY FAIR EXPOSITION CENTER Traffic on roads around the fairgrounds (Interstate 65, Watterson Expressway, Phillips Lane, Crittenden Drive and Preston Highway) is expected to be congested from 1to 2 p.m. Sundaybecause of these events and attractions: University of Louisville basketball exhibition to 4 p.m. UofL Lady Cards vs. Indiana Lady Stars basketball game, 6:30 p.m. People are advised to arrive early and use Gates 2, 4 and 6.

SHAWNEE EXPRESSWAY 34th and Duncan streets: Closed under I-264 for bridge work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondaythrough Wednesday. I-264 eastbound: Construction activityand lane clo- suresare possible from near Bank Street to just east of Dixie Highway. The speed limit is reduced to 45 mph, and lanes will be narrowed in some places.

There are no shoulders in the area, and disabled or abandoned vehicles will be towed. Northbound Dixie Highway ramp to eastbound I-264: Reduced to one lane. Motorists must use the right-hand lane to access eastbound I-264. Northbound and southbound Dixie Highway: One-lane traffic is possible from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

daily, between Heaton Road and Garrs Lane. River Park Ali Boulevard entrance ramp to westbound I-264: Closed until 6 a.m. Monday. Motorists should detour via eastbound I-264 to the Virginia Avenue will provide access to an open westbound I-264 entrance ramp. TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Photos of traffic conditions are available from the TRIMARC network.

You can view the C-J TrafficCam at www.courier-journal.com. A ROUNDTHE OUNTIES JEFFERSON CRESCENT HILL benefits fund The 2003 Olde Tyme Christmas Santa Sprint 5K sponsored by the Frankfort Avenue Business Association, will begin at 9 a.m. Dec. 6 on Peterson Avenue next to Barret Middle School. Late registration will be at 8 a.m.

at the school. The fee, which includes a long-sleeve T-shirt, is $10 for students, $12 for others and $30 for families (up to five) through Monday; or $12 for students, $15 for others and $40 for families afterward. Proceeds will benefit the United Crescent Hill Emergency Assistance Fund. Entry forms are available at most Frankfort Avenue businesses or at the ministriesoffice, 1860 Frankfort Ave. Smith WILDER PARK Church offers free Thanksgiving dinner A free Thanksgiving dinner, sponsored by South Louisville Christian Church, will be served from 11:30 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the church, 3845 Southern Parkway. Reservations are required by Monday: call 361-2379. Transportation may be available. Smith LYNDON Turkey Trot set Thanksgiving Day The 33rd Annual Turkey Trot will be held Thursday at the Northeast Family Branch YMCA, 9400 Mill Brook Road.

A 6-mile run will begin at 8:15 a.m., a short run and fitness walk at 8:30 and for ages 2-10 at 9:15. Late registrations will be available from 7 to 7:45 a.m. The fee is $18 for walkers and runners, and $15 for ages 10 and younger through today and $22 for runners and walkers and $15 for ages 10 and younger afterward. A family entry fee for four is available for $50, with an extra $5 for each additional person. For more information, call 425-1271.

Smith DOWNTOWN Turkey-free dinner planned Sunday EarthSave 12th Annual Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Sundayat Glassworks, 815 W. Market St. The keynote speaker will be Jeffrey Smith, author of the recently published of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Food A silent auction of items donated by local businesses is also planned. Tickets are $35 for members and $45 for others.

For more information, call 458-8515. Smith CLIFTON Gathering features music, poetry, art The first monthly gathering called The Collaboratory devoted to music, poetry and art will be held at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at James Lees Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1741Frankfort Ave. The first half of the evening will be devoted to performances, followed by an open mike and collaborative sessions among performers. The gathering also is sponsored by the Center for Faith and Action.

Admission is food will be served. The Collaboratory will be held the fourth Saturday of each month. The next session will be Dec. 27. Elson BULLITT CLERMONT Bernheim offers hiking, history Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Ky.

245 in Clermont, will offer these programs: Young Explorers Micro Hike, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 29. For ages 5 and older.

Children should dress for the weather and be prepared for a short hike. Free, with membership or paid gate admission. Window in the 1to 3 p.m. Nov. 29.

Mike Nolan, development director at Bernheim, will talk about coal-fueled iron furnaces in the region in the mid-1800s. The group will visit a mining site and a nearby iron furnace. Fee: $7 for members and $12 for others. Meet at the Visitors Center. For more information or registration, call 955-8512.

Smith OLDHAM Fiscal Court fires building inspector Jeffrey Withrow, Oldham chief building inspector, was fired by Fiscal Court effective Nov. 17. The court took action at its Nov. 18 meeting. Withrow was terminated because his job performance was not satisfactory, said County Attorney John Fendley.

six-month probationary period already had been extended three months by mutual agreement, Fendley said. The county is advertising for a successor, said Judge-Executive Mary Ellen Kinser. Ellis Is there a public works or road project you have a question about? Is there an abandoned building, unmowed public area or housing or commercial development you have a question about? Send your questions, including your daytime telephone number, to YOU ASKED, The Courier-Journal, 525 W. Broadway, P.O. Box 740031, Louisville, Ky.

40201-7431, or fax them to 582-7080. Questions? Coping with the commute The opening last week of the 1.5-mile extension of Jefferson Boulevard between Outer Loop and Poplar Level Road paved the way for the construction of a business park. The development, Jefferson Commerce Park, is a project of the McD Land Development Corp.Last year the Louisville-Jefferson County Planning Commission (now the Louisville Metro Planning Commission) recommended that the property be re- zoned to enterprise zone, from singlefamily residential, to accommodate the project. But a required finalized plan was never filed by the developer, said Connie Ewing, a commission spokeswoman. Ray McDonald who has owned the 45-acre site for more than 34 years and has planted corn and beans on it, said his company opted to hold off on construction until the state Department of Highways completed the Jefferson Boulevard extension.

Now that it is finished, a finalized plan for Jefferson Commerce Park will be filed this week, he said. Jefferson Commerce Park will be located on the east side of Jefferson Boulevard between Fern Valley Road and the CSX railroad tracks, and will include about 17 lots for warehouses, offices and light industry. A walkway for neighboring subdivisions will be built around the park and will connectto sidewalks along Jefferson Boulevard to encourage pedestrian use, McDonald said. McDonald is unsure whether he will sell the lots to businesses or lease them. His company is in negotiations with possible clients.

The Jefferson Boulevard ex- tension will allow construction crews direct access to the business-park property without having to travel through the Sunshine Acres subdivision, which is east and south of the park, McDonald said. Jefferson Commerce Park sits just north of a partially built retail development, Jefferson Pavilion, that is owned by The Richard E. Jacobs Group of Cleveland. The Jacobs Group, former owner of Jefferson Mall, expects to build 12 stores and two restaurants in that development. Jefferson first store, Target, opened this summer.

The Jacobs Group also plans to develop 4.8 acres on the west side of Jefferson Boulevard and north of McCawley Road. That development, Jefferson West, was split from Jefferson Pavilion by the extension of Jefferson Boulevard. Metro Councilwoman Madonna Flood, D-24th District, who represents the area, said recent retail developments are exciting for the people of Okolona, and an extended Jefferson Boulevard should help ease traffic congestion in the shopping area. going to be great economic she said. LEVEL FERNVALLEY ROAD OUTER LOOP Jefferson Mall JEFFERSON BLVD.

CSX R.R. TRACKS JeffersonJefferson Jefferson CommerceCommerce Commerce ParkPark Park BY STEVE DURBIN, THE C-J McCAWLEY ROAD New road paves way for Okolona business park By SCHERI SMITH The Courier-Journal Dog-walkers, birdwatchers and joggers who use E.P. Sawyer Park now have a larger playground. only urban state park yesterday took control of nearly 50 acres of open land from neighboring Central State Hospital. The property is along Lakeland Road.

is truly a red-letter day in the history of this state Tourism Development Secretary Ann Lattasaid yesterday during a property-transfer ceremony at the park. state park properties this one is the only one in an urban area. To see it grow fulfills a unique Lt. Gov. Steve Henry praised the foresight of community leaders who made the transfer possible.

Ten years ago, Henry, as a Jefferson County commissioner, helped in an effort that led to nearly in state and county money being used to clear the land. Buildings on it were razed after asbestos was removed. Henry credited the late Peyton Hoge, the longtime mayor of neighboring Anchorage; his two fellow commissioners at the time, Irv Maze and Darryl Owens; and former state Finance Secretary Pat Mulloy. Henry said the land would have been sold for development without their help. state was a month away from taking bids, and it could well have been sold for $1as surplus, when Peyton Hoge called Henry recalled.

it been for those individuals this land would have most likely been a very dense said. Sawyer Park Foundation chairman Carol Timmonssaid pleased that the land will be primarily for passive use. you look around see that it is al- ready being she said. Shortly after she spoke, Lyndon resident Tom Langstromand his dog Piker walked by the state and local officials. is the quiet end of the park as far as he said in the brisk, air.

more open space we can get, the Plans call for the park to spend about $40,000 to construct a gazebo and to erect a historical marker recognizing the lives of former patients at the mental health facility. Already on the land are restrooms and the pavilion that housed ceremony. just delighted with what said Jean Sawyer Hayes, widow of the namesake, E.P. Sawyer, a former Jefferson County judge who died in 1969. also the widow of Ray Hayes, a longtime superintendent of Central State who died in 1997.

still bring people to the park, and our family visits it Earlier this year Sawyer Park received 25 acres from Central State that was adjacent to the site transferred yesterday. That parcel had not been affected by building demolition or asbestos removal. Still on the drawing board is another 25-acre addition along Freys Hill Road where the Cardinal Treatment Center, a facility for delinquent youths, now operates. The center will move late next year to a new $10million facility nearby on LaGrange Road. proud to be the new owners of this said park manager Rita Stosberg.

when all said and done, the park will be 550 With the additions, Sawyer Park would remain the second- largest park in the county, behind the 739-acre Iroquois Park but larger than the 409-acre Cherokee Park. BY STEVE DURBIN, THE C-J E.P. "TOM" SAWYER STATE PARK 146 265 50 acres turned over this week 146 About 25 acres given to the park earlier this year Sawyer Park takes over 50 acres Added land had been part of Central property By STEVE CHAPLIN Special to The Courier-Journal Although they need scarves this winter, a gift from two sisters is bound to warm the hearts of two Louisville missionaries working in the Philippines. Erin and Jessie Smith have been sewing scarves in their spare time to sell at this Southwest Community Ministries craft fair, and they plan to send the money to missionaries Mike and Diane Tripp of Southeast Christian Church. love them and we love their work, and we want to help them any way we said Jessie, a sixth-grader at Noe Middle School.

Jessie, 11, said her her and Erin, 9, how to sew about two years ago, and the siblings tested their skills on making scarves for family members last Christmas. After the holidays were over, the girls started watching for fabric sales so they could buy enough to make more scarves to sell at the fair, which their grandfather John Smith helps run. As of last week the girls had sewn 30 scarves. The fair is a fund-raiser for Southwest Community Ministries, which helps families in need in southwestern Jefferson County. Money is raised through table rentals, a bake sale, a silent auction and a concession stand.

An anonymous donor contributed the $30 table rental fee so the girls could sell their scarves, which are made from colorful fleece fabric. The girls will sell them for $5 to $10 each. Teresa Smithdonated her entire dining room, which has been turned into a sewing room for her endeavor. Erin, a fourth-grader at Brandeis Elementary School, said at the beginning of the year that they spent a few hours on the weekends sewing scarves, but the last couple of months have been their busiest time. Jessie said making a simple scarf was at first very time-consuming, but so much practice, they can make up to four scarves in an hour.

Some of the scarves are accented with fringe or Smith said if the fund-raiser is successful, she would encourage the girls to do it again next year. TerriBatuello, a longtime friend of the Smiths and the Tripps who has known Jessie and Erin since they were infants, said the Tripps will appreciate the gift. will just thrill them to no end that these girls spent their free time, their play time, so they could reach other children for Batuello said. The Southwest Community Ministries Arts and Crafts Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

tomorrow at St. Paul Catholic Church, 6901Dixie Highway. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CLEVENGER, THE COURIER-JOURNAL Erin Smith, 9, left, and sister Jessie, 11, are sewing scarves to sell as a fund-raiser for missionaries. The scarves will be sold tomorrow at the Southwest Community Ministries arts fair. Sisters in sewing Girls use their skills with fabric, thread to aid missionary work in Philippines By PATTI SMITH Special to The Courier-Journal The girls at first found sewing a scarf time-consuming, but now they can sew about four scarves in an hour..