(Washington,DC)CongressapprovedthefinalbudgetforFY2008today,andCongressmanJohnYarmuth(KY-3)succeededinsecuringmorethan$50millionforLouisvilleprojectsintheomnibusappropriationsbill,andmorethan$55millionoverallthisyear.
“We’refundingmorethantwodozenlocalprojectsrangingfortransportationandinfrastructuretoeducationandhealth,tojobgrowthandinfrastructure,”Yarmuthsaid. “Thepeopleofthiscommunityaredoingamazingthings,andI’mpleasedtobeabletobringbacksomefederalsupport.”
ThebillwillnowgotothePresident’sdeskwhereitisexpectedtobesignedintolaw.
Louisville’sprojectsaredetailedbelow.
EnergyandWater
$150,000–LouisvilleScienceCenter*
MainStreet’slandmarksciencecenterwilldevelophands-onscienceandmatheducationprograms,presentations,andlabsfordeliveryinanewScienceEducationWing.Thenewresourceswillfocusonmath,physicalscience,chemistry,engineering;biology,healthandlifesciences;andnatural,earth,spaceandenvironmentalsciences.Theprogramswillbedeliveredtopre-kthrough12students,teachers,andfamilies. [Commerce-JusticeSciencealsoapproved$50,000fortheprogram]
$98,000–FloodDamageReductionFeasibilityStudy
InMarch,1997,theareasurroundingChurchillDownsexperiencedsevereflooding,withdamagesexceeding$20millionandannual,residualcostsover$22million. Thisstudywillevaluatedetentionbasins,backflowpreventors,andmodificationstoexistingpumpstationsinordertotheninsertsafeguardstopreventfutureflooding.
$148,000–MillCreekFloodRiskFeasibilityStudy
About3,300homesandbusinessesaresubjecttomassivefloodingfromtheOhioRiveraswellasMillCreekanditstributaries. In1988,MSDcompletedtheSouthwestJeffersonCountyLocalProtectionProject(SWJCLLP)toprotecttheMillCreekbasinfromOhioRiverflooding;however,interiorfloodingintheMillCreekbasincontinuestobeathreat. TheMetroLouisvilleMillCreekfeasibilitystudywillprovidedetailedevaluationofthefloodrisks,thealternativesidentifiedin1997,andotherflooddamagereductionmeasures. Thesemeasuresareexpectedtosignificantlyreduceoreliminatedamagestoflood-pronepropertiesintheMillCreekbasin.
$44,280,000–McAlpineLocksandDam(JointProjectwithMcConnell)
Fundswillbeusedtoconstructa132,000squarefootlockandaccessbridgetoShippingportIsland. The$430millionprojectwasscheduledforcompletioninJanuaryof2009,butwasunderfundedinFY06,slowingconstructionandforcing68craftemployeestobelaidoff. Thisyear’sappropriationwillhelpgettheprojectbackonschedule.
“EachdownpourshouldnotbringaboutfreshfearsoffloodingforLouisvillefamilies,”Yarmuthsaid. “ThisfundingwillhelpensurethattheresidentsofShively,PRP,andotherareasintheSouthandWestEndsnolongerfacethisregularandcostlythreat.”
Labor,Health&HumanServices–Education
$243,000–DentalMobileHealthUnit
Effectingmorethanhalfofallchildrenagessixtoeight,toothdecayisAmerica’smostcommonchildhooddisease,anditgoesuntreatedforfartoomanychildren,especiallythoselivinginpoverty. Furthermore,toothdecaydisproportionatelyaffectsadultslivinginpovertyaswellasseniors. Thisfundingwillbeusedforafullyequippedmobiledentalhealthunittoprovidenecessarydentalcaretolow-incomecommunitiesandseniorhousingunits.
$243,000–CenterforHealthEquity
TheCenterforHealthEquityisanationallyuniquecenterthataddresseshealthdisparitiesthatexistbetweenpopulationsbaseduponsocialfactors. Thecenterwilladdresstheseissuesthroughcommunity-basedparticipatoryresearch,communitydemonstrationprojects,meaningfulevaluationmethodologies,andpolicydevelopment. Thisfundingwillbeusedtocreateafullyfunctioningcenterwhichwilldevelopacomprehensivedatabaseforresearchpurposes,trainhealthcareprofessionals,researchpolicyinitiatives,anddevelopsocialmarketingcampaigns.
$97,000–VisuallyImpairedPreschoolServices
VisuallyImpairedPreschoolServicesisnationallyrecognizedfortheservicestheyprovidetoblindandvisuallyimpairedchildrenandtheirfamilies,providein-homeintervention,schoolconsultations,andeducationalmaterials. Thisfundingwillbeusedtosupportafullyfunctioningpreschooltomeetthespecificneedsofthemostseverelyvisuallyimpairedchildren. Skillstaughtwillincludepre-Braille,orientationandmobility,anddailylivingskills.
$147,000–ProjectOne,SummerEarningsandEnrichmentProgram
TheSummerEarningsandEnrichmentProgram(SEEP)isdedicatedtothesuccessfultransitionofyouthintoproductiveadulthood. Thisfundingwillbeusedtoserve1,000economicallydisadvantagedyouthbyprovidingsummerjobplacement,workforceskillstraining,tutoring,mentoring,andothereducationalandsupportservices.
$97,000–LouisvilleMen’sHealthProgram
Itiswelldocumentedthatmenseekpreventativehealthcarefarlessthanwomen,andmenliveshorterlivesthanwomen. TheLouisvilleMetroDepartmentofPublicHealthandWellness’Men’sHealthProgramwillexaminespecificmethodsforimprovingandprovidingpreventativehealthcaretomen. Thisfundingwillbeusedtoaddressdiseaseandobesityprevention,oralhealth,stressmanagement,andotherpreventativehealthcaremethods.
“Withskyrocketinghealthcarecostsleavingmillionsofourfellowcitizenswithoutthecaretheyneed,moreandmorepeopledependonqualitycommunityprogramsfortreatmentandprevention,”YarmuthsaidoffundingforaDentalMobileHealthUnit,CenterforHealthEquity,andaMen’sHealthProgram. “Untilweareabletomendourbrokenhealthcaresystem,fundingcrucialprogramslikethesemustbeatoppriority.”
Commerce-Justice-Science
$492,000–LouisvilleMetropolitanPoliceDepartmentMobileDataComputers
TheLouisvilleMetropolitanPoliceDepartment(LMPD)willusethisfundingtoreplacemobiledatacomputersthatareoutdatedandunabletoberepaired. LMPDdependsheavilyonthesemachines,butthedatedmodelshavebeenfailingandarenotcompatibleorupgradeabletousewithcurrentprograms. Thefundingwillbeusedtosupportthecontinuationofthisreplacementprogramwhichisalreadyunderway.
$211,500–YouthSafetyAwarenessInitiative
NationalSafePlace,headquarteredandfoundedinLouisville,isayouthoutreachprogramthatoperatesatthecommunitylevelnationwidetoprovidesafehavensandresourcesforyouthincrisis. TheSafePlaceprogramhasbeenreplicatedby140agenciesin700communities. Thisfundingwillbeusedtoincreaseat-riskchildrenandteens’awarenessofservicesthroughSafePlaceandencouragethemtomakesafetyapriority. Acomprehensiveawarenesscampaignthatwillincludepublicservicespots,withayouth-friendlycelebritydeliveringthemessagetoyouththatseekinghelpisabettersolutiontoproblemsthanrunningaway.Billboardswillbedesigned,producedandstrategicallyplaced,reinforcingthesamemessageand1,000,000brochuresfocusingonkeyyouthsafetyissuesincludingInternetSafety,datingviolence,personalsafetyandrelatedissueswillbeproduced. ThecampaignwillbelaunchedinLouisville.
$141,000–BatesMemorial
TheBatesCommunityDevelopmentCorporationisdedicatedtoprovidingawiderangeofcommunitydevelopmentactivitiesandsocialservicestoadvancecommunitylifeintheLouisvillemetropolitanarea. Thisfundingwillbeusedtosupporteducationalresourcesforat-riskyouthandtheirfamiliesinordertopreventminorsfrompursuingdestructiveandcriminalactivities.
$47,000–Boy’sHavenLifeSkillsProgram
Boys’Havenisaprivatenon-profitagencydedicatedtoservingabused,homelessandstrugglingyouthandfamiliesintheLouisvillemetropolitanarea. ThisfundingwillbeusedfortheirLifeSkillsCommunityCenter. ThiscenterwillserveKentucky’smostneglectedandat-riskyouth,providingcounseling,consultationandassessment,medicalandnursingservices,familyreunificationservices,mentoring,casemanagement,stafftraining,clinicalsupervisionoftherapists,andfostercareservices.
$47,000–LouisvilleScienceCenterEducationProgram*
[ThisisthesameprogramfundedinpartbyEnergyandWater. SeeAbove.]
$47,000–Maryhurst-ResidentialCareConsortiumforAt-RiskYouth
Maryhurst,theKentuckymemberofResidentialCareConsortium(RCC)isanationalorganizationofmulti-serviceagenciesforyouththatworktoadvancetheinterestsofunderprivileged,at-risk,anddisadvantagedchildren,youngadults,andtheirfamilies. ThefundingwillbeusedtofundstafftrainingandretentioneffortsatMaryhurst’sresidentialcarefacilities.
“Becauseoftheeffectivenessoforganizationsinourcommunity,Louisvillehasestablisheditselfasanationalleaderinour effortstohelpdisadvantagedyouth,”Yarmuthsaidofthefourprogramsthatworkwithat-riskyouth. “Bysupportingtheirdedicatedwork,wecanensurethatallLouisvillekidsfromhavethechancetosucceedandovercometheirobstaclestosuccess.”
Transportation-HousingandUrbanDevelopment
$980,000-TheOhioRiverBridgesProject
ThefundingwillbeusedforthetwonewOhioRiverbridgesaswellasreconstructionof“SpaghettiJunction”indowntownLouisville. TheU.S.DepartmentofTransportationrecentlyrecognizedtheprojectasoneofthemostfivelargestandmostsignificanttransportationprojectsinthenation.
$245,000-TARCCleanBusProgram
ThisfundingwillhelpLouisville’sTransitAuthorityofRiverCity(TARC)willreplace15older,poorperformingbuseswithnew,clean-dieselbuses.Thenewstate-of-the-artbuseswillgiveTARCatopnotchandenvironmentallyfriendlyfleetofbusesunrivaledbymostmajorcities.
$196,000-NewZionCommunityResourceCenter’sWestEndSchool
NewZionCommunityResourceCenterwillrenovatespaceforitsWestEndSchoolProgram,aboardingschoolthathelpsat-riskmiddleschoolboysbecomeresponsibleandproductivecitizens byprovidingtheeducationandlifeskillsneededtosucceedintheworkforce. Therenovationwillincludetheconstructionofdormitoryspace,studentlounge,facultyapartmentsandclassrooms,andaccommodateotherstudentandfacultyneeds.
$1,225,000-LouisvilleInternationalAirport:Runwaywidening,lightingandsignageupgrades(JointProjectwithMcConnell)
UpgradeswillbemadetoimprovecapacityandsafetyLouisvilleInternationalAirport(SDF)toaccommodateGroupVIaircraft. SDFhasseentwodecadesoftremendousgrowthandthesefundswillbeusedforrunwayexpansionaswellastheimplementationofrequiredupgradesoflightingandsignage,thatwillhelptaketheairporttothenextlevelinitsroleasaninternationalhub.
$98,000-St.CeciliaSeniorHouseProject
CatholicCharitieswillusethisfundingtorenovateahistoricdesignatedformerparochialschooltocreateaffordablehousingunits. Thecomplex,whichisonthehistoricdesignationregistry,willprovide30unitsofaffordablehousingforlow-incomeseniors.
“AsLouisvillecontinuestogrow,bothinsizeandstature,transportationandcommunitydevelopmentissueshavebeenpushedtotheforefrontofouragenda,”Yarmuthsaid. “I’mgladthatIwasabletohelpputLouisville’staxdollarsbacktoworkforthecommunity.”
$2million–JewishHospital&St.Mary’sFoundation–CompositeTissueAllotransplantation
JewishHospital&St.Mary’sFoundationalongwiththeUniversityofLouisvilleandtheKleinert-KutzInstitutehaspioneeredcompositetissueallotransplantation(CTA),atransplanttechniquethatwouldeliminatetheneedforimmunosuppressantsintransplantpatients. Thefundingwillgotowardcontinuedresearchanddevelopmentoftherevolutionaryprocedure,whichutilizesstemcelltherapytopreventthebodyfromrejectingtransplantedtissue. Currently,transplantpatientsmusttakemedicationthatweakenstheirimmunesystemfortherestoftheirlivesinordertopreventtissuerejection,butCTAreplacesthispracticewithonethatnolongerendangerstheoverallhealthofthepatient. Thankstoimprovedstemcellprocessing,CTAwillbetestedtotreatamputees,aswellaspatientswithautoimmunediseaselikeMultipleSclerosis(MS),RheumatoidArthritis,andlupus.
$1million–UofL-RegionalNMRFacility
NuclearMagneticResonance(NMR)spectroscopyisusedtodeterminethecontentandpurityofachemicalsampleaswellasitsmolecularstructure.ThestudyofmolecularstructureatUofLhasmaderapidstridesoverthepastseveralyearsdueinparttoitspartnershipsinthisarea.Thestudiesarecriticaltothedevelopmentoffuelcellsandinbiologicalandenvironmentalresearch. ThefundingwillupgradecriticalequipmentandincreasetrainedpersonneltocreateaservicecentertohelpexpandpartnershipsbetweenUniversityresearchersaswellasprovideexpertiseforlocalindustry.
$1.28million–UofL-DigitalDirectedManufacturing
(JointProjectwithMcConnell)
DirectDigitalManufacturing(DDM)revolutionizesRapidPrototyping(RP),inwhichminiature,complex,metalcomponentsareconstructedinsmallquantities,usinglaserstobuildthepartdirectlyfromadesign. Thecurrentprocedurebuildsaplasticmold,whichisthenreproducedasafunctionalpart. Incasesotherthanmass-production,thistechniqueishighcostandlaborintensive. DDMcutsoutthemiddlesteptobuildthecomponentdirectlyfromthedesignsavingmoneyandtime.
$1million–Genscape-WirelessTechnologyforElectricTransmissionLineMonitoring
GenscapewilldevelopatransmissionlinemonitoringnetworkfortheUSelectricitygridthatwillserveasafirststage,independent,rapidalertingsystemprovidingwide-areagridvisibilityintheeventofasystemdisruption. Theearlydetectionwillhelppreventpowerfailuresandfacilitateaswiftresponsetoirregularitiesbeforetheybecomeproblematic.
“ThisfundingisatestamenttothetremendousinnovationthattakesplaceinLouisville,particularlyatUofLandJewishHospital/St.Mary’s,”CongressmanYarmuthsaid. “Theyareamongtheworld’sleadersindevelopingnewtechnologies,andIamproudtobeinapositiontoprovidesupport.”
FinancialServices
$282,000–Metacyte
AnewlabwillhelpMetaCyteaugmentexistingservicesforsmallbusinessesinLouisvillethatdevelopcommercialtechnologiesandemerginglifesciencecompanies. Itwillbeequippedwithresourcestosupportdiscoveryresearch,validation,andfurtheringoftechnologiesindisciplinessuchascellandmolecularbiology,biochemistry,biomedical,analytical,organicandinorganicchemistry.Smallbusinesseswillusethelabtoconservefunding,dedicatingmostcapitaltotechnologydevelopmentattheseearlystages.
“ThislabwillhelpLouisvilleremainonthecuttingedgeofscientificadvancesandcreategoodjobsforourcommunitybysupportingthebackboneofoureconomy:oursmallbusiness,”Yarmuthsaid.
InteriorAppropriations
$500,000–ShivelySewers
Shivelywillconstruct21,000feetofnewsanitaryinterceptorsewerstoreplaceShively’soutdatedpumpstations. Forthelastfiveyears,about2milliongallonsofsewagehaveoverflowedintothehomesandbusinessesofShively’s1,500residents. Inadditiontothetremendouscostandhassleofcleaningupthespills,residentshavesitedtheunsanitaryconditionsthatresultfromtheregularfilthandstench. Currently,MetropolitanSewerDistrictspendsabout$100,000yearlytopumpsewageintotankertrucksinanefforttopreventoverflowforareafamilies,buthaveexperiencedonlymoderatesuccessduetothetremendousvolumeduringheavyrains.
“ThepeopleofShivelydeservetoraisetheirfamiliesinsanitaryconditionsandshouldnothavetoconstantlyworryaboutseweroverflow,”Yarmuthsaid. “I’mverypleasedthatwewereabletosecurethisfunding.”
HomelandSecurity
$200,000-Louisville-Real-timeFloodPredictionandProtection
ThisprojectwilltelemeterexistingstreamgaugesinareasofLouisvillewherethestreamschronicallyoverflowintofloodplains.StagelevelgaugeswillalsobemountedontheupperandlowerpoolsoftheOhioRivertoprovidehourlyreadings. (Hourlyupdateswillallowmoretimelydecisionsduringpotentialfloodperiodsratherthanrelianceonthecurrent24-hourgaugereadings.) ItisthegoalofthisprojecttoprovidethenecessaryfloodwarninginformationtothecitizensofLouisville.ThisinformationwillbeusedbytheNationalWeatherServiceandallemergencyagenciestopredictflashfloodsandissuefloodwatchesandwarningsfortheirprotection.