Restore Eyesore
The Gaulbert Pavilion at Big Rock in Cherokee Park received the Eyesore of the week in the April 22 LEO Weekly. Sadly, this historic building continues to deteriorate due to vandalism and general disrepair.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy shares the public’s concern about this historic pavilion. It was built in the early 1900s and was sited by the Olmsted brothers to take advantage of one of the most beautiful scenes in Louisville. The Big Rock area is a source of wonderful memories for countless Louisvillians.
The Conservancy has earmarked funds to repair the tile roof. Unfortunately, repairing the roof is only a first step. Below the roof lie the expansive wooden eaves and the crumbling stucco structure. To repair all will cost some $250,000; double that for a true historic restoration. The Conservancy’s limited funds, raised from private donations (not tax revenues!) could not cover that.
Where will the money come from? Metro Parks, a victim of budget cuts, holds little hope of fitting this into its already-stretched budget. While the Conservancy is soliciting funding from other local and national donor sources, we also ask our fellow Louisvillians to contribute.
Nearly 84,000 people read LEO every week. If each reader contributed just $5, restoration of the Big Rock pavilion could start immediately. You may donate to Olmsted Parks Conservancy, 1299 Trevilian Way, or www.olmstedparks.org. Join the effort to erase this eyesore and restore the Pavilion to its original beauty for all Louisvillians to enjoy.
Mimi Zinniel, President/CEO of Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Indian Hills
Dormant Posers
I’m wondering who thought a two-page article on Duncan Barlow was a good idea (LEO Weekly, April 22). Near as I can tell, a minor local talent from 20 years ago who now lives out of state and teaches English isn’t exactly newsworthy. I’m guessing the point of the article was to drum up nostalgia in people for that bygone hardcore scene. My question is ... who’s missing it?
Speaking as someone who was in high school from 1987-1991, let me offer my memories of that time. “Hardcore” was a label attached to any youthful band that played loudly (and usually badly) and screamed even louder. The music was neither melodic nor catchy, and I would go so far as to say barely tolerable. These bands were stuck playing “all ages” shows at venues like Tewligans. It was hard to tell if the audience (mostly 14-17-year-olds) was actually there because they liked the music, or if it was just a place they could hang out at night.
Although there was a big “straight edge” movement at the time, most of these “musicians” spent their time hanging out in someone’s basement, getting high and trying to cash in on their celebrity by working their way into the pants of some clueless 15-year-old girl.
The scene was sad, dirty and mostly pathetic. I remember all of my real musician friends at the time making fun of everyone involved in the scene. Seriously, LEO ... let sleeping posers lie.
Ryzek Mal, Springhurst
All Natural
Regarding Phillip M. Bailey’s article “The corn that grew from concrete” in the April 15 LEO Weekly: I would much rather buy a local, hydroponic tomato from Joe Trigg in the winter months than purchase one flown in from Mexico. However, vegetables grown hydroponically can’t compare to ones grown naturally, in soil, nourished by sunlight, rainwater, air and the other elements that create them. Hydroponic vegetables lack that special something that can’t be measured by science or created in a lab. Scientists can provide plants with all the nutrients found in soil, and yet, they won’t end up with a vegetable that compares to one raised in the ground. Plants grown in artificial environments are artificial.
I noticed a few points in the article that needed correction:
1) The Smoketown market at Meyzeek Middle School has been accepting Food Stamps and WIC and Senior Vouchers for a number of years and will continue to accept them in the upcoming market season, beginning May 16.
2) As far as I know, cow manure takes six to 12 months to break down in a garden, not three days, and no one should grow edible foods on land that has been treated recently with raw manure, as this could be a serious health risk. Raw manure can contain a number of harmful bacteria, including e-coli, that can end up on unwashed vegetables. Also, the plants will be burnt from excessive nitrogen in the soil.
We certainly need more farmers serving the West End market, but we have to be careful not to reinvent the wheel. I hope Joe Trigg can work with the food-distribution and farmer-support systems already in place in the West End, namely Grasshoppers Distribution and Community Farm Alliance, because their partnership would serve our community well.
Valerie Magnuson, Crestwood
Not Representin'
I attended Dr. Ricky Jones’s forum on April 14 at Expressions of You Café. A diverse group of people attended. Most notable were Dr. Milton Young and Judge Toni Stringer. Both gave excellent examples of problems facing Louisville’s black youth. They also gave examples of possible solutions. Bravo to both of them. The problem, as I see it, was: Where were those so-called black elected officials? State Rep. Darryl Owens was there for about 30 minutes. Other than Stringer and Owens, none of the so-called Who’s Who in black Louisville was there. Most notably missing-in-action were black elected officials whose districts are affected with high crime rates, high unemployment, low/non-existent economies and many more problems too numerous to list here.
I will probably be vilified for listing the names of those missing, but I am fed up with these so-called elites of black Louisville who tout themselves as being great “self-achievers.” Those missing-in-action include Metro Councilwomen Cheri Bryant Hamilton, Judy Green and Mary Woolridge, Councilmen David Tandy and George Unseld, state Sen. Gerald Neal and state Rep. Reginald Meeks. Also missing were the megachurch preachers. I realize some were missing because they had other prior commitments. But I guarantee they showed up at most of the Derby parties around town.
All of them, in my opinion, need to be fired. Seems like they only care about themselves and their image.
Keith Lewis, Downtown
Runaway Litter
The Mini Marathon is a wonderful event, of course. However, the littering of hundreds of plastic bottles on the streets from the participants is not so good. It really shows that people don’t care about the environment on a large scale. I know they are running and that they are thirsty and all that, but can something be done to stop the littering?
Daisy Edwards, Highlands
