The Colony
Neighborhood
Summer News 2017
Letter from the President
Summer is going fast and thanks to the rain the neighborhood has been a beautiful lush green as we head into August. The goal of our Neighborhood Association is multi-faceted. The Board hopes to keep you informed on issues that impact our residents and at times the community as a whole. Additionally, the Board sponsors several events throughout the year. September 10, 2017 Thom Smith and Rodney will host our annual picnic, and in December we host the annual tree lighting. Both events in the past have been well attended and offer an opportunity to socialize and try out a wonderful mix of side dishes as we come together.
Several residents have sought me out to compliment how well the islands look. Jane Madden has devoted a great deal of time and physical effort to planting native, sustainable shrubs and flowering plants. Her keen eye has brightened the neighborhood and her work is much appreciated.
Starting in June and ending in July you might have heard sawing and chipping sounds along the Wildcat Chase Stream. This work is the result of a Water Quality Grant the Neighborhood received from Urban County Government in 2016. We're sorry for the noise, but the removal of invasive bush honeysuckle will make room for native plants which will in turn help protect the stream from erosion.
I look forward to seeing you out and about as we walk, work on our yards and attend our events. Thank you for making this a great neighborhood.
Sherri Weisenfluh, President
Colony Neighborhood Association
Our Neighbor in the Colony,
UK’s Palli Receives National Entomology Honor
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) recently named Reddy Palli of the University of Kentucky as the 2017 recipient of the Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology.
This award was created by an endowment from Nan-Yao Su to recognize creative entomologists who have found alternative solutions to problems that significantly impact entomology.
Palli is a professor and chair of the UK Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. He is the first recipient of this award from UK.
Palli studies hormone regulation of insect molting, metamorphosis and reproduction. He is internationally recognized for developing RNA (ribonucleic acid) interference technology that kills insect pests and fights resistance to insecticides, particularly in beetles. He also developed a gene-switch technology that may have important human health implications and is in Phase 3 clinical trials to fight cancer in humans.
He is co-director of the Center for Arthropod Management Technologies, a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center.
Palli has published 170 journal articles and book chapters and co-edited a book. He is a co-inventor on 28 patents. He currently serves on the editorial boards of 10 journals and has served on grant review panels for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
He has received numerous awards for his research. In 2014, Palli was named a fellow of the ESA. He has also received the ESA’s Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology.
By Katie Pratt Aug. 31, 2017 UK Professional News
The Comprehensive Plan Update
On August 21, 2017 the Urban County Planning Commission held a Public Hearing in Fayette County Council Chambers. The agenda included a presentation from Urban County staff on the Imagine Lexington 2018 Comprehensive Plan Update Goals and Objectives Public Input Hearing. The Comprehensive Plan is updated every five years and acts as a guide for future land use.
City planning staff have engaged in a year long process that included obtaining public input from 11,000 citizens, as well as approximately 10,000 comments. As part of this process The Colony Neighborhood Association Board participated in Table Talk. All participants of Table Talk were able to provide comments to help inform the Comprehensive Plan. City planners told the planning commission based on all the input the key theme was “build up not out”. In addition to public input the process included completion of a vacant land inventory, a green space survey, a housing demand study and an underutilized property survey.
After the presentation by city planners, the planning commission heard public comments. Builders, realtors and businesses such as Big Ass Fans urged the commission to vote against keeping the existing boundary. Others spoke on behalf of farmers, greenspace and the farmland preservation group, Fayette Alliance, for accepting the Comprehensive Plan recommendation of keeping the existing boundary and not expanding.
The planning commission will rule September 7th. The Commission will accept letters and emails from the public up until that day. After the ruling the Comprehensive Plan will go to the City Council. If you have comments for the Planning Commission contact: planningmailbox@lexingtonky.gov
Wildcat Chase Stream Restoration Project
by Sherri Weisenfluh
The Colony Neighborhood Association is nearing the completion of a three phase project to restore the stream that runs along the back of the homes facing Versailles Road. This has been a long project but we hope an appreciated one. All three phases of the project were accomplished with grant funds with no funds coming from our neighborhood budget. Educating the neighborhood on the importance of water quality has been a goal throughout the project.
Our small stream, Wildcat Chase, flows into Wolf Run which eventually reaches the Kentucky River. The health of our streams impacts all of us. When we started this project I was asked to write a grant but knew nothing about creating a “riparian buffer”. Reading material provided by Ken Cooke, an advocate for water quality, helped educate me. What I have learned is while bush honeysuckle smells wonderful it is an invasive plant, which creates a shade canopy preventing native plants from growing. Streams need plants growing along the banks to act as a filtration system to keep pesticides, fertilizers, etc, out of our water. Without these plants, stream banks begin to erode and that soil can impair water quality for aquatic life.
All three phases of this project have involved the eradication of honeysuckle and the planting of native grasses, trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to increase the filtration that naturally occurs along healthy stream banks (a riparian buffer).
Major highlights of the Wildcat Chase Stream Restoration project include:
- A Stream Walk led by Ken Cooke
- A stream clean up
- Water Sampling Training
- Numerous Volunteers from our neighborhood cutting and treating honeysuckle
- Donations of plants from Barbara Crocker as well as a financial donation from Alice Taylor
- Planting native trees, shrubs, grasses, and herbaceous plants along the stream
- A grant to install plant markers to identify plants
- Quarterly water sampling done by Jerry Weisenfluh
- Watering, pulling weeds and overall maintenance throughout the last three years
- Numerous articles in our newsletters
- Sighting of wildlife
- Designation as a Monarch Butterfly Way Station
- First Runner Up Award from Lexington Council Garden Club, Lexington in Bloom Contest, for our Native Plantings
- A new website under development to highlight the project and the plants we’ve installed
Grant funds have been provided by:
Fayette Urban County Government in the form of a Neighborhood Action Matching Grant, A Water Quality Incentive Grant and Neighborhood Development Funds from Peggy Henson’s office and the Kentucky River Authority.
If anyone has questions about this project please feel free to contact the Colony Board of Directors.
6. Gary Libby of Skybax Ecological removing dense honeysuckle in Phase 3 area.
7. Phase 3 site after honeysuckle removal.
1. Original September 2014 stream walk led by Ken Cooke of Friends of Wolf Run.
2. Volunteer crew at October 2014 bush whacking day.
3. Tour at Barbara Crocker’s garden to select native plants for transplanting.
4. Volunteer crew at March 2015 bush whacking day.
5. Summer 2017 phase 1 stream buffer.
Eclipse in The Colony
August 21, 2017
Thanks to Carin Lovell’s idea of hosting an eclipse viewing for the Colony residents, a group of neighbors were able to get together to watch the historic eclipse today. A second big thank-you goes to Dave and Laura Kessler who provided enough glasses for neighbors that hadn’t already purchased safety glasses. Randy and Frankie Daniels followed instructions for making viewing boxes out of a shredded wheat cereal box, which proved to provide a workable viewing experience. Snacks included Eclipse water and an Eclipse decorated cookie along with other treats. Fortune cookies rounded out the experience. While we weren’t able to see a total eclipse the experience was still exciting and fun to share.
