LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As resident Amee Overly describes it, in the Smoketown neighborhood, the closest thing homeowners have to a grocery store is a "Kroger van" that stops by for three hours every other week.
"Yeah, so you have to make that or else," Overly said, laughing. "Yeah, there's nothing. No restaurants either, but there's so many things that could happen."
Overly sees potential for her home in Smoketown, but worries others continue to overlook the area, commonly referred to as a food desert.
"It's just so frustrating because it could be put to so many good uses, and there's so many things missing in Smoketown," she said.
Just recently, it looked like leaders were poised to address the issue in the city's latest budget. Mayor Craig Greenberg proposed $6 million be set aside for grocery store subsidies downtown and in surrounding areas.
That money has since been cut from the final approved budget.
In a statement, a mayor spokesperson said, "Mayor Greenberg remains committed to working in partnership with the Metro Council to bring real grocery stores and healthy food options to neighborhoods …"
Overly said she's displeased with the money being cut from the final budget.
"I think it's terrible for our neighborhood, at least," she said. "And probably other neighborhoods like ours where there aren't grocery stores."
Metro Council President Markus Winkler said it was a mutual decision between Greenberg and Metro Council to cut funding.
"In talking to the Mayor, he basically said 'we need to figure out how to spend this previously allocated $3.5 million dollars' and that's going to take us some time," Winkler said.
Originally, that $3.5 million was earmarked for Louisville Community Grocery (LCG), a cooperative looking to build a community-owned grocery store in Smoketown.
The Louisville Community Grocery said they had no comment.
Greenberg has shared his concerns over the project:
Our team is concerned about the progress of the project to date. With that said, our administration stands ready to help make the LCG a reality.
"I think that was the original plan. From my understanding, it's that maybe that organization has had some challenges in terms of figuring out their strategy," Winkler said, in speaking on the $3.5 million originally earmarked for LCG.
As a community stakeholder in the co-op herself, Overly shares concern.
"I think there's a problem. I mean it's been so long and nothing has happened [with the project]," Overly said.
As for bringing more grocery options to the vast food deserts in Louisville, Greenberg reaffirmed his commitment, saying, in part, in a statement "We have discussed the possibility of revisiting this issue if specific opportunities present themselves during the fiscal year."
"I think the city is absolutely committed to finding an answer," Winkler said. "What we want to find is an answer that works and not a grocery that opens and then six months later closes because then you haven't really solved anything."
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