Waggener High School - RingBrothersHistory.com

The Voice Of St. Matthews, January 3, 1957: Highlight 1956Mallon Plan, Church Growth, Court Decision Highlight 1956The vote in the City of St. Matthews was 1,567 against and 928 for.Only two Cities voted for the Plan, Seneca Vista and Mockingbird Valley. But since the total suburban vote was against,these cities remained outside Louisville.The Mallon Plan had failed.But the long and furious debate had apprised the people of the fact that there were many serious problems in the City andCounty that had to be solved. More sanitary sewers were needed, and municipal services up and down the line could standimprovements.The Jefferson County Municipal conference was asked to take up the task where the Mallon Committee left off. The Conference,representing 34 Cities in the County, accepted. St. Matthews attorney Howard Hunt was placed in charge of thecommittee to come up with a new plan to take care of local problems.Plan’s Aftermath: The repercussion of the Mallon Plan failure are being felt now and will continue to be felt.Indian Hills raised its tax assessments by 20 percent. City taxes in Bellewood and Druid Hills for 1957 have been raised.The Metropolitan Sewer District more than doubled the price of extending sewers to developers outside the City. A seriousquarrel has broken out between M.S.D. and Louisville officials about the responsibilities and the control, of the District.Louisville increased prices for dumping of suburban garbage into the City dump, and passed a law requiring suburban garbagetrucks to be fully enclosed. The effect of these moves would be to increase greatly the costs of suburban garbage collection.Finally, the failure of the Mallon Plan meant higher sewer-rates for the 4,800 users of the St. Matthews Sanitation DistrictNo. 1.In December the District announced that rates would be raised 15 percent beginning in March, 1957. The District in theyear ending May 31, 1956, had made its largest annual profit, nearly $53,000 and had kept up its interest payments on$103,400. But that was still short of the $180,000 needed annually for interest and principal payments.Jolt From the Court: The Court of Appeals decision jolted St. Matthews. (Next paragraph missing.)Louisville appealed. Then in October, 1956, just 17 days before the vote on the Mallon Plan, the Court of Appeals reversedthe decision . The Court gave Louisville the right to complete the annexation.The rejection of the school tax by St. Matthews was somewhat surprising. County voters in 1955 turned down a request bythe County board of Education for a 50-cent raise in property taxes for schools. Fifteen of 16 precincts in the St. Matthewsarea voted for the tax, even though the total in the County was against.The School Board then proposed a half-cent occupational tax and held a special election in July. Again the voters rejectedmore taxes.A District including the St. Matthews—Lyndon—Anchorage area, voted against it 3,284 to 3,104. The vote inside the immediateSt. Matthews area was 3,844 to 1,925 against.The Legion Builds: A great building project was completed by the American Legion Zachary Taylor Post 180 of St. Matthewsin July.The Legionnaires sold their old post building on St. Matthews Avenue for $30,500 to the Lehman-Davis Realty Co., whichconverted it into six modern offices.The Legionnaires meanwhile were putting up a new $125,000 post home on Shelbyville Road next to the Plaza. The buildingwas finished an occupied in July and dedicated in November. It contains a 47 by 80 foot auditorium, a family room, arecreation room, a kitchen and a refreshment bar. By the end of the year, several local civic groups were meeting thereregularly.In September the Manufacturers Exchange Building Incorporated announced plans to build a three-level modern officebuilding on Wallace Avenue across from Wallace Center, sometime in 1957.The land, about 120 feet by 140, was the former site of Henry Showers Garden Center.The firm announced $250,000 worth of stock would be issued to put up the building. President was James Cottinghammanager of Guardian Financial Corporation in St. Matthews.In late November, plans were announced for the construction of two $250,000 swimming clubs in the St. Matthews area.