REMEMBERING RON POWELL

Longtime Councilman Served City With Honor

April 15, 2023 marked the passing of one of Jeffersontown’s truly outstanding citizens, Councilman Ron Powell.

Randal “Ron” Ray Powell was born in Louisville to Everett Powell, Jr. and Catherine Thornhill Powell, who moved to a small farm in Jeffersontown when Ron was twelve years old.

Powell graduated from Eastern High School in 1967, then decided to attend the University of Kentucky.

After a year, he decided that college studies were not what he wanted, so he joined the Navy instead, where he became a nuclear engineer, serving in San Francisco, Idaho, Connecticut, South Carolina, and even Italy.

that serviced not only Jeffersontown, but also Bullitt, Fayette, Henry, Oldham, and Trimble counties in Kentucky, as well as Floyd and Scott counties in Indiana.

In 1989, Mayor Daniel Ruckriegel appointed Powell to fill a vacancy on the Jeffersontown City Council. He succeeded in his following bids for re-election, eventually stepping down in 1994, feeling that he “better served his community through Commonwealth Ambulance Service than as a city council member.”

Powell

Powell felt obligated to his chosen profession as an EMT and paramedic, and he continued to work for Commonwealth Ambulance until his retirement in 1999.

Homeowners Can Help Manage Urban Runoff

The City of Jeffersontown participates in the national MS4 water management program that aims to improve water quality and minimize negative impacts on the environment.

Here’s how homeowners can help Jeffersontown reach its goals:

After six years in the military, Powell was discharged and moved back to Kentucky. He sold medical equipment for a time, but in 1981, he and his family started Commonwealth Ambulance Service with two vehicles they bought from Carrithers Ambulance in Jeffersontown, which was closing.

Powell and other family members went to school to become EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), and in early 1982, he established the Jeffersontown EMS (Emergency Medical Services), which cut response time down from 12 to 4 minutes.

A year later, Commonwealth became the first private EMS in the state certified with Advanced Life Support systems, which gave Jeffersontown the best EMS available.

Ultimately, Commonwealth Ambulance grew to a fleet of 40 ambulances

Powell could not stay away from the City Council for long, though. In 2012 he was once again appointed to fill a vacancy on the town council –this time to take the place of his dear friend, Daniel Ruckriegel, who had recently passed away.

At the time, he stated, “I’ve lived in Jeffersontown most of my life, and I’ve gotten so much out of it. It’s time again that I give back to the city.”

Powell gave the city much throughout the course of his life –both in his chosen profession as an EMT, and perhaps more so as a City Councilman, who worked ceaselessly to make sure Jeffersontown lived up to his exacting standards, becoming all it could be, while providing the best life possible for all its residents.

Ron Powell brought life to Jeffersontown in far more ways than one.

— By Beth Wilder

• Use porous pavement materials for driveways and sidewalks to reduce water runoff.

• Use fertilizers sparingly.

MS4

• Native vegetation and mulch can replace high maintenance grass lawns.

• Sweep driveways and sidewalks and pick up debris instead of using a hose to wash debris into storm sewers.

• Instead of disposing of yard waste, use it in a compost pile.

• Prevent polluted runoff by picking up after pets.

• Check cars for leaks of motor oil and antifreeze to prevent those chemicals from washing into storm sewers.