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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New Orleans: best bargain for urban living in the US

Recommend reading the Uptown Messanger Article.

It references the thoughts of
"Joel Kotkin, professor of Urban Studies at Chapman University and one of the nation’s leading demographers.",

Kotkin sings the praises of New Orleans Recovery & Renewal...
"...says Kotkin. “They have great incentives, and New Orleans is the best bargain for urban living in the United States. It’s got great food, great music, and it’s inexpensive.”

The article mentions the new proposed "Downtown Hospitality District" and that new layers of ordained bureaucracy are absolutely *not* what the city needs.

It'd be nice if the levels of bureaucracy we have already functioned properly before we add more.


Saturday, April 14, 2012

8211 Apricot - Sold

8411 Apricot sold
by Albert Thompson Clarke and Florence Rita Daigrepont Clarke
to Belinda Sonnier Wilson and Thomas R. Wilson.
$240,000

Welcome to the neighborhood. 
House was listed in the PRC's Great Neighborhood Sellabration

Friday, April 6, 2012

Pigeon Town Steppers 2nd line parade

Sunday April 8th 1-5PM

Passing through NorthWest Carrollton
down Apple from Carrollton to Leonidas

Monday, April 2, 2012

311 phone line now gives "tracking numbers" for some complaints

311 line is available weekdays from 8AM-5PM

Residents who call New Orleans 311 Hotline with the following issues now will have their complaints or inquiries automatically entered into a computerized work-order system and will get a tracking number for progress updates.  Additional categories are expected to be added by summer and an online component eventually will let residents check the status of work of orders online.

Public Works
Clogged catch basings and culverts
Damaged curbs, ramps, ditches, sidewalks & shoulders.
Subsidence
Missing Manhole covers
Abandoned Vehicles
Missing or Damaged Street Signs
Street Light - Bulbs only,  power to the pole is Entergy
Street Markings
Traffic Signals

Sanitation
Illegal dump sites
Requests for Bulky Waste pickup
Requests for new trash and recycling binsMissed trash or Recycling pickups
Trash services request requests and cancellations
Billing problems, including exemption, refund or adjustment requests

Code Enforcement
Case Updates
Inspection Requests

Registration for the city-assisted Evacuation Plan





See Times Picayune Article in full below:
New Orleans complaint calls to city hotline get new attention

Residents who call New Orleans' 311 hotline to report nuisances such as potholes, clogged catch basins, broken street lights or missed trash pick-ups now will have their complaints automatically entered into the city's computerized work-order system and receive a tracking number they can use to get progress updates. Starting last week, Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration began implementing the automated system for several of the most common problems handled by three departments: Public Works, Sanitation and Code Enforcement.
 
"Those categories are the ones with the most quality-of-life service requests," mayoral spokesman Ryan Berni said.
Registration for the city-assisted evacuation program -- which provides hurricane evacuees free bus rides from 17 neighborhood pickup spots to the Union Passenger Terminal, and from there to public shelters -- also is part of the system.
The Landrieu administration put the new technology into place with little fanfare, a deliberate move designed to give officials a chance to work out kinks.
Ultimately, the bulk of resident complaints and inquiries will be managed through the automated system, with most departments expected to be connected by this summer, Berni said. Until now, all calls to 311 have been handled via "warm transfer," meaning an operator receives a complaint, then forwards the caller to a receptionist in the proper department, Berni said.

But while some departments, such as Parks & Parkways, have been complimented for their ability to keep residents apprised of their work, most are unable to give accurate status updates.

Even the new system won't provide up-to-the-minute details on every work order, Berni said, but residents can expect to get far more information than generally has been available.
With a tracking number, the city's 10 311 operators "would be able to tell you (a request) had been transmitted to the department and give you a general understanding about the time frame of when to you will hear something further," he said, adding that operators will continue to man the 311 lines on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Eventually, the new system is expected to have an online component so residents can check the status of a work order online, day or night, Berni said.

The administration also plans to track how well the new system operates. The mayor's new Office of Performance and Accountability, which grades city departments, will provide updates on the tracking effort during monthly meetings, officials have said.
The new system uses software procured under a contract that Landrieu signed last year with California-based Lagan Technologies Inc. The city will pay $212,800 for the first year of service, with a one-year option to renew software licenses for about $51,000, records show.

Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312.