Carrollton Intersection Improvements and Carrollton and Palmetto/Washington Streetscape Community Meeting

WHEN :February 14th, 2009 2:00PM

WHAT: Community meeting to discuss upcoming streetscape enhancements.

WHERE: 3424 Eagle Street

Project Boundaries are:
South Carrollton Avenue - Stroelitz Street to I-10
Washington Avenue - Short Street to South Carrollton Avenue
Dixon Street - Dublin Street to South Carrollton Avenue

A streetscape is a public improvement project that will enhance the public area and trigger subsequent recovery and investment in surrounding neighborhoods. This development is designed to help create additional and continued private investment in the City’s key recovery areas. Streetscape projects enhance the area surrounding the actual roadway, but do not include roadway repair or reconstruction. Project options include improvements to sidewalks, walkways, bike paths, vehicular and pedestrian signalization and signage, landscaping and public art.

FRIDAY NIGHT GLASS BLOWING DEMONSTRATIONS

FRIDAY NIGHT GLASS BLOWING DEMONSTRATIONS ARE BACK!!!!

PRESENTING: Local Artist, PAULO DUFOUR

Blown Glass DEMO @ New Orleans Creative Glass Institute

Paulo and his team will be demonstrating various Glass Blowing Techniques to create one of a kind glass vases that will be featured in art show in March. Paulo is represented by the Baton Rouge Gallery. His show titled "Mysterious Visitors" is scheduled to open at the gallery on March 4th, 2009!

This will be one you don't want to miss! Exciting for kids and the whole family!!!
Come on out and support your local artist and glass studio!!

Friday, Feb. 13th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at our studio in Mid-City
3924 Conti St, (near the intersection of Carrollton and Bienville, near Rousse's)

!THIS IS A FREE EVENT!

For Questions:
Please contact JennyStudio Manager N.O.C.G.I.
504-482-6003
http://www.blogger.com/

S. CLAIBORNE STREET SCAPE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT COMMUNITY MEETING

WHEN: Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: 2929 Second Street

WHAT: A community meeting to discuss the upcoming street scape enhancement project on South Claiborne Avenue from Napoleon Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The project, which has a budget of $1.63 million, is funded by Community Development Block Grants.

A street scape is a public improvement project that will enhance the public area and trigger subsequent recovery and investment in surrounding neighborhoods. This development is designed to help create additional and continued private investment in the City's key recovery areas. The street scape is designed to benefit the surrounding neighborhood residents, business owners and visitors by providing amenities that contribute to economic vitality. Street scape projects enhance the area surrounding the actual roadway, but do not include roadway repair or reconstruction. The current scope of work for the project may include:
Sidewalk, bike way, driveway and other pedestrian surface walkway improvements
Traffic and pedestrian signalization and signage, Landscaping, Lighting, Public Art, Pocket park improvements, Minor utility modifications and improvements.

This community meeting is designed to offer local neighborhood residents the opportunity to provide input on the project and present any specific plans created by the community. For this community meeting, we ask that residents come prepared to voice their opinions on the design of this project.

8300 Nelson

On 02-08-09, at approximately 5:57am, the victim heard a loudbang on the front door. The victim then walked outside, that’s when a black male came out of the alley house pointing a gun at the victim. The suspect asked the victim's name, the victim reponded and the suspect left the scene. The suspect was known by the victim and was positively identified a short time later as the pertrator. A warrant for Brandon Plains (black male,11-10-83, 6' weighing 140lbs) has been issued.

If you have information on the whereabouts on this person please call 911 or notify CrimeStoppers at 822-1111.

Remember to report any suspicious persons or activities you see in your neighborhood by calling 821-2222. In an emergency, call 911 immediately. Comments regarding crime acitivities in NorthWest Carrollton can also be left as comments on any Neighborhood Watch post.

Health Care & Heritage - A Forum

Free and Open to the Public
A Forum for developing the best possible Medical Center for New Orleans

Organized by the Louisiana Landmarks Society and the Preservation Resource Center

When: February 9th, 2009 7:30PM

Where: Preservation Resource Center, 923 Tchoupitoulas St

Louisiana Healthcare Policy - NOT

New Orleans City Council rejects healthcare discrimination - See it on YouTube!

On December 18, 2008, the New Orleans City Council unanimously rejected Louisiana healthcare policy which discriminates against elderly and disabled poor people in New Orleans and elsewhere.

See how Louisiana healthcare policy:
- decreases healthcare access and increases disparities in health care,
- disproportionately harms elderly African Americans, as well as the mentally & physically disabled,
- makes it illegal for poor Medicare beneficiaries to receive the same benefits as wealthy beneficiaries, even though everyone paid taxes and purchased the same Medicare benefits.
- heightens New Orleans mental health crisis.
- causes a doctor drain out of poor neighborhoods.
- penalizes Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes more than 60 other parishes.
- harms 108,000 elderly and disabled people in Louisiana and 5 million people across the United States.

National Coalition for Dually Eligible People
Sheldon Hersh, MD, President

New Orleans Crime Watch - Thank you Brian

See Brian Denzer's latest Email on New Orleans Crime Watch

Really an ordinance is required so that the city will make contracts available as public records?
What a shame that this true.

And straight from Brian's Crime Watch Letter
"Cerasoli Rex
Fare well Robert Cerasoli, but this is not good bye:
Sure, there’s more work to do. We wouldn’t have you do it all by yourself. We have to take responsibility for our own destiny. What we needed, you gave us — an example to lead us, a path to follow, a goal to achieve.
We won’t forget you, because we expect you to beat your health problems, and to return as an honored New Orleanian.
After his health improves, which krewe will be the first to crown Robert Cerasoli for his dedication to getting the inspector general’s office set up?"

Here, here! Which Krewe indeed. Bob deserves it!

1st day of Volunteer Work @ Leonidas House

What: 1st day of Volunteer Work @ Leonidas House

When: Saturday, February 7th from 9AM - 4PM

Where: 1407 Leonidas (corner of Willow & Leonidas)

Why: to remove debris and recycable materials, uncover original architectural features (bead board walls & ceiling) chip away old paint and continue to build community in the Carrollton Area.

NorthWest Carrollton Homes Eligible for Rebuilding Together Assistance

If you are a homeowner who still needs assistance to finish rebuilding your house, Rebuilding Together New Orleans may be able to help you. Only if you live in select areas of the city, like NorthWest Carrollton, can you apply for our 2009 home renovation program now.

Program is open ONLY to low income elderly or disabled and first responders.

To learn more about our application process, call Rebuilding Together New Orleans.
Contact Info: 504-636-3061
85 Egret St., New Orleans LA 70124

Not Boomers

Below is an article published in USA Today January 27, 2009.

For YEARS I've been saying: "I'm not a Boomer." Now finally Jonathan Powell has allowed me to say I am: GenJones. Practical Idealism..... pretty much captures my personal approach to life.... but it also captures NorthWest Carrollton's approach to PostKatrina Recovery and creating the NEW New Orleans we want to live in.

Stuck in the middle
President Obama carries the torch for the millions of Americans who aren’t really Boomers, but aren’t really Xers either. Meet the generation in which idealism trumps ideology, in which pragmatism is the guiding light.
By Jonathan Pontell

For 16 years, Baby Boomers occupied the Oval Office. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush came of age during the 1960s — the decade that spawned the culture wars that would define national affairs for the next 40 years. Conventional wisdom holds that post-Boomer Barack Obama's inauguration once and for all ended that tumultuous era's long grip on American politics. But are the '60s really dead? Hardly.

While the Boomer moment may be over, most observers have misread the generational significance of Obama's inaugural. It really marks the 1960s' second act. The difference is that the torch has passed from that decade's "flower children" to its actual children.
Obama was born in 1961 — 15 years after Clinton and 19 years before Chelsea. He is neither Boomer nor GenXer. Instead, he belongs to a distinct generation in between, one long under the radar and only now making its full impact felt.

Defining the Jonesers
I coined the term "Generation Jones" for this large cohort born between 1954 and 1965. It's a generation that includes the new president, me and 53 million other Americans. Jonesers have long been lumped with Boomers simply because we arrived during the same long post-World War II spike in births. But generations arise from shared formative experiences, not head counts, and the two groups evolved with dramatic differences. Our background is just as distant from Generation Xers'. We fill the space between Woodstock and Lollapalooza, between "Turn on, tune in, drop out" and "Just Say No," and between Dylan going electric and Nirvana going unplugged. Jonesers have a unique identity separate from Boomers and GenXers. An avalanche of attitudinal and behavioral data corroborates this distinction. Generational self-identification is particularly compelling. When polled, those in this age group identify not with Boomers or GenXers, but overwhelmingly with this generation in between.

So who are we? We are practical idealists, forged in the fires of social upheaval while too young to play a part. The name "Generation Jones" derives from a number of sources, including our historical anonymity, the "keeping up with the Joneses" competition of our populous birth years, and sensibilities coupling the mainstream with ironic cool. But above all, the name borrows from the slang term "jonesin' " that we as teens popularized to broadly convey any intense craving.
The Jones runs deep in us. It arose from our 1960s childhoods. While the Boomers were out changing the world, Jonesers were still in elementary school — wide-eyed, not tie-dyed. That intense love-peace-change-the-world zeitgeist stirred our impressionable hearts. We yearned to express our own voice. By the time we came of age and could take the stage, though, a decade of convulsions had left the nation fatigued. During the game we'd been forced to watch from the sidelines, and passage into college and careers came only after the final gun had long since sounded.

The Boomers had their opportunity, and the GenXers weren't around soon enough to bear witness. Neither was left jonesin'. But the actual children of the 1960s yearned for something more. Our unrequited idealism has bubbled beneath the surface ever since.
Obama has The Jones. It permeates his biography and his philosophy. It's a crucial piece of his identity. His message and approach reverberate with GenJones themes.
Bridging the divide

Recognizing this generational mindset provides insight not only into an Obama presidency, but into America itself in 2009. Generation Jones is poised to grab the mantle of leadership. More than a quarter of all U.S. adults are Jonesers. We've ascended to unprecedented positions of leadership in business and government. Not only Obama, but also many of his key appointees, are members of GenJones. Our size, age and influence across the board make us an irresistible force.

But there is something beyond our mere demographic might. What makes us Jonesers also makes us uniquely positioned to bring about a new era in American politics. Our practical idealism was created by witnessing the often-unrealistic idealism of the 1960s. And we weren't engaged in that era's ideological battles; we were children playing with toys while Boomers argued about Vietnam. Our non-ideological pragmatism allows us to resolve intra-Boomer skirmishes and to bridge that volatile Boomer-GenXer divide. We can lead.

Last century, Thomas Wolfe wrote that another generation wasn't lost so much as undiscovered. "And the whole secret, power and knowledge of their own discovery," he declared, "is locked within them — they know it, feel it, have the whole thing in them — and they cannot utter it." Generation Jones is clearing its throat. Its voice will be heard. What had been a steady stream of unsolicited e-mails to me from supportive Jonesers before the election is now a flood. A generation aching to act has awoken. We are finally scratching the itch of The Jones.
For Boomers, the legacy of the '60s is ideology, but for Jonesers it is idealism. That spirit of the '60s is far from dead; its seeds were planted in us then, and are flowering now. We're not late Boomers; we're late bloomers.

Jonathan Pontell is a social commentator who focuses on the intersection of politics and culture.

We will miss you Bob

Mr. Cerasoli, You offered us hope. You showed us that what we want to do to build the New New Orleans can be done. It is up to us to keep going. With luck you can come back and consult.
We wish it had been possible to make you less lonely in our hopeful city. We won't forget you or your contributions. We are grateful and wish you only the best.

Mr. Cerasoli spoke at NorthWest Carrollton's 2008 Night Out Against Crime gathering that was held at the "park" on the corner of Carrollton and Pritchard Place.

See TP Article online & below in full
New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli quits post, citing health issues
by Brian Thevenot, The Times-Picayune
Thursday January 29, 2009, 10:22 PM

Robert Cerasoli, the veteran Massachusetts investigator who navigated a maze of bureaucracy and politics to found the New Orleans inspector general's office, will resign today to reunite with his family and prepare for surgery to remove potentially dangerous growths.
This morning, he plans to hop in a rental car packed with a few belongings and drive home to Quincy, near Boston.

For the city, the loss of Cerasoli will set back the arduous task of establishing an independent watchdog over City Hall. His hiring 17 months ago, and a subsequent City Charter change that solidified permanent financing for the office, were coups for a city long impervious to reform.
For Cerasoli, 61, the resignation marks an anxious end to a four-decade career in public service, but also allows him to lay down a heavy burden. In interviews before and after recent surgery to remove growths in his neck, and leading up to his decision to resign, Cerasoli agonized over the pressure to meet the lofty expectations of corruption-weary New Orleanians.

"I keep feeling this vicious guilt, " he said. "I've never given up on anything before in my life."
His Blackberry buzzed with an e-mail: "Don't give up -- we need you." It came from a person he had met once, and who had no inkling of Cerasoli's predicament, or the emotional wallop her message would deliver.

Cerasoli started pondering his health and his future in December, after doctors removed two growths from his neck they had feared were cancerous. The growths were benign, but he and doctors discovered two more growths, also potentially cancerous. Those will have to be removed as well.

Before that first surgery, a stranger had approached Cerasoli in one of his favorite haunts, the ornate lobby of Le Pavillon hotel. She told him how much the city needed him.
As she walked away, Cerasoli hid his face and broke into a quiet sob. Such praise has both touched and distressed him.
"It's just so hard, you know, the pressure, " he said, wiping away tears. "It's enormous. It's onerous. I get that all the time, people walking up to me on the street. . . . It's wonderful, seeing the rising expectations of the people here. But the last thing I want to be is the next 'last, best hope for New Orleans.'

"It's not about me. It's about building the office, " he said, repeating what has become a mantra even as he has become an unlikely celebrity in a job that in many places would be held by an anonymous functionary.

Building the office has proved far tougher than Cerasoli envisioned. And the challenges that remain -- even the basic work of clearly defining city agencies, budgets and policies -- are more daunting than a successor might suspect. After 17 months, Cerasoli said, the office still needs to double its staff and garner basic tools and access to records. Still, Cerasoli's experience here has opened a valuable view into the inner workings of a mysterious municipal apparatus.

"On a difficulty scale of one-to-10, it's a 10. I would compare it to governments I've looked at in the developing world, " said Cerasoli, who has given lectures about corruption in such Third World countries as Sierra Leone and Swaziland. In New Orleans, he said, "information technology is in a terrible state. Getting access to information people regularly access in other places is a major problem. Public documents aren't being made public, if they exist at all.
"And I don't think the city government truly understands what the inspector general is supposed to do -- and might provide more resistance as it becomes more clear, " he said.
'Nothing's on the level'

In mid-2007, when New Orleans first advertised for an inspector general, Cerasoli blew off suggestions that he seek the job, arguably the toughest challenge in an arcane profession that operates in the space between auditors and prosecutors.
"Nothing's on the level in New Orleans, " he recalled telling one fellow inspector. "How am I going to get a job there?"

He had just recently accepted a similar job in Philadelphia, then declined it because his ailing mother told him she would die and never forgive him if he left. And Cerasoli always listened to his mother. She had raised him and his sister on a beautician's salary in the hardscrabble community of Quincy Point, near Boston, after his father died when Cerasoli was 10.
Cerasoli continued to get calls about the New Orleans job. He gave the same answer: I'm retired. My mother's dying. I'm not going anywhere.

He had already slogged through an accomplished but high-stress career in public service that started when he was elected as a Democrat to the Massachusetts legislature during the Watergate era. During a 15-year political career, he helped lead bruising efforts to establish a state ethics board, campaign finance rules and other strictures on politicians accustomed to operating in private, and with impunity. In the 1980s, he led an investigation into the prison weekend furlough policy that allowed murderer Willie Horton out of a Massachusetts prison; Horton then committed armed robbery and rape.

After getting appointed as Massachusetts' inspector general, Cerasoli spent a decade probing corruption and inefficiency, capped by several investigations into Boston's over-budget, graft-laden "Big Dig" tunnel.

Cerasoli grew into a workaholic, obsessing over a job he viewed as crucial, even intrinsic, to the public good. When the stress built to a peak, Cerasoli turned to a unique outlet: volunteering at a suicide hot line.

"I wanted to juxtapose my own pressures with those of people under far more extreme pressure than me, to put my problems into context, " Cerasoli said.

Advice at a funeral
After retiring in 2001, Cerasoli tried to decompress. He stayed busy, teaching at a college, compulsively lifting weights at a local gym and giving anti-corruption seminars across Africa and India on the U.S. State Department's nickel. Then New Orleans came calling. And soon, his reason for spurning the job -- his mother's illness -- ceased to be a factor. Mary Cerasoli died of cancer and complications from botched radiation treatments on May 19, 2007. Cerasoli had always kept the New Orleans job in the back of his mind. The advice of a woman at his mother's funeral pushed him to take the prospect seriously.

"You should go someplace and give the knowledge, wisdom and tools you have to somebody who really needs them, " the woman said.

Cerasoli applied, along with 20 others. A few weeks later, he got a call from the Rev. Kevin Wildes, president of Loyola University and chairman of the city ethics board that hires the inspector general. Cerasoli was the unanimous pick. Cerasoli did not respond at first. His mind wandered. He thought of his mother. If she hadn't wanted him to go, he figured, he wouldn't have gotten the job. He replayed the prescient comments from the woman at the funeral. He recalled how, while watching Hurricane Katrina's aftermath on TV, he had told himself, "I want to do something for the people of New Orleans, " and he wondered whether he really meant it.
"I'll take it, " he said finally, not even asking about the salary.

A monk's existence
In New Orleans, Cerasoli was driven by the same unstinting work ethic that fueled his career in Massachusetts. He began to view the new job as a career capstone. He rented a one-bedroom apartment in the Central Business District and outfitted it with an inflatable mattress, a chair, a vacuum, cheap racks for his suits and three suitcases. No art. No TV. No computer.
"It keeps the edge, " Cerasoli said of his spare digs, peculiar for a man who rakes in a $95,000 Massachusetts pension on top of a $150,000 salary. His quarters reflect an almost maniacal avoidance of entanglements, anything that could even hint at a conflict of interest. If he enjoyed himself too much, or got too close to anyone, Cerasoli said, he would become compromised. So he just worked, rarely socialized, and returned to his cubbyhole of a home.

"He's a monk, " Wildes said of Cerasoli. "When I think of Bob and the way he works and lives his life, I think of a member of a religious order: Everything he does and thinks about is in terms of how it helps or hinders the work." Wildes recalled a meeting at Harrah's New Orleans Casino: Cerasoli, he said, refused to cross the floor without an escort, worried that someone might assume he had a weakness for gambling.

Everything a fight
Though Cerasoli had fully expected the challenge of his career in New Orleans, he was in for a few shocks. The Nagin administration at first offered him a $250,000 budget -- a ludicrously low figure, he said. In Massachusetts, he had overseen a budget of $3 million and a staff of 49.
He spent his first four months working alone in university offices Wildes provided. Eventually, he secured a $3.2 million appropriation from the City Council; permission to hire his own attorneys, a move fought by the Nagin administration; and, most important, a charter change guaranteeing a permanent revenue source.

"But every one of those things was a big fight, " Cerasoli said. "And after we got the money, we couldn't spend it, because everything we bought had to go through the city's purchasing process."

Requests ranging from pencils to lease agreements took weeks or even months to snake through the Nagin administration's approval process. Inquiries often produced excuses: "The computers are down, " or "So-and-so is on vacation, " or "We can't find your paperwork."
"There was always that mysterious hand there, that made you wonder if somebody was trying to stop it, " Cerasoli said.

Unable to spend but two-thirds of his allotted $3.2 million for 2008, Cerasoli shocked and delighted the City Council by returning the rest, a rare move for any city agency.

'Shadow government'
As Cerasoli started luring a pedigreed, experienced staff, he also started trying to understand the machinery of New Orleans municipal government. He found few answers, and an ever-growing list of questions. Just figuring out who runs what has proved an immense challenge, with a government splintered into scores of agencies, commissions and quasi-governmental nonprofit groups, some with separate dedicated tax-revenue streams, their own auditors and scant scrutiny. So far, Cerasoli has put together a list of 140 such city entities, including such curiosities as the Delgado-Albania Plantation Commission. His inspectors found records of a New Orleans Planetarium Commission, created in 1986, but couldn't confirm whether it still exists, or ever did.

"One main goal has just been to simply identify the entity that is the city of New Orleans, " Cerasoli said. "Nobody can give you an organizational chart."

So Cerasoli and his team have started one on a wall inside their office in the Federal Reserve building, a project he said might take years to accurately complete. Cerasoli cannot say whether the "vastly decentralized" structure, unlike any city Cerasoli has ever come across, leads to any specific wrongdoing or failures. But he said it surely makes it tough to track government and thus provides countless opportunities for chicanery.

"I call it the shadow government, " Cerasoli said.

Cerasoli's office finally issued its first report in December, which said the city violated its charter by granting employees 273 take-home cars rather than the legally allowed 60, and could save up to $1 million with reforms. Cerasoli attributes the slow startup to the obstacles he had establishing his office. He said he has launched other investigations that he cannot yet publish or talk about.

"We finished the crime camera investigation on the same day as the take-home cars, " he said, referring to the city's expensive and often inoperable surveillance cameras. "But it's no longer in my hands, and I can't say where it is."

But he offered a hint, noting that the inspector general's office, as a matter of practice, turns over investigations that unearth potential crimes to law enforcement agencies, mainly the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI. Some of the other probes could result in published reports; others may follow another path, Cerasoli said.

A tough decision
As the new year approached, Cerasoli prepared to go under the knife. In early January, doctors cut two large growths from near his neck. He choose to forgo general anesthesia, so he was awake as doctors cut out one white, egg-sized oval and then a smaller one.
After the surgery, he asked to see the larger growth.

"It looked like a piece of haddock, or codfish, " he said in his heavy New England accent. The tests came back negative for cancer. He came back to New Orleans, hoping to put his office on a firmer footing.

He returned to another tussle with Nagin, this one over Cerasoli's recent attempt to buy guns for investigators. The administration refused to process the request; Nagin questioned the right of the inspector general to create a "paramilitary operation" armed with "submachine guns."
Last weekend, another trip to Boston brought the discovery of two more growths. His doctors gave him a reality check.

"You're 61 years old. You had a career. You retired, " one doctor said. "You're not young anymore. Why do you want to put yourself through this kind of stress?"

Cerasoli couldn't argue the point. That night, he sat down with his wife and adult children and made the decision. On Monday, he returned to New Orleans for perhaps the last time.
"I can't stay in this faraway place, working against tremendous odds, trying to shape something that will take several more years to shape, " he mused. "I feel a need to get home and deal with this. It's just so lonely here."

. . . . . . .
Brian Thevenot can be reached at bthevenot@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3482.


Also see Gambit Weekly "Being Bob Cerasoli"

Reporting Off-Campus Behavior to Tulane

From Karen Celestan of Tulane, as shared with our other Carrollton neighbors:

I have noticed a slight uptick in the number of complaints about students living in off-campus housing. I just want to share with everyone the proper methods of reporting poor and/or negligent behavior of students living off-campus (if you haven't already heard my presentation at recent neighborhood association meetings).

Please be aware that all Tulane students are bound by a Code of Student Conduct, but also have rights as private citizens on private property. The university is actively working to create a Town & Gown code for landlords and student tenants to alleviate some of the allegations and abuses that have been reported. We are also consistently negotiating with area business and bar owners to bring them into compliance with existing Alcohol Control laws and regulations. (We had a somewhat productive meeting with the owner of The Boot yesterday.)

Here are the official vehicles for reporting directly to Tulane administrators (Student Affairs):
Phone: 862-NABR (6227)
Website: www.tulane.edu/neighbors/index.cfm

Of course, you can always call me on my cell or send an e-mail, and I will forward it to the Office of Student Affairs for any disciplinary action (if warranted). The neighborhood is a critical priority and your concerns are at the top of our list.
Please feel free to share this information with your neighbors and/or association members.
Karen Celestan
Manager, Community Relations and Policy
Office of Government Affairs
Tulane University
(504) 988-3394 [office]
(504) 214-9640 [cell]
(504) 988-3388 [fax]
kcelesta@tulane.edu
200 Broadway, Suite 126
New Orleans, LA 70118

Tree Planting in NorthWest Carrollton

NorthWest Carrollton continues to work with Monique Pilie of Hike for KaTREEna to rebuild the tree canopy of our neighborhood. We have now planted over 50 trees inside our neighborhood boundaries. Our last planting was January 24th. Many thanks to our neighborhood volunteers!
We would like to have one more planting this season in April. If live in NorthWest Carrollton (bounded by Earhart-Carrollton-Claiborne-Leonidas) and you want a form to request free trees, leave a comment and we’ll get back to you!

We can improve our neighborhood by adding trees to our homes, keeping our streets cool and green. Please join us in this exciting effort.
Trees can be planted on your private property or city property in front or beside your home. We only need a few things from you if you would like a tree for your home:
1) Your agreement to keep the tree/s well watered for the first year.
2) Fill out the permit application, if you want the tree(s) planted on city property (between the sidewalk and street). Trees can also be planted in your front yard or side yard as long as these trees benefit the sidewalk public area as well.

Hike for KaTREEna will provide the trees at no cost. Monique will also clear the permits with city government and work with the urban forester to determine the best tree for each location.
Stay tuned for other posts on why TREES are good for our neighborhood, your property values, your energy bills and your health and even help to fight crime.

Hollygrove Market & Farm

The Hollygrove Market and Farm (HM&F) is a non-profit retail store selling locally-grown and organic produce, as well as a training location for residents interested in organic urban farming. Centrally located in the heart of the Carrollton-Hollygrove community at 8301 Olive Street (formerly Guillot's Nursery), this unique store provides healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables to residents of Hollygrove, adjoining neighborhoods, and New Orleans.

For $25 a week, box assortments of local and organic produce are available. Members are welcome to buy a box however often they like.
http://hollygrovemarket.com/fresh-produce-buyers-club/

NorthWest Carrollton Blog has MOVED

In 2006 we were totally new to blogging. Our 1st blog was essentially free. Our current blog space is sponsored by one of our board members. We have found BLOGSPOT and it is FREE.
So we have moved our Blog to nwcarrollton.blogspot.com

NorthWestCarrollton.org will still be available for archives (for now) but future posts will be on the new blogspot site.

Arts Market in Palmer Park

Held
the last Saturday of every month
From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
No admission charge.

Located in Carrollton at the corner of S. Claiborne & S. Carrollton Avenues.

"Discover a vibrant market brimming with exciting pieces from the region’s best artisans. From paintings, photography, ceramics, glasswork, jewelry, woodwork and printmaking to handcrafted clothing, soap and candles. The Arts Market truly offers something for every person and every budget. Adding to the festive outdoor gallery is live music, creative activities for kids and foods to satisfy every craving. Whether you’re out for a day of family fun or a serious art collector in search of that next special piece, this is an event you won’t want to miss!"

Thank you,
Michelle Levine, Arts Market Manager504.373.6332
Presented by the Arts Council, the Arts Market of New Orleans (formerly Mid-City Arts Market)

Resturants that deliver in NorthWest Carrollton

The following resturants deliver in the NorthWest Carrollton Area:

Red Star - 8330 Earhart Blvd - 504-861-1933
Mikimoto - 3301 S Carrollton Ave - 504-488-1881
Mona’s on Carrollton - 1120 S Carrollton Ave - 504-861-8175
Roman Pizza - 7329 Cohn St, New Orleans, LA - 504-866-1166
Pepperoni’s Cafe - 8120 Hampson St. - 504-865-0336 or 865-0337
5 Happiness - 3605 S Carrollton Ave. - 504-482-3935
Fresco’s Cafe 7625 Maple St - (504) 862-6363

Key Contact Numbers

Issues can be reported to 311 online using this link.

Abandoned Cars: 658-8219

Broken Street Lights: 525-5871 or http://www.entergy.com/ or 1-800-369-3749,
Changing light bulbs is the City of New Orleans responsibility also report outage to 311

Curfew Center: 658-0369

Department of Streets: 658-2489

Drug Hotline: 581-2878

Health Department: 658-2596

Housing: 658-4215

Housing/Code Enforcement: 658-4300

Illegal Dumping/Litter: 658-3840

LA/SPCA: 368-5191

Parkway & Parks: 658-2176

Public Advocacy: 658-4015

Safety & Permits: 658-7100

Sanitation: 658-3800

Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control - (504)658-2400 or mosquitocontrol@cityofno.com OR rodent@cityofno.com

Sewerage & Water Board: 529-2837 ,
OR use the online reporting tool.

Zoning: 658-7125

Illegally Parked or Abandoned Vehicles

Any illegally parked car can be reported to Parking Enforcement.Call 658-2299. Make sure you have:- the exact location, street address if possible- the vehicle’s License number, if there is a license- Make & Model and Color of vehicle

The more people that call about a specific vehicle the better the response from parking enforcement. If you report a vehicle to parking enforcement. Please leave the details here in the comment’s section so that we can follow up.

Please help us report Abandoned Vehicles inside NorthWest Carrollton so that they can be removed from our neighborhood. Just leave a comment on this Page and someone will followup and take a picture of the vehicle and work to get city services to remove it.

Please provide
Address: Street Address or 100 Block or Cross Streets
License Plate: Number or NO Plate
Color:
Make-Model:
Parked illegally: pointing in the wrong direction on the street, or obstructing the sidewalk or street.

Statistics show that Criminals don’t like Clean!!!!

To create a 311 Report on this or any other Quality of Life or Code Violations use this link.

Garbage collection Wednesdays & Saturdays

Please see this Map for details

About NorthWest Carrollton, from original web site

NorthWest Carrollton is a New Orleans neighborhood bounded by Leonides, Earhart, Carrollton and Claiborne. We are the “northern” (aka lakeside) peninsula of Carrollton, a historic neighborhood on the National Historic Register.

We are a Post Katrina organization formed to celebrate the fact that postKatrina we still had neighbors and to advocate for our historic neighborhood and its people. We feel it is important to address all issues of planning, recovery, rebuilding and quality of life. We revel in the diversity of our neighbors and the diversity of our historic housing stock. We have homes for every taste and income level. We have been gifted with commercial neighbors who respect the fact that they border our historic neighborhood.

We were one of the neighborhoods that the BNOB commission said had to “prove our viability”. There are many out there who have been reminded to: “Be careful what you ask for.”

We started organizing in January of 2006 because on New Year’s Eve neighbors were out on the street talking to each other as we had never talked before, sharing champagne and being hopeful (and irritated with BNOB). We wanted to do everything we could to have our neighborhood come back stronger than ever before and we wanted the rest of our neighbors to want to come back. We registered with the Secretary of State as a non-profit neighborhood organization in June 2006. We held our 1st neighborhood wide meeting in June and by September 2006 had close to 100 members. December 17th, 2006 we held our 1st fund raiser for the firehouse at the corner of Carrollton & Dublin via a Holiday Home Tour of historic housing that survived Katrina. We held our 1st very succcessul PostKatrina and PostFeb13Tornado neighborhood cleanup March 10th, 2007. We were certified by the NOPD as a Neighborhood Watch Neighborhood at the August 2007 Night Out Against Crime gathering in Palmer Park.

We like to think that we are the next coolest neighborhood in New Orleans. We’ve come to understand that it while “it takes a village”, first you need a few determined individuals to wake up the rest of the folks in the village.

We thank Alan for teaching us the power of the blog and technology.

You can contact us via nwcarrollton@mindspring.com
Jenel Hazlett - President

NorthWest Carrollton Blog Moves to BlogSpot

NorthWest Carrollton Civic Association is moving from northwestcarrollton.org to nwcarrollton.blogspot.com

Those of you who have followed us on northwestcarrollton.com know that this site is now owned by an Italian casino. The northwestcarrollton.org site has all the posts from the original .com site but it costs us to maintain this site so we are in the process of moving to blogspot.

We will move as much history and useful information from the .org site as we possible. We are working to archive our blog history.

Please stay tuned.

Silence is Violence RED FRIDAYS

Perhaps you remember January 2008's Silence is Violence March on City Hall.

On January 9th, 2009 we were asked to wear Red to Strike against Crime. To quote the website: Striking means refusing to go through the motions of normalcy.

Those of us concerned about crime aren't just doing things one day a year. We are actively working throughout the year to do everything we can to reduce crime. So EVERY WEEK, EVERY FRIDAY of 2009 should be a Silence is Violence RED Friday. When each Friday we see more and more RED we will know that support is building and people are watching and care about what is happening in the City. Silence is Violence says speak out, act to stop the killing.

Every RED Friday will remind us that we are all in this together.

Thank You Landis!

Please join me in welcoming Landis Construction to the neighborhood. Landis shares the old Bubblegum Factory with Hopkins Imports.

In case you haven't noted the Bubblegum Factory looks GREAT these days. The old Bubblegum Factory is individually listed on the National Historic Register as the American Chicle Company Building at 8311 Fig Street. Chicle is said: chick-lee. Remember that?

Landis gave NorthWest Carrollton a great start to 2009 when they donated AND PLACED! and total of 20 new Neighborhood Watch Signs on Fig, Carrollton & Leonidas.

THANK YOU LANDIS!

Request for update on Apple Street

Subject: Apple Street work - detailed update requested
Date: Jan 7, 2009 9:25 PM

S&W...
We are hoping that you can put us in contact with someone who can give us details on the work that has been done and seems to be ongoing on Apple Street. While it is obvious that there are significant infrastructure repairs occurring, the current conditions are dreadful (and were much worse). The street is significantly torn up and is now essentially a dirt road. The drainage is worse than before. There is obviously much more work to be done but we have no idea what the end results will be, how many stages we will have to go through until we get to the end result and what the ETA of "the end" of the project will be. There are also significant concerns that we will be stuck with a dirt road environment for a long time and that this horror will expand to other areas in the neighborhood. Any information that you can provide is much appreciated. We are scheduling (our next general) meeting and know that our neighbors will expect a detailed and accurate accounting of the "progress" on Apple Street. Our hope is that if we can explain what is happening that the current horror will feel a little more like progress we want this to be.

Thanks again,
Jenel Hazlett - NorthWest Carrollton

Recycling update

Walker,

We are hoping to have a January NorthWest Carrollton meeting. We are currently working with Catholic Charities to arrange use of their Community meeting room in Incarnate Word on Apricot Street (which is appropriately inside our neighborhood boundaries.  Unfortunately we do not yet have confirmation that we can use the room.  

We have provided information on Phoenix Recycling at our neighborhood organization meetings and Phoenix Recycling offers a slight discount (a $14/month fee) for anyone who is a member of a neighborhood organization.  Unfortunately this still means that many of our neighbors will choose for financial reasons not to participate.  We do not have enough money as a neighborhood organization to offer financial assistance for recycling.  But we look forward to hearing and testing any ideas that anyone comes up with to encourage and increase recycling in the city. 

When we set the next meeting notice we will let you know date and time.  You are welcome to attend any of our meetings.

Sincerely,
Jenel Hazlett


*******************************************
From: Walker Hines <walker.hines@gmail.com>
Sent: Jan 7, 2009 2:41 PM
To: NorthWest Carrollton <nwcarrollton@mindspring.com>

Subject: Re: Correction Regarding SDT Recycling Services

Jenel,
Thank you for your endorsement of Phoenix Recycling.  Despite the
initial misinformation, I am happy that I sent an e-mail out raising
awareness of recycling services and efforts in our city.  In fact,
many residents of our District were not even aware that anyone offered
to pick up recycling post-Katrina.  Many have expressed interest in
paying for recycling.  I have forwarded contact information for
Phoenix to anyone expressing an interest in recycling pickup.  As I
previously mentioned, I would like to meet with neighborhood group
leaders and devise a strategy to increase the number of households
that participate in the recycling program.  I would also like to look
into creative financing efforts by neighborhood groups.  We have a
very active and engaged District.  I am confident that with the right
messenger and planning, we can become the most green district in the
State.  I look forward to working with you in this endeavor.

Sincerely,
Walker Hines
*******************************************************
On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 2:34 PM, NorthWest Carrollton <nwcarrollton@mindspring.com> wrote:
Walker,
Thanks for keeping attention on this issue.

I have used Phoenix Recycling for the last year.  Phoenix provides excellent curbside service for $14/month.  I realize that $14/month is not affordable for everyone.  But considering the services that Phoenix Recycling has provided to the PostK city I hope that every effort will be made to ensure that Phoenix Recycling has a place in our increasingly GREEN city.
Jenel Hazlett - NorthWest Carrollton
*********************************
From: Walker Hines <walker.hines@gmail.com
Sent: Jan 7, 2009 11:26 AM
Subject: Correction Regarding SDT Recycling Services

Constituents,
Thank you for many of your e-mails indicating an interest in
recycling.  Unfortunately, some of the details were unclear regarding
SDTs services.  As many of you know, if you go to the link I
previously provided, SDT mentions a limited offer for curb-side
recycling pickup for any zip code with 500 or more registrations
requesting residential pickup.  The 70118 Zip Code had already
received well over 500 registrations prior to my e-mail going out.
I, along with other State Legislators, was under the impression that
SDT would offer FREE recycling pickup for the few Zip Codes that
reached 500 or more.  I mentioned that I didn't know how long they
would provide free services.  It turns out, the recycling pickup was
never intended to be free for any amount of time.  For anyone
interested in pay-for-service monthly recycling, Phoenix Recycling has
already established a successful recycling pickup.  Many residents in
our neighborhoods use Phoenix.  In due time, SDT may also offer a
monthly fee for recycling pickup in certain neighborhoods.  If you
would like more information on either company, feel free to e-mail me
and I'll send you their contact information.  Phoenix's website is:
http://phoenixrecyclingnola.com/

I apologize for not verifying all information with SDT and other
companies via phone prior to sending out a mass e-mail to neighborhood
groups.

I am hoping to lobby the City Council to appropriate funds to make
recycling a city wide public service (as is the case in the vast
majority of major urban areas).  Furthermore, I am hoping that we can
find a company that will recycle materials to help rebuild our
coastlines.

Coastal erosion can help be reversed with recyclable materials.  I am
confident we can use recyclable materials as a barrier against future
storms.  If the City Council does not find the funds to provide
city-wide recycling, I will ask for an appropriation from the State
for our Legislative District.  If successful, I will negotiate prices
and sign a contract with one of the waste and debris companies
offering recycling.  I am requesting that neighborhood organizations
consider raising funds if they feel recycling is a priority in their
neighborhoods.

Thank you for your interest and attention to this important matter.

If I can be of any further assistance please let me know.

Sincerely,
Walker Hines
State Representative - District 95
Legislative E-mail: Hinesw@legis.state.la.us
Legislative Mailing Address:
5500 Prytania St. # 626
New Orleans, LA 70115
Legislative Office:  504-756-4675

*********************************************************************
From: Walker Hines <walker.hines@gmail.com>
Sent: Jan 6, 2009 2:52 PM
To: walker.hines@gmail.com
Subject: SDT To Offer Free Recycling - Please Sign up and Forward to Neighbors

Constituents,
SDT Waste and Debris will begin offering free curb-side recycling
pickup beginning January 1 to any current or new SDT residential
customer living in a Zip code with 500 or more registrations.  To
request recycling pickup in your neighborhood, please visit:
http://sdtwds.com/recycle/

I want to thank those of you living in the 70118 Zip Code.  We were
the second Zip Code in the City to reach 500 registrations.
Regardless of where you live, if you would like the opportunity for
recycling pickup, please register as soon as possible.

As always, thank you for your attention to this matter.

May each of you enjoy a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,

Walker Hines
State Representative - District 95
Legislative E-mail: Hinesw@legis.state.la.us
Legislative Mailing Address:
5500 Prytania St. # 626
New Orleans, LA 70115
Legislative Office:  504-756-4675

New Orleanian of the Year - 2008

Gambit's New Orleanina of the Year - Karen Gadbois!

We done Karen and WELL DESERVED! We are proud of you!

Karen is on the board of NorthWest Carrollton.

See GAMBIT's article on Karen below:

JANUARY 5, 2009

Home Checker
Karen Gadbois' crusade to save the city's architectual heritage brought down a public program riddled with problems.
BY DAVID WINKLER-SCHMIT
Photo by Cheryl Gerber

For Karen Gadbois, the city's recovery and her own have become inextricably linked, and she has fought hard for both. On New Year's Eve 2005, Gadbois finished her final chemo treatment for breast cancer and flew from Austin, Texas, to New Orleans, so she could be here for the last day of the tragic year.
  That night she sat on the porch of her raised, side-hall shotgun house in northwest Carrollton with a friend and her husband. Newly installed streetlights illuminated the neighborhood wasteland of flooded homes, and Gadbois' pile of ruined artwork and other possessions sat on the front curb. Drinking wine, Gadbois began throwing rocks at the bright, invasive lights.
  "And I was really happy," Gadbois says. "I was so happy to be back."
  Gadbois is still happy, but she isn't content. She has battled against those, including Mayor Ray Nagin and other bureaucrats, who have attempted in the name of progress to destroy and squander our city's heritage. With little more than a digital camera, a computer, a blog and her green Honda Element, this indefatigable 53-year-old mom has shown that it is the average citizen — not government — that's leading New Orleans' recovery.
  By the time Gadbois first heard about the New Orleans Affordable Homeownership (NOAH) program in early 2008, the Boston, Mass., native had been taking on City Hall to save homes from demolition for more than two years. Nevertheless, she initially was optimistic about the program because she thought the city finally was making a gesture to help people get back into their homes by creating a program that was supposed to gut and board houses for poor and elderly homeowners.
  "A number of people were questioning why we were spending millions of dollars gutting and boarding homes when there were volunteer groups," Gadbois says. "It didn't make sense in terms of using government, but it could be used to leverage volunteer work to get people back in homes."
  It was in May when Gadbois saw a Central City house — dilapidated and the yard with knee-high grass and filled with junk — supposedly remediated by NOAH.
  "Someone put up a (NOAH) sign," Gadbois says. "It was a joke."
  Sarah Lewis, who was co-director with Gadbois of Common Knowledge, an organization promoting governmental tranparency, requested a list of "remediated" properties from NOAH. Lewis and Gadbois scrutinized the list and found it riddled with problems: nonexistent houses and remediated homes that were owned by slumlords and people like former U.S. Rep. Bill Jefferson's brother Mose Jefferson, who clearly were not poor or elderly.
  "It's like finding 700 pounds of gold on your front lawn," Gadbois says, displaying her Yankee wit. "It can't be gold; it's sitting in my front yard. This is so ridiculous it can't be as bad as it looks."
  Gadbois was so flabbergasted that she put her findings aside for a while until another blogger, Eli Ackerman, convinced her the story was more dynamite than gold. Gadbois turned to WWL-TV investigative reporter Lee Zurik, who broadcast her findings in an exclusive special report on July 21. The next day, Mayor Nagin held a news conference — besides city officials, only Gadbois, Lewis and Zurik were in attendance — and decried Zurik and Gadbois' investigation, accusing them of hurting the city's recovery.
  "I was not prepared to be single-handedly destroying the recovery in New Orleans," Gadbois says. "That was a lot of insult, a very loaded insult."
  Nagin's attempt at intimidation wasn't enough to deter Gadbois. Although she had only moved to New Orleans from a small Mexican village in 2002 with her husband, Jon Schooler, and their daughter, Ida, Gadbois had already become a dedicated New Orleanian. She had her hands full trying to renovate the house they bought, but says the family was comfortable and found New Orleans' open and accepting environment similar to what they had experienced in Mexico: "I loved that you could be poor with dignity in New Orleans. The first issue of the day was not what you had on."
  In the days following Nagin's news conference, Gadbois, Lewis and Zurik continued to build a case against NOAH. City officials claimed Gadbois and Lewis were working off the "wrong" NOAH property list, and the correct list would prove NOAH had delivered services for the $1.8 million contract it had with the city. So, Gadbois, Lewis and Zurik pored over the new list; this time they found even more problems.
  Besides listing houses on blocks that don't exist in the city, and charging the city for work done by volunteer groups, NOAH had used a list of contractors that included Cedric Smith, the mayor's brother-in-law, and Trellis Smith, a business partner of former NOAH director Stacey Jackson. More allegations came forward — Jackson had business relationships with other NOAH contractors — the City Council held hearings, NOAH closed its offices and a federal investigation was launched. And it was Gadbois who had first spotted NOAH's leaky ship, but all Nagin would say at the time was, "I love that we have professional investigators involved now."
  What he didn't know, or refused to believe, was that he had been dealing with a professional investigator all along.
With her cancer in remission in 2006, Gadbois became involved with her neighborhood organization, Northwest Carrollton Civic Association (NWCCA). The group argued that a proposed Walgreens drugstore at the intersection of Claiborne Avenue and Carrollton Avenue broke zoning laws. Refusing to budge, NWCCA pushed City Councilwoman Shelley Midura to broker a plan for the new Walgreens that conformed to zoning regulations and included space for a much-needed supermarket.
  "So that was sort of the beginning of my paying attention," Gadbois says.
  Still, it was more of a desire to preserve memories than anger that kept Gadbois focused on the city's recovery. Realizing a number of buildings would be demolished as New Orleans rebuilt, she wanted to start an online memory book of photographs of those structures. It was the genesis of Gadbois' blog, www.squanderedheritage.com.
  As Gadbois began driving around the city in June of 2006 shooting photographs of houses, however, she noticed many of them appeared salvageable.
  "The city seemed to have taken the stance of, 'If you want your house demolished; you can get your house demolished,'" Gadbois says. "End of conversation."
  Even if an owner didn't want a home destroyed, the city could find a way to raze it. Gadbois discovered this when she started tracking — along with Matt McBride, another New Orleans activist — the city's Good Neighbor Program, which was ostensibly set up for residents to notify the city of blighted houses. Gadbois says McBride began crunching housing statistics and determined the program was being used to feed into the city's demolition plans. And if a house wasn't reported as blighted, the city could inflate the structure's damage assessment.
  The city's approach didn't sit well with Gadbois, and with a small grant from the Blue Moon Fund, she (Lewis signed on later) has probed deeper into the city's demolition lists than any investigative agency or reporter.
Nowadays, Gadbois is back to being a solo act — the Blue Moon grant money is nearly gone, so she and Lewis had to part ways — and she is still driving around the city and documenting houses slated for demolition. She thinks there is more to the NOAH story than the public is aware, but she believes the truth will eventually come out.

Feedback to NOPD

Major Little NOPD

Today ~2:30-3:OOPM  
A resident was coming home (8300 block of Apricot) from grocery shopping at Roberts and ran into 3 young black men coming out of the alley on the side of her house. They looked like they were carrying stuff under their jackets.  She yelled at them "WTF are you doing!!!" and they scattered.  Another one of our neighbors (from Cambronne) was across the street picking up the priest to take him to the airport.  He followed the 3 guys in his car. They split up and he saw one of the guys had a small silver handgun.  Both residents called 911. I was still on the phone with the home owner so I heard some of the content of our Cambronne neighbor's report over the phone to 911. One of the men returned to Apricot street He had turned his jacket inside out and he got into a small white van (left of resident's house and across from the church) and BACKED UP down the one way street so that the resident was not able to get the license place. The resident seems confident that nothing was taken from her house. Her dogs were upstairs and loud and nasty and her downstairs didn't look broken into.

The cops did arrive very quickly after the 911 reports. 2 cars. They checked out her alleyway. Officer B.Duncan talked to the resident. He took no written notes.  While he was still on the street talking to resident another neighbor from the 8200 Pritchard Place drove up got out of his car and said he saw the same 3 young black men coming out of the alley across the street between a house in the 2900 block of Dublin.  He too yelled at them like Karen and they scattered. He said one guy had on a black leather coat and was black with close cropped hair and shorter than he was which would be less than 5'5" or going by where he had his hand could have been less than 5 feet.  The other 2 guys had on "winter jackets" with their shirts sticking out.  B. Duncan left with our 8200 Pritchard Place neighbor, presumably to take more statements.

While we are pleased that the police showed up so quickly, our conversation with Officer B. Duncan was galling and insulting. He said repeatedly that we lived in a bad neighborhood. As if because of this we should expect to have gun carrying thieves in our alleyways.  WE DON'T.  We had not one but 3 EYEWITNESSES associated with these gun carrying criminals in our neighborhood.  The fact that we were on the street and that the neighborhood watch approach was working and doing exactly what the cops say they want from us didn't seem to matter to the officer because "We live in a bad neighborhood".  When asked what it was that made this a bad neighborhood he said that it is poorly lit (which isn't true) and that Leonidas is "right there".  He said he lived on Pritchard @ Cambronne 2 years ago after Katrina.  Interesting because I never saw him while repeatedly handing our flyers to start our neighborhood organization. We mentioned that the crime statistics do not support the fact that this is "a bad neighborhood".  Officer B. Duncan didn't seem to even hear this.

When we call the cops we do not want to feel like we are being blown off because "we live in a bad neighborhood".  1) Statistically this is not true.  2) Our Neighborhood Watch is very active, as today's actions shows. 3) Our neighborhood organization is very active at work making this better neighborhood, as recent emails regarding tire dumping behind AutoZone shows.  What we expect from NOPD is support when we work against the "bad guys", not flip comments about "living in a bad neighborhood" again in a "what to you expect manner".

Sincerely,
Jenel Hazlett - President NorthWest Carrollton

----- NOPD Response -----

Response From: Bruce Little

Sent: Dec 21, 2008 8:57 PM
To: nwcarrollton@mindspring.com, "Kirk M. Bouyelas"
, Ronald Laporte

Subject: Re: Neighborhood Watch Report
There was no response from me because there were no questions asked of me. It appeared from your email that everyone was pleased with the police response, but you were upset the officer referred to the area as bad. I'm sure he meant no disrespect to anyone personally nor to the community as a whole. I'm quite certain he was warning those involved to be wary and extra careful.  Despite the fact that today is my day off I was out with my officers and personally dispatched all available units in the area to look for these suspects.  Despite our efforts they were not located.  The residences were checked and there were no apparent signs of entry or damage. We don't know what they were up to so no report was taken.  Tying an officer up for an hour writing to write  report on  suspicious persons would be counterproductive and take that unit from responding to other emergency calls. A description was broadcast and all officer noted the descriptions.

I am thrilled by the level of cooperation and response from all of the neighborhood groups in the Second District.  Today was a perfect example of how it is supposed to work

The Second District is currently leading the entire city in not only crime reduction but also leads each week in arrests.  Morale is very high and the officers and citizens are proud of our accomplishments. It is only your organization that continues to send derogatory emails. I'm not sure why but our successes speak for themselves. 
Major Bruce Little
Commander Second District
New Orleans Police Department-
Sent using BlackBerry

----- Followup email-----
Major Little,
It has been a few days since I've personally been on Email.  It's the holidays and everyone deserves a break now and then. 
A couple of things:
I understand that there are times in any job when proficiency and efficiency can appear cold and heartless to those not in the middle of doing the job.  Imagine a surgeon cutting into a patient. Is it possible to do that with out some detachment? How you feel when that patient is your loved one and you are watching is anything but detached.  I'm sure you can see the analogies.
When I wrote my email I wanted to write down what I had seen and heard as quickly as possible so as not to loose anything.  Also I was offended when I wrote it and the combination of being offended and trying to get down all the data may not have been the best combination.
But there is something else in this equation that I am still concerned you may be missing.  The secret to life is public relations. We, all of us law-abiding citizens who want to work with the police, want a RELATIONSHIP with the police of the 2nd district.  We in NorthWest Carrollton know that there are other neighborhoods who "are nicer", have more wealth, have more power, and on the other side of the coin we know there are neighborhoods that are a lot worse than ours, that don't have power or influence.  When officers "dis the hood" while we have folks on the street doing what we can to stop the bad guys the relationship is damaged.  What I was trying to get across in my email was that what was said: "this is a bad neighborhood" damages the relationship.  Given that this was a minor incident in the grand scheme of things, no murder, no gun fire, just gun toting, there was, in my opinion, an opportunity for the police to say something like: "Thanks for being on the lookout, thanks for calling. It is impressive to have so many people work together and report criminal activity. We will let you know what our investigation finds."
See it isn't just about what your people do. As you indicate they did their difficult job but didn't find anything - this time. The problem is that without our email, we would have never known this.  What we would have been left with is a feeling that the cops think this is a bad neighborhood and have blown us off.  And that is inaccurate and damages the relationship and is exactly what can prevent people from calling in next time.  We, the representatives of NorthWest Carrollton, don't want that and neither do you.  My hope when I sent the email was that the information could be helpful but most importantly to let you, as leader of the 2nd district, know how important the "public relations" aspect is of the cops on the street.  The NWCCA board will continue to call on and communicate with NOPD but given a similar experience other members and citizens living in NWCCA might have just climbed back into their holes and checked out or worse "dis'd the NOPD".  And none of us want that.

Thanks for doing the difficult job that you and your team do for us. Have the happiest and safest of holidays,

Jenel Hazlett - NorthWest Carrollton bounded by Claiborne-Carrollton-Earhart-Leonidas       

What is a streetscape?

A streetscape is a public improvement project that will enhance the public area and trigger subsequent recovery and investment in surrounding neighborhoods. This development is designed to help create additional and continued private investment in New Orleans key recovery areas. The streetscape is designed to benefit the surrounding neighborhood residents, business owners and visitors by providing amenities that contribute to economic vitality. Streetscape projects enhance the area surrounding the actual roadway, but do not include roadway repair or reconstruction.

 

Streetscapes can include: 

• Sidewalk, bikeway, driveway and other pedestrian surface walkway improvements
• Traffic and pedestrian signalization and signage
• Landscaping
• Lighting
• Public Art
• Pocket park improvements
• Minor utility modifications and improvements

Insulting

What & Who: Councilmember Stacy Head will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Irish Channel and St. Mary Overlay Projects completion on Thursday morning. The ceremony marks the rehabiliation of 1.75 miles of roadway throughout the Irish Channel and St. Mary neighborhoods.

When: Thursday, December 11, 2008 11:00 a.m.

Where: Burke Park (Uptown) Annunciation St, between 2nd & 3rd St.

Background: As a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, an estimated 17,000 individual sites (roadway and sidewalks) and 6,000 blockers were damaged due to flooding in 80 percent of the City. To date, the City has completed 13 roadway and walking path projects and also completed more than 2,275 repairs to city streets and sidewalks damaged by the storms of 2005.

REALITY CHECK: Really? Oh Yeah, the flood waters were REAL DEEP in the Irish Channel and on the Isle of Denial. As a New Orleans citizen who DID have ~3 FEET of Water in the streets of her neighborhood, this is nothing short of insulting. Stacy Head does good work and I admire her, but having “recovery work” work done in the IRISH CHANNEL and having the audacity to say the damage to the road way was Katrina/Rita related is inappropriate and INSULTING to those whose neighborhoods were ravaged by flooding and postK cleanup. How much does it cost the city to plan & execute a ribbon cutting ceremony for less than 2 miles of roadway in an area of town that DID NOT FLOOD!?

We all need to keep our eyes on the recovery ball. You can’t talk about efficiency in budgeting and city services and do things like this at the same time. Focus. Focus. Focus!

Entergy and the joys of having a MONOPOLY

Folks, Maybe you heard about Shelley Midura and Rod West going after it regarding “contract issues”. Maybe you didn’t.

EVERYONE should read Clancy Dubos on the Blog of New Orleans. Make sure you read the article AND scroll all the way down to where Clancy rebuts some of the stuff in the comments.
This is only just heating up and it will eventually hit your checking account.

Free Concert in Palmer Park

LPO and Palmer Park ConcertBring a picnic and enjoy music outdoors!

SATURDAY October 11, 2008 - 5:00pm

Musical SelectionsVoyages with the LPO!
Overture to HMS Pinafore
Handel Water Music
Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid
Selections from South Pacific
Armed Forces Salute
Selections from Pirates of the Caribbean
Harry’s Wondrous World fromHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Music from Apollo 13
Star Trek through the Years
Selections from E.T. The Extraterrestrial

Rain date: Sunday, October 12, 5:00 PM

The LPO concert in Palmer Park is made possible byDistrict A Councilmember Shelley Miduraand by Harrah’s Community Support Grant Program.

Earhart Expansion Schematic

Earhart Expansion Schematic, originally uploaded by NorthWest Carrollton.

In June 2008, NorthWest Carrollton invited Department of Public Works Robert Mendoza and team to talk to us about the new that Earhart would finally be resurfaced. What the plans showed was that Earhart would be expanded from 4 to 6 lanes and that a left turn lane would be placed at Carrollton and Earhart.

Citizen reaction to this plan was not good. A Carrollton Area Network meeting was held at St. Matthew's and the reaction at this meeting was essentially the same.

The citizen proposal was created and meetings were held with Department of Public Works and Regional Planning. Traffic studies were done and traffic models created. The citizen proposal had the best traffic flow in the models.

Democracy worked.

Thank You Marc Robert - POWER update

Smart enough to place a generator at his new store on Claiborne & Dublin, Robert was open for business on WEDNESDAY. Thank you Marc Robert.

On Wednesday about 1/2 of the neighborhood had power. By Friday power came back on for most of the rest of the neighborhood. The street light at Walmsley/Apple & Carrollton is now working. This should prevent the accidents we saw after Katrina. The power was still out at Earhart & Carrollton.

Should we EVER have to do this again please leave your porch light on. This will allow us to drive down the streets in the neighborhood and report which blocks *look* like they have power. Even when the bulk of a neighborhood has power there can still be some houses without. IF you don’t have power when you return report the outages to Entergy at 1-800-9-outage. Entergy is working hard to get the power back up a soon as possbile.

When you see the trucks - stop and tell them THANK YOU.

Why come back (and why not come back) - PostGustav Evacuation

O.K. That’s it I’ve had it. I am tired of unthinking or flat foolish people saying things regarding our return to OUR CITY!

So let’s list it out for those who can’t think it out for themselves:

1) My job requires me to return. Yeah they can make a lot of noise about “Tier 1″, but there are MANY companies who have to know that their PEOPLE are back before we begin to get our city back (power or no power). Let’s think about who these companies are. Let’s take the example of the saints game this weekend. WHO do we neeed? Ticket takers, concession stand workers, parking lot workers, cleaning staff, building maintenenace staff, security staff. Now that you are thinking about the fact that you need your fellow citizens start thinking about other services. Do you want your gabage picked up? Do you want to be able to go to the grocery store? Do you want to be able to fill your tank? Do you think filling your tank takes place 100% withOUT people? We are all Tier 1 because without citizens there is no city.

2) My finances require me to return. Some of us are lucky enough to have family and friends to take us in indefinately and do NOT have to return to work. Thank goodness for family and friends. Some of us have the means to fly to New York or California or Europe. Yes believe it or not some New Orleanians spent their Katrina evacuation in France. Some of us have the financial means to whip out a Credit Card and stay indefinately in a hotel. Think about the people who make up this city. REALLY think about it. Think about the state of the economy in this country and tell me that you realy believe that the bulk of the citizens of New Orleans, many who are financially strapped because of Katrina Recovery, and tell me you can’t understand why they might want to come home.

3) My house is MY HOUSE and it is MY HOME! While family and friends are great and a hotel stay may be fun, my house is my home. I want to see how it faired in the storm. If there are damages that need to be addressed I want to do it as fast as possible to prevent further damage. But more importantly ESPECIALLY POSTKATRINA! I want to be HOME, in my HOUSE, in my neighborhood! Kids want a return to normalcy. They want to go to THIER Schools with THEIR Friends and not to an “evacuation school”. People who could not go home quickly postKatrina want to come home quickly now. There is very little to prevent this.

That said there are some reasons to stay away. Let’s talk about those.

1) If you have critical medicial needs: like a requirement for oxygen (which requries power) or dialysis or ongoing speciality disease treatment that can be handled by facilities where you are, you need to stay where these services are readily available. Yes, we have hospitals. But the entire electrical transmission system (the interstate highway of power) is severely damaged. NorthWest Carrollton does not currently have power. Even if we get power as the systems are repaired there maybe temporary but significant power outages. THINK before you move if you have medical needs.
2) The entire electrical transmission system (the interstate highway of power) is severely damaged. Yes, Entergy is working diligently to repair this system, but this is NOT just a New Orleans problem this is a River Parish problem that includes Baton Rouge (and I’m not talking about the governor, I’m talking about the power grid infrastructure.) So if you want to come home KNOW that you could be in the dark and living out of an ice chest and cooking on the grill for quite some time. No power, No Air Conditioning! Can you and your family stand each other for days in the heat? Do you have a generator and the means to fill it with gas? Do you have ice chests and the means to fill them with food? Because their are few to no groceries open today. Make SURE that you have enough gas for your vehicle to get you all the way HOME. No power, no working gas pumps. THINK camping. Think October 2005. Think seriously roughing it. Make an informed decision.

IF you do return, Think traffic safety! Assume every non-functioning traffic signal is a 4 way stop. People have reverted to PostKatrina driving habits and not all of these are good. Be safe. Make an informed decision.

The city needs to think about this:
People won’t leave if they can’t come back.

Let us not forget that the people who live in New Orleans survived the months following Katrina. Power? Please. Post K I didn’t have Gas at my house and therefore no heat and no hot water until Christmas 2005. Flushing the toilet with a bucket, yep. We lived in houses with gutted bottom floors with NOTHING in them and if we were lucky enough to have 2nd floors lived there or in formaldehyde FEMA tin cans. We lived in these circumstances for MONTHS, not days. MONTHS. Some of us YEARS. If there is one thing that the politians in the city of New Orleans should know by now is that we are tough enough to deal with adversity. We can live without power. We can cook on our grills. We can haul in food and water if that is what we are told to do. We can make the determination NOT to return if we feel that is best for our own personal circumstances. But I believe that the at the very least what we have earned is the right to make our own determination about what is best for us. The Mayor needs to stop acting like Big Brother and should not treat me or my neighbors as children.

5 Myths about Katrina

The national press is finally beginning to understand that New Orleans and the surrounding areas are not just below sea level areas of the country where people just should not live. I even saw coverage that touched on the wetlands and MRGO and the damage done to the wetlands by the oil and gas companies that put fuel in the nations cars and heat homes in the northern US in the winter.

Encourage your friends and family to watch this video put together by Levees.org

Robert Fresh Market Open in August

Finally the grocery store is here!

See their website for details on all the offerings.

Yeah! Marc Robert for your perseverance to get to this day.
We are thrilled to have your in our neighborhood!

S&W Leaks

Thank you very much for your help. BOTH leaks have been repaired.

Happy 2009! Sincerely, Jenel Hazlett - NWCCA

*********************************************************


From: NorthWest Carrollton <nwcarrollton@mindspring.com>

To: "EJSterling@cityofno.com" <EJSterling@cityofno.com>, Shelley Midura <smidura@cityofno.com>

   

Subject: Large Leaks in 8500 Block of Apricot & 8300 Block of Pritchard

Date: Dec 27, 2008 12:38 PM

 

Happy Holidays, I am hoping that you can help us contact the right people at Sewerage & Water Board who can help us get action on 2 large leaks in NorthWest Carrollton. The first photo is of the leak at 8300 Pritchard Place. It has been reported to Sewerage & Water Board from this address. The leak is on the street side of the water meter. At first we were not sure if it was a leak or rainwater, but now we can literally see it getting larger every day. The second photo is of the leak in the 8500 block (even side) of Apricot Street. It has been reported by the folks at 8530 Apricot, repeatedly for more than a month. The exact source is hard to determine The surrounding area is soggy and the puddles stretch for half a block. Any thing you can do to expedite these repairs before things get worse is appreciated. Sincerely, NorthWest Carrollton

Earhart Planning - Citizen Proposal

The Citizen proposal was reviewed and endorsed by the Regional Planning Commission & New Orleans Public Works in the Fall of 2008.

A public meeting was held in April 21 @7PM at St. Matthew’s Church, 1333 South Carrollton Avenue and follow up meetings were held with Regional Planning & Public Works.

Harvard Presentation

In 2007/2008 NorthWest Carrollton participated in meetings in held as part of Harvard University's Broadmoor Project. Click here to see our neighborhood presentation.

The Economics of Neighborliness

I’m reading Bill McKibben’s book, Deep Economy. It has some very interesting ideas to consider. Personally I think “Local” is the “new Green”.

But decide for yourself. Come and see Bill McKibbin discuss his book in person at the Garden District Book Shop on March 12th from 5:30 to 7:30PM.

Earhart BOULEVARD

Urban Conservancy, City Council, Senator Grey:

NorthWest Carrolltion would like to talk with someone in your organization regarding work that will soon begin on Earhart.

Wednesday February 20th, Robert Mendoza came to our neighborhood meeting and gave us the low down on the Earhart “repairs”. While we are glad to see these much needed repairs move forward we were not happy with what we heard regarding the plan.

Currently Earhart is 3 lanes (each way for a total of 6) in Jefferson Parish and then merges to 2 (each way for a total of 4) as it enters Orleans at the overpass. The “repairs” will cause Earhart to be 3 lanes in Jefferson Parish, drop to 2 at the overpass, EXPAND to 3 at the base of the overpass in Orleans, grow a total of 5 lanes (8 lanes both ways!) at Carrollton & Earhart and then drop back to 2 on the Orleans side of Carrollton. Nothing in anything we have read regarding Earhart improvements mentioned increasing the number of lanes. What we naively assumed was that the street would be repaired and proper curbs and sidewalks installed.

While we can appreciate that modifications may be necessary to help traffic flow at Carrollton and Earhart and we completely support a marked and dedicated turning right turning lane (to the river) at Carrollton, we are concerned about the total lost of green space in the center of this intersection to allow for 2 turning lanes onto Carrollton toward the lake. We are also disappointed that NO effort has been made to provide a marked and dedicated turning lane off of Carrollton and onto Earhart toward Jefferson Parish. Anyone who has used this intersection knows that this is a traffic issue in the evenings.

In the process of creating the plan for Earhart there has been no discussion of bike racks and very little thought given to green space and tree cover. There is a requirement to put in sidewalks and ADA crosswalks because of the associated federal dollars. But we see very little in the plan that looks at the whole picture or the long haul. Will people really use the sidewalks if they are right on top of the 3 lane “highway”? This is one of the last opportunities that we will have to improve Earhart for a long time. With all the planning that has been done in the city of New Orleans it would be nice to see some broader thinking. Many of the planning sessions that New Orleanians participated in discussed a need for better integrated streets, sidewalks and bikepaths, some of them specifically referred to Earhart.

Why are we making what should be an “Urban Corridor” into a 6 lane highway? 8 lanes at Carrollton Avenue?

Does anyone remember that Earhart was part of the horrible idea of a Vieux Carre INTERSTATE?

What sense does it make to have Earhart be come 3 lanes on each side only to drop to 2 (on each side) as it crosses Carrollton?

What sense does it make to have the overpass at the Jefferson/Orleans line drop to 2 lanes only to widen to 3 lanes in Orleans Parish. Won’t this only encourage speeding on what should be an Urban Corridor and partially residential street? Once traffic is slowed down from the 3 lane Jefferson part of Earhart by the overpass and narrows to 2 lanes in Orleans WHY allow it to spread out and speed up again?

We hope that there are opportunities to tweak the plan to provide for more green space and to reassure residential and business owners that the intent is not to create a Veterans highway like environment in New Orleans. We CHOOSE to live in New Orleans and it is the character of New Orleans streets that we wish to retain. Please see that attached article written by a graduate student at UNO.

We look forward to hearing from you regarding the concerns expressed by the neighbors of NorthWest Carrollton.

Jenel Hazlett – President, NorthWest Carrollton Civic Association

A Tale of 2 Januarys

January 2006. I’ve been back in my home since October 2005. The bottom floor of our house is gutted. We have replaced our water heater, a washer & dryer. My husband and daughter came home to our raised bungalow from Austin, TX in November 2005. We finally got gas service in December 2005. I’ve been driving from Carrollton to my job at the Chalmette Refinery through postapolcalytic New Orleans for months. My route usually takes me down Carrollton to I-10 to the Claiborne exit and then to Franklin where I jump to St. Claude. The Claiborne bridge has been raised since I returned. The only 2 routes into Chalmette are either via Paris Rd or St. Claude, limited access and both routes require you to go through a military/police check point.

I watched the tide rise and fall from my porch before we floated ourselves and our bicycles out on air mattresses and then rode to I-10 & Causeway. I slept under the I-10 and had FEMA throw bottled water and MRE’s at me. I’ve gutted my own house and driven past more dead refrigerators and tatoo’d houses and debris piles bigger than garbage trucks than I can count. I repeatedly worked side by side with the folks removing debris piles sweeping and scooping the debris from in front of my home. I drive past the devastation and emptiness daily. I have a profound sense of loss but I’m tough and grateful. I have a job, a home, my daughter can return to school, my husband is working on our lower floor, we had insurance. I know that it could be worse. My mom lost everything in her lower 9th Ward home, her job moved to Covington then the Mississippi gulf coast. My brother lost everything in his home in old Arabi. His job is here. His family is still in South Carolina.

In December 2005 I take what is left of my 2005 vacation and spend some down time at home with my family, a real luxury. Then in January 2006 I drive back to work, down Carrollton to the I-10 to the Claiborne exit, down Claiborne. But it’s been 2 weeks and I am on automatic pilot so I forget to turn on Franklin, I reach the foot of the Claiborne bridge and see that it is open. Cool. Great. Progress, right? I drive over the bridge and there to my left is the barge that split the levee still sitting amide what is left of the broken and battered homes. I gasp out loud. How can I still be shocked? I keep driving and there at the foot of the bridge is a house in the middle of the right hand lane. I have to veer around it. I drive on to work but feel gut punched. But the time I get to the light at Claiborne and Caffin I have tears running down my cheeks. I’m a bit bleary eyed as I go through the checkpoint on St.Claude/St.Bernard Hwy. but the cop on this watch has seen it before. I show him my badge and go through. I’m recovered enough to put in a days work before I drive home through the devastation again.

January 2008
I’ve been on vacation putting the finishing touches on our downstairs. It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve driven down Carrollton to the I-10 to the Claiborne exit, down Claiborne across the Claiborne bridge to Chalmette. As I come up over the bridge there on the left are rows upon rows of little pink houses. And I smile broadly at the vibrant image of hope and say out loud “Thank You Brad Pitt”.

January 2006 Despair . January 2008 Hope.