Detail on the Ashton Theatre on Apple Street

NorthWest Carrollton would like to work to have this building added to the National Historic Register.  In addition to being one of the last old theatres in New Orleans, it was designed by Ferdinand Lucien Rousseve (1904–1965).
In April 1934 he sat for and passed the state licensing examination for architects, becoming the first licensed Black architect in Louisiana.

We are in contact with some of Rousseve's relatives that remain in the New Orleans Area.

The Ashton is currently owned by the artist Lin Emory but is not open ot the public.

The websites below that provided this research are no longer working but this detail is some of the information that has been sent to NorthWest Carrollton on the Ashton Theatre.
__________________________________________________________________

/http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/ferdinand-lucien-rousseve-tf/

African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary 1865-1945

Ferdinand Lucien Rousseve (1904–1965)

John J.Burns Library, Boston College Archives

Ferdinand Rousseve was born on July 18,1904, in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a devout Catholic household headed by his Creole father, Bartholomew, who was a postman, and his mother, Valentine Marie, who was a housewife. Ferdinand had three brothers and four sisters including twins, Leonie and Leona. His father faithfully recited the Rosary every morning and raised his children to have devotion for the Virgin Mary. Ferdinand’s sister, Theresa, married Jesus Christ by becoming a nun, and one brother, Maurice, ordained his soul to the Catholic Church by becoming a priest. One brother, Rene, was a social worker. Two brothers, Numa and Charles, who were gifted artists, became a professional landscape painter and university professor of fine arts, respectively. Ferdinand, like two of his brothers, chose a profession in the fine arts, but his oeuvre was forever ecclesiastically influenced.

Ferdinand’s father enrolled him in Saint Louis Elementary, a private school in New Orleans, and then successive New Orleans parochial schools—Holy Family Boys’ Middle School and Xavier Preparatory High School. Ferdinand Rousseve was inspired to study architecture by his Xavier drafting and industrial arts teacher, William Lewis. He graduated with academic honors third in his class in June 1922.

Rousseve was a smart and determined student who advanced his station in life by seeking out and conquering the educational opportunities that presented themselves to him. Following his graduation from high school, he enrolled at Guillaume College in New Orleans in 1924 and received a diploma from the commercial course. Also in 1924, he attended Coyne Trade and Engineering School in Chicago, Illinois, earning a certificate in mechanical drawing and elementary machine design. The latter was a discipline in which patternmaker RICHARD MASON HANCOCK had excelled. Rousseve returned to New Orleans and worked as a draftsman for Louis J.Charbonnett, a family friend, mechanical engineer, and mentor and owner of one of the leading millwright companies in the lower Mississippi Delta. After Charbonnett died in 1924, Rousseve left for Cambridge, Massachusetts, intending to enter the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. To prepare for the entrance examination, Rousseve enrolled at Rindge Technical High School in Cambridge. It was a worthwhile investment of a year of study. He won a Gold Medal in oratory and qualified for a four-year, full-tuition Cambridge scholarship. The summer before he started college, he worked as a draftsman for Maginnis, Walsh & Kennedy Architects, who specialized in church architecture. Rousseve entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall of 1925. His matriculation was highlighted by many honors, such as receiving a $1,000 scholarship grant from the Cambridge Rotary Club. He was the only African American member of the Architectural Society and he was a dependable member of the Catholic Club. He spent the summer of 1926 working as a draftsman in the Boston office of Edward T.P.Graham (1871–1964). The summer of

Greater Tulane Baptist Church, Neil Alexander Photography

1929 he worked as a draftsman for the nonprofit Architectural Bureau of the Young Men’s Christian Association in Chicago. His terminal thesis was “The Hall of Fame of a National Capital Building in Design.” In his fifth year, Rousseve graduated from MIT with a bachelor of science in architecture in 1930.

Not since ROBERT ROBINSON TAYLOR in 1892 had the Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduated a Black architect. Rousseve was a hot commodity and he quickly found employment as an instructor in the School of Architecture at HOWARD UNIVERSITY. He taught at the university from 1930 to 1933. During the two summers he taught at Howard he took classes in interior decoration, arts, and ornamental decoration in New York City, probably offered by the popular Beaux-Arts Institute of Design.

In April 1934 he sat for and passed the state licensing examination for architects, becoming the first licensed Black architect in Louisiana.¹

 

Rousseve was an architect-academician with a strong preference for classical styles. His interest motivated him to attend the University of Chicago during the summers from 1936 to 1939 in a specialized field of the history of art, concentrating on twelfth-century French architecture. For his terminal thesis he wrote “The Majestas Domini in the Tympanum of the Twelfth Century French Church—A Study in Iconography.”² It was an iconographic analysis of the “Majesty of the Lord” decoration theme found in the tympana of medieval church portals. Rousseve received his master of art degree during commencement ceremonies held in the summer of 1940.

Rousseve added a capital to his record of scholarship in 1948 when he was awarded a doctoral degree in architecture from Harvard University. He made A’s in all his courses, completed his foreign (French) language requirement, and passed his oral comprehensive examination all within two semesters. His thesis, supplemented by a detailed scale model that he built, was a critical assessment of one of the last churches along the great Pilgrimage Road, “The Romanesque Abbey—Church of St. Martial at Limoges, France.”

Ferdinand married Elise Mirault Clarke of Augusta, Georgia, in the fall of 1930. They were parents to Yvonne Elise, Angela Rose, and Marie Valentine. Rousseve, in the vein of ALBERT IRVIN CASSELL and HOWARD HAMILTON MACKEY SR., was a successful architect-administrator. In the fall of 1933, he was appointed assistant to the university president and business manager for SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY at Baton Rouge. In 1940 Rousseve received a dual appointment as head of the Department of Fine Arts at Xavier University in New Orleans and university architect. He managed the department, taught design classes, and was responsible for supervising the Facilities Department as well as the construction of university buildings.

When Rousseve returned to New Orleans in 1940, he opened a solo private practice to supplement the salary he received from Xavier University. Rousseve maintained his architectural practice until 1948.

Rousseve designed many buildings in the Gulf region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. His commissions ranged from Catholic high schools to Catholic churches to houses. Among the most noteworthy were greater Tulane Baptist Church in New Orleans and St. Jude’s Catholic Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama.

Rousseve was quoted as saying, “I have a strong conviction that it is our individual and collective duty to make our communities better places in which to live.”³ His civic commitment was demonstrated by board memberships in the New Orleans Family Services Society and New Orleans Council of Social Agencies and in Boston by board memberships in the Cambridge Planning Board, Catholic Inter-racial Council of Boston, National Council of Christians and Jews, and more than a dozen other groups.

In 1961 Rousseve returned to Massachusetts to accept the directorship of the Fine Arts Department at Boston College in Chestnut Hill. He was once again a trailblazer by being one of the few African Americans to head an Art Department at a predominately White college and being one of the few architects to head an Art Department at a college or university.

Ferdinand Rousseve died on July 18, 1965, at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts.⁴ He is interred at Newton Cemetery in Newton Centre, Massachusetts.

Notes

1. Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners, “Ferdinand Rousseve,” no. (unknown), issued 23 April 1934.

2. Ferdinand Rousseve, “The Majestas Domini in the Tympanum of the Twelfth Century French Church—A Study in Iconography,” (master’s thesis, University of Chicago, 1939).

3. Clarence Laws, “Ferdinand L.Rousseve-Architect and Citizen,” Opportunity. (September 1947): 95.

4. “Dr. Ferdinand Rousseve, B.C.Fine Arts Chairman,” Traveler (Boston), 19 July 1965, p. 30.

Bibliography

“Rousseve, Ferdinand Lucien.” In Who Was Who in America. A.N.Marquis, ed., vol. 33. New York: Marquis Company, 1964.

“Rousseve, Ferdinand.” In Directory of American Scholars. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Science Press, 1951.

DRECK SPURLOCK WILSON

BUILDING LIST

Name	Address	City	State	Year	Comments
House	1436 Pauger St.	New Orleans	LA
House	1428 Bourbon St.	New Orleans	LA
House	1625 Pauger St.	New Orleans	LA
Twin House	1455–1457 Pauger St.	New Orleans	LA
5th African Baptist Church	3419 S.Robinson St.	New Orleans	LA		Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
Ashton Theatre		New Orleans	LA		Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
Beecher Memorial Congregational Church	1914 N.Miro St.	New Orleans	LA
Central Congregational Church of Christ	2401 Bienville Ave.	New Orleans	LA
Cherrie-Segue Medical Clinic		New Orleans	LA		Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
Convents Holy Ghost Catholic Church Rectory	2015 Louisiana Ave.	New Orleans	LA		Addition
Dryades Street YMCA	Dryades St.	New Orleans	LA		Destroyed by fire
Greater Tulane Baptist Church	214 N.Johnston St.	New Orleans	LA
Le Rendezvous Restaurant					Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
Louisiana Colored Teachers Association Bldg.	Campus	Baton Rogue	LA		Now Southern Univ. Archives Bldg.
McDonald Dental Office		New Orleans	LA
People’s United Methodist Church Community Center		New Orleans	LA		Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
Rhodes Funeral Home	1716 N.Claiborne Ave.	New Orleans	LA
Rose Hill Baptist Church	4520 Willow Rd.	New Orleans	LA		Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
Rousseve, Ferdinand L.	4636 Willow St.	Cambridge	MA
St. Claver’s Catholic Elementary School	1020 N.Prieur St.	New Orleans	LA	1921	Michael D’Orsi, assoc. architect
St. Jude’s Catholic Hospital	2048 W.Fairview Ave.	Montgomery	AL	1951	Now Apts.
St. Raymond’s Catholic Church	3738 Paris Ave.	New Orleans

 

 

http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/AIA%20scans/Rosters/DOrsiMichael_roster.pdf

 

http://www.ohsno.org/opus_lists/index.htm

REPRODUCO
Reproduco / Ashton Piano		Ashton Theatre, 8437 Apple St., New Orleans

*The Organs of the United States and Canada Database is operated by George Nelson

This page is a service of www.neworleanschurches.com
and the New Orleans Chapter of the Organ Historical Society

http://www.cinematour.com/picview.php?db=us&id=63805

http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/ashton-theatre.html

http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/nationwide/historic-american-movie-theaters.html

2nd District Crime Map - Feb 20-24 2011

Crime Map from NOLAReady.
NorthWest Carrollton is 2T. Southern edge of 2T is Claiborne Ave.

Blancher Properties in NWCCA

The Blancher family owns both the Rock 'N Bowl and Ye Olde College Inn and we welcome their investment in our neighborhood. The Blanchers also own a number of properties in the 8100 block of Fig Street and the 2900 Block of Carrollton Avenue.

Some are being used as urban gardens. The neighborhood welcomes these additions.

Some have shipping containers that have been used as storage buildings for quite some time.

According to city agencies, using shipping containers as storage units or even having a garage is not allowed without an accompanying home on the residential property. Some at City Hall indicate that shipping containers are not allowed in residential neighborhoods for longer than 6 months. Others at City Hall seem to think that these rules are malleable (but we're unable to determine what this malleabilty is based on).

This residential lot with a Carrollton address

is frequently used as a parking lot.

And some of the more recently acquired properties...
the Blanchers have asked to demolish.

I know there are lots of Rock 'N Bowl and Ye Olde fans out there. And rightfully so. But ask yourself: Is this the kind of commercial encroachment that you would want to see in your backyard?

Streetscape - Demolition - NO!

Take a look at the streetscape along the 8100 Block of Fig



Now take a look at one of the individual houses


And now tell me that it is OK to demolish these houses and eliminate the streetscape.

We've already lot almost a city block of houses to a fire immediately PostKatrina. We lost more houses in the February 2007 tornado. Now tell me that we should willingly let these houses be demolished.

We don't think we should which is why right now a representative from NorthWest Carrollton is speaking at "the demolition committee" meeting (NCDC) at City Hall against allowing the demolition of these buildings.

Full Moon over perfectly but illegally parked cars

Sargent Kirton, Officer Eddington,

Wednesday 16-Feb-2011 NorthWest Carrollton had a general neighborhood meeting. One of the concerns raised at the meeting was the illegal parking on the residential lots on Carrollton.

Please see the photos taken 17-Feb-2011 a Thursday Evening.
The fading light didn't make for great photos.
There are cars lined up on property line of the lot at 2924 S. Carrollton Ave.
This is a residential lot.
This kind of parking is being repeated most nights Thursday - Sunday.



We would like to have NOPD ticket the vehicles. We have done what we can to advise the owners and the car owners that the neighborhood will not tolerate turning a residential lot into a parking lot, up to and including having the City's Department of Safety & Permits send a letter to the property owners indicating that the zoning of the lots they had purchased did not allow for commercial use. Our attempts have fallen on deaf ears. Unfortunately the only thing left to do at this point is to ask law enforcement to step in.

New Orleans needs to enforce parking laws

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that it is stupid
to spend time and dollars digging up and recreating "corners" with ramps
for wheelchairs, strollers and folks who have trouble stepping over a curb,
when the city does nothing to stop people from parking across sidewalks
which forces everyone, children, less agile folks, wheelchairs, strollers into the street.
These same bad habits tear up infrastructure, our curbs and the few functional sidewalks we do have. Ever notice how many of our Sewerage and Water Board leaks are located next to places where vehicles repeatedly rollover the rollover curb and on to or near the S&W covers? Over time parking enforcement could pay for itself, in fees and because of the wear and tear it saves on our infrastructure.


A letter to the editor
Re: "Repaving, repairs to pick up speed," Page B1, Jan. 25.

Throughout the city, vehicles are parked across sidewalks and driveways. Why make sidewalk corners on South Claiborne Avenue handicapped accessible, when pedestrians and wheelchair occupants must go into the busy highway to avoid illegally parked vehicles?

Purchase computerized ticketing devices, train and empower New Orleans Police Department quality-of-life officers and Public Works city parking control officers to use them. Give these public servants the authority and means to ticket vehicles blocking sidewalks, driveways and neutral grounds. Allow private companies to tow illegally parked vehicles as do Jefferson Parish and other neighboring governments.

Let's be prepared for Mardi Gras on March 8 by erecting signs that assure awareness that no parking and restricted parking are being enforced. It is illegal to park on neutral grounds. Nothing spoils an event more than going back to your vehicle and finding an unexpected ticket or that your vehicle has been towed.

Enhance awareness, enforce no-parking regulations, empower public servants and use the fees to purchase computerized ticketing devices and other system upgrades.

Eileen E. Hollander
New Orleans

Brain Cancer Research and St. Baldrich

One of the Carrollton Neighborhood Leaders, H.V. Nagendra, will be shaving his head on St. Baldrick's Day to raise money for Pediatric Cancer Research.

In 2009 Nagendra lost his son Vijay to brain cancer.

See Nagendra's letter below and if you can support the effort.
http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/teamid/68645

I am sure you all remember our unforgettable Vijay. I still can remember his discussions with his doctors and others about his condition and disease. He truly believed in understanding the science and biology of his Brain Cancer. This understanding while it guided us, as parents, to make the choices we were asked to for him, more importantly it gave Vijay hope about his personal prognosis and for his future. Team Vijay keeps his wish and spirit alive and honors his hope by raising the funds for research that will benefit other children with Cancer.

On Saturday March 19, 2011, I will be participating to raise funds for research in Pediatric Cancer as a shavee (will shave my head of what little hair I have). I ask you to join me by participating or contributing any amount towards this cause. The link below will lead you to the “Team Vijay” page. You can register your participation or donation from Team Vijay’s page – it will also allow me to know of your generosity and participation. I thank you for your consideration.

Thank you
HVNagendra

Church for Sale in NorthWest Carrollton

For sale: distinctive home or office space featuring stained-glass windows, flying buttresses, vaulted ceilings and a wide-open floor plan perfect for entertaining large crowds.




Interested?
You might just be the buyer the Archdiocese of New Orleans is looking for.



http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/01/archdiocese_of_new_orleans_will_sell_or_lease_13_empty_properties_including_7_churches.html

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/08/many_new_orleans_churches_stil.html

We couldn't agree more...

Fines are what you do before Sheriff Sales. Fines can work if the city actually goes after the money and the property owner. Fines can lead to houses being repaired and saved. Just take one look at the Booker Properties in the 8300 Block of Apricot to see what adjudication hearings and associated fines can do.

New Orleans needs to fight blight on all fronts: An editorial

Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration is focused on seizing and selling derelict properties, and getting ramshackle houses out of the hands of negligent owners is a smart approach to fighting blight.

The mayor wants to eliminate 10,000 blighted properties by 2014.
The city has an estimated 43,800 blighted properties, according to a recent study. Those eyesores are a hazard to public health, safety and quality of life, as well as economic development. Getting them up to code quickly should be a high priority for the city.

To that end, Mayor Landrieu has announced the ambitious goal of eliminating 10,000 nuisance properties by 2014. The administration said it wants to hold 1,000 sheriff's sales this year to meet that objective.

Going forward, though, the city needs to use every tool to combat blight, including aggressive enforcement of fines, something that didn't happen under Mayor Ray Nagin.

The Nagin administration only used sheriff's sales seven times in eight years, and fines levied against property owners were allowed to go uncollected. Nearly 3,300 properties have outstanding fines for code violations, amounting to a whopping $29 million.

The cost of weak enforcement isn't limited to uncollected revenue. Two recent fires involved properties whose owners had outstanding fines.

Fines that aren't enforced are meaningless, and it's frustrating that so many property owners were allowed to ignore the city's demands.

So far, the Landrieu administration hasn't done much to reduce the backlog of uncollected fines. As of Jan. 14, only 355 owners had paid any amount at all. Jeff Hebert, who handles blight for the administration, said that the large amount that remains outstanding is a reflection of the Nagin administration's failure to enforce the ultimate penalty: seizure and sale.

Fines are a tool to encourage owners to bring their property up to code, he said. If that doesn't work -- and quickly -- the city has the authority to seize and sell them. State and local laws allow the city to initiate that process just 30 days after an owner fails to pay a fine. Theoretically, the process can proceed fairly quickly, since a sale can be scheduled within 60 days of a lien being issued.

But in practice, seizure and sale can take longer. The Landrieu administration has only set sheriff's sales for 63 properties so far, a delay that Mr. Hebert blamed on the previous administration's failure to notify all interested parties of maximum fines and the potential for seizure and sale.

The city stands to gain more revenue from sheriff's sales than collecting outstanding fines, Mr. Hebert said, and getting new owners who will bring properties into compliance is another incentive for focusing on sheriff's sales.

But fines can be a part of the solution, too, and the Landrieu administration should make sure that property owners no longer see them as an empty threat.

New Orleans blight fines go uncollected...

M. Kimball PRC quoted in the full article below:
"If the city is just going to place a fine on a property and do nothing to collect it, there is no encouragement for the property owner either to pay the fine or to bring their property into compliance."

We thought that was exactly what was happening at the corner of Dante & Fig in NorthWest Carrollton. But we've discovered that at least the property has changed hands. Now we're asking what kind of followup takes place when this happens.

In the past there was always a a bit of cursory scrambling after a hearing and then.... same old same old. We're hoping this won't be the case in 2011. But if there is one thing we've learned it's that only followup and exposure gets action. We had similar issues with property on Apricot, but Blight Hearings and fines seem to have caused both the city and the owner to get serious about repairs. The owner on her properties and the city on a leak that made the sidewalk impassible for years. So the process can work and can save properties from being torn down.

Full Article below taken from the Front Page TP January 22, 2011

As Mayor Mitch Landrieu ramps up a campaign to eliminate blight in New Orleans, records show his administration has collected less than 3 percent of nearly $29 million in fines levied since mid-2008 against property owners whose homes and businesses violate local building and heath codes.

The owners of almost 3,300 properties have outstanding fines for failing to comply with laws that require doors and windows to be boarded up, unused swimming pools to be filled and lawns to be tended, data provided by the city show.

Though the fines are supposed to be paid within weeks, only 355 of the properties' owners had paid anything at all through Jan. 14, the data show.

Asked why collections were so low, Jeff Hebert, who oversees blight policy for the Landrieu administration, pointed to the failure of City Hall -- until recently -- to enforce the ultimate penalty against delinquent owners: seizing and selling their properties.

The purpose of fines, he added, is not to rake in cash but to prompt negligent owners to clean up their lots. If they don't, the city should sell the property quickly at a sheriff's sale.

Local and state laws allow the city to sell properties whose owners fail to pay fines or liens after just 30 days. The fines are levied to cover the cost of cutting grass and other cleanup measures, and in some cases can reach $500 a day.

A sale usually can be scheduled within 60 days after a lien is issued, meaning the whole process, from an initial citation to a final sale, could take no longer than four to six months.

The tool was used just seven times during former Mayor Ray Nagin's tenure, which explains why a large number of fines levied before Landrieu took office in May remain unpaid, Hebert said.

"Without the ability for the city to do something with the properties, ... no one has an incentive to pay the fines," he said.

A pair of recent fires, including one that killed eight young people in an abandoned 9th Ward warehouse and another that destroyed a vacant church and adjacent home on Prytania Street, show that fines without enforcement don't prompt owners to bring their properties into compliance.

Despite being cited for structural problems in 2007 and fined $575, the maximum penalty then allowed by law, the warehouse's owner took no corrective action at the building on St. Ferdinand Street, city officials have said.

The same goes for the two-story home next to the church, which was slapped with $15,575 in fines in 2008. New rules enacted in July of that year authorize the city to impose fines of as much as $15,000, plus fees.

A recent study estimated that there are 43,800 blighted properties in New Orleans.

Michelle Kimball, a senior advocate at the Preservation Resource Center, said the city's low collection rate comes as no surprise.

"We're seeing so few of the properties that are going through the process that are coming into compliance," she said. "If the city is just going to place a fine on a property and do nothing to collect it, there is no encouragement for the property owner either to pay the fine or to bring their property into compliance."

Money collected from fines also could be used to beef up the property inspection staff, she said.

Keene Kelley, president of the Garden District Association board, said he felt "totally discouraged and outraged" when he learned about the outstanding fines on the Prytania Street house. Enforcement efforts "could be a lot more effective," he said, adding that fines alone aren't the answer.

"They have to create an automatic opportunity for seizure and sale," he said.

That's exactly what city officials have been working to do, Hebert said.

But so far, sheriff's sales have gotten off to a slow start, according to data provided at last week's BlightStat session, a biweekly public meeting at which officials discuss their efforts to meet Landrieu's goal of eliminating 10,000 nuisance properties by 2014.

Of nearly 750 files reviewed since October, just 63 properties carrying a combined total of almost $550,000 in liens are set for the auction block, according to City Hall.

Hebert blamed delays on the frequent failure of Nagin-era staffers to notify all interested parties of maximum fines and potential sales. The new administration has been working to verify and, in some cases, re-issue notices so the properties can get back into the pipeline, he said.

To meet Landrieu's benchmarks, the pace will have to increase. The administration has set a goal of 1,000 sheriff's sales this year, and the 2011 budget relies on at least $3.75 million in revenue from the transactions to help pay for code enforcement efforts, Hebert said.

Meanwhile, some may see the $27.5 million in outstanding fines as a potential windfall, particularly for a cash-strapped city that recently hiked property taxes and sanitation fees to cover a budget shortfall.

But Hebert said officials "would much rather see the property come into compliance than go collect $30 million" because the value of properly tended homes and commercial buildings far exceeds the cash value of the fines.

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

Dante @ Fig: 5 years later..... same condition - New owners. Is there hope?

These photos below were taken Saturday January 22, 2011. It is amazing how little has changed since we posted photos on the blog in 2009. What's even more disheartening is that we've been fighting to have the problems with this dangerous eyesore addressed for more than 5 years. Neighbors have taken the time to take the photos, report the property and attend the blight hearings. We even called in the Action Reporter. The propery was found guilty of having a dangerous pool and blight.
But we're still waiting for the conditions to improve.

According to the Assessor's website the ownership has changed since since our last round in the Blight Fight and the property which used to have a single owner now has 2. We want to ensure that we don't have to start the blight process all over again now that ownership has changed.

2935 Dante is now owned by
ADVANCE MORTG COMP LLC C/O R GERAGE
3621 RIDGELAKE DR/207
METAIRIE, LA 70002

and the pool @ 8232 Fig is now owned
REFF ALTON
2937 DANTE ST
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70118
We are hopeful the new owner will make progress on the pool property.
We've seen the trash containers come and go.

Stump Grinding Requested

One of the long term goals of NorthWest Carrollton is to ensure that we protect and maintain the oak canopy on our stretch of Carrollton.

We know that trees age and die. We also know that as long as we continue to protect and replace the trees that we'll have a beautiful oak canopy on Carrollton to shade houses and pedestrians.

This is what is left of the oak tree that once stood on S. Carrollton @ Apple.

The tree was cut down and the stump (a trip hazard in front of the church entrance) remains.

We would like to work with the city to have the stump properly ground out. Once the stump is removed we can work with Hike for KaTREEna or Parkway Partners to provide a replacement oak.

Trashy neighbors on Carrollton

Sometimes a picture is worth a 1000 words.




With the information on the Assessor's website, it looks like the only way to find the problem owners is for the Assessor's to assist. If the taxes are paid then the hope is that the tax information will be updated. If not then this problem will only get worse.

Owner Name TRAN KHOA
Mailing Address 2524 S CARROLLTON AV
It does not appear that the owner is living here and the property no longer has a homestead exemption)
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70118 Municipal District 7
Location Address 2524 S CARROLLTON AV Tax Bill Number 716321620


Owner Name SHELTON LINDA
Mailing Address 2622 S CARROLLTON AV (which is WRONG as this is the 2500 Block and no homestead exemption)
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70118 Municipal District 7
Location Address 2622 S CARROLLTON AV Tax Bill Number 716324006

Sidewalk covered by water leak

2522 S. Carrollton
This has been reported to Sewerage & Water Board using their online tool.



One of NorthWest Carrollton focus areas in 2011 is Sidewalk quality and walkability.

2nd Phase of FEMA Sidewalk Repairs

Many thanks to Susan Guidry's Office, Rico Sterling specifically, & Robert Mendoza for forwarding our questions to the right person for an answer. We'll talk about how to engage in the next phase of the process at the February neighborhood meeting.

Ms. Hazlett,

You did hear correctly that another round of FEMA roadway & sidewalk repairs will take place. Phase II neighborhood damage assessments are underway right now to evaluate additional roadway and sidewalk damages. Additional damages are identified through feedback from constituents via Additional Damage Repair (ADR) forms and site visits performed by the Department of Public Works (DPW). Below is a brief summary of the assessment process and a tentative plan for future construction.

DPW is in the process of working with FEMA and GOHSEP (State) to perform the second round of damage assessments (Phase II) for roadway and sidewalk repairs in a neighborhood by neighborhood process. DR Consultants, the program manager for DPW, has coordinated with FEMA and State liaisons to perform field assessments based on neighborhood size and flooding level by Council District. Over the past several months, FEMA has assessed the following neighborhoods: the Lower Ninth Ward, St. Claude and Marlyville-Fontainebleau. The joint assessment team will shortly conclude its re-evaluation of the Lakeview neighborhood. The current pace of damage assessments has varied by the size of the neighborhood.

DPW’s coordination with the Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB) of New Orleans is also another factor affecting the pace and schedule of neighborhood assessments. The department is currently coordinating with S&WB and with FEMA to support the development of a comprehensive road infrastructure repair program. Through coordination with S&WB, Public Works will ensure that repairs to subsurface water mains and sewer lines take place prior to road repairs. Sewerage and Water Board will provide Public Works with a list of evaluations based upon a citywide water system assessment. S&WB is currently conducting this evaluation in order to appropriately coordinate the order of the Phase II FEMA neighborhood assessments.

Once assessments are conducted, FEMA Project Officers draft new project grants to include all identified eligible damages using finalized field reports and final cost estimates for additional repairs from the second round. The new FEMA grant then enters FEMA’s review queues which includes the Washington, D.C. “million dollar” queue before final obligation of additional funding to the City. Obligated funding will enable the City of New Orleans to perform additional eligible repairs.

Following that obligation of additional funding, DPW will solicit bids and let contracts for proposed Phase II repairs by Council District. The department can issue work orders after repair contractors are selected through the City’s formal procurement process. Since contractors will be tasked with addressing multiple neighborhoods within the same interval, we can anticipate a citywide intensive multi-year program to repair roadways and sidewalks.

In support of a comprehensive citywide road infrastructure system, Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in Washington, D.C. earlier this week to lobby for continued rebuilding support. This included the need for comparable grant funding for the Sewerage & Water Board to effectively implement its water system repair program. As a result of this week’s meeting, Fugate agreed that regular meetings with Mayor Landrieu and City Executive officials will occur at the FEMA regional and local level to resolve significant recovery issues over the next six months.

Please note that I have attached two documents to this email. The first is a copy of the cumulative Additional Damage Report recently submitted by DPW to FEMA for the Leonidas & West Carrollton neighborhood. You will note that the summary report lists damages by location, repair type and repair dimensions. The report lists (11) damages on Pritchard Place for roadway and sidewalk repair. FEMA will utilize this report during the re-assessment of the Leonidas & West Carrollton neighborhood.

The second document is a copy of the Additional Damage Repair form with attached instructions. Any additional feedback you and/or other members of NorthWest Carrollton can provide us would benefit the neighborhood re-assessment process. If you are able, we can coordinate a time frame to compile completed ADR forms from NorthWest Carollton members. Any additional forms you and I compile can be used to supplement the Additional Damage Report that FEMA will utilize during the neighborhood re-assessment.


Thank you.
Ondina M. Canales
Disaster Recovery Consultants, LLC
504-875-0938 (c)
www.drconsultants.com

Solar panels - Hedge-Morrell doesn't get it

NO City Council OKs solar panels in French Quarter

"Hedge-Morrell, who chairs the council's Utility Committee, noted that power generated by such panels cannot be sold back to Entergy New Orleans, meaning that hopes of a financial windfall are unlikely to be realized."

Please if ANYONE should understand this issue it's the councilmember who SITS on the Utility Committee. Legislation is what it would take to change the rules so that individuals could sell surplus energy generated back to Entergy.

And the fact that we can't right now is a ridiculous reason to vote against new energy sources and self sufficiency.

Full Article below:
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans City Council has voted to let a French Quarter resident install solar panels on the roof of his 19th century home.

Glade Bilby had sought approval to install the panels, which turn sunlight into electric power, on one side of the roof of his town house in the heart of the historic neighborhood. However, the Vieux Carre Commission — which is charged with protecting and preserving the architectural integrity of the Quarter — denied Bilby's application last October in a 5-3 vote.

Bilby appealed the decision to the council, which overturned the commission's decision Thursday in a 6-1 vote.

Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, whose district includes the Quarter, supported the project. She said the city has to start somewhere to begin incorporating new technologies and energy-efficiency improvements into the city's historic buildings.

"I think we're constantly weighing that discussion of technology and living a modern life in a modern world," Palmer, who emphasized her credentials as a longtime preservationist, said.

In opposition, Dr. Ralph Lupin, who chairs the Vieux Carre Commission, warned against the move.

"If you damage the integrity of the French Quarter by this intrusion into what was built there several hundred years ago, you are asking for heartache," he said, according to an account of the meeting in The Times-Picayune.

Lupin has said allowing the panels could set a precedent for the entire neighborhood.

Palmer stipulated that the panels would need to be installed parallel with the existing roof, no more than 12 inches above it and in a matching color that would work toward "minimizing visual clutter."

Lupin said the additional conditions imposed by Palmer didn't make him feel any better about the proposal.

"I am extremely sensitive to what the French Quarter represents to this community," Lupin said. "If you talk to any of the people walking down the streets of the French Quarter, and you see literally hundreds of them everyday, they're not walking down the streets because of whether or not the French Quarter is solar-healthy."

Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell cast the lone vote against the proposal.

Hedge-Morrell, who chairs the council's Utility Committee, noted that power generated by such panels cannot be sold back to Entergy New Orleans, meaning that hopes of a financial windfall are unlikely to be realized.

Tucker Crawford, chief executive officer of Metairie-based South Coast Solar, however said that situation could change. In the meantime, he said, the panels could still help Bilby chip away at his electricity costs.

GONE!!!! Thank you NOPD.

Massachusetts Plate Pritchard Place @ Cambronne - GONE!


8317 Nelson - The Truck has been there so long it's on the aerial photo used on the Assessor's website. BUT NOW it's GONE!


2900 Block of Joliet near Fig in front of empty lot - GONE!


Dublin @ Nelson. Moved to private property behind house