Dear Friends,
Rather than April showers, the New Orleans area has been assailed by alternating sunny days and heavy storms – the streets flooded twice in two weeks! The fervor of our climate is mirrored by events held across the city, from French Quarter Fest to the start of redistricting meetings. There is no lack of civic or leisure activities!
NOLA Youth:
My office is in the midst of planning the third annual youth trip to Birmingham. This year, we will take 240 New Orleans youth to Alabama on June 1 for a day of recreation and civil rights history lessons. As in years past, we will
In Hollygrove at Bethune Elementary with the Better than Ezra Foundation for the ribbon cutting of the Planet Recess playground.
attend the Rickwood Classic baseball game before visiting the 16th St Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The last stop will be the University of Alabama’s football complex, where native New Orleanian and assistant coach, Burton Burns, will speak to the group. The day-long trip is both educational and fun, and it is my hope that these youth will return to their communities with a better understanding of the long and hard fight for civil rights.
The Partnership for Youth Development, formerly Greater New Orleans Afterschool Partnership, is an organization near and dear to me. This group of dedicated individuals is the intermediary organization leveraging resources to programs that serve children and youth during out of school hours in New Orleans. Their work fills a critical gap between school and home, and I fully support their mission. Please consider attending their block party in Mid City on Wednesday April 13.
This week, it was announced that the New Orleans Recreation Development Foundation will receive $150,000 in private donations. The checks were inked by Grant Capital Management (100k), Chevron (25k) and Veolia Water
Cutting the ribbon at the City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center, the $3.9 million 16-acre tennis complex along Marconi Drive between Harrison Avenue and Interstate 610.
(25k). Private sector investment in recreation is exactly what last year’s recreation reform intended to generate. Thank you to these companies for investing in our youth.
Public Safety:
Another important ribbon cutting took place last week. The Orleans Parish Communication District, which provides 911 service to all residents and visitors of the City of New Orleans, opened the doors of their new facility. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, all three separate 911 dispatch centers for police, fire and EMS were flooded. Since then, 911 dispatch centers have been erected in temporary facilities. However, New Orleans now has a permanent state-of-the-art 911 Center for the City, which OPCD built and paid for. OPCD is funded through a charge on all telephone users in the city, and doesn’t receive any funding from the City or State.
Economic development:
It is an understatement to say that New Orleans relies heavily on tourism. Therefore, events like this weekend’s popular French Quarter Fest are not only fun but are also huge economic generators. Last year, this festival had a
French Quarter Fest heats up!
$316 million impact, making it the third largest economic generator for the city behind the Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl. Next year’s Final Four is expected to bring in over 75-thousand people to New Orleans. As a member of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2012 Final Four, I traveled to Houston last week for two days of meetings. An event of this magnitude requires immense planning, and organizers have already been hard at work for two years. Being chosen to host such an event speaks volumes about New Orleans’ recovery.
Redistricting:
Please note that the first city-wide meeting relative to redistricting will be held on Thursday, April 14th at 6pm in City Council Chambers. The purpose of this Election Code and Reapportionment Committee Meeting will be to educate and inform attendees on redistricting principles. Existing district maps, with census population numbers and ideal district population numbers, will be presented. At this meeting, the dates and locations of the two community meetings to be held in each district will be announced. If you cannot attend the meeting, the video will be uploaded ate to the City Council website.
April 7, 2011 City Council Meeting:
During yesterday’s City Council meeting, an ordinance was introduced for first reading by Councilmember Susan Guidry, District “A”, and myself. The ordinance proposes to create a Gun Offender Registry within the New Orleans Police Department in order to enhance and optimize their protection efforts. The registry, which tracks convicted gun offenders, not firearms, does not in any way affect the general public’s right to legally possess a firearm. The proposed new law is supported by the NOPD and is patterned after successful municipal laws enacted in the City of Baltimore and elsewhere. The full press release is on my website.
During yesterday’s City Council meeting, a unanimous City Council passed a resolution that I also co-authored with Councilmember Guidry to highlight progress made and further support efforts in combating wage theft. The resolution states that the Council applauds and supports the efforts of the Judges, Constable and Clerk of First City Court in addressing this criminal activity. The resolution also states that the Council pledges to continue to work with all parties to seek additional effective instruments to address wage theft.
We also heard from Sean Duffy, Maritime Advocate for the Mississippi River Maritime Association, about the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). The Council then voted on a Resolution that I authored urging the United States
Governor of Concepcion, Chile, Carlos González Sánchez and the Chilean Honorary Consul in New Orleans, Angel Pelayo Carreras, visit New Orleans to learn about disaster recovery
Congress to legislatively tie the HMTF appropriations to HMTF revenue on all future revenue into the fund. Presently, the busiest harbors are so under-maintained that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that full channel dimensions at the nation’s busiest 59 ports are available less than 35% of the time. The need for channel widening and maintenance is particularly acute in the Louisiana and the New Orleans region due to the level of sedimentation that occurs in this part of the river.
Congratulations to the playoff-bound Hornets! I’m in.
Your City Council President,
Arnie D. Fielkow
Contact: Danielle Viguerie
Communications Director
Office of Councilmember-at-Large Arnie Fielkow
Ph: 504-658-1063
daviguerie@nola.gov
