Get a Car May 10th

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – On Thursday, May 10, 2012, the City of New Orleans Department of Public Works will hold its second abandoned vehicle auction for 2012.

The auction, located at Almonaster Auto Pound, 10200 Almonaster Avenue, will begin at 9 a.m. Vehicle preview day and buyer registration is Wednesday, May 9, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. but no one will be admitted after 3:30 p.m. for security reasons.

As in prior auctions, the buyer will pay a $50 administrative fee which gets the buyer a notarized title at time of payment. This feature has been extremely well received by the public as the buyers no longer have to take all of the documentation to the Division of Motor Vehicles to apply for a new title. This new process has proven that it saves the citizens time and streamlines their purchase.

The current auction will have 98 vehicles for sale, all of which have been discarded on neighborhood streets or left unclaimed by residents with excessive parking fines and fees.

ONLINE BIDDING
Introduced in March 2009, the City will continue use of its online bidding feature. Residents interested in online bidding need to register with Proxibid prior to the auction start time by visiting www.brownsauction.com. The online bidding feature allows residents to preview and pre-bid on any vehicle prior to the live auction, get vehicle information online by entering the vehicle information number (VIN), and bid on vehicles from anywhere in the world as the auction proceeds live from the Almonaster Auto Pound.

All prospective buyers must register before viewing. A refundable $50 fee is required to view and/or bid on any vehicle during the auction. The fee will be applied to any purchase made or refunded if no purchase is made.

Individuals interested in purchasing a car are encouraged to pre-register today and to arrive early on Thursday as many cars sell within the first few minutes of the auction.

QUICK FACTS
All vehicle information is currently on Brown’s Auction Web site, www.brownsauction.com. Per the terms of the contract, the available vehicle list includes the VIN, make, model, and lien holder information. Any auction-related questions should be directed to Brown’s Auction Company at (337) 457-4919.

Prior to the auction, attempts are made to contact the vehicle’s owner or lien holder before the vehicles are added to the auction list. Vehicle owners or lien holders that pay all fines and fees are able to retrieve their vehicles prior to the auction.

PURCHASING A VEHICLE
Cash or cashier’s check required
Payment must be received on the day of the auction. If payment is not received, the purchased vehicle will be placed on the list for the next scheduled auction, the buyer’s $50 deposit is forfeited and the bidder is barred from participation in future auctions.
A $50 administrative fee will be added for each purchased vehicle which gives the buyer a notarized title to that vehicle
City employees and relatives of City employees are forbidden from purchasing any vehicles at the auction.

For more information, visit Brown’s Auction Company web site at
http://www.brownsauction.com/CITY-OF-NEW-ORLEANS-AUTO-IMPOUND-AUCTION-a179946.php

Prevent Parking Problems

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photos by Charlie London

When parking around the Fair Grounds during Jazz Fest, please note that the City of New Orleans has a fleet of tow trucks in various sizes for your inconvenience should you decide to ignore basic parking rules.


The city towing hotline is (504) 658-8002.


Information below is from the CITY OF NEW ORLEANS website: http://nola.gov/

PARKING ENFORCEMENT REMINDERS:


The Fair Grounds Race Course is located in a residential part of the city offering restricted parking in surrounding neighborhoods. Festival-goers that are driving to the Fairgrounds are encouraged to park in downtown long term lots and use the shuttle system festival organizers have arranged or to take public transportation. Gray Line Tours will operate continuous round-trip transportation – the Jazz Fest Express – from the Sheraton Hotel, the Gray Line Lighthouse at the Steamboat Natchez Dock (Toulouse St. at the River – next to Jax Brewery), and City Park (next to Marconi Meadows) daily from 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

A special entrance will be used only by Jazz Fest Express vehicles to avoid traffic and bring Festival-goers inside the gates of the Festival.

For more information, call 504-569-1401 or 1-800-535-7786.
http://www.graylineneworleans.com/jazzfest.html

Parking enforcement personnel will be monitoring for illegal parking, including blocking hydrants, driveways and sidewalks, or parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, intersection or stop signs, in the residential neighborhoods adjacent to the Fairgrounds. Motorists are also reminded to park in the direction of travel on one-way streets, and with the right wheel to the curb on two-way streets.

In addition, existing businesses will be allowed to sell their products on their property, both inside and outside of their business contingent upon not blocking public right of way. However, the City will aggressively enforce the rules against transient vendors (carts, trucks, etc.) from improperly selling their products within the festival’s “clean zone.”

The Department of Public Works is issuing citations for the following safety violations:

•Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant: $20
•Parking in a fire lane: $20
•Parking on the median: $75
•Parking on the sidewalk: $20
•Parking in the travel portion of the roadway: $20
•Parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection: $20
Vehicles may be towed for all of the above violations; the tow fee is $156.

Citations can be paid and vehicles retrieved at 400 N. Claiborne Ave. from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. Payments can also be mailed to:
Violations Bureau | P.O. Box 52828 | New Orleans, LA | 70152

Citations can be contested by mail. Instructions are listed on the back of the ticket.

For more information, please call the Department of Public Works at (504) 658-8000. The city towing hotline is (504) 658-8002.

After parking properly, check out Jazz Fest Eats.
Click here for more.