Meet Your Neighbors

November 15, 2014 by Charlie London

Meeting notes by Nancy Shepard

State Representative-District 97 – Joseph Bouie, Jr.: Representative Bouie attended the meeting to formally introduce himself and his Legislative Assistant Lois Hazeur. He can be contacted at [email protected]. Session begins on April 13, 2015, and even though it is a fiscal session, five non-fiscal bills can be introduced.

Andrew McDaniel – Crescent City Farmer’s Market and Timmy Perrilloux – local farmer: Mr. McDaniel is the Market Community Coordinator for the non-profit marketumbrella.org and he brought Mr. Perrilloux, a local farmer, to inform the members on what the organization does and why farmers markets should be supported. The purpose of the non-profit is to bolster the tradition of public markets. They operate three farmer’s markets in the city, they work with school children, and participate in the Fruit & Veggie Prescription Program. Mr. Perrilloux brought samples of his vegetables to show what can be found at the market and the affordability of the produce.

Fairgrounds Patrol – Captain Scott: Captain Scott went over crime statistics for the area patrolled by the Fairgrounds Patrol and distributed a 9-page handout showing crime statistics from 9/6/2014 to 12/8/2014 comparing FSJ numbers to the city as a whole. He discussed the rash of residence burglaries on De Soto Street and said at least 4 of the burglaries can be linked to juveniles. Three scooters have been stolen and he reminded residents to make sure scooters are locked up. He discussed the lapses in shifts; there were 5 missed shifts in 30 days.

City Councilmember – Susan Guidry: (1) City adopted a budget on November 20, 2014. The budget includes street repairs, LED conversion for street lights, and the Lafitte Greenway which is 60% complete. (2) The first of the year the City Council will be working on the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance again. (3) Councilmember Guidry, Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, is reviewing NOPD’s handling of sex crimes. (4) The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) for Re-Bridge is stalled due to an issue with putting everything in one CEA. The Magnolia Bridge is under the DOT and Dumaine Bridge is under the City. Councilmember Guidry and Greg Jeanfreau met with the City Attorney to discuss this issue. The good news is that the design phase of Magnolia Bridge is underway and has not been stalled. (5) On December 8, 2014, 19 boats were ticketed by the Mosquito Board. Some were harboring mosquitoes. After 60 days the boats will be picked up by the Police. (6) Alcoholic beverage license was granted to Half Shell on a temporary status by the Revenue Department, and she is looking into that policy. S’Express came before the ABO on 11/18/2014 and their erroneous high-content permit was denied and they were told to cease selling high-content alcohol immediately. (7) The Voodoo Festival was not perfect but vastly improved over last year. This year the council demanded a “sound management plan” before permits could be issued.

Councilman Guidry was asked about the number of boating signs along the bayou. She said she tried to minimize the number, but ultimately the number and placement of the signs was up to the Department of Public Works.

NOPD Quality of Life Office – Officer Kenny Gill and Sergeant Alexis Hawkins: Sergeant Hawkins reminded neighbors to lock car doors and not to leave valuables visible in the car. Officer Gill was asked if he could check out S’Express for illegal alcohol sales, parking violations, and a fence that remains open.

Election of Executive Board Members 2015
All eligible voting members present at the meeting were given an Executive Board Ballot. The ballot included one nominee each for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 13 Executive Board members, for a total of 17 Executive Board members. The by-laws state that the Executive Board shall be composed of not less than 11 and not more than 17 members of the FSJNA, including the 4 officers.

President Jeanfreau asked for nominees from the floor and there were none. Conrad Abadie made the motion to accept the Executive Board ballot by Acclamation. Yvette Folker made the second. All members present were in favor and none were opposed. The motion passed.

The 2015 Executive Board:
Steve Mardon President
Jim Danner Vice-President
Matt Amoss Treasurer
Nancy Shepard Secretary
Erich Caulfield Executive Board
Michael Cohn Executive Board
Jimmy Fahrenholtz Executive Board
Greg Jeanfreau Executive Board
Linda Landesberg Executive Board
Seth Levine Executive Board
Brenda London Executive Board
Charlie London Executive Board
Gloria Martin Executive Board
Pushpa Ramaiah Executive Board
Rocky Seydel Executive Board
Sarah Stogner Executive Board
Kerry Tully Executive Board

Committee Reports/Updates/Actions
Membership Outreach Committee – Linda Landesberg announced the upcoming Feast of the Epiphany Dinner on January 5, 2015.
The event will be at Café Degas to benefit the FSJ Community Garden. Details in the link: https://fsjna.org/2014/12/jan-5-dinner-degas/

Treasurer’s Report – Michael Cohn is acting as Treasurer, and his report is on file.

Public Safety – Jim Danner warned about the rash of crimes that usually occur right before Christmas. He reported that there is still money for crime cameras.

Zoning Committee – Steve Mardon reported that the Gentilly Mart will be seeking a high alcohol permit.

Linda Landesberg thanked President Jeanfreau for his outstanding job as President of the FSJNA.

Adjournment – A motion to adjourn was made by Conrad Abadie.
Winter Jeanfreau made the second and it passed by unanimous consent.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

 

Annual Membership Meeting | Tuesday, December 9th

Black Gold Room | Fair Grounds

meeting2014dec9

 

Faubourg St. John | Where Big Dreams Grow!

 

Annual Membership Meeting | Tuesday, December 9th
Black Gold Room | Fair Grounds

Agenda-FSJNA+12.9.2014+General

Agenda-FSJNA+12.9.2014+Executive

FSJNA+Executive+Board+Ballot+-+2015

Guests Andrew McDanie – Crescent City Farmer’s Market   | Captain Scott – Fairgrounds Patrol   | Quality of Life Officer

Election of Executive Board Members 2015

Committee Reports/Updates/Actions (if any)

 Membership Outreach Committee – Update

 Landscape Committee – Update

 Treasurer’s Report

 Public Safety – Update

 Re-Bridge – Update

 Zoning Committee – update

 

Help make your neighborhood better. Join today!

 

 

https://fsjna.org/links/

 

https://fsjna.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Join-Today.mp4

 

 

Help make your neighborhood better. Join today!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou st john, faubourg st john, meeting, neighborhood, New Orleans

Monday 7 pm

October 7, 2014 by Charlie London

Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Board Meeting
Monday, October 13, 2014 at 7 p.m.
in the cafeteria at
Morris Jeff Elementary
1368 Moss Street
New Orleans, LA

 

annual_meetingGuests
Gentilly Food Mart – NPP
Graham Bosworth
QOL Officer
Capt. Scott NOPD – Fairgrounds Patrol

Approval of September 2014 General and Executive Minutes

Committee Updates/Actions
Membership Outreach Committee – VooDoo on The Bayou / Bounty on the Bayou
Landscape Committee- update
Treasurer’s Report
Re-Bridge – update
Public Safety – update
Zoning Committee – update

Old Business

Board Nominations

New Business
From floor

Adjournment

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Meet Tuesday Fair Grounds 6:30

September 3, 2014 by Charlie London

quarterly-meeting2014sep7The Quarterly General Membership Meeting of the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association will take place on Tuesday, September 9th at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is meeting at the Fair Grounds Black Gold room at 1751 Gentilly Blvd. at 6:30 p.m.

 

Everyone is encouraged to attend.


 

Guests

(click on the name for more)

Susan Guidry

Joseph Bouie


Edward Carlson


Captain Scott – Fairgrounds Patrol


Quality of Life Officer

Committee Reports/Updates/Actions


Membership Outreach Committee – Update
PRC Great Neighborhood Sellebration
VooDoo On The Bayou
Landscape Committee – Update
Treasurer’s Report
Public Safety – Update
Re-Bridge – Update
Zoning Committee – update

Old Business
2015 Board Nominations

New Business
From Floor

Filed Under: More Great Posts! Tagged With: bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john, meeting, neighborhood, New Orleans

When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated.

December 9, 2013 by Charlie London

Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association

General and Board Meetings

Fair Grounds Black & Gold Room

December 10, 2013

 Councilwoman Susan Guidry was our first guest to speak.  She spoke of the Lafitte Greenway bids that were opened today and that the City Council moved an additional $1M to the project for lighting and other items.  Construction should begin next year.  She explained the enforcement procedure. The bike symbols for Esplanade Avenue should be installed by the end of the year.  She is working hard to address the recruitment issues pertaining to the NOPD.  She helped see to it that there would be a total of five recruitment classes this year (2014).   She also worked with Councilwoman Clarkson to have a proposal to drop the domicile requirement for NOPD, NOFD & EMS recruits for one year.  The primary emphasis in the city budget is safety issues.  In response to a question about the Railway proposal she said that it would take 15 years to get it built along with a number of other time intensive issues.  She said that the old Home Depot has been purchased by Rouse’s and will be retail.  There is a continued traffic review with relation to the new Mid-City Market.  Currently the city has only one traffic engineer and in response to that problem, she has budgeted for one additional full time engineer.

 Officer Gill said that there were few complaints this month from the area.  He asked for us to donate money or items to the 1st District Toy Fund.  Toys for Tots is another program the 1st District is working with closely.  They are trying to fund toys for 14 children.  A motion by Dean Burridge to donate $300 to the NOPD 1st District for this purpose passed by unanimous consent.

 Gaye Hamilton from the state Cultural Districts Program addressed the FSJNA cultural district and its two important tax benefits.  Tax exemptions on original art and historic buildings were addressed.  Historic buildings include commercial and residential.  Our district went into effect on July 1st 2013. 

 Heather Pohnan, the representative from Energy Smart, spoke of their low income insulation program.  It offers automatic discounts and rebates.  There are programs for rebates for items such as hot water heaters and appliances.     

 Morgan Clevenger, FTNA President, spoke of the Fairzone Liquor Store issue.  Their attorney has filed in court to overturn the BZA decision.  Sara Stogner, a FSJNA member and attorney, has stepped forward to work pro bono to represent FTNA during this appeal.   

 Election of Board Members.  A motion by Conrad Abadie was made to accept all nominated Executive Board Members by acclamation.  Barabara Ferguson seconded.  The motion all that were nominated passed with 24 votes in favor with one opposed and one abstained.

 Treasurer’s Report was presented by Michael Cohn due to Mona McMahon’s absence.  The report is on file.

 Michael Cohn read a brief statement by Greg Jeanfreau in accepting his incoming term as president.  The statement is on file. 

 Committee Reports.  Brenda London mentioned the membership renewal.  The Landscape Committee is working on placing the large trees we have been seeing on the bayou. Safety Committee Chair Jim Danner asked everyone to keep extra lights on as the Christmas season does have an uptick in property crimes.   Charlie London provided an update on the 1311-13 Vignaud BZA waiver situation.  Michael Cohn spoke on the Re-Bridge Project in that $60K has been provided for in the city budget.  We need to have the bridges repaired this summer and he asked everyone to email their city council members.  Rocky Seydel agreed to help write the CEA for the bridges to be fixed. 

 Linda Landesberg discussed the Refresh Project.  They are trying to raise $18K to build a community garden immediately adjacent to the new Whole Foods, and has asked FSJNA to budget $500 for the project. Linda made a motion to provide $500 for that project.  Dean Burridge seconded.  The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion by Michael to adjourn passed unanimously at 8:09pm

Immediately after the Membership Meeting, Michael Cohn opened his final Board Meeting as president of this neighborhood association.   The item for the evening was the election of fifteen advisors from a slate of twenty candidates.  After a brief discussion and recommendation for Advisory Board member(s) nomination review, the following election took place.

The elected advisors are: Conrad Abadie, Suzanne Accorsi, Matt Amoss, Vincent Booth, Richard Cahn, R. Erich Caufield, Katie Gray, Layla Messkoub, Thea Morgan, Mike Pearce, Jennifer Pearl, Cynthia Scott, Nancy Shepard, Keith Twitchell and Bobby Wozniak.

A motion by Charlie London to pay for the mobile app for the FSJNA website passed unanimously.  A motion to approve the $300 appropriation passed unanimously. 

The minutes are reflected that Michael Cohn has done a wonderful job as president for the past two years. 

A motion to adjourn passed by unanimous consent.

 

When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated.

Ralph Nader
Meeting card1
fsjnalogo1a

Neighbors are invited to attend the General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Fair Grounds Black Gold room. The Black Gold room is in the back on the left hand side.

 

Bring Your Non-Perishable Donations for Second Harvest

 

 

Egg Nog and Cookies will be served.

 

FSJNA+Executive+Board+Ballot+-+2014

 

 

 

I.                Guests

·       Officer Kenneth Gill – First District Quality of Life Update

·       Dan Shea – New Orleans Advocate

·       Erik deVries – Cobalt Medical

·       Heather Pohnan – NOLAWise/Energy Smart

 

II.              Election of Executive Board Members – 2014

III.             Treasurer’s Report

IV.            Committee Reports/Updates/Actions

·       Events/Fundraising Committee  – update

·       Membership Outreach Committee – update

·       Landscape Committee – update

·       Public Safety – update

·       Zoning Committee – update

V.              Old Business

·       From Floor 

VI.            New Business

·       Linda Landesberg – BCC Refresh Urban Garden

·       From Floor

VII.           Adjournment

 

 

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Meet Your Neighbors

October 5, 2013 by Charlie London

MEETING THIS MONDAY

Everyone is invited to attend the Faubourg St. John Board Meeting to be held at 7 pm on Monday, October 14 at 1368 Moss Street in New Orleans. Look for the big dome on the bayou then meet in the cafeteria.

Guests
• Greg Ensslen – Redevelopment of property at Ursulines & Dorgenois
• From Floor

Approval of September 2013 Executive & General Membership Meeting Minutes

Treasurer’s Report

Committee Reports/Updates/Actions (if any)
• Public Safety – update
• Membership Outreach Committee – update
• Landscape Committee- update
• Re-Bridge – update
• Zoning Committee – update

. Old Business
• From Floor

New Business
• From Floor

Adjournment

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: meeting, neighborhood, october

Want to Get Things Done?

August 19, 2013 by Charlie London

We Can Do ItCan you think of a project in Faubourg St. John that you would like to make happen?

The great neighbors of Faubourg St. John are known for getting things done.

But, we can’t do it alone. Community sweat equity is important but money is the deciding factor on many projects.

Desmare Playground is an area in Faubourg St. John that could use some improvement.

How can we make that happen?

You have a voice in how your tax money is spent. Mayor Mitch Landrieu has announced a series of community meetings in each council district to discuss 2014 budget priorities. For more information about participatory budgeting along with where and when you can attend, please visit the link below:
https://fsjna.org/2013/08/participatory-budgeting/

Interested?

Other neighborhoods will be presenting their needs/ideas at the city’s budget meetings. Unless we show up en masse to demand proper funding for Desmare Playground then our needs/ideas will get lost in the shuffle.

The meeting for District A is being held in Lakeview which has a very strong neighborhood organization. Unless you make it a point to attend and support the needs/ideas of Faubourg St. John your tax dollars will go to other worthy projects elsewhere.

District A
Tuesday | August 20, 2013 | 5:30 pm
Edward Hynes Charter School
990 Harrison Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70124

 

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 

https://fsjna.org/2013/08/participatory-budgeting/

Tuesday
August 20, 2013
6 p.m.
From 5:30-6 p.m. the City will host a Resource Center with representatives
from several departments and agencies. During that time you will
have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with various departments.

Where
Edward Hynes Charter School
990 Harrison Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70124

 

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Attendance Please

January 14, 2013 by Charlie London

Genl-Membership-Meeting

FSJNA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING AGENDA

7 pm | Monday, January 14, 2013 | 1368 Moss | Holy Rosary Cafeteria (the big dome on the bayou)

Call to Order | Roll Call | Explanation of Meeting Rules
Guests: Wayne Wright – Rep from the office of Cedric Richmond

Approval of December 2012 Executive & General Meeting Minutes

Committee Nominations & Reports/Updates/Actions (if any)
• Membership Outreach Committee – update
• Landscape Committee- update
• Re-Bridge – update
• Public Safety – update
• Zoning Committee – update

Old Business
• Community Garden at N. Dupre and St. Philip
• Creation of a cultural district for Faubourg St. John
• Policy on land and zoning issues outside the neighborhood boundaries

New Business
• From Floor

Adjournment

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Neighborhood Watch Monday

January 11, 2013 by Charlie London

Sgt Smith-photo-by-wm-coskrey

Sgt. Smith will be in the cafeteria at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary this Monday, January 14th to discuss the Neighborhood Watch program.

Please join him and your neighbors at 6:00 pm at 1368 Moss Street. The neighborhood association board meeting will follow.

Thanks to Bill Coskrey for the photo to the left and for organizing the Neighborhood Watch effort.

Betty Vallee listens as Bill Coskrey
encourages participation in Neighborhood Watch.
photo by Bonnie Lee
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

On Monday, January 14th at 6 pm there will be a Neighborhood Watch meeting.

We will discuss what we can do to protect ourselves and make our community a safer place to live and work.

The meeting will be held at Holy Rosary Cafeteria at 1368 Moss Street.
Why Your Participation Is Needed
= To Voice & Address Your Concerns
= To Reduce Crime In Our Community
= To Provide a Safer Neighborhood For You And Your Family

It’s up to all of us to make our community a better place.
Together we can make a difference.


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Community Meetings on the Budget

August 14, 2012 by Charlie London

The District A Community Meeting
will be held at the Lakeview Christian Center
at 5885 Fleur de Lis Drive
on Wednesday, August 22nd at 6 p.m.

Mayor Landrieu announces series of community meetings
Dear friends,

It’s that time of year again. Budget season is upon us, and I’m
asking for your help and input as we put together the 2013 budget
proposal. This year, we will host a series of community meetings in
each district as part of the Budgeting for Outcomes process. These
community meetings allow us to hear directly from you on what your
budget priorities are. We’re commited to producing results and
sticking to to our budgeting principles- cut smart, reorganize, and
invest in the future.

We will host one meeting with the district councilmember in each
council district. Deputy Mayors, NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas,
NOFD Superintendent Charles Parent and department and agency heads
will join me at these meetings.

All meetings will start at 6:00pm. Prior to the meeting, from
5:30-6pm, the City will host a Resource Center with representatives
from several City departments and agencies. During that time,
citizens will have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with various
departments about programs, initiatives and specific complaints and
concerns.
Check out the full list of meetings below to find out when your
specific meeting is. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Mitchell J. Landrieu
Mayor
City of New Orleans

2012 Community Meeting Schedule:

District B – done

District E
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Church
5600 Read Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70127

District C
Monday, August 20, 2012
YMCA at Federal City
2220 Constitution Street
New Orleans, LA 70114

District A
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Lakeview Christian Center
5885 Fleur De Lis Drive
New Orleans, LA 70124

District D
Monday, August 27, 2012
Dillard University
Professional Schools Building, Georges Auditorium
2601 Gentilly Boulevard
New Orleans, Louisiana 70122

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Public Meeting | Magnolia Bridge | May 24th

May 23, 2012 by Charlie London

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING


Regional Planning Commission Task No. A 4.12
FHWA Contract No. PL-0011 (035)
State Project No. H.971845.1
Magnolia Pedestrian Bridge
Stage 1 Environmental Analysis
New Orleans, Louisiana
Orleans Parish

Notice is hereby given that the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) will conduct a Public Meeting in support of the Magnolia Pedestrian Bridge Stage 1 Environmental Analysis in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
The Public Meeting will be an Open House format; interested citizens are invited to arrive at any time between 6:00pm and 8:00 pm on the date and at the location listed below.

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Fairgounds Black & Gold Room
1751 Gentilly Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70118

The Meeting will include a formal presentation of the project information. Interested citizens will be afforded the opportunity to provide written and verbal comments on the record. Representatives of the RPC and the project team will be present to provide information relative to the general location and design features of the bridge, and any other matters of interest. All interested citizens are invited and encouraged to attend.

Should anyone require special assistance due to a disability to participate in this Public Meeting, please contact Missi Shumer at (251) 342-1070 or via e-mail at [email protected]
Written statements and other exhibits in lieu of, or in addition to, verbal statements made at the Public Meeting must be submitted to the address below and postmarked by June 7, 2012. Written statements also may be submitted through that date by electronic mail directly to [email protected] All comments must include the name and address of the person commenting.

Magnolia Pedestrian Bridge
c/o Volkert, Inc.
4640 S. Carrollton Ave, Suite 240
New Orleans, LA 70119

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BlightStat 22

September 8, 2011 by Charlie London

by Charlie London

It’s Your Right to Fight Blight


This was the 22nd BlightStat meeting to which the public was invited to attend.

The City continues to march toward its goal of eradicating 10,000 blighted properties within three years. City departments that can help with this process meet every two weeks for a “BlightStat” meeting.

Goals have been set for each department and a presentation is made at each meeting to show how each department is doing toward meeting those goals.

CLICK HERE to view a PDF of the City’s BlightStat Presentation

BottomLineStat was announced as a new Landrieu administration initiative and is designed to “ensure that departments are held accountable for cutting unnecessary expenses and staying on budget.” It said city departments have been ordered to eliminate unnecessary services, reorganize their operations to make them more efficient, and invest in programs that yield long-term value.

ReqtoCheckStat was also announced and is described as an effort to improve the performance and speed of the city’s contracting system. Mr. Wise indicated the Office of Performance and Accountability has designed a program to review the entire process of contracting out services such as picking up trash, paving streets and rebuilding libraries.

Mr. Kopplin described ReqToCheck as the process of requisition to check for vendors. He indicated the initiative is aimed at a contract or procurement that is stalled. He believes ReqToCheckStat should save the city money as vendors get paid faster and therefore bid lower because the cost of delayed payments won’t be factored into bids.

Data.Nola.Gov was mentioned as a new data sharing platform and that
Seattle uses same platform. Mr. Square said the Department of Information Technology and Innovation “soft-launched” data.nola.gov, a new online program to provide “high-value, frequently requested data” to the public but presently is is mainly for GIS users. City performance data will eventually be put on this website. Eventually people will be able to make their own GEOCODE maps. Raw data right now.

Mr Hebert announced the National Vacant Properties Conference will be held in New Orleans next summer. People can find out more at Communityprogress.net

Mr. Andy Koppel – Inspections down but goal for the year has been met. Emphasis is on hearings. Inspection staff is being used for data entry and title research to help hearings move faster.
JPHebert – targets to be re-adjusted next year.

Ms. Bosco with Code Enforcement indicated that while inspections are down, inspectors are being assigned duties to move the hearings process along faster.

Mr. Square discussed the complaint that much data for inspections is done manually because Accela can’t do automatic reports.

Mr. Hebert – asked the audience if there are any areas that have not been covered. The completed inspections map indicates the entire city is being covered.

Ms. Kristin Illarmo noted that the number of hearings has improved in part due to the increased speed of Accela. Ms. Illarmo said research on the next cases will be the priority over the next few weeks so the number of hearing will go down. Only a few cases have been set for the first week of October so that research can be done on the next 1,700 cases.

Mr. Hebert strongly advised that all of the cases need to be adjudicated and suggested bar association volunteers to help out. Looking for long term internships as well so that the backlog goes away. Asked Brenda Breaux to meet with Mr. Hebert and Ms. Illarmo tomorrow to find ways to move the process along.

Ms. Illarmo noted that guilty cases are up but compliance is down a bit. She also noted that some hearing officers are levying lighter fines on buildings that will be demolished by FEMA. But, the owners did not know FEMA was going to return to do demolitions so the owners should have been fully fined. Other owners have stepped up and fixed their properties.

Code Enforcement liens were discussed. An analysis was done on fines collected. Mr. Wise indicated there is a relatively high collection rate.

Ms. Illarmo indicated the present backlog report is not really useful as it does not reflect the volume of work being done.

Mr. Hebert asked about the magnitude of unrepresented work.
Ms. Illarmo responded that Accela is the problem.
Mr. Wise asked Justin for an overview of how the report is calculated.
A discussion ensued between Justin and Ms. Illarmo about the backlog definitions for the report.

Mr. Hebert suggested that the report be eliminated until the problems are worked out.
Mr. Wise suggested more help from Accela is needed.
Mr. Square indicated the Accela team was here recently but Ms. Illarmo countered that the Accela team could not even help with basic functionality issues.

Mr. Wise asked the IT team for more information about the problem indicating that the Mayor has made it clear that the backlog will be eliminated by the end of the year.

Ms. Square indicated they will do the best they can with the resources available.

Mr. Wise indicated that the prudent course may be to find out what Accela can do and asked for a report on that for the next BlightStat meeting.

Ms. Bosco indicated additional demolition sites have been identified and are currently going through the utility cutoff process. She indicated that demolitions should increase over time.

Mr. Hebert indicated 86 strategic demolitions have gone through the process but materials are being salvage when possible.

Mr. Russell Callahan indicated more case files are needed and that he, his staff and Ms. Illarmo are working toward that end. Mr. Kopplin and Ms. Breaux discussed file management issues.

Mr. Carrere indicated that the contractor is working diligently to eliminate buildings in danger of collapse.

Mr. Kopplin reviewed the strategic demolition process slide.
Mr. Wolcott reviewed the FEMA demolition process slide. He said that the process is moving along better now and there have been 61 guilty judgements. FEMA has begun the selective salvage process.
Mr. Hebert indicated the selective salvage process is a separate project worksheet.

Mr. Wolcott indicated three crews are out working this week which has not happened before.

Mr. Wise reviewed the demolitions map which indicates that demolitions are being done throughout the city.

Mr. Paul May indicated 12 FEMA trailers are left. All 12 have a judgement against them and the City is waiting for FEMA to remove them. Most of the remaining FEMA trailers are in Council Districts D and E. Mr. Wise indicated that housing options are available for the remaining 12 FEMA trailer occupants.

Ms. Sylvain-Lear discussed illegal dumping. The Sanitation Department is continuing to focus on removing bandit signs, tires dumped, and tire stores without manifests. Mr. Kopplin congratulated the Sanitation Department on their great work.

Ms. Breaux indicated that the Law Department is strongly enforcing the sign issues. Ms. Sylvain-Lear indicated she is receiving reports of wheel barrow loads of cement and other materials being dumped into storm drains. Ms. Lear asked for help from the public on identifying these situations.

Mr. Hebert indicated that serious legal action will be taken soon against commercial properties that ignore the law.

Mr. Granderson noted that there are upcoming Lien Foreclosure auctions coming up in October and November. He indicated that checks for curators are slow to arrive. Mr. Kopplin indicated that is a “jump on my table” issue and that checks can be cut immediately if necessary.

Ms. Breaux indicated that Miles and Tyler are working diligently and that the issue of slow checks is being addressed and that there is an emphasis on getting problem properties to Sheriff Sale. Mr. Gray (Tyler) indicated that once a property goes to Sheriff Sale that the phone rings off the hook of people wanting to pay off blight liens.

Mr. Kopplin indicated that the 2012 city budget is being reduced by three million dollars.

Mr. Kopplin indicated that there about 1,000 properties with writs. 167 have been sold or the fines paid. He indicated it is important to get the properties to Sheriff Sale because many of the property owners only pay their fines when it goes to Sherrif Sale.

Ms. Joyce Wilkerson reviewed the total NORA closings. 46 closings were done this bi-weekly period which is above the goal of 35. Sale this Saturday at UNO by Gilmore Auctions. No reserve for this sale. Everyone is invited to attend. Another auction will take place in October.

Audience questions were answered and the meeting adjourned.
***

BLIGHTSTAT MEETING (every 2 weeks)
WHO: Key blight policy and code enforcement staff

WHEN: Thursday, September 22, 2011
8:00-9:30 AM CST

WHERE: 1340 Poydras Street
9TH Floor—City Planning Conference Room
New Orleans, LA 70117

BlightStat Meetings
Nov 4, 2010 | Nov 18, 2010 | Dec 2, 2010 | Dec 16, 2010
| Jan 13, 2011 | Jan 27, 2011 | Feb 10, 2011 | Feb 24, 2011 |
Mar 10, 2011 |
March 29, 2011 | April 7, 2011 | April 21, 2011 | May 5, 2011 | May 19, 2011| | June 2, 2011 | June 16, 2011 | June 30, 2011 | July 14, 2011 | July 28, 2011 | August 11, 2011 | August 25, 2011 | September 8, 2011 |

Filed Under: BlightStat Meetings Tagged With: blight, BlightStat, breaux, Charlie London, code enforcement, fight, granderson, gray, hebert, kopplin, landrieu, lear, legal, meeting, neighborhoods, pdf, reid, square, wilkerson, wise

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