MASQUERAID

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Masqueraid / Re-Bridge’s 2nd Annual Fundraising Gala will be held Saturday, December 1, 2012 at the home of Eric Hess and Judge Frank Thaxton III, retired at 1001 Moss Street.

This year will be a masked cocktail affair! Guests will gather to support the rehabilitation of two historic bridges, while enjoying an open bar featuring two exclusive Re-Bridge drinks, gourmet bites from SoBou, and dancing to a master DJ set of tunes from the 70s to today.

Masqueraid is designed to raise awareness and funds for rehabilitating the Magnolia and Walter Parker Memorial (aka Dumaine) Bridges that cross Bayou St. John, a community effort led by the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association in collaboration with the Re‐Bridge organization. The Magnolia Bridge is considered the oldest in New Orleans and was recently named one of Louisiana Landmarks Society’s “New Orleans Nine.” The Sanctuary is a private residence, once Walter Parker’s home, who helped transform the squalid bayou and surrounds into the wonderful neighborhood it is today. Re-Bridge is continuing the vision that Mr. Parker initiated 80 years ago.

Masqueraid is open to the public (cocktail attire). All monies raised for Re-Bridge are under FSJNA’s charitable 501c3 status. The tickets are $100 each with all proceeds going to Re-Bridge to raise matching funds for city and state funding. SoBou has graciously donated the cuisine.

Masqueraid will also include five incredible raffle items for fans of the arts, fashion, dining, drinking, and sports. Get your tickets today!

Party for the Bridges

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by Mary-jo Webster

REBRIDGE Fall Gala
December 1, 2012

What: The important fundraiser of the year for the REBRIDGE effort.
A lavish and exciting evening along the banks of Bayou St. John!

When: Saturday, December 1, 2012

Where: 1001 Moss Street in beautiful Faubourg St. John in New Orleans

Who: This year’s gala will be at the extraordinary home of Eric Hess and Judge Frank Thaxton III, ret.

Ti Martin is again graciously donating food for the event, so whether it is Commander’s Palace or the wonderful new SoBou, the food will be divine!

More details will be coming soon, but please hold the date and plan to attend the Second Annual REBRIDGE Gala on December 1st!

***

Dear neighbors and Re-Bridge enthusiasts,

What follows is a long-overdue update about our efforts to rehabilitate the Dumaine Street and Magnolia bridges. Although I have not sent out an email recently, much work has been going on, and our progress is on track!

As a preface, I want to emphasize my great appreciation for the amazing support that has been offered and maintained, and without which this project would have died a long time ago:

~ The core group of Re-Bridge worker-bees that stays the course and gets it all done!

~ The Regional Planning Commission, who welcomed our initial proposals, contributed money and expertise, and continues to guide the project through a seemingly bewildering landscape!

~ Councilmember Susan Guidry, who has supported this project from the very beginning and continues to facilitate necessary conversations and collaborations!

~ The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association, who encouraged the project to launch, provided initial seed money, and has been there to help, support, contribute, attend, participate, and advocate in whatever manner is needed!

Magnolia Bridge

Feasibility Study (completed) $10,000 Funded by the Regional Planning Commission (RPC)

Completed by Volkert, Inc in 2011. This study informed the application for Federal Transportation Enhancement Funds (TE), and in November, 2011 $844,400 was awarded for this project.

Environmental & Historical Analyses (current phase) $67,000 Funded by RPC, to which Re-Bridge has contributed $13,400 in matching funds.

Completed by Volkert and forwarded to State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for review in July. SHPO considers the impact of proposed work from an historic and archeological perspective and their review and approval is required prior to being able to spend any federal money on a project. A response from SHPO is expected soon, after which all documents will be forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval.

Engineering Design and Permitting (next phase) estimated at $200,000. TE funds cannot be used for this phase.

We have asked the City of New Orleans to provide funding for this phase, and we are awaiting final confirmation that money from an upcoming bond sale will be earmarked as such.

Construction (final phase) estimated at $888,750. The $844K in TE funds will be applied to this phase, leaving a match requirement estimated at $44,450.

The match dollars can be provided from any source: Re-Bridge, the City, or grant funding (as yet unidentified).

Dumaine Street Bridge

Re-Bridge contributed an engineering inspection (thanks to Jim Danner!) in 2011, which concluded that no structural damage exists.

The Department of Public Works inspects every bridge in the City every two years, and they have agreed to use the upcoming inspection of Dumaine to generate a scope of work and budget for beautification.

With a reliable estimate of cost, and once we understand what portions of the scope require professional v. volunteer services, Re-Bridge will pursue a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with the City of New Orleans. This CEA will allow Re-Bridge funding to fulfill a City-approved scope of work for cosmetic repairs and beautification.

Re-Bridge needs and welcomes community support! If you have some time, resources, money, or talent that you would like to contribute to the cause, please email me directly.

Many thanks to all of you,
Mary-jo Webster, Re-Bridge Chair
[email protected]

Big Party December 1st

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by Mary-jo Webster

REBRIDGE Fall Gala
December 1, 2012

What: The important fundraiser of the year for the REBRIDGE effort.
A lavish and exciting evening along the banks of Bayou St. John!

When: Saturday, December 1, 2012

Where: 1001 Moss Street in beautiful Faubourg St. John in New Orleans

Who: This year’s gala will be at the extraordinary home of Eric Hess and Judge Frank Thaxton III, ret.

Ti Martin is again graciously donating food for the event, so whether it is Commander’s Palace or the wonderful new SoBou, the food will be divine!

More details will be coming soon, but please hold the date and plan to attend the Second Annual REBRIDGE Gala on December 1st!

***

Dear neighbors and Re-Bridge enthusiasts,

What follows is a long-overdue update about our efforts to rehabilitate the Dumaine Street and Magnolia bridges. Although I have not sent out an email recently, much work has been going on, and our progress is on track!

As a preface, I want to emphasize my great appreciation for the amazing support that has been offered and maintained, and without which this project would have died a long time ago:

~ The core group of Re-Bridge worker-bees that stays the course and gets it all done!

~ The Regional Planning Commission, who welcomed our initial proposals, contributed money and expertise, and continues to guide the project through a seemingly bewildering landscape!

~ Councilmember Susan Guidry, who has supported this project from the very beginning and continues to facilitate necessary conversations and collaborations!

~ The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association, who encouraged the project to launch, provided initial seed money, and has been there to help, support, contribute, attend, participate, and advocate in whatever manner is needed!

Magnolia Bridge

Feasibility Study (completed) $10,000 Funded by the Regional Planning Commission (RPC)

Completed by Volkert, Inc in 2011. This study informed the application for Federal Transportation Enhancement Funds (TE), and in November, 2011 $844,400 was awarded for this project.

Environmental & Historical Analyses (current phase) $67,000 Funded by RPC, to which Re-Bridge has contributed $13,400 in matching funds.

Completed by Volkert and forwarded to State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for review in July. SHPO considers the impact of proposed work from an historic and archeological perspective and their review and approval is required prior to being able to spend any federal money on a project. A response from SHPO is expected soon, after which all documents will be forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval.

Engineering Design and Permitting (next phase) estimated at $200,000. TE funds cannot be used for this phase.

We have asked the City of New Orleans to provide funding for this phase, and we are awaiting final confirmation that money from an upcoming bond sale will be earmarked as such.

Construction (final phase) estimated at $888,750. The $844K in TE funds will be applied to this phase, leaving a match requirement estimated at $44,450.

The match dollars can be provided from any source: Re-Bridge, the City, or grant funding (as yet unidentified).

Dumaine Street Bridge

Re-Bridge contributed an engineering inspection (thanks to Jim Danner!) in 2011, which concluded that no structural damage exists.

The Department of Public Works inspects every bridge in the City every two years, and they have agreed to use the upcoming inspection of Dumaine to generate a scope of work and budget for beautification.

With a reliable estimate of cost, and once we understand what portions of the scope require professional v. volunteer services, Re-Bridge will pursue a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with the City of New Orleans. This CEA will allow Re-Bridge funding to fulfill a City-approved scope of work for cosmetic repairs and beautification.

Re-Bridge needs and welcomes community support! If you have some time, resources, money, or talent that you would like to contribute to the cause, please email me directly.

Many thanks to all of you,
Mary-jo Webster, Re-Bridge Chair
[email protected]

Crawfish Prove Popular

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Rebecca Rapp (in the photo above) did the graphics for the 2012 “Boilin’ for the Bridges” event.

Today’s “Boilin’ for the Bridges” was a huge success! Hundreds of neighbors and friends turned out to support the ReBridge fundraiser.

photos by Charlie London

REBRIDGE NOW!

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photo taken with iPhone by Charlie London

Happy Holidays Re-Bridgers:

My son was chanting Re-Bridge NOW in the back of the truck this morning so I thought I would send a holiday note and let you know how we are standing at the end of the year. My friend took this attached shot of the Magnolia Bridge all lit up (thanks to Cabrini!) for the holidays.

Mignon Faget AdornAments
SOLD OUT! – Mignon Faget sold all of the 300 AdornAments that were made on this first run – the Magnolia Bridge and Re-Bridge’s efforts to save it proved to be a very popular item (but we knew that).

Bubbles for the Bridges
We beat our own estimates and raised over $20K at the first annual gala, Bubbles for the Bridges, but we also had a swell time! The Sanctuary was warm and inviting, the weather was ideal, the Creole String Beans were grooving, Commander’s food was excellent, we had a great selection of hard to find elsewhere Silent Auction items, and well, the guests were all fantastic. Thanks all of you who supported this event. We are still sending out the thank you notes to all the wonderful donors who helped make the event a huge success.

Fundraising
Re-Bridge will hold two flagship events a year, a Crawfish Boil in the Spring that our past Chair, Mary-jo Webster, has volunteered to oversee, and the fall Gala. Otherwise, we will be seeking additional funds from private and public foundations to help us reach our matching goal. As you know we were awarded $844,400 from the Transportation Enhancement Act to rehabilitate the Magnolia Bridge. We need $220K to match those funds and have raised to date $40K. So we have a ways to go. In addition to seeking funds, our tee shirt and Mignon Faget’s AdornAment sales and individual donations made to our website or mailed in are helping us towards that goal. We will begin looking into the Dumaine Street Bridge now that a new director of the Department of Public Works has been announced.

What you could do for Re-Bridge:
LIKE us on Facebook
DONATE on our site – rebridge.org
BUY A TEE SHIRT – sold at Swirl – they are hip, ultra soft and hot looking.
BUY AN ADORNAMENT – Mignon Faget will have to make more after Christmas.
Thanks for all your support, and we look forward to another year of your help.

RE-BRIDGE NOW!

Rachel Dangermond
Re-Bridge Chair
1055 Moss Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
504.309.2116
415.336.9543 Cell
www.rebridge.org

Enjoy History at the Pitot House

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CLICK ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR A LARGER VIEW

ENJOY HISTORY THROUGH THE ART OF MUSIC AND DANCE AT THE PITOT HOUSE


Attend An Arts Performance Event, Presented and Commissioned by the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

New Orleans, LA – The Louisiana Landmarks Society has commissioned a site-specific collaborative arts performance at the historic c. 1799 Creole, colonial style Pitot House titled, Looking Through New Orleans History: A Performance Event at the Pitot House. The performance will focus on movement and dance as a medium to convey the multifaceted stories connected to the history of the Pitot House. Audience members will experience the cultural, geographical, and architectural themes shared by the Pitot House with New Orleans’ history by moving through the house and grounds to view various “scenes” of dance and movement accompanied by live musicians.

Site-specific choreography is emerging as a preservationist and historian’s tool – a new form of living history – to highlight spaces lost, forgotten or in need of stewardship. The goal of this performance is to enhance the visibility of the Pitot House within the community through an alternative method of interpretation and to promote examination of the diminishing traditional Creole craftsmanship of our material culture in New Orleans.

This performance is choreographed and directed by Susan Bensinger of Lusher Charter School, Barbara Hayley of Tulane University Department of Theatre and Dance, and Monique Moss of Third Eye Theatre. The core group of performers are fourth and fifth grade students from Lusher Charter School; the Newcomb Dance Ensemble; and professional performers from ArtSpot Production’s Rumours of War (Kathy Randels and Monique Moss). The Lusher students will perform a choreographed piece called “Air” by David Garrett. The images in the dance are nature based, using images taken from the swamps and bayous. Another dance, “Symphony” (also by David Garrett) is about how people both simultaneously work together and, at times, disrupt each other. The Newcomb Dance Ensemble will perform various pieces of choreography adapted from their end-of-year performance at Newcomb, entitled Above the Oaks. Sections of choreography adapted to the Pitot House site include “Bayou Gardens,” “Silent Columns,” “Slaves for Sale” and more, to present images of the place and time of the people who lived and worked at the Pitot House in the early 1800s.

After touring through the site of the historic home, the performance will culminate on the banks of Bayou St. John. At this time, volunteers from Re-Bridge, the nonprofit group working to restore and rehabilitate the historic bridges on Bayou St. John, will be in floating vessels as a celebration of the bayou’s presence and importance to the history of the city.

This program is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. The grant is administered through the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Sunday, November 13th
Performance begins at 4 PM, Gates open at 3:30 PM
1440 Moss Street, New Orleans, LA 70119
Tickets on sale now by calling 504-482-0312 or visiting www.louisianalandmarks.org $10 for Landmarks Members; $15 for Non-Members; Student Admission is Free with ID
(Reservations Required)
The Louisiana Landmarks Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote historic preservation through education, advocacy and operation of the Pitot House.

Click here for a PDF of the press release.

REBRIDGE Fundraiser

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JOIN THE FUN AGAIN IN 2012!
CLICK HERE TO PARTY ON!

photos and video by Charlie London

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO THE LEFT TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE 1st ANNUAL REBRIDGE FUNDRAISER

The Creole String Beans put on quite a show for the 1st annual REBRIDGE Fundraiser held November 18, 2011. Click on the arrow above to see them in action.

Gala guests gathered to support the rehabilitation of two historic bridges while enjoying delicious cuisine from Commander’s Palace and dancing to the throw-down tunes of the Creole String Beans. Bubbles flowed — champagne and ice-cold beer — and wine.

For more information call Re-Bridge’s chair, Rachel Dangermond, 504.309.2116 within normal business hours.

WGNO Highlights the Re-Bridge Effort

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WGNO’s Molly Rosenblatt interviews Rachel Dangermond about the Re-Bridge effort. The video can be seen above or by clicking on WGNO’s logo:

Learn more about Mignon Faget’s contribution to the effort in the link below:
https://fsjna.org/2011/10/9668/

Help save the bridges and fund the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association’s many benevolent programs by attending the 22nd annual
Voodoo on the Bayou this Saturday, October 29th.

Learn more at http://voodooonthebayou.com or at
https://fsjna.org/2011/10/voodoo-on-the-bayou-3/

Mignon Faget Joins the RE-BRIDGE Team

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Mignon Faget and Re-Bridge have teamed up to raise matching funds to rehabilitate the Magnolia and Dumaine Street Bridges.

The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association has grave concerns about the structural integrity of the Magnolia (Cabrini) and the Dumaine Street Bridges that span Bayou St. John.

The Magnolia Bridge is an historic treasure and was recently named to the Louisiana Landmark Society’s coveted “New Orleans Nine” list. We believe it may be the oldest existing bridge in New Orleans, built in the late 1800s when Faubourg St. John was a thriving commercial
corridor. Today age and weather have taken a toll. The Magnolia Bridge suffers from significant deterioration in its under-girding that poses a potential safety threat.

The Dumaine Street Bridge was built in 1951 and needs concrete repair and beautification. In 2010 the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association established a committee to consider options for repairing and restoring these bridges; this committee later launched the Re-Bridge project.

Re-Bridge is now leading a collaborative effort that has garnered extensive public, private, and community support to address the structural and cosmetic deficiencies of the Magnolia and Dumaine Bridges. Although we love these historically significant bridges, we can’t put them in a museum. They to be strong, so that they may serve the community as originally conceived—as a solid path for everyone to walk. Re-Bridge’s mission is to support our bridges, so the bridges can continue supporting us.

In that spirit, Mignon Faget, a reknown jewelry designer based in her native New Orleans, Louisiana, has extended a generous offer of help. Faget’s family settled in the city in the 18th century, and she grew up along the banks of Bayou St. John.

Her jewelry, worked in gold, silver, precious, and semi-precious stones, often finds inspiration in New Orleans architecture and culture or forms in nature. Following Hurricane Katrina, Mignon Faget’s uptown gallery was one of the first businesses to re-open. She donated and continues to donate proceeds from the sale of her Gulf Coast designs to Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

Now, Mignon Faget has teamed up with Re-Bridge to help raise matching funds to rehabilitate these historic bridges that are so appreciated by neighbors, visitors, runners, cyclists and Jazz Festers from all over New Orleans and the world.

Mignon Faget is generously donating proceeds from the sale of her Magnolia Bridge AdornAment, which is available for purchase through rebridge.org or http://www.mignonfaget.com/shop/product/holiday/3238M.html.
For more information during business hours, call Rachel Dangermond, Chair of Re-Bridge at 504.309.2116 or visit mignonfaget.com.

Bubbles for the Bridges

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Gala guests will gather to support the rehabilitation of two historic bridges, while enjoying delicious cuisine from Commander’s Palace and dancing to the throw-down tunes of the Creole String Beans. Bubbles will be served — champagne and ice-cold beer — and wine.

The Gala is to raise awareness and funds for rehabilitating the Magnolia and Walter Parker Memorial (aka Dumaine) Bridges that cross Bayou St. John, a community effort led by the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association in collaboration with the Re‐Bridge organization. The Magnolia Bridge is considered the oldest in New Orleans and was recently named one of Louisiana Landmarks Society’s “New Orleans Nine.” The Sanctuary is a private residence, once Walter Parker’s home, who helped transform the squalid bayou and surrounds into the wonderful neighborhood it is today. Re-Bridge is continuing the vision that Mr. Parker initiated 80 years ago.

The Gala is open to the public (cocktail attire) and tickets are available now at www.rebridge.org. The tickets are $75 each with all proceeds going to Re-Bridge to raise matching funds for city and state funding. Commander’s Palace graciously donated the cuisine and Tommy Lewis has generously sponsored the Creole String Beans. The Gala will also include an incredibly eclectic silent auction featuring getaway trips, fine art, spa, world-class musical talent for private entertainment, spiritual/garden/foreign language master services, dining packages and more!

For more information call Re-Bridge’s chair, Rachel Dangermond, 504.309.2116 within normal business hours.

SCAVENGER HUNT SATURDAY!

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September 10, 2011 – Scavenger Hunt for Re-Bridge
9:00 am

Contact and Reservations
Phone 985-778-5034 or 512-964-9499

Kayakitiyat is sponsoring a scavenger hunt to benefit Re-Bridge. If you’re not yet familiar, Re-Bridge is an organization put together by the Faubourg St John Neighborhood Association. Their goal is to restore and rehabilitate the Magnolia Bridge (a.k.a. Cabrini footbridge) and the Dumaine Bridge. So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty…

All you competitive brainiacs, get your team together! You’ll be scavenging for clues by boat and bike in Bayou St John, City Park and parts of Faubourg St John and Mid-City. It’s $100 a team with a maximum of 4 team members.

The race starts at 9:30 sharp, so meet us on the bank of Bayou St John near Dumaine no later than 9am on Saturday, September 10th. The hunt ends at 1:30 on the back deck of Bayou Beer Garden. No doubt, Fiona and Dean know how to throw a mean party!

Pre-registry available now at rebridge.org.

Your energy, enthusiasm and sweat are needed for the day of the event. If you want to help us keep these scavengers in line, let us know. We need people!

Email us at [email protected]

Fine Print:
Children under 14 are welcome but will not count as team members.
A limited amount of boat and bike rentals will be available for $10.
Bring your own if you can!