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TheTrumpetMarch/April 2014 • Community Voices Orchestrating Change • Issue 8 Volume 2

Sustainability: Where the planet, the people, & prosperity meet

INSIDE• Inside the Levee: Using green infrastructure to boost resiliency

• General Russel Honoré’s GreenARMY

• Hit-and-run draws focus on road hazards and school safety

• In the Neighborhoods: Mr. Boss’ Balloons

• From Mary’s Front Porch: Public transit challenges of New Orleans East

Neighborhoods Partnership Network’s (NPN) mission is to improve our quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic process.

Photo: Kevin Griffin/2Kphoto

In the fall of 2007 I became a homeowner. This was two months after the housing market crash. It wasn’t my dream home but it was a place that would allow me to fulfill my dream in revitalizing the city that I love. The house, a small corner lot in a modest neighborhood was filled with great potential. Yet the potential of the house and

the neighborhood in which it existed was incapable of providing me and my then young son with the quality of life in which we enjoyed and had grown accustom to live. There was no trees lining the street, the sidewalks were cracked and lopped and I had never lived in an urban neighborhood were there were no curbs. We were surrounded by blighted houses and overgrown weeded vacant lots and the nearest grocery store that sold quality produce and vegetables was not in walking distance. So why is this so important to NPN and the issue of sustainability? That was nearly 10 years ago and what I realize today that I wasn’t really aware of then is that sustainability is all about creating the kind of environment we want for ourselves, our neighbors and future generations. New Orleans has moved in the direction of rebuilding and revitalizing the neighborhoods with smart city planning with sustainability in mind. Learning from the past and adopting urban growth boundaries to reduce future sprawl.

Sustainability challenges us to think of others to ensure that the New Orleans culture and heritage that we have grown to love is here for future generations to enjoy. It forces you and I to think about the way our behavior impact the environment and to make better choices for our own good and those to follow.

In this issue of Trumpet I invite you to enjoy the resources, tools, and knowledge of what is happening to ensure the sustainability of New Orleans neighborhoods.

Timolynn Sams Sumter

Timolynn Sams Sumter

SustainabilityChallenges Us to Think of Others

Letter From The Executive Director

NEIGHBORHOODSPARTNERSHIP NETWORK

NPN provides an inclusive and collaborative city-wide framework to empower

neighborhood groups in New Orleans.

Find Out More at NPNnola.com

NPN Board MembersVictor Gordon, Board Chair, Pontilly Neighborhood AssociationWendy Laker, Vice Chair, Mid-City Neighborhood OrganizationAngela Daliet, Treasurer, Parkview Neighborhood AssociationTilman Hardy, Secretary, Leonidas/Pensiontown Neighborhood AssociationRyan Albright, CBNOKaren Chabert, Irish Channel Neighborhood AssociationBenjamin Diggins, Melia SubdivisionLeslie Ellison, Tunisburg Square Civic Homeowners Improvement Association

Sylvia Scineaux-Richard, ENONACTim Garrett, Marlyville/Fontainbleau NeighborhoodKatherine Prevost, Upper Ninth Ward Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association

Third Party Submission IssuesPhysical submissions on paper, CD, etc. cannot be returned unless an arrangement is made. Submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium. By submitting any notes, information or material, or otherwise providing any material for publication in the newspaper, you are representing that you are the owner of the material, or are making your submission with the consent of the owner of the material, all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete.

Non-Liability DisclaimersThe Trumpet may contain facts, views, opinions, statements and recommendations of third party individuals and organizations. The Trumpet does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information in the publication and use of or reliance on such advice, opinion, statement or other information is at your own risk.

Copyright© 2014 Neighborhoods Partnership Network. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Neighborhoods Partnership Network is expressly prohibited.

THE TRUMPET | MARCH/APRIL | 20142

The Trumpet Contents5 In the Neighborhood: Mr. Boss’ Balloons

8 Act 3 standardizes early childhood care

11 Streetcar Service Expands to French Quarter

14 From Mary’s Front Porch

18 CSED Entergy Efficiency Center

28 A Call to Activism for Artists

N E I G H B O R H O O D S P A R T N E R S H I P N E T W O R K

The Trumpet Editorial Board The Trumpet Editorial StaffJim Belfon, Gulf South Photography ProjectJewel Bush, SEIU Local 21 LAChristy Chapman, AuthorKelsey Foster, Committee for A Better New OrleansHeidi Hickman, ResidentElton Jones, New Orleans RisingNaomi King Englar, Tulane Prevention Research CenterErin M. Fitzgerald, MPH, Louisiana Public Health InstituteJaymee Lewis, Louisiana Public Health InstituteMike Madej, ResidentLinedda McIver, AARP LouisianaRay Nichols, Maple Area Residents, Inc.Brian Opert, Talk Show Host, WGSO 990 AMValerie Robinson, Old Algiers Main Street CorporationJamie Wine, Energy Wise Alliance to the Editorial Board

NEIGHBORHOODSPARTNERSHIP NETWORK

Rachel D. Graham, Editor-in-ChiefScott Bicking, Art DirectorJason Stopa, Policy and Education EditorChemwapuwa Blackman & Remeka Jones , Associate Neighborhood Editor

Hit-and-run draws focus on road hazards and school bus safety

Sustainability: Where the Planet, the People and Prosperity Meet

3THE TRUMPET | MARCH/APRIL | 2014

3321 Tulane AvenueNew Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 [email protected]

9

12 General Honoré’s GreenARMY:In the Fight to Protect One of Our Most Precious Resources

27Inside the Levee: Using Green Infrastructure to Boost City’s Efficiency

23

Get connected to the

Neighborhoods Partnership

Network.


Katrina BreesIn Mardi Gras’ Toxic Hangover (pg.19), Katrina Brees, founder of I Heart Louisiana, discusses the negative environmental impact of one of the city’s most treasured commodities ... Mardi Gras beads. I Heart Louisiana was founded in 2012 to protect the economy, ecology, culture and com-munity of Louisiana. It provides Carnival Krewes with Mardi Gras throws, costumes, props, floats and live entertainment as well as management and production services.

NORTACovering 14,000 miles each day and providing nearly 12 million rides every year, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) serves as the sole mode of transportation for many New Orleanians. The public transit provider continues to balance the work of recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Katrina while adapting to meet the future needs of a growing and changing landscape in a sustainable way. Learn about RTA’s efforts to continue expanding serve (pg. 14) and its work with Ride New Orleans establish its first Riders Advisory Committee (pg. 15) in this issue.

Eden DavisIt is estimated that a football worth of the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands is destroyed almost every hour. While New Orleans seems removed from this phenomenon, in reality the Wetlands serve the city’s first line of defense against storms that come in from the Gulf. Eden Davis, Outreach Coordinator at Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign, talks about the connection between Protecting Our Cities by Restoring Our Coast on page 24.

Contributors

Get connected to the

Neighborhoods Partnership

Network.

Post news & events for yourorganization at NPNnola.com


Huey Journee, also known as “Mr. Boss,” is busy blowing up purple, green and gold balloons for a Mardi Gras party that afternoon. A native New Orleanian from the Lower Ninth Ward, Journee sells balloons and teddy bears for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Mardi Gras parties and any other occasion you can think of that might welcome

balloons – which happens pretty much every day in New Orleans. Mr. Troy Douse, a neighbor and supporter, praises Mr. Boss’ work. Mr. Douse explains, “With the business here, we’re trying to keep the neighborhood positive. Trying to get the kids involved.”

In addition to his balloon business, Mr. Boss masks with the Young Generations Mardi Gras Indian tribe and has been doing so for the last 20 years. His costume lies under a sheet on a table nearby, waiting to be finished. When I ask about his costume,

Mr. Boss shows me proudly, saying, “That takes about 7 months.” He makes time to create the elaborately beaded and feathered yellow costume in addition to keeping the balloon store open five days a week and making deliveries to parties all over greater New Orleans. I watch as a party-goer comes to pick up the purple, green and gold balloons, with complimenting colored ribbons. In the background, the shop music changes to yet another brass band classic.

On January 25th residents from the Old Algiers community gathered at the Pride of Algiers Masonic Lodge to participate in a neighborhood revitalization block walk. The Old Algiers Main Street Corporation (OAMSC), Algiers Riverview Neighborhood Association, and NPN coordinated the block walk as a way to highlight chronic blight and

the lack of redevelopment in the area. The block walk focused on redevelopment opportunities on the historic stretch of Newton Street between Teche and Belleville streets.

Several local politicians and candidates attended the event among them, Cynthia Hedge- Morrell, Stacey Head, Lourdes Moran, Jason Williams, Nadine Ramsey, and a representative from Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office.

Newton Street was once a lively and burgeoning jazz and R&B scene; during

segregation many prominent national and local black musicians, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Red Allen, Jelly Roll Morton and a host of others would perform for black audience in various locations like the Greystone Voter’s League.

Although place such as The Greystone (plans are being developed to turn the lot into a community garden) and Whitey’s Ballroom (owned by white trombonist Roy ‘Whitey’ Dollinger) are gone; the area is still home to many historic sites such as the Red Allen house, early jazz trumpeter Peter Bocage’s home and the L.B Landry home –the first African American physician in Algiers.

“We want to raise awareness and see about getting some incentives for small developers to begin revitalizing this area”, stated Valerie Robinson, president of OAMSC. The hope is that the area can benefit from programs and incentives that have helped revitalize Freret Street, O. C. Haley, and St. Claude.

Mr. Boss’ Balloons

By Abby Grosslein

If you didn’t know it was there, you would drive on by. The shop, which used to be a corner store and then sat vacant for years after the flood, still looks plain. Yet, the door is open, and “Hey, Pocky Way” drifts out into the street. A colorful new sign hangs by the door and reads, “Balloons ‘For All Occasions,’” enticing passersby to “Come See Boss.”

If you find yourself in need of balloons, come see Boss at 1348 Annette Street or call (504) 906-4671.

A Walk Through Old Algiers’ Historic Newton StreetBy Remeka Jones, Neighborhood Liaison for Health

A healthy place is defined by the Center for Disease Control, as [places] designed and built to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, worship, and play within their borders. Healthy communities are designed

to make it easier for people to live healthy lives by providing/increasing opportunities for people to be physically active and socially engaged, increasing walkability and active transport, and allowing people to age in place. A healthy community considers all aspects of health and what factors in the environment impact overall health; it encompasses housing, urban development, land use, and transportation. Healthy communities are created through the collaboration of public health experts, planners and developers to ensure that neighborhoods foster a healthy physical and mental environment. The American Planning Association developed of list of six characteristics of a healthy community: 1) Have a unique sense of community and place 2) Preserve and enhance valuable natural and cultural resources 3) Equitably distribute the costs and benefits of development 4) Expand the range of transportation, employment, and housing choices in a fiscally responsible manner 5) Value long-range, region-wide sustainability rather than short-term, incremental, or geographically isolated actions 6) Promote public health and healthy communities.

An important tool used to ensure holistically healthy communities is an Health Impact Assessment (HIA). An HIA is an six step evaluation method (see Figure 1) that determines the potential health effects of a plan, project, or policy before it is built or implemented; in order to maximize positive health impacts and minimize the negative impacts. The basis of an HIA is to incorporate health in to public policy and decision-making processes. An HIA assesses the multiple influences on health that can occur as a result of social, economic, and environmental changes. HIAs are particularly important because it concentrates on how the proposal will impact vulnerable populations and are designed to promote and improve population health. The four guiding values for an HIA are 1) Democracy: HIA method should involve and engage the public, and inform and influence decision makers. A distinction should be made between those who take risks voluntarily and those who are exposed (WHO, 2001), 2) Equity: Consider the distribution of health impacts across the population paying specific attention to vulnerable groups and recommend ways to improve the proposed development for affected groups, 3) Ethical use of evidence: Use evidence to judge impacts and inform recommendations, should not set out to support or refute any proposal and should be rigorous and transparent, and 4) Comprehensive approach to health: HIA should be guided by the wider determinants of health( Human Impact Partners). An HIA is a quality of life framework that supports community engagement in the decision-making processes and encourages equity and justice by assessing the distribution of the effects on vulnerable population.

HIAs are commonly used throughout Europe and are required to be conducted before a proposal is implemented in some countries or by certain international organization. In the United States, HIAs have primarily been used to focus on the built environment by identifying the impact of land use planning and policy on physical and social environment on health. There are three types of HIAs: prospective (conducted before a proposal is implemented), retrospective (conducted after implementation), and concurrent (conducted during implementation). Prospective and concurrent HIAs

offer the opportunity to consider health impacts before a phase or plan is implemented and counters the negative effects. Another important aspect of an HIA is the fostering of collaboration and partnership development amongst a variety of stakeholders including public health, city agencies (health department, public works, planning),

academic institutions, community and advocacy organizations, transportation, and residents or property owners.

HIAs have been gaining traction in the United States in the past decade; several state and local agencies incorporate HIAs as a standard process in developing wide-scale projects. New Orleans is the first city in Louisiana to conduct an HIA; the New Orleans Health Department in conjunction with the Livable Claiborne Communities (LCC) Initiative will be conducting an HIA to inform decisions regarding the redevelopment of the Claiborne corridor. The City’s Health Department in conjunction with LCC, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, and Alembic Community Development is conducting a pilot HIA for the redevelopment of the former Myrtle Banks School into a fresh food hub. The purpose of this concurrent HIA is to influence site programming to ensure neighborhood benefits; for more information regarding this HIA or HIAs throughout the country visit Health Impact Project at www.healthimpact.org.

As development is rapidly occurring throughout the City of New Orleans, HIAs can be instrumental in ensuring that all persons impacted, especially vulnerable and marginalized populations are represented and involved in decision-making processes. In order to do so, the HIA process must be democratic, feasible, timely, and inclusive of community, especially those who are at the greatest risk to be impacted by the proposal. HIAs are a great way to increase citizen participation and support community engagement in the decision-making process.

Designing Healthy Communities Through the Use of Health Impact AssessmentsBy Remeka Jones, Neighborhood Liaison for Health

The six steps of an Health Impact Assessment adapted from Human Impact Partners (2009)


HIAs have been gaining traction in the United States

in the past decade; several state and

local agencies incorporate HIAs as a standard process in developing wide-

scale projects.

The six steps of an Health Impact Assessment adapted from Human Impact Partners (2009)


As people’s needs change,

their communityshould too.

Real Possibilities

As an area’s population evolves, so mustits community. But not every public leaderknows how to keep pace. AARP can helpyou keep your community more livable.By taking advantage of our expertise and support, a richer quality of life can be possible for everyone. Another way AARP promotes Great Places for All Ages. Learn, plan and act today at aarp.org/livable.


The Louisiana Early Childhood Education Act, also known as Act 3, was signed into law shortly before the end of the 2012 legislative session, establishing a network of early childhood service supports throughout the state. In accordance with Act 3, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will:

• Establish a definition of kindergarten readiness aligned with state standards for elementary and secondary schools;

• Create a uniform assessment and accountability system for publicly funded early childhood education programs that includes a letter grade indicative of student performance;

• Establish performance targets for children under the age of three and academic standards for kindergarten readiness for three- and four-year-olds, which will be incorporated into aforementioned letter grade standards;

• Coordinate with the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Health and Hospitals to align the standards for the licensing of child care facilities, including the requirements for participation in the Louisiana Quality Start Child Care rating system; and

• Establish a timeline for the creation and implementation of the early childhood care and education network that shall be fully implemented by the beginning of the 2015 - 2016 school year.

There are more than 200,000 young children in Louisiana that need child care while their parents are at work. However, with the average cost of full-time care exceeding $5,000 per year, many parents are moving their children from licensed programs to informal child care to better make ends meet. Unfortunately, there’s no assurance or standardizations of these settings’ quality. Act 3 creates a system of checks for basic health and safety standards to promote healthy child development in these settings.

In 2007, Louisiana implemented a quality rating system (QRS) for the state’s child care centers. Currently, participation in the rating system is voluntary, and only a few centers in New Orleans are participating. However, as the public becomes more aware of the rating system, more centers may be pressured by parents to participate.

While the realm of early childhood care and education in Louisiana is significantly under-resourced, Act 3 is the first step in seeking to serve children at a higher quality with severely dwindling dollars. Investment in early care and education has decreased 15 percent since fiscal year 2010.

OPEN has declared early childhood systems among its top three 2014 policy priorities, planning to work to ensure the implementation of Act 3 is aligned with appropriate development and receives appropriate funding and support to ensure increased access to quality early childhood settings. The organization also supports efforts to ensure the quality of all publicly-funded early childhood programs (Head Start, nonpublic, district and state) through:

• More consistent and higher standards appropriate for young children

• Keeping parents thoroughly apprised of how well these programs serve children

• Increased funding for the Child Care Assistance Program

• Licensing for family home care

Act 3 Standardizes Care Requirements for Young Children

Orleans Public Education Network Declares Early Childhood As 2014 Policy Priority

Want to learn more about the importance of early childhood education? Check out OPEN’s 2014 Policy Priorities document, available for download at opennola.org. OPEN is also holding a public meeting on April 17th centered around early childhood, with expert guest speakers, cutting-edge information on the issues, and First Educator activities for parents to promote child development.

Contact [email protected] for more information, or join us on April 17th to find out more!


Orleans Public Education Network Declares Early Childhood As 2014 Policy Priority

Simply put, sustainability satisfies the triple bottom line, protecting the environment while honoring social and economic responsibilities. It’s the place where the needs of the planet, the people and prosperity meet and strike a healthy balance; not an easy task to accomplish in Orleans Parish and the surrounding metropolitan area. New Orleans residents

constantly find themselves sandwiched between the competing interests of the industry and progress that drive economic growth, the needs of an ever-changing population and an ecology that, at once, can be a gift and an curse. However, never has our ability to do just that been more urgent.

The Katrina ParadoxAs is true in every aspect of life in post-Katrina New Orleans, August 29, 2005

marks a critical turning point in the way we consider sustainability. In one regard, the complete devastation resulting from the catastrophic failure of our levee system literally and figurative wiped the slate clean. It provided us the opportunity to re-imagine approaches to transportation, city infrastructure, energy and the construction of homes and buildings.

Unfortunately, it also wiped out a public transit system many residents depended upon and considered to be highly efficient. Furthermore, the resulting changes to the public education system - pretty much eliminating the concept of a neighborhood school - led to an increased reliance upon school buses by some of our youngest New Orleanians. As we have seen recently, these changes have, in some cases, compromised student safety.

And in a further example of the complex relationship our region enjoys with our natural resources, subsequent disasters in the area’s energy sector have sped up the threat to our ever-eroding coastal wetlands, our first line of defense against hurricanes brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.

How important is sustainability, and how is New Orleans doing?

Sustainability is so vital to our city’s opportunity to survive, thrive and compete with comparable metro areas, the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC) identified it as one of the four factors that will impact New Orleans’ ability to stand amongst its aspirational partners by 2018 in its New Orleans Index at Eight. In its

report, GNOCDC pointed out the strides we have made and the threats that remain in specific areas in the sustainability conversation. The good news? The miles of bikeways in New Orleans have increased over 400 percent from 10.7 miles in 2004 to 56.2 miles in 2012. Additionally, the share of workers in the city of New Orleans using public transit to get to work has increased from 5.3 percent in 2006 to 7.8 percent in 2011, a rate lower than pre-Katrina ridership numbers but still higher than the national average.

The bad news: The number of “unhealthy” air quality days in New Orleans exceeds those in the greater Houston region. We have also lost 948 square miles of coastal wetlands - nearly 30 percent of the wetlands that protect us from hurricane storm surge - during a 78-year period. Furthermore, as of 2008, three of six sampled sites in the New Orleans area which showed increases in the concentration of chloride in the water since 1951 have converted from freshwater to saltwater.

Think global. Act locally.In all that NPN does, there is a enduring commitment to building capacity in New

Orleans residents and neighborhood leaders to advocate for themselves and the best interests of the community. This issue is no different. The revitalization and success of this city needs to happen with you, not around you. We believe an informed resident is better prepared to take part in this process.

This issue on sustainability provides an eclectic mix of information on the issues and both the strides made and continued challenges that present a threat to the ultimate goal: a city where all neighborhoods are great places to live. It is our hope that, in some small way, we have made the conversation around sustainability a little more focused and a lot more relatable. But maybe most importantly, we hope you will take this opportunity to recognize sustainability as a citywide, regional and global concept with considerable local impacts ... and then spring right into action.

Sustainability: Where the Planet, the People and Prosperity MeetBy Rachel D. Graham, Editor-In-Chief

A sustainable metropolitan area is one that conserves natural resources, maintains environmental quality and takes a comprehensive approach toward reducing the impact of disaster. — Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, New Orleans Index at Eight (2013)

It’s a rather long word whose meaning can be as meandering, removed and “unrelatable” as the distant coastal wetlands that form a natural storm barrier for the City of New Orleans. Green everything has become a catch phrase. We find ourselves asking, “And exactly why should I worry about what happens to the climate 20 years from now?” And I couldn’t tell you the difference between R-10 and R-40 insulation, even if you paid me.

To view the entire Greater New Orleans Community Data Center New Orleans Index at Eight, visit www.gnocdc.org.


Railroad at StakeYou may not know it, but New Orleans has serious railroad problems. Fiscal,

logistical, structural, environmental, legal and existential problems. In fact, since railroads first appeared here nearly two centuries ago, their operation has stirred up one controversy or another, from unbridled land expropriations in the early years[30] to the threat of hazardous train derailments today.[1]

The once-flourishing rail industry, beaten back by shifting business models and a series of economic downturns, is undergoing a renaissance despite formidable public skepticism. In response, every region of the United States – including some states and cities – has formulated a master plan[23], taking a holistic approach to make modern rail harmonize with current and future development projects. Both the State of Louisiana[24] and the City of New Orleans[25] have such master plans in place.

First 100 Years — ExpansionSoon after the Steam Age dawned, New Orleans’ prime location and teeming regional

commerce gave rise in 1831 to The Pontchartrain Railroad[2] whose famous “Smoky Mary”[8] locomotive hauled passengers and cargo between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain for over a century. Other north-south intercity railways and streetcars followed suit[12] – the N.O. & Carrollton R.R., the Carrollton & Lake Pontchartrain R.R., etc. – linking riverfront wharves to lakefront docks by way of whichever local high ground or canal banks they could lay track upon. Trains were the Internet of their day[31], connecting everyone with everything.

The first century of life with rail was nevertheless fraught with unforeseen perils such as trains running over livestock[3], boiler explosions[4], forest fires, derailments[5], rail yard accidents, not to mention the adverse health effects of coal dust, defoliants, cinders and (much later) diesel exhaust. But to their credit, the railroads and the governmental agencies overseeing them responded with evolving regulations[13], protocols[14], equipment upgrades[6] and safety measures[7] aimed at mitigating those perils.

In short order, rail’s benefits outweighed the risks. Just as carriages and sailing vessels had done before them, trains dramatically shortened travel time among principal U.S. cities[9]. Despite setbacks arising from challenging geography, periods of war and recessions, rail rapidly eclipsed horseback and riverboats as a means of moving people and goods to their destination – cheaper, safer, faster and more comfortably than ever before – along hitherto daunting routes and over unimaginable distances. Everywhere except the Deep South[15], that is.

While the national track network steadily grew and improved throughout the nineteenth century, local commerce doggedly relied on cheap manual labor and a well-established steamboat infrastructure for sending goods to coastal ports and inland markets. Instead of building out robust east-west rail connections, water-locked New Orleans would become hide-bound with interior trackage – over 200 miles in use by 1930 – mostly for streetcars[11] and short-haul rail. River crossings here were antique, as well, requiring Westbank-bound trains to be laboriously dismantled and transported (slowly) by barge![16]

Second 100 Years — ConsolidationThe construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge[17] across the Mississippi in 1935 solved

trains’ river-crossing problem, albeit 80 years behind the times[26]. Likewise, the 1954 opening of Union Passenger Terminal[18] downtown combined five far-flung depots – each with its own dedicated tracks! – into a central location. Well-planned underpasses would provide safer, grade-separated crossings throughout Orleans Parish, thus relieving much of the decades-old tension between trains and motor traffic. Buses emerged as the preferred means of public transportation, and long-haul trucks took to the brand-new Interstate highways in ever-increasing numbers. The popularity of automobiles and air travel further diminished the railroad’s relevance, as Americans demanded the utmost in convenience. Passenger service revenues tumbled steadily, and train travel became an afterthought, a luxury[28], a spectacle – indeed even today for many travelers[27] – a challenge.

By the 1970s, railroad companies were merging at a hectic pace ahead of major government deregulation[19][20]. Miles more track got pulled up and languishing rights-of-way were abandoned and sold off, making way for roadway expansions like Earhart Boulevard and West End. Entire switching yards[21] and mainlines disappeared in the 1980s, freeing up

large swaths of prime real estate in the heart of New Orleans’ industrial corridors as well as deep in the burgeoning suburbs. Within thirty years, the U.S. rail industry had undergone a ten-to-one consolidation – leaving just seven Class I railroads plus Amtrak – all in the name of operational efficiency, economies of scale and market staying power.

Next 100 Years — ReinvigorationThe runup to year 2030 is a fitting time to look back and reflect on the rail industry’s

auspicious beginnings and to assess what market pressures are behind its resurgence. For example, rising fuel prices have given railroads a competitive edge over hauling cargo by plane or truck, and commuters are showing renewed interest in regional light rail travel. Freight trains are growing longer, taller and heavier, going faster and further on a gallon of fuel than ever before; however, they are also carrying a larger proportion of hazardous materials over a visibly aging infrastructure. The resulting public safety and quality-of-life implications are irrefutable[29], yet urban sprawl makes rerouting trains around populated cities a prohibitively costly proposition.

Any corporate investment in the future of rail will necessarily involve a partnership with government, as well as acceptance by the public. For example, the New Orleans Rail Gateway[1] (NORG) is weighing several major overhauls, some first put forth in the 1950s – eliminating system bottlenecks, removing grade crossings, adding safeguards, etc. – to improve operational efficiency. The NORG study, scheduled to conclude in 2015, enjoys a modicum of support in neighboring Jefferson Parish, but has been met with significant criticism by many New Orleanians, who – citing design flaws and the railroads’ historic reluctance to implement the latest safety technology – express a variety of health, safety, ethical and environmental concerns. In the end, any adopted changes must simultaneously satisfy the rail carriers’ shareholders as well as strict Federal guidelines[22], such as Title VI and NEPA, designed to protect the welfare of all citizens.

Did You Know…?• The Norfolk-Southern Rail Bridge[10] across Lake Pontchartrain is the world’s longest over-

water train bridge at 5.8 miles – longer than the 4.4-mile Huey P. Long Bridge[17] – and was actually 15 miles longer (the world’s longest bridge of any kind) when it first opened in 1884!

• The Pontchartrain Railroad[2] (1831-1935) along Elysian Fields Avenue was the first U.S. railway built west of the Allegheny Mountains!

• Today’s Orleans-Jefferson Parish line marks the centerline of the Carrollton & Lake Pontchartrain Railroad’s (1854-1867) mainline, whose track bed – called the Upper Protection Levee at the time – was raised with dirt dug from the Seventeenth Street Outfall Canal (completed 1878).

• New Orleans boasts service from six of the U.S. Class I railroads – more than any other city except Chicago! Find other fun NOLA rail facts online at http://504.LA/norginfo

Past, Present & FutureNew Orleans Rail

Ask Nola

[1] http://504.LA/norginfo[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoky_Mary[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_catcher[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler_explosion[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derailment[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janney_coupler[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_arrestor[8] http://504.la/1fmyb9C[9] http://504.la/1lOAaJ7[10] http://504.la/1g4OZn9[11] http://504.la/1c6SNFi[12] http://504.la/1g4RVjD[13] http://504.la/1c6V7fx[14] http://504.la/1kHIOv3[15] http://504.la/1c72cMY

[16] http://nutrias.org/exhibits/algiers/algiers3.htm[17] http://504.la/1f29ov9[18] http://504.la/1mh7zjB[19] http://504.la/1hjAZLu[20] http://504.la/1c7tLG5[21] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_yard[22] http://504.la/NN11df[23] http://504.la/1gHC8b2[24] http://504.la/1nAmz7e[25] http://504.la/1gCdb1Y[26] http://504.la/MUFazr[27] http://504.la/1mhTsu4[28] http://history.amtrak.com/[29] http://youtu.be/hgVRiojX-6I[30] http://504.la/1k9v7St[31] http://504.la/MYioaq

References

TREME


In Our Opinion

Dear Members of the Board:The St. Claude Association of Neighbors is an organization of residents and

property owners in the St. Claude Neighborhood of New Orleans. As such, we and the Norfolk Southern Corporation are neighbors; Norfolk Southern railroad tracks dissect our neighborhood, separating its eastside from its westside, from St. Claude Avenue to Claiborne Avenue along Press Street. We have coexisted from our neighborhood’s earliest beginnings, and it is as neighbors that we request that the Board of Directors of Norfolk Southern Corporation support an “at grade” streetcar crossing at the Norfolk tracks were Press intersects St. Claude.

Our shared neighborhood is comprised of working-class residents, the majority of whom rely on public transportation along St. Claude Avenue to commute to service industry, hourly-wage jobs in the French Quarter and the Central Business District. That same public transit line also provides access to the area’s only grocery and retail shops, and it is the most direct connection to other transportation lines throughout the city. A streetcar line that would replace the current bus line would vastly improve not only our commute’s reliability and comfort, but it would improve the rebuilding and

redevelopment of our larger community Post-Katrina. It would have a major, positive influence on our quality of life.

As good neighbors to you, we have accepted traffic delays, round-about routes for emergency vehicles, noise, vibrations and hazardous cargos. We have balanced those inconveniences and dangers against the good that your railroad has brought to our area, and we have welcomed you. We are now calling upon you to be good neighbors in return. The biggest perceived obstacle to the proposed St. Claude Avenue streetcar line is Norfolk Southern’s resistance to an “at grade” crossing where the streetcar will cross the railroad’s tracks at Press Street.

We know of no legal or operationally compelling prohibitions against such crossing, and we believe that a streetcar crossing could be safely built and operated without adversely affecting the daily operations of the railroad. We therefore ask that you support the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority’s proposal to extend construction of the Rampart/St. Claude streetcar line to Poland Avenue, across the tracks at Press Street.

The St. Claude Association of Neighbors in support of ‘at grade’ crossing to allow extension of street car line across Press Street

The Regional Transit Authority is currently completing the final design phase of the French Quarter Expansion Project that will enhance transportation options to the French Quarter and Treme. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, and the new streetcar service is scheduled to begin in 2016.

The 2.5-mile segment will run from Canal Street along Rampart Street to Elysian Fields Avenue, although the RTA is committed in the long term to extending the line along St. Claude Avenue across Press Street to Poland Avenue and eventually to the St. Bernard Parish line. .The line will connect to the Loyola Streetcar line, and connector tracks across Canal Street have already been constructed.

The streetcars will operate in a designated lane of traffic in essentially the same manner that buses do today and

the same way that streetcars now operate on Loyola Avenue and North Carrollton Avenue. Stops, which will be designed to fit the character of the historic area, will be at Conti Street, St. Ann Street, Ursulines Street, Esplanade Avenue, Pauger Street and Elysian Fields, and neighborhood associations have been invited to participate in the design

The $71 million project is funded locally by a sales tax bond. No federal funds will be used for the Rampart Street segment.

French Quarter Expansion Project to Add to Streetcar ServiceBy Valerie Robinson

It all seems like water under the bridge now. Due to funding shortages, plans to extend planned streetcar service through the French Quarter and into the St. Roch, Marigny, Bywater and St. Claude neighborhoods has been nixed. However, before money became the issue, residents and industry stood on opposites sides of the tracks - literally - in a debate over an infrastructure change that would allow the streetcar to cross the railroad tracks at Press Street. In this 2011 letter to the Board of Directors of Norfolk Southern Corporation, Susan Brady, Transportation Committee Chair for the St. Claude Association of Neighbors, gives voice to residents’ need for and support of the extended streetcar service.

For additional information about the project, visit www.norta.com


The City ReactsChildren are not getting to school by walking or biking to their nearest campus

anymore. The new open-enrollment system has given families more choice in where they send their children to school. This is something we all know. We’ve seen children in our families and neighborhoods use school buses and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) lines that criss-cross the city.

But now, action may be coming forward to address how our children get to school. Currently, the city’s two public school systems – Recovery School District and Orleans Parish School Board – pay roughly $30 million on school buses. Though the City Council has little control over the public school system, New Orleans City Councilmember LaToya Cantrell is spearheading the creation of a citywide task force to begin finding solutions to create safe, sustainable transportation for students. “This is a problem when we have children placed in danger daily due to bus stop placement and we have kids that are traveling more than three hours per day to and from school,” Cantrell said. “It encompasses our entire community, so we need a community-wide approach with a task force that takes into account many stakeholder – schools, transportation companies, advocates, and, most importantly, the children and their families.”

Solutions EmergeSo far, many solutions have called for a multi-level approach – working with

multiple offices and agencies to shoulder the responsibility to reduce the dangers. This includes leaning on local police to enforce speed limits, encouraging schools to keep updated travel plans that strategically locate bus stops, and ensuring the city installs school zone signs, crosswalks and street lights. It could also include a coordinated process for sharing information so that the problems are clearly identified and monitored.

“The key is to coordinate with all parties interested to find the appropriate solutions – including targeting high-crash areas that coincide with schools and playgrounds within neighborhoods,” said Naomi Doerner, program manager for the KidsWalk Coalition at Tulane University’s Prevention Research Center. “We have data on the pedestrian environments around schools – which could be coupled with crash data to develop a priority list for safety improvements that could be phased in over a period of time so funding can be strategically spent.”

• At public meetings, officials have also mentioned the possibility of creating a unified transportation system, instead of the current fragmented system, in which each charter school or individual school contracts with a bus company – or in some cases, decides to not offer buses at all and instead gives passes to students to use RTA’s public buses.

• Controlling speeding drivers could be accomplished through police enforcement, redesigning streets to limit lanes and therefore traffic, and so-called “traffic calming” street features, such as signs, flashing lights and pavement markings,

said Tara Tolford, a research associate at the Merritt C. Becker Jr. Transportation Institute at the University of New Orleans. Transportation planners and advocates repeatedly point to controlling speeding as the single best way to reduce serious and fatal pedestrian crashes.

• Because so many students use the RTA, that agency could also work more closely with schools. Students are some of the most regular and predictable riders according to Rachel Heiligman, executive director of Ride New Orleans. When schools come together and have purchasing power, they can administer passes in bulk, and that could help RTA respond with more service. “The RTA absolutely needs to be at the table and should be a vital resource for schools that are dealing with these challenges,” Heiligman said.

• Other solutions include educational programs at schools. For example, International School of Louisiana’s Camp Street location in the Lower Garden District created a “walking school bus,” an organized, adult-supervised walking group that brought students from designated points in the school’s neighborhood to the school. The school received money for this and other safe walking and biking programs from a Safe Routes to School grant. These federal transportation grants provide not only educational programs, but also physical improvements to the streets, sidewalks and traffic signs around schools. This year, the KidsWalk Coalition, Bike Easy and the Young Leadership Council have partnered to teach safe walking and biking workshops and programs to local schools, and there are opportunities to bring this to more schools in the future.

• Another safety measure frequently discussed is crossing guards and adult monitors on buses. Though not every school has crossing guards or bus monitors, volunteer organizations or even senior citizens could provide that service for schools, as some residents have suggested. The KidsWalk Coalition is working with the New Orleans Police Department to develop a crossing guard manual to train volunteer crossing guards.

• Traffic cameras around school zones could also be a source of funding for school transportation safety. Currently fines paid through traffic cameras go to the city’s general fund. In other cities across the country, like Chicago, traffic tickets from school zone violations go directly toward school transportation safety measures.

“We can’t engineer our way out of this. We can’t educate our way out of this,” Doerner said. “We have to coordinate efforts. It’s about speed reduction, education, safe transportation options for children and smart street design.”

Road Hazards and School Bus Safety Spotlighted by Recent Hit-and-Run DeathBy Naomi King Englar, Tulane University Prevention Research Center

As the New Orleans school system has changed, so have the ways in which students get to school – the number of children relying on school buses or public transit has definitely increased. Now the City Council, parents, schools, transportation planners and school-bus companies are coming together to find solutions to safety concerns that have built up over the years. Those concerns climaxed in February, following the death of 6-year-old Shaud Wilson. Wilson was crossing Paris Avenue – a busy thoroughfare that many school buses use to shuttle students – to get to his bus stop when a driver struck him and drove away.


As the final weeks of 2013 counted down, New Orleanians witnessed a flurry of new bicycle facilities opening across the city. This capped off another year of exciting changes and new developments as New Orleans continues to embrace bicycling as an easy and convenient way to get around town. In the last 12 months, twenty-five new miles of bike

lanes, shared lanes and trails were completed from Lakeview to Algiers and from New Orleans East to Central City. This has pushed the city’s total bikeway network to 82 miles from 11 miles just five years ago.

The changes didn’t end with new roadway striping, as the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) continued its education and enforcement efforts in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and the City of New Orleans. Following up on a successful Fall 2012 campaign in which the 610 Stompers teamed up with RPC to promote pedestrian safety, this past Spring saw the Stompers jump on bicycles. In their increasingly familiar role as safety ambassadors, the Stompers reminded New Orleanians to look for cyclists before opening car doors, to leave at least 3 feet when passing bicyclists and to ride bicycles with the direction of traffic.

Backing up the Stompers campaign, was the release of the new 2013 New Orleans Bike Map and Guide to Safe Cycling. This easy-to-understand guide provides bicycle riders and drivers with basic rules and tips to keep everyone safe on the road. Available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, the Guide can be found online at www.norpc.org and in print for free at locations around the City, including libraries and bicycle shops.

This investment to improve bicycling conditions in New Orleans is paying off, as increasing numbers of residents are taking to bicycles as a means of transportation. RPC

and the University of New Orleans have been counting bicycle riders and pedestrians at locations across the city since 2010. In just three years, we’ve seen an average increase of 56 percent in bicycling and 51 percent in walking at 12 locations.

This momentum is carrying forward in 2014. The network continues to grow, with the latest addition of bike lanes on a portion of Robert E. Lee Blvd in Gentilly. New bike racks continue to appear around town, thanks to the efforts of volunteers at Young

Leadership Council’s Where Ya’ Rack. RPC and the City are conducting a feasibility study for a New Orleans bike share system, designed to provide residents with increased transportation options. Neighboring Jefferson Parish will be presenting their recently developed Bicycle Master Plan for adoption in the coming months.

The past several years have witnessed some significant changes in the bicycle environment of New Orleans. The tireless work of residents, advocates and city leaders has set New Orleans on a path to bicycling serving as one of many transportation choices New Orleanians have to navigate the city. The coming years will continue to see further

improvements, as we strive to make New Orleans the most bicycle friendly city in the country. See you on the road.

School children throughout New Orleans will soon have greater access to secure bike parking through the Young Leadership Council (YLC) Where Ya’ Rack? project. Volunteers with Where Ya’ Rack? will be installing bicycle racks at more than 70 public schools across the city in coming months thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Louisiana Department of

Transportation and Development’s Safe Routes to School Program. “We are a community of citizens and cyclists who feel that safe and secure bicycle

parking can enhance New Orleans,” said C. Garlan White, Where Ya’ Rack? co-project leader. “This is a great step forward to encourage our youth to be active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

According to Where Ya’ Rack? volunteer Dan Jatres, one of the main barriers to the use of bicycling as a mode of transportation is the lack of proper bicycle parking.

“While a complete census of bicycle parking at public schools does not exist for New Orleans, the 2011 Bicycle Friendly Community application estimated that as few as 40 percent of schools had bicycle racks,” Jatres said.

Where Ya Rack? has also partnered with Bike Easy, a local bicycle education and advocacy organization, to provide students with bicycle education and encouragement programming in conjunction with the rack installations.

Bike Easy’s programming will be made up of workshops that will demonstrate safe bike riding basics using sample bicycles and helmets for hands-on demonstrations. Workshops will be led by League Cycling Instructors (LCI) from the New Orleans area.

According to Bike Easy, the goal of the education program will be to ensure that when students “set out on their bicycles, whether to school or to friends’ houses, they are riding safely, legally and confidently.”

Founded in 2008, Where Ya’ Rack? is committed to providing convenient, secure bicycle parking throughout the Greater New Orleans area. The project’s mission is to encourage bicycling as an environmentally friendly and healthy option for commuting, short trips and errands.

Where Ya’ Rack’s volunteer leadership team seeks sponsorships for bike racks from local businesses, property owners and other groups. The YLC works with the sponsors and city officials to determine each rack’s location. YLC members then volunteer the time and labor needed to install the racks.

To date, Where Ya’ Rack? has installed more than 250 bike racks in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes.

Let the Good Times Roll ... on a Bike

Project Gears Up to Install Bike Racks at New Orleans Public Schools

YLC’s Where Ya’ Rack?

The Regional Planning Commission’s counting program will be greatly expanding in 2014, with the help of community volunteers. If you’re interested in participating, email Dan Jatres, [email protected]

For a complete list of Where Ya’ Rack? bike rack locations or to obtain more information on how to sponsor a rack, please visit www.whereyarack.org.

For more information on YLC, visit www.ylcnola.org


Public transportation in New Orleans has provided mobility to residents since the early 1800s. Whether it was a horse-drawn streetcar to neighboring “faubourgs”, or a ferry boat plying the river, public transport has taken people from the city core to the outskirts for employment, education, worship, shopping, appointments, recreation and more. In

fact, if it were not for public transportation, much of what is New Orleans today may not have developed in the manner it did. The St. Charles Streetcar provided a way to get to the town of Carrollton, which passed through what was once primarily farm land. The Smoky Mary carried families on outings from the heart of the city out to Lake Pontchartrain and what later became Lakeview.

As transit has evolved, so has New Orleans. While there were once more than 200 miles of streetcar tracks criss-crossing the city, most were removed as buses replaced the streetcar system in the middle of the 20th century. Population grew and suburbs flourished after World War II, and buses became the primary mode of transportation for many. However, it wasn’t long before more people owned private vehicles, and ridership began its decline that lasted until the past decade.

When Hurricane Katrina swept through the city in 2005, it destroyed most of the RTA’s vehicles and facilities. Although recovery is ongoing, RTA has made progress in reviving its streetcar lines and bus routes and replacing its bus and para-transit fleet with new vehicles. The new buses run on bio-diesel, which emits much lower levels of CO2 and other emissions when compared to standard diesel fuel. Tires are filled with nitrogen, which better maintains tire pressure and leads to improved fuel efficiency. As always, streetcars are powered by overhead electrical lines, resulting in lower net emissions than gasoline-powered vehicles.

Although there are fewer transit lines today than pre-Katrina, the Regional Transit Authority offers service to all areas of the city through buses, streetcars and para-transit

vehicles for the elderly and disabled. In recent years, the RTA has also enhanced riding options through its Bike & Ride program. RTA buses are equipped with bicycle racks so that riders can have the option of bicycling from bus stops to their destinations. There is no extra cost; however, because there are only two racks per vehicle, space is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Downtown is HubAs the CBD is revitalized, and more residents move into

repurposed buildings, more service is required. The Downtown area is served by the Canal Streetcar, Loyola Streetcar, St. Charles Streetcar and Riverfront Streetcar lines, allowing for connectivity to points of interest in the French Quarter and Convention Center area all the way to Riverbend and to City Park. Many bus lines also serve the Downtown commercial corridors.

With the completion of the UPT-Loyola Avenue Streetcar Expansion in2013, many of the buses now use the Union Passenger Terminal as their transfer point. The central location allows for passengers to continue trips to neighborhoods throughout the city, whether that is via the St. Charles or Loyola Avenue Streetcar, or to

bus lines that will carry them virtually anywhere in New Orleans and connect to Jefferson Parish lines on the East Bank and West Bank of the Mississippi River.

Just recently, RTA took control of the Algiers-Canal Street Ferry and the Chalmette Ferry service after LA-DOTD decided it would not provide service or funding beyond June 30, 2014. Because of the lack of support from the state, the RTA charges a $2 per person fare for the previously free service that is a transit option for both daily commuters from Algiers to the CBD and French Quarter and visitors to points of interest on both sides of the river.

Visit www.norta.com for details about transit service.

RTA Continues to Expand Neighborhood Transit OptionsBy Valerie Robinson

People who have cars often overlook the challenges of persons who depend on public transportation to get to school, work, the supermarket, health care and other locations. I became more aware of this issue because my son, Leonard, does not have a car at the present time. Leonard, like many New Orleans East residents, faces transportation

challenges that are being addressed slowly or not at all. We live in the Pines Village neighborhood in New Orleans East where, fortunately,

a New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) bus stop is located about a block from our house. Leonard is technologically savvy and has various RTA rider tools that give arrival times, bus tracking and other information on his mobile phone. Despite these tools, Leonard has left home on many occasions to catch a bus heading for downtown only to return home in a few minutes because he missed the bus. At other times, Leonard has stood in the rain or inclement weather waiting for a bus that never came. With only three buses on the bus line, the wait for another bus could range from twenty minutes to an hour depending on the time of day.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, RTA bus service was more accommodating to the needs of students, parents, workers and tourists traveling from New Orleans to the Central Business District, French Quarters and beyond. There were three express buses that ran from Tulane Avenue to New Orleans East exiting I-10 at Downman Road and traveling along Chef Highway, Lake Forest Boulevard and Morrison Road. In addition, several local bus lines served New Orleans East, including the Read Boulevard line which

connected travelers to the major commercial corridor along Read Boulevard. Back then, buses ran every twenty minutes during peak times of the day and hourly throughout the night. These bus schedules met the needs of bus riders within and outside their eastern New Orleans communities.

Post Katrina, there are only two express bus lines ( Morrison Road and Lake Forest Express) and two local lines ( Haynes Boulevard and Broad). The Lake Forest Express 64 is the only bus line that transports riders to Read and Bullard Boulevard where the new Wal-Mart is being constructed. The Lake Forest line is also the only bus service to the New Orleans East hospital and health centers that provide affordable health care to New Orleans medically underserved residents. There are no connecting bus lines between the Chef Menteur Highway area and Lake Forest Boulevard. The lack of public transportation infrastructure creates significant barriers to many New Orleans residents and hinders their access to essential services, such as health care, education, food and recreational activities. New Orleans East is finally poised for significant commercial growth with a new Wal-Mart and the New Orleans East Hospital slated to open later this year. I hope that these establishments will spur significant growth in retail and other commercial establishments in the Read and Bullard areas. However, without adequate public infrastructure, a significant number of eastern New Orleanians will be denied convenient access to these facilities. For New Orleans East to support these establishments ,its residents must have equal transportation access within their own community.

From Mary’s Front PorchBy Mary Crooks

As the CBD is revitalized, and more residents

move into repurposed

buildings, more service

is required.


Thousands of New Orleanians rely on our buses, streetcars and ferries every day to get to work and school and to access services, shopping and other important destinations. That’s why the decisions made by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) are so important to our neighborhoods and economy. Until now, transit riders had limited opportunities to influence the

RTA’s planning and decision-making. While the RTA does hold public outreach meetings, they typically only do so after major service changes or capital plans have been developed. This means that riders can only respond to the plans rather than shape them.

At Ride New Orleans, we believe that the voices and needs of riders who depend on our buses, streetcars and ferries should be at the center of the RTA’s planning and decision-making process. This is essential for maintaining an equitable and sustainable public transportation system responsive to community needs.

That’s why we worked alongside a group of dedicated bus riders, drivers and community leaders to advance the establishment of a Riders Advisory Committee at the RTA. As of this writing, the RTA Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on a policy that will create the agency’s first Riders Advisory Committee at their Tuesday, February 25th.*

Learn more in this FAQ:

What is a Riders Advisory Committee?A Riders Advisory Committee is a representative group of transit riders that meets

regularly to discuss service needs and improvements and to establish goals and priorities for future transit expansion.

What will the Committee do?The Committee will meet at least four times a year - and more as RTA planning

efforts take shape. Members will provide input to guide the RTA budgeting, planning

and service change processes. The RTA has committed to providing Committee members with training opportunities to learn more about the complexities of transit funding and decision-making.

How will the Riders Advisory Committee be structured?

The Committee will consist of 21 members. 11 members will be selected in the first year and the remaining 10 members will be selected the following year. The ideal Committee members are those who are already active in their communities, use transit on a regular basis, and are willing to work as a team toward a united goal.

How can I get involved in the Committee?The RTA will put out a call for members through an open application process.

Members will be selected from the pool of qualified applicants by an independent panel of community organizations and their appointment to the Committee will be confirmed by the RTA Board of Commissioners.

When can I submit my application?The application timeline has not yet been announced but be sure to stay tuned to

www.rideneworleans.org - we’ll make sure to keep spread the news far and wide once the application process opens up. Ride New Orleans is committed to getting riders ready so that when there is a call for Committee members, the committee is filled with as diverse a membership as possible.

Getting a Riders Advisory Committee established at the RTA is a big victory for the organization and New Orleans residents. This win is for the transit riders, and we thank the dedicated community members who came together to work with us to see the creation of the Committee through to adoption. Ride New Orleans will continue to be there every step of the way to ensure that the RTA’s implementation of the Committee is a success. We’d also like to recognize the Chairman of the RTA Board of Commissioners Salvador Longoria, Commissioner Flozell Daniels, the TOGETHER Initiative of the Foundation for Louisiana and Veolia Transportation for their commitment to equitable public engagement.

*Editor’s Note: The RTA Board of Commissions voted unanimously to formally approve the new Riders’ Advisory Committee (RAC). At this writing, applications are being accepted at www.rideneworleans.org and at www.norta.com. Criteria for serving on the RAC includes: transit use, community involvement, availability to participate and the ability to work as a team toward a united goal.

RTA to Adopt Transformative Public Engagement Policy Establishing a Riders Advisory CommitteeBy Elyse Monat - Intern, Ride New Orleans

About Ride New Orleans: Ride New Orleans is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For those who depend on public transportation, whether because of age, income or ability, or those who take it by choice, Ride advocates for safe, convenient and affordable transportation choices. Learn more at www.rideneworleans.org.

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Air Filters Change your air filters for central air every month can save you 10% on your AC

bill. It’s better to buy cheaper filters and change them more often.

ThermostatsSet the thermostat at a comfortable level when you’re at home (the Department

of Energy recommends 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer), but each single degree change can affect your Entergy bill by 3 to 5 percent. When you’re out of the house, turn your air conditioning or heat off or down to save tons. If you’re comfortable with the technology, use a programmable thermostat for convenience.

Light bulbs: LED bulbs are more expensive, but last 13 times longer and cost 1/6 of the energy to run than incandescent bulbs. They are well worth the investment on lights that stay on for 3 hours or more each day. Moving soon? Take your pricey bulbs with you, and put your property manger’s cheap bulbs back when you go. Can’t afford them? Call Greenlight New Orleans, and they’ll install CFL bulbs in your house for free. You will also save each month because they’re 4 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs.

Weather stripping: If you can see light around your exterior doors, you need to add weather stripping or a door sweep. Ask your landlord to do this. If they decline, the materials are so cheap you should ask permission to do it yourself. You can even find many how-to videos on YouTube.

Choosing where to live: Heating and especially cooling represent the large majority of most New Orleanians’ energy bills. When you’re choosing where to live, ask the property manager about the average energy bill, the age of air conditioner, how drafty the home is and if the house has an electric water heater or an electric furnace. Gas versions of these appliances will save you money. If there have been energy improvements in the home, these questions will prompt the property manager to inform you about them.

Get A Roadmap Ready to save money and be comfortable in your home? The next step is a

presentation by Energy Wise Alliance. Free 10 to15 minute presentations are available to groups of 15 or more like neighborhood associations, churches, schools and social clubs, brought to you courtesy of PosiGen. We’ll go through the basics of energy efficiency and weatherization and give you a roadmap for the next steps you can take to make your home comfortable without breaking the bank.

Whether you rent or own, you can take meaningful steps to be comfortable in the heat of summer and cold of winter. Not owning your home has limits on repairs and renovations you can make to your house. However, tenants can save money on utilities with cheap and simple changes to technology and their behavior.

Jamie Wine is the executive director of the Energy Wise Alliance (energyla.org), a local nonprofit educating the people of Louisiana to be energy savvy. Contact him to schedule a presentation for your class, neighborhood association, church or community group today. [email protected] or (504) 656-6224

Tenants’ Home Comfort

Tenants’ Home Comfort

17THE TRUMPET | MARCH/APRIL | 2014Executive Director – Jamie Wine – [email protected]


• Repaired roof and replaced shingles with Historic Green• Fixed shed roof with Historic Green• Cut termite infested sweet olive tree• Treated house for termites• Creation of interior house design• Sistering and reframing of front porch• Removal of termite damage on ceiling of porch• Removal of drywall, rotten flooring and veneer flooring from inside the house• Removal of rotten materials from interior of north end of house• Removal of original termite damaged roof rafters• Removal of debris from under house• Built six new piers under house • Sistered ceiling joists over cantilevered porch • Removed termite damaged header on porch and sistered in new header• Built collar ties for roof rafters• Deconstructed interior partition wall from north end of house• Deconstructed car port• Maintained grass and property removing tree stumps and Katrina weeds

Potential Energy Efficiency Upgrades Showcased in the Chartres House will include:

• High levels of insulation at ceiling / walls and floor• Perimeter shading or awnings to keep heat out• Solar hot water• Rain catchment• Energy efficient lighting• Energy efficient appliances

• Low flow faucets and showerheads• Small, super-efficient HVAC system (like window unit or mini-split)• Green wall or living shade structure• Back yard gardening - citrus food production for consumption / canning / sale

Energy Efficient Classes to be Taught: • How To Series - Energy Efficiency Upgrades on Historic Homes• DIY Energy Upgrades That Will Save You Money• How To Use Energy Wisely • Why Does Saving Energy Matter?• Embodied Energy: How Much Energy Does it Take (for A Gallon of Gas / 1 kW)• How to Test Your Soil for Metals• Backyard Citrus Production / Consumption / Canning / Sale• Less is More – Efficient Design in Small Homes• Green Rehabilitation & Deep Energy Retrofits• Healthy Home Series – Keeping Your House Free of Toxins• The Stack Effect in Houses – What You Need to Know About Cooling Your Home• Building Science Made Easy• Why Super Insulating Can Save You Money• Intro to Solar Hot Water Installation

Potential Classes for Kids:

• Building Solar Race Cars• Building Solar Water Pumps• Building Wind Turbines• Building Sun Dials

CSED Energy Efficiency Education Center Will Provide Innovations in Urban ResiliencyBy Arthur Johnson, Executive Director, Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development

The Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED) has the unique opportunity to remodel a 130-year-old historic barge board house into an Energy Efficiency Educational Center (EEE) for residents and community of the Lower Ninth Ward. The space will showcase energy efficiency upgrades and serve as an educational center

for the community. The house will be remodeled keeping with its original barge board design. The EEE Center will be equipped with truth windows giving guest the ability to ‘peak through’ the construction and see the types of energy efficiency upgrades that

have been made to the house. Placards will accompany the truth windows explaining the upgrades, their benefits and the amount of savings as a result of the upgrade. Finally, the EEE Center will have a room dedicated to teaching classes and do-it-yourself (DIY) workshops for the community.

The Center will demonstrate green building concepts that visitors can see themselves implementing. It will seek to inspire curiosity as a conversation starter or support training as a working example. The building will seek to be innovative yet relatable and reproducible. Visitors will be able to recognize and relate to the building as a traditional New Orleans house with a few improvements. Bill Waiters, Chairman, CSED Board of Directors, commenting on this innovative yet reproducible project, said, “Rather than feeling overwhelmed or intimidated, a visit to The Center should leave them inspired, thinking, ‘I can do that’.”

“While upfront recognition for everyone’s efforts in this project is welcome, the true success of this endeavor will only come over the long term,” said Vincent Fedeli, CSED project manager.

Work Completed on The CenterCSED acquired the building located at 5227 Chartres Street, in 2013 and started working on the facility shortly thereafter. By Spring 2013, several major developments were accomplished through the assistance of staff, community volunteers and supportive volunteer groups from Historic Green and United States Green Build Council of Louisiana (USGBC-LA). These achievements include:


Mardi Gras Beads Leave Toxic Hangover

Carnival time is a magical experience for all ages. Marching bands, king cake, parades and of course, beads. However, the Mardi Gras bead is quickly losing favor after recent information has emerged on its toxic contents. A report by independent Michigan testing facility, Eco Lab, revealed some scary news for revellers. Since the beads

are not regulated as a children’s product and are often imported directly from Chinese factories by Krewe leaders, little has been done to assure their safety. The majority of beads were found to have high levels of lead as well as pthaylates, bromine, chlorine and e-waste. All are extremely dangerous to children and adults. Exposures to these toxins can occur when children put the beads in their mouths; touch beads and then touch their mouths, or even through inhalation of microscopic dust. Beads that have gotten wet or been exposed to hot weather are especially dangerous. Exposure can cause cancer, autism, obesity, thyroid dysfunction and hormone disruption leading to reproductive disorders. California has already banned the beads and “plush” items containing these dangerous substances.

In addition to the safety concerns, beads have an extremely negative impact on our environment and economy. Mardi Gras produces up to 100 tons of trash

per day. The majority of that trash is petro-chemical based. Since introducing the Chinese beads, we have already dumped more petro-chemicals into our land and water than the BP Oil Spill. Mardi Gras beads also slink into our storm drains and overwhelm our drainage system, leading to increased flooding.

Mardi Gras beads is big business. Krewes often throw more than $50,000 worth per block during parades. On a typical day with three parades that is more than $150,000 per block of beads. Of these, 98 percent will go directly to the landfill. With 35,000 unemployed New Orleanians desperate for jobs, sending $50 million to China for three weeks of parades is socially irresponsible. The popularity of New Orleans parades has now created an annual demand of over $1 billion in Mardi Gras bead sales nationally.

The good news is that local and federal organizations are now taking aim at the problem and working to find solutions and alternatives. Local activist groups like Verdi Gras and Louisiana Bucket Brigade are educating the public and demanding our local government and krewes make changes. I Heart Louisiana (www.iheartlouisiana.com) has introduced a line of eco-friendly, locally sourced beads that will be thrown this year. Krewes members in Freret, Zulu, Nyx, Rex and Muses have begun including these alternatives in their offerings.

By Katrina Brees, I Heart Louisiana

Recycling Tips from Keep New Orleans BeautifulKeep New Orleans Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is a network of organizations and individuals promoting less litter, more recycling, and neighborhood beautification in New Orleans. We aim to encourage environmental awareness and change the culture of waste in the city. We want to remind New Orleans residents about growing recycling opportunities.

Our Top 3 Recycling Tips in New Orleans:1. Do not let your old television sit around, recycle it! You bring it to the Second Saturday

Recycling Drop-Off.2. Curbside recycling is now available all over the city of New Orleans! Call 311 to

request a bin for your home.3. Tons of household items can be recycled curbside, especially plastics! Plastic milk and

juice jugs, shampoo bottles, and even flower pots!

You can find more details about these City of New Orleans recycling programs at recycle.nola.gov. Keep New Orleans Beautiful meets monthly and all are welcome. Visit http://keepneworleansbeautiful.com/ for more information.

Photo: Robyn Beck/ASP/Getty


YOU and NPN Making All New Orleans’ Neighborhoods

A Great Place to Live!YOU and NPN make a great team!

Together we are passionate about making all of our neighborhoods great places to live.

You told us you were worried about public education, healthy living and our cultural communities. NPN now has a Neighborhood Liaison – a skilled professional staff person – focusing specifically on each of those concerns.

You voiced anxiety over the City’s budget. NPN is right now partnered with strong, well-respected advocacy groups to help local government welcome citizens into the budget decision-making.

You reminded us that it takes a village to raise healthy and educated children. NPN’s Parent’s First campaign is now empowering parents of young children to connect

and engage about quality of life troubles for young children.

Now is the one time of year that NPN asks for you to put your dollars where your passion is. Give a gift to NPN so NPN can continue giving to New Orleans neighborhoods.

I am giving $_______________ to NPN’s 2014 Annual Fund.

Name:_______________________________________________________________________________

Organization:_________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________

Phone number:____________________________ Email:______________________________________

Send your gift to: NPN – The Neighborhoods Partnership Network, 3321 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, LA 70119To give a gift by credit card, please email [email protected].

NPN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your gift is tax deductable to the extent allowed by law.

NPN can give the community …A Best Practices Binder full of tips and tricks for neighborhood leadersA Task Force meeting to tackle an urgent issueA full year of hosting resource-rich www.NPNnola.comAmonth of transporting a Neighborhood Liaison around the cityTwo months of Trumpet Tidbits weekly enewsOne bi-monthly issue of The Trumpet delivered all over the cityTwenty Capacity College how-to guides for neighborhood leadersOne month of keeping NPN’s office open and operating!

When You Contribute to NPN…$15 $25 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000


I am giving $_______________ to NPN’s 2014 Annual Fund.

Name:_______________________________________________________________________________

Organization:_________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________

Phone number:____________________________ Email:______________________________________

Send your gift to: NPN – The Neighborhoods Partnership Network, 3321 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, LA 70119To give a gift by credit card, please email [email protected].

NPN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your gift is tax deductable to the extent allowed by law.

NPN can give the community …A Best Practices Binder full of tips and tricks for neighborhood leadersA Task Force meeting to tackle an urgent issueA full year of hosting resource-rich www.NPNnola.comAmonth of transporting a Neighborhood Liaison around the cityTwo months of Trumpet Tidbits weekly enewsOne bi-monthly issue of The Trumpet delivered all over the cityTwenty Capacity College how-to guides for neighborhood leadersOne month of keeping NPN’s office open and operating!


As a resident of the city, you have probably experienced street flooding that occurred outside of hurricane season caused by heavy rains. These sudden downpours overwhelm the city’s pumping system which results in water backing up in the streets. At times, the flooding can be so severe that the storms are remembered and retold. Growing up in New Orleans

you both hear stories and live through these events. My initial geography lessons come from a few stories my

parents told about when they first arrived in New Orleans in the late 1970s. The story most told - which is brought up any time someone asks about neighborhood flooding - happened when they moved into the city. My uncle was helping my parents move and while they were unpacking, he went down the street to pick up lunch. While walking several blocks, it started to rain. It continued to rain as he waited on his order. In a short time. the streets were flooded. Not sure when the waters would recede, he walked in waist high water back to the house. He managed to keep the food dry, but he discovered the car halfway submerged when he returned.

I can remember walking through fairly deep water a few times in high school, the memorable being during the flood of May 1995 which resulted in $1 billion in damage. As a result, Congress authorized the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) in 1996. This led to a series of projects to improve canals, drains and pumps. Today, the city continues to invest in pipes to drain rainwater, but street flooding still occurs.

For many cities, including New Orleans, a pipe-only solution is also insufficient because of due to its environmental impacts. Heavy rains can result in sewage overflow and can wash pollutants into water bodies. Aware of both flooding and environmental factors, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports green infrastructure projects to address these issues. As defined by the EPA, “Green infrastructure is an approach that communities can choose to maintain healthy waters, provide multiple

environmental benefits and support sustainable communities. Unlike single-purpose gray stormwater infrastructure, which uses pipes to dispose of rainwater, green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls. By weaving natural processes into the built environment, green infrastructure provides not only stormwater management, but also flood mitigation, air quality management, and much more”.

New Orleans city officials, engineers, environmentalists, and planners have developed plans and projects to increase green infrastructure in the city. The city through Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) recently released a comprehensive urban water plan that directly addresses groundwater and storm water as critical factors in shaping a safer, more livable, and economically vibrant Southeast Louisiana. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) has installed rain gardens including one recent installed in the Filmore Gardens section of Gentilly. Additionally, the Sewerage & Water Board will be implementing projects through professionals in the next two years, and the City Planning Commission has included storm water management requirements in its draft Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.

Residents interested in improving the quality of life in their neighborhood can also take action to mitigate flooding and improve

water quality. Homeowners can install rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable surfaces or disconnect downspouts on their property. Neighborhood associations can fundraise for tree plantings and landscaping to catch water before entering the drainage system.

Rainwater | Green InfrastructureBy Jason Stopa, NPN Education and Policy Manager

Neighborhood associations can fundraise for tree

plantings and landscaping to

catch water before entering the

drainage system.

NPN’s Capacity College will host workshops and events in the coming months. To learn more about these and other NPN education and policy activities, email [email protected]


Andrew Zolli says goodbye to sustainability and hello to resiliency in his book, “Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back.” In simplest of terms, he clarifies the difference between sustainability and resiliency: “Where sustainability aims to put the world back in balance, resilience looks for way to manage in an imbalanced

world.” Speaking of environmental imbalances, there are plenty here in our neck of the swamp. The first that comes to mind is the sediment problem in the Mississippi River Delta. The rich earth that washes down the mighty Mississippi no longer has the opportunity to replenish our wetlands as it did in the past due to the flood protection levees lining the river. Instead, this soil is funneled into the Gulf of Mexico where it falls off the continental shelf. Coastal Louisiana’s sediment budget is in the red with wetland loss exceeding wetland gain. This imbalance has not only captured the attention of the public (in a recent survey by America’s Wetlands Foundation, 74percent of Louisianans believe that wetland loss is the most important issue of their time1) , it has also led to the State taking developing a robust Coastal Master Plan2. The $50 billion restoration plan can be viewed as a resiliency strategy to better manage our coastal ecosystem.

Every New Orleanian must recognize that we live not only behind decorative masks but behind billions of dollars’ worth of levees and concrete walls. These flood barriers have disconnected us from the natural ebb and flow of the river, and this imbalance is only exacerbated by the current rainwater management system, which pumps all rain falling on the pavement directly into Lake Pontchartrain. Pumping water out of the City is what made it habitable, but now the pumping is excessive,

causing unnecessary subsidence in this below sea level locale, turning the City into a bowl. The soils are loose and porous, sponge-like. Ideally, we would let this porous ground replenish by filling with the falling rain. When too much water is removed, the soil dries out and shrinks. In turn, our neighborhoods begin to sink and our streets

form potholes.Solutions are easy and available. To properly manage

New Orleans’ manmade water imbalance and boost our city’s resiliency we must begin to: 1) live with water, and 2) introduce green infrastructure into our urban environment (using plants and trees to infiltrate, filtrate and detain water into the soil). The Urban Water Plan developed by Waggoner and Ball Architects sets out guidelines to begin the process, and emphasizes the opportunities that will arise when we install green infrastructure. Recently, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) teamed up with local landscape architecture firm Dana Brown and Associates to transform a few vacant lots (5302 Wildair Drive, 5109 Press Drive, 1338 Nunez Street, 1728 Deslonde Street and 8461 Forshey Street) with rain gardens and bioswales.

Wetland restoration outside the levee system AND green infrastructure inside of the levees are crucial for the resiliency of our city. Global Green’s Louisiana Wetlands Action Program has been engaging wetland owners about innovative opportunities through emerging carbon markets to help finance coastal restoration. At the same time our Water Wise program helps New Orleans residents add green infrastructure to their properties. It is this “multiple lines of defense” approach that will enhance our city’s resiliency and ultimately protect the place we all love and call home.

Using Green Infrastructure to Boost our City’s Resiliency

Inside the Levee System

By Jeffrey Supak, Globel Green USA

5302 Wildair Drive; After installing a rainwater best management practice, this site now stores water that runs off from the street during heavy rainfall events. (Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority-NORA)

5302 Wildair Drive; Before installing a rainwater best management practice, this was a typical vacant lot. (Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority-NORA)

Wetland restoration

outside the levee system AND green

infrastructure inside of the

levees are crucial for the resiliency

of our city.

Last December, the Rockefeller Foundation released the names of the first 33 cities selected to be a part of its 100 Resilient Cities program. This initial list included New Orleans, which isn’t too much of surprise considering the number of times we’ve had to respond to natural and man-made disasters. By being chosen, New Orleans will receive technical support and resources for the next three years to develop and implement a resiliency strategy.


Lopez, John A., 2006, The Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy to Sustain Coastal Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Metairie, LA January 2006.

Protect Our City by Restoring Our Coast

The Mississippi River Delta is disappearing at an astonishing rate. A football field of coastal land vanishes into open water almost every hour. Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost nearly 1,900 square miles. That’s like losing the state of Delaware right off our U.S. map. With continued coastal land loss, New Orleans and its communities are facing a heightened risk of damage from the next hurricane.

As New Orleanians, our worst nightmare is another Katrina. The storm tore our communities apart, and recovery and rebuilding remain an everyday reality here. Levees, home elevation, and evacuation planning are more immediate ways to protect ourselves. But these measures work best when employing a strategy that encompasses multiple lines of

defense and includes our natural storm protection along the coast. Coastal wetlands, marshes and barrier islands serve as our first lines of defense against storms, lessening storm surge, reducing flooding and protecting our communities. Coastal conservation and restoration are key to helping protect New Orleans and mitigate the impact of storm surge on our city. For example, wetlands can serve as a buffer for levees by reducing wave energy and the chance of over-topping. The disappearance of marshes, ridges and barrier islands subjects us to a dangerous reality when storms are brewing in the Gulf.

Many factors have led to the catastrophic loss of land in the delta. Some are man-made and some are natural. The vast network of shipping and oil and gas canals, including the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, have allowed salt water to penetrate deep into freshwater wetlands, leading to plant die-off and marsh collapse. Some of our land loss reflects the natural land-building and land loss cycle found in deltas throughout the world. Unfortunately, right here at home, the land-building part of that cycle has been almost entirely stopped by levees. While levees are important for community protection, the complete severing of the connection between the river and its delta deprived the delta’s wetlands of the fresh water and sediment that once built and help maintain them. Without the sustaining and land-building influence of

the river, the delta will continue disappearing beneath the water, endangering people, wildlife and jobs.

What happens if we do nothing? We stand to lose another 1,750 square miles of land in the next fifty years. Luckily, there is a solution. Louisiana state officials brought together scientists from all over the world to determine how to address our land loss crisis

based on the best science available. In 2012, the Louisiana legislature unanimously passed the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, a $50 billion plan to be implemented over a period of fifty years. It recognizes that, just as the causes of the delta’s collapse are diverse, so are the solutions. The suite of projects include barrier island restoration, marsh creation, sediment diversions, shoreline protection, ridge restoration, oyster barrier reef creation, structural protection, bank stabilization and hydrologic restoration. With the implementation of the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, we can reduce land loss and begin working towards a healthier, hardier and more sustainable future.

The Louisiana Coastal Master Plan acknowledges that long-term success requires rethinking our relationship with the river. The Mississippi River drains two-thirds of the United States. The sand, mud and fresh water of America’s mighty river is the lifeline for our delta. The river built the delta and the

land upon which our communities stand. It will rebuild the delta and sustain the wetlands if we use sediment diversions to put the river back to work.

Our communities need the protection of a healthy and resilient coast, and getting there will take the support of all who care about the future of our region. As a resident of New Orleans, your voice is critical to the fight to save our coast.

The Louisiana Coastal Master

Plan acknowledges that long-term

success requires rethinking our

relationship with the river.

If you lead a neighborhood or community organization and would like to request a presentation, please contact Eden Davis at [email protected]. To learn more about how to protect New Orleans and our communities from the next storm, please go to www.mississippiriverdelta.org or find us

on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MississippiRiverDelta.


SweetCakes & Candy Emporium creates the most beautiful and delicious cakes, pies, cupcakes, & candy for your personal needs. We also offer the following services for local businesses, organizations & associations.

Give us a call at 504-383-4059 or www.sweetcakesandcandy.com to place an order &/or to book a date.

• Business gift giving programs

• Special occasion dessert catering services (holidays, birthdays, client recognition, & customer development days)

• Very interactive & engaging dessert cooking classes (which serve as great team building activities)

• Custom orders (we can create cakes that match your organizations events & themes)

Your Personal Baker...For All Your Baking Needs

Mayor Mitch Landrieu recently announced details of the 2014 NOLA Youth Works Summer Employment Program, a multifaceted program that provides rewarding summer experiences to young people ages 13 to 21. NOLA Youth Works partners with private and non-profit companies and organizations to provide quality summer

experiences at safe, structured and properly supervised environments. Summer Youth Employment is a critical component of creating a viable workforce and ensuring economic prosperity for all residents.

Program components include the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) Teen Camp (ages 13-15), Work and Learn (age 15), the Signature Program (ages 15-18), Traditional Program (ages 16-21), Junior Camp Counselors (ages 17-21) and Intern NOLA (ages 18-21).

Applications will be accepted March 8th through April 17th by appointment only at one of two JOB1 Business and Career Solutions Center locations: 3400 Tulane Avenue on the second floor and 3520 General De Gaulle Drive, Suite 1030, on the West Bank, and at our partner location in Eastern New Orleans at 13435 Granville Street New Orleans, LA 70129. Appointments must be scheduled online at http://www.nola.gov/nolayouthworks .

Again this year, Mayor Landrieu is calling on local businesses and organizations to sign up to be part of the program. “Last summer, with the help of our local businesses, we expanded the opportunities for young men in Orleans Parish by putting more than 1,600 youth to work. This year, the City has committed $1.3 million to employ 2,000 youth and we challenge all businesses, no matter the size, to invest in our community and provide opportunities for our youth to learn new job skills,” said Mayor Landrieu.

To accept the Mayor’s Challenge, prospective employers can learn more about the program by visitinghttp://www.nola.gov/nolayouthworks . Employers can also request information via email to [email protected] or by calling the City’s Office of Workforce Development at (504) 658-4529.

For 2014, NOLA Youth Works comprises six distinct components:

NORDC Teen Camp, June 2-July 11, 2014 – The NORDC Teen Camp provides a career exploration program and leisure sports including golf and tennis. Breakfast and lunch daily and teens go on field trips weekly. Participants receive a $75 stipend for 30 hours weekly.

Work and Learn, June 16-July 18, 2014 – With programming from various community partners, Work and Learn provides participants with grade level-specific instruction as well as career exploration, job readiness and project-based learning activities. Participants receive a $100 weekly stipend for 20 hours.

Signature Program, June 16-July 18, 2014 – A compilation of unique summer experiences, the Signature Program will provide participants opportunities in industries such as film and architecture. They will be immersed in learning through projects, community service, presentations and field trips. Participants will earn a $100 weekly stipend for 20 hours.

Traditional, June 16-July 18, 2014-Youth will be engaged in a youth friendly environment and receive hands on experience that is reflective of the job placement. Participants will receive $8 an hour for 20 hours weekly.

Junior Camp Counselor, June 9-July 11, 2014- These youth will serve as camp counselors at various camp sites throughout the metro area. Participants will receive $8 an hour for 30 hours weekly.

Intern NOLA, June 9-July 18, 2014 – Participants in this program, who will be selected based on their resumes and interviews, will intern in a local business, non-profit organization or public office. Internship positions will focus on research and short-term projects that provide impact to the host organization. Participants earn $10 an hour for 25-30 hours weekly.

Mayor Landrieu announces NOLA Youth Works Summer Employment Program

Prospective applicants are urged to go online promptly at http://www.nola.gov/nolayouthworks to schedule an appointment, as slots are expected to fill up quickly and participants are awarded job openings on a first come, first served basis.


resident George W. Bush looked to one of Louisiana’s favorite son when he selected a commanding officer to oversee the federal troops deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the widespread devastation resulting the catastrophic failure of the city’s levee system. Point Coupee Parish’s own Lt. General Russel Honoré (Ret.) brought

much needed common sense and an understanding of the local landscape to his assignment. As the state wrestles with the impact of industry upon its natural resources, Retired General Honoré has chosen to lead a broad coalition of environmental and community organizations in drawing attention to these issues and in forming a legislative agenda to tackle the problems. His GreenARMY recently took its fight to the steps of the capital hosting the Louisiana Water Festival. The Trumpet’s Ray Nichols was on hand and captured images of a broad-based coalition of support for this movement. Below read General Honoré’s thoughts on the fight to preserve one of our most precious resources.

Water is the source of all life on Earth. This is a universally accepted and long validated fact of science.

Without fresh water, we could not survive. We need safe water to drink, to grow the food we need to eat, and to clean to protect ourselves from disease and illness.

But our access to safe water we need to survive is more threatened with each passing day.

The recent disaster in West Virginia should be a thunderous wake-up call to people everywhere. If we do not act to protect our water from industrial and chemical contamination, millions more Americans could face more than the anxious inconveniences the good people of West Virginia endured last month.

Many of our challenges in sustaining access to safe water begin with the exemptions and loopholes in the federal Clean Water Act. Toxic pollutants are allowed to be discharged into our waterways. Ground water resources are contaminated in the name of energy development. Nutrients from agricultural fields run off during storm water events and pollute our rivers and streams.

In Louisiana, we have cursed ourselves with among the most lax standards in the industrialized world to protect our supplies of clean, safe water. It is no wonder that other states ship tens of thousands of tons of their toxic industrial waste every year to Louisiana to be carelessly stored, and disposed of virtually unregulated and unmonitored, despoiling the bounty of nature we have been blessed with.

It’s bad enough that we import toxic wastes from other states, threatening our health and safety, with no appreciable benefit to our economy. But in the Pelican State, our precious water supplies face a wide range of other dangerous threats: saltwater intrusion due to coastal erosion and industrial depletion of our aquifers; pollution from more than 6,000 abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells; wastes from injection wells and unregulated salt domes and underground caverns storing chemicals.

Failure to effectively regulate industry has virtually ruined dozens of Louisiana communities already, including Grand Bois, Bayou Corne, Grand Bayou and Lake Peigneur.

Our lack of regulation is so senseless that Louisiana does not even consider oil field wastes as hazardous to our supply of water.

The insufficient regulation of these threats essentially tells us, “Don’t worry, be happy …” The undisputed science tells us that the toxic assaults on our safe water can kill our crops, poison our livestock and threaten our health and ultimately the lives of our children and grandchildren.

While industry provides jobs and business to our state, those jobs and businesses can’t be sustained in the coming decades if we destroy our supply of safe water. And if we continue to be the toxic dump for other states, we won’t be able to attract good jobs and new enterprises to our state.

For sure, these counterproductive policies and failed regulatory practices threaten our unique and cherished way of life. Every day where we fish and hunt, where we harvest seafood and crops, we face assault from pollution. And our access to safe water becomes more precarious.

If we don’t muster the willful determination and policy consensus to come up with a balanced and sustainable solution to address the threats to our access to safe water, we may never recover.

Our clean, safe drinking water supply has an expiration date because of our failure to regulate industry. Now is the time for people to act, and demand that their legislators pass laws that regulate these threats to our safe water, and for the courts to enforce these laws. Our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren depend on it.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré (U.S. Army, retired) was commander of Joint Task Force Katrina. He is the author of “Survival: How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family from Disasters” and “Leadership in the New Normal.” Honoré is on Twitter, @LTGRusselHonore, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/russel.honore.3.

In the Fight to Protect One of Our Most Precious Resources

General Honoré’s GreenARMYPhoto: Bill Badon

P


It seems that the use of Black artistry as a tool to propel historical movements should be required history. After all, it has significantly shaped America. Not everyone knows that Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washingto, and Marcus Garvey freed minds with literature. Or that Mahalia Jackson vocalized the invocation of the Spiritual Narratives of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is not shared that Jazz first

integrated audiences, or that Nina Simone sang the same stories that Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou depicted in their poetry and novels. Jean-Michael Basquiat first became famous underground spreading controversial messages using graffiti throughout New York City as Bob Marley spread his message of “One Love” from Jamaica to America and around the world. It is not widely known that Katherine Dunham introduced black people to Afro- Caribbean dance and music so that later, when Fela Kuti infused African rhythm and jazz into “Afrobeat”, black people heard it and danced as if they were home. Earning the same level of respect, KRS-One should be written into black history as an African-American griot.

We have begun to rely too heavily on schools to teach us all that we should know about ourselves and the social environment in which we live. However, it is clear that many of our lessons as a people are introduced into our consciousness through art; especially in New Orleans where the African American presence is given a historical context through our traditional art forms. Our African diaspora dance and drum companies, Skull and Bones Gangs, Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, brass bands and social aid and pleasure clubs have historically brought us liberation, community development, spiritual uplift, economic stability and an undeniable connection to Africa and the Caribbean Islands.

Our heritage was the platform for the NO ‘ART FOR ART’S SAKE’ workshop led by Ayanna Molina and Brotha Shack during an evening dedicated to “Exploring Arts and Community Activism” at the 2014 Tulane Black Arts Festival. The facilitators lead by example with The True Love Movement, an initiative whose mission is to empower African Americans to achieve optimal health and wellness through education, community activism and the production of creative arts and media; all of which promote self-awareness and self-love. Ayanna Molina, The True Love Movement’s founder and director, is an author, teacher, vocal artist and nationally certified counselor who works with children and adults with a specific focus on women’s empowerment. Brotha Shack,

“the male half of the True Love Movement,” uplifting black men and boys as a speaker, educator, mentor, facilitator and promoter.

As a part of their work to counteract self-hate, Ayanna and Shack introduced us to the True Love Movement Flip, an exercise where stereotype-laden songs are given positive lyrics. They used the flipped-version of bounce song Let Me Find Out as an icebreaker. They would repeat, “Let me find out that you are a superstar, let me find out what you do, what you are,” until everyone in the room had answered with their name and artistry. Although we weren’t all vocalists, the icebreaker allowed us to shake off the institutional classroom etiquette, step into self-awareness and connect with one another. Immediately, this gave us a charge to engage. Ayanna and Shack made it clear that we had all been gifted with a craft and it is our responsibility to use it to spread awareness or organize around a social justice issue.

We then dove right into the “work” of the workshop with a challenge. Split into our respective art forms - visual, movement, writing and music - we chose an issue and created a preliminary plan for how we would address it in a targeted and measurable way within the next 30 days. The topics chosen included Access, Helping Youth to Find their Voices, Domestic Violence and Respect. That easily, we were given a task and the support of our group members, along with Ayanna and Shack, to achieve it.

It is not as easy to see solutions as it is to see the problem, but assistance exists all around us. In the culturally rich city of New Orleans, there are an abundance of artists who are actively engaged in communities with which to connect. And so I pass it on! Art is seen. Art is heard. Art is felt in a digital age where people are consumed by entertainment. So, art should be used to bring awareness to the injustices that have become social norms.

Who is going to tell our story if we do not?

A Call to Activism for Artists

To learn more about Ayanna Molina and Brotha Shack’s work, visit their website at truelovemovement.com. Find out more about this year’s Tulane Black Arts Fest or inquire about next year’s lineup at [email protected].


1. What do you do? I’m A Hip Hop Mogul, Nuthin But Fire Record

Store Owner and Artist. 2. How did you get on the scene? I put in a lot of work after releasing my first

project in 2004, Sess 4-5 Nuthin But Fire. 3. Where are you from? New Orleans, Louisiana - Ninth Ward -

Desire Projects 4. As a child what did you want to be? Successful 5. What is your relation to the music

Industry? I’m the Plug in New Orleans. I’m deeply

involved in every aspect of the music industry. I’m an Artist first.

6. Industry Influence is a forum that

educates upcoming artists on the music business. How did this start? Why did you feel it was needed?

I approached (Q93 WQUE-FM DJ) Wild Wayne with the idea of a monthly event that educates, showcases and networks. We made it happen, and it’s been six years and counting. I knew we needed something to get unity in New Orleans amongst the music artists here.

7. What is your brand? Nuthin But Fire Records 8. Where did the name Nuthin But Fire

come from? It was the first line I ever said on wax. “Nuthin

But Fire”! On L.O.G.’s CD, “Camouflage Down In” 1997. So when I thought about starting a label, I wanted ever song on the album to be fire. Not just a bunch of album fillers, but the whole thing “Nuthin But Fire”!

9. How do you balance family and work ?

I make time for the people that I care about. You have to spend time with your family. That’s the one thing you don’t get back ... Time!

10. How do you give back to the

community ? Just being me. I give back to my community

being a business owner. I didn’t move my business from where I was raised, I kept it there. I am a successful hip hop artist who’s a great role model. I also have a summer camp I do with Wild Wayne every year, and I have been throwing the Katrina Commemoration March and Secondline for the past nine years.

11. Tell our readers about life for you as

a child ? I came up in poverty in New Orleans ... poor

schools. I was raised in the projects around drugs and crime but a community that was family that showed love (to the point) where I believed the sky’s the limit.

12. One of ‘Hip-Hop” artists N.O.

Beamer Of Cutthroat Committee was recently murdered. How did that affect you?

I was shocked, because I know Beamer personally and it is sad to lose another person to black-on-black violence in our city. R.I.P. Beamer.

13. How do you feel you impact our city

in a positive way? I feel like every time I wake up and people

see me making moves, they are inspired to be successful. I am building a legacy of positive movement. Black owned, black strong. Plus, I am a positive black male in this city who has a great reputation that I stand by.

14. What was the hardest trial you ever faced?

Losing my brother one year, then the next year losing my mother.

15. What do you feel has been your

biggest achievement? I haven’t reach my biggest achievement

yet. I’m still grinding. But being open for the 6th year as a small business in New Orleans is pretty cool.

16. How do you stay so positive? It’s just my mind set. I programmed myself not

to trip off of any negative situations; to look at the positive in everything.

17. How did you start off with the

Annual Katrina March? It was a idea my brother, Young Sino, and

I had after attending a March where the people didn’t have a voice but were the reason for the March. We wanted to change the way that March looked, so we threw the 1st Annual Katrina March and Secondline so the people could express themselves and honor the people that died.

18. What is your biggest goal thus far ? To be number #1 in the south first and to have

the #1 record label in the country. 19. Where do you see yourself in five

years? More successful, national and more powerful. 20. Do you think you will ever leave

New Orleans ? I’m always on the road leaving New Orleans,

but this will always be my home. I might get another house in another state or country, but I’m New Orleans ‘til I die.

CeCe Gets

This interview was jovial. Sometimes as people we don’t understand the people that are behind projects in our community. Sometimes we don’t understand why people are who they are. Read on and understand this entrepreneurs lingo and style. But with this interview, meet.....Meet Louisiana’s Music Empire. Meet the voice for artists. Meet 9th ward’s own native. Why don’t you meet Sess 4-5 ?

thoughts from

Sess 4-5By Christy “CeCe” Chapman, the author of the book, 20 Thoughts

Every Woman Should Have. She is a New Orleans native who is

“twenty something years of age.” Follow her on Twitter at @CeCetheAuthor.

You Can Contact Sess 4-5 Via Twitter/Instagram @Sess45.


Algiers Point Association1st Thursday of the month7 p.m.Visit www.algierspoint.org for location.

Algiers Presidents’ Council 4th Tuesday of the month 7 p.m.Woldenberg Village - 3701 Behrman Placewww.anpcnola.org

Broadmoor Improvement Association3rd Monday of every other month7 p.m.Andrew H. Wilson Charter School Cafeteria3617 General Pershing Streetwww.broadmoorimprovement.com

Bunny Friend Neighborhood AssociationEvery other Saturday of the monthMt. Carmel Baptist Church3721 N. Claiborne [email protected]

Bywater Neighborhood Association2nd Tuesday of the month7 p.m.Holy Angels Cafeteria3500 St. Claude Avenuewww.bywaterneighbors.com

Carrollton Riverbend Neighborhood Association2nd Thursday of the monthSt. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall1031 S. Carrollton Avenue

Carrollton United2nd Monday of the month - 5 p.m.St. John Missionary Baptist ChurchLeonidas Avenue and Hickory Streetwww.healthyneworleans.org

Central City Renaissance Alliance (CCRA)3rd Tuesday of each month6:00pmMahalia Jackson Early Childhood & Family Learning Center2405 Jackson Avenuewww.myccra.org

Chapel of the Holy Comforter4th Thursday of the month6:30 p.m.2200 Lakeshore Drive

Claiborne-University Neighborhood AssociationQuarterly meetings (Date and time TBA)Jewish Community Center5342 St. Charles Avenue

Downtown Neighborhoods Improvement Association (DNIA)Last Tuesday of each month7 p.m.Joan Mitchell Center2275 Bayou Road

DeSaix Neighborhood Association2nd Saturday of the month10 a.m.Langston Hughes Academy3519 Trafalgar Streetdanadesaix.org

East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Committee2nd Tuesday of the month6 p.m.St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church7300 Crowder Boulevardwww.enonac.org

Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association1st Saturday of the month 10 a.m.New Hope Community Church3708 Gentilly Blvd.

Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association Quarterly meetings Visit http://fdna-nola.org for details.

Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Board Meeting – 2nd Monday of the month7 p.m.Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cafeteria1368 Moss Streethttp://www.fsjna.org

Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association 2nd Thursday of the month 6 p.m.True Vine Baptist Church2008 Marigny Street

Filmore Gardens Neighborhood Association4th Thursday of the month(no meetings in November and December)6:30 p.m.Project Home Again5506 Wickfield Street

Garden District AssociationVisit www.gardendistrictassociation.com forannual meeting information.

Gentilly Civic Improvement Association (GCIA)3rd Saturday of the month6:30 p.m.Edgewater Baptist Church5900 Paris Avenuewww.facebook.com/gentillycivic

Gentilly Heights East Neighborhood Association3rd Monday of the month6 p.m.Dillard University, Dent Hall – Room 104

Gentilly Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association3rd Monday of the month6:30 p.m.Volunteers of America2929 St. Anthony Avenue

Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement Association2nd Wednesday of the month7 p.m.Gentilly Terrace School4720 Painters Streetwww.gentillyterrace.org

Hoffman Triangle Neighborhood Association2nd Tuesday of the month5:30 p.m.Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church3327 Toledano Streethoffmantriangle.org

Hollygrove Neighbors AssociationQuarterly on Saturdays12 p.m.St. Peter AME Church3424 Eagle StreetEmail [email protected] for dates

Holy Cross Neighborhood Association2nd Thursday of the month5:30 p.m.Center for SustainabilityGreater Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church5130 Chartres Street

Irish Channel Neighborhood Association2nd Thursday of the month7 p.m.Irish Channel Christian Fellowship819 First Streetwww.irishchannel.org

Lake Bullard Home Owners AssociationCornerstone United Methodist Church5276 Bullard AvenueVisit lakebullard.org for meeting schedule

Lake Catherine Civic Association2nd Tuesday of the month7 p.m.Email [email protected] for location information

Lake Willow Neighborhood2nd Saturday of the month10 a.m.St. Maria Goretti Church

Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood Empowerment Network Association2nd Saturday of the month12 p.m.1120 Lamanche Streetwww.9thwardnena.org

Lower Ward Ninth Ward Stakeholders Coalition1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month5:30 p.m.1800 Deslonde Street

NeighborhoodMeetings


Get connected to the Neighborhoods Partnership Network.Post news & events for your organization at NPNnola.com


Ask City Hall

Melia Subdivision2nd Saturday of the month5 p.m.Anchored in Christ Church4334 Stemway

Mid-City Neighborhood Organization2nd Monday of the month6 p.m. – meet & greet6:30 p.m. – neighborhood meetingWarren Easton High School3019 Canal Streetwww.mcno.org

Milneburg Neighborhood Association4th Thursday of the month6:30 p.m.Chapel of the Holy Comforter2200 Lakeshore Drive

The New St. Claude Association of Neighbors1st Thursday of the month 7 p.m.Pierre’s Hall4138 St. Claude Avenuewww.newstclaude.assocn.nscan.com

New Zion City Preservation Association1st Monday of the month 7 p.m.APEX Youth Center4360 Washington Ave.

Oak Park Civic Association3rd Thursday of the month6:30 p.m.Edgewater Baptist Church5900 Paris Avenuewww.facebook.com/OakParkNewOrleans

Paris Oaks/Bayou Vista Neighborhood AssociationLast Saturday of the month4 p.m.Third District Police Station4650 Paris Avenue

Pensiontown of Carrollton Neighborhood Association1st Saturday of the month2 p.m.Leonidas House Community Center1407 Leonidas Street

Pilotland Neighborhood Association3rd Saturday of the month 3 p.m.Pentecost Baptist Church Fellowship Hall1510 Harrison Avenue

Pontilly AssociationPontilly Disaster Collaborative - 3rd Wednesday of the monthGeneral Meeting – 2nd Saturday of the month3869 Gentilly Blvd., Suite C

Rosedale SubdivisionLast Friday of the month5:30 p.m.Greater Bright Morning Star Baptist Church4253 Dale Street

Seventh Ward Neighborhood Association3rd Saturday of the month1 p.m.St. Augustine High School2600 A.P. Tureaud [email protected]

Seabrook Neighborhood Association2nd Monday on the monthGentilly Terrace School4720 Painter StreetEmail [email protected] for times

Tall Timbers Owners Association2nd Wednesday in April & October7 p.m.

Tunisburg Square Homeowners Civic Association, Inc.2nd Monday of the month6:30 p.m.Visit tunisburg.org for location information

Village de L’Est Improvement Association1st Tuesday of every other month7 p.m.Einstein Charter School5100 Cannes Street

West Barrington Association1st Tuesday of the month6 p.m.Holiday Inn Express7049 Bullard Avenue


Send your neighborhood meeting details to: [email protected]

District A Susan G. GuidryCity Hall, Room 2W801300 Perdido StreetNew Orleans, LA 70112Phone: (504) 658-1010Fax: (504) 658-1016Email: [email protected]

District B LaToya CantrellCity Hall, Room 2W101300 Perdido StreetNew Orleans, LA 70112Phone: (504) 658-1020Fax: (504) [email protected]

District CKristin Gisleson PalmerCity Hall, Room 2W701300 Perdido StreetPhone: (504) 658-1030Fax: (504) 658-1037Email: [email protected]

District DCynthia Hedge-MorrellCity Hall, Room 2W201300 Perdido StreetPhone: (504) 658-1040Fax: (504) 658-1048E-mail: [email protected]

District EJames Austin Gray IICity Hall, Room 2W601300 Perdido StreetNew Orleans, LA 70112Phone: (504) 658-1050Fax: (504) 658-1058Email: [email protected]

Council Member-At-LargeStacy HeadCity Hall, Room 2W401300 Perdido StreetPhone: (504) 658 -1060Fax: (504) 658-1068Email: [email protected]

Council Member-At-LargeJacquelyn ClarksonCity Hall, Room 2W501300 Perdido StreetNew Orleans, LA 70112Phone: (504) 658-1070Fax: (504) 658-1077Email: [email protected]

Neighborhoods Partnership Network3321 Tulane AvenueNew Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 [email protected]

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the npn trumpet - march/april 2014

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