NorthWest Carrollton

for more information

Thanks for your continued interest in our recovery process. Many of you have participated in the School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish, your valuable contributions are an important factor in determining the future of public education in New Orleans.

As we begin the second round of community meetings I urge your organization to continue being stewards of neighborhood development. Although we were pleased with public participation during the first round of meetings, a few schools in your planning district were not as represented as others. I am including a list of neighborhood schools in your area which would benefit from additional public comment at the planning meetings.

Even if a building is not currently in use as a school it is still a discussion topic and a plan for its future will be made by the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board. It is very important that the future of each school building receive input from community members and surrounding civic and neighborhood development organizations.

Please see the list below of schools and the meeting date for the second round of community meetings.

Tuesday February 26th McNair ES/KIPP Believe 1607 S. Carrollton Ave 6-8pm

We are encouraging increased feedback concerning the following schools at the meeting

Arthur Ashe School (In use for school purpose)
401 Nashville Avenue

Bethune ES (In use for school purpose)
4040 Eagle Street

Dunbar ES (Vacant building)
9330 Forshey Street

LaSalle ES (Sale in process)
6048 Perrier Street

Wilson ES (Vacant building)
3617 General Pershing Street

Wright, Sophie B. MS (In use for school purpose)
1426 Napoleon Avenue

Banneker ES (In use for school purpose)
421 Burdette Street

Green MS (In use for school purpose)
2319 Valence Street

Johnson ES (In use for school purpose)
1800 Monroe Street

The following schools will also be discussed:

Allen ES (In use for school purpose)
5625 Loyola Avenue

Audubon School (In use for school purpose)
428 Broadway

Benjamin Franklin ES (In use for school purpose)
1116 Jefferson Avenue

Lafayette ES (In use for school purpose)
2727 South Carrollton Avenue

Lusher ES (In use for school purpose)
7315 Willow Street

McNair ES (In use for school purpose)
1607 South Carrollton Avenue

In addition on Saturday Feb 23 @ John McDonogh HS 10am-12noon all East Bank High Schools will be discussed

Joe Butler
concordia,llc
201 St. Charles Avenue
Suite 4314
New Orleans, Louisiana 70170
p 504-569-1818
f 504-569-1820
www.concordia.com

I’m reading Bill McKibben’s book, Deep Economy. It has some very interesting ideas to consider. Personally I think “Local” is the “new Green”.

But decide for yourself. Come and see Bill McKibbin discuss his book in person at the Garden District Book Shop on March 12th from 5:30 to 7:30PM.

In August 2007 NorthWest Carrollton was registered with the 2nd District as a Neighborhood Watch Neighborhood. But if you missed the training sessions you can attend the series of Neighborhood Watch training sessions being sponsored by Carrollton United.Carrollton United Meeting

• When: Friday, January 18th, 5:00 PM
• Where: Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 8616 Hickory St at Leonidas
• What: A presentation by NOPD officer Tran on the neighborhood watch program. Crime is a high issue in Carrollton. Let’s learn how to empower ourselves.

Carrollton United is a faith-based organization that encourages churchs and neighborhood organizations and non-profits to work together.

Second Saturday Program 01/12/08
1137 Baronne St. (corner of Baronne & Clio) 9a.m. - noon

Distributing Free Trees for Home Landscapes
(3 gallon crepe myrtle, dawn redwood, cypress, and lacebark elm)

Locally Grown Fruit Trees, River Birch, Pansies, Violas for sale

11:00 a.m. presentation
Karen Blackburn with LA Ag Center
speaks on fruit trees

See you there!
Parkway Partners, 1137 Baronne St., New Orleans, LA 70113
visit us at: www.ParkwayPartnersNOLA.org

· MORNING: Budget Hearing for Inspector General’s Office: November 27th, 9 am -12 noon, City Hall

· EVENING: Inspector General Robert Cerasoli will address the community: “Ethics in Public Service and The Inspector General Function”

A panel discussion will follow: Councilwoman Shelley Midura, Councilman James Carter, Loyola University President Kevin Wildes, Reverend Cornelius Tilton, Pastor Irish Channel Christian Fellowship, and David Marcello, Director of the Public Law Center, Tulane U.

Who: Inspector General Robert Cerasoli

What: To Speak to Community Leaders on “Ethics in Public Service and The Inspector General Function”

Where: Loyola University, Nunemaker Hall 3rd Floor Monroe Hall
(Parking: West Road Parking Garage. Right off St. Charles down West Road alongside Holy Name of Jesus Church)

When: November 27, 2007 at 7 p.m.

The Office of the Inspector General is an independent agency charged with preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse in the expenditure of public funds. The office of IG is responsible for establishing a full time program of investigation, audit inspection and performance to review and to provide increased accountability and oversight of entities of city government and entities receiving funds through the city.

I will have a booth at the Festival, come Visit .

Come by the Northwest Carrollton Annual Picnic and vist the Art Market as well. Enjoy the Fall weather, and get some holiday shopping done.

Arts Market of New Orleans
An open air festival of creativity presented by the Arts Council of New Orleans

Magic Mike
Saturday, October 27th
10:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Palmer Park
Corner of S. Carrollton and S. Claiborne
Admission is Free!

Discover a market brimming with exciting pieces from over 100 of the region’s best artists. Showcasing painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, glass, jewelry, woodwork, and printmaking. Plus handmade clothing, soap, and more.

Live music performances starting at 1:00 by Gal Holiday and Honky Tonk Review, and Estelle Campagne Quartet at 2:30.
Live music sponsored by Renew Our Music Fund and the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation

Fun for the kids starting at 10:00 a.m with Story Time with Cindy, followed by a magic show from Magic Mike, and Arts & Crafts activities all day.
Kid’s tent sponsored by Target

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY ARTS WORKSHOP

On behalf of Ron Bechet (Xavier University), Amy Koritz (Tulane
University), and Marianne Petit (New York University), I am pleased to
invite you to attend a workshop on Digital Technology and Community
Arts.
have the opportunity to learn how technology can serve you and your
organization, which technology best meets your needs, and how to develop
strategies for using available technologies.

Its focus will be on the uses of digital technology in community-based arts.  You will

Experts in the community-directed use of digital technology from NYU’s
Tisch School of the Arts Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP)
will lead the workshop (please see bios below) .Their focus will be on
the uses of blogging, podcasting, content publishing, work
documentation, online dialogue creation, and other arts-focused uses of
digital technology. We will also discuss and plan for continuing
collaborations with ITP.

City Council-at-Large Candidates
UPCOMING PUBLIC FORUMS
October 4 Forum at Nunemaker Auditorium (Loyola University)
At-Large City Council Candidates Field Community Questions at Election Forum

The Election Forum is designed to provide the entire New Orleans community with information about the candidates running for the At-Large seat of City Council, allowing voters to make a more educated choice on October 20. The fo rum was organized because it is often difficult to access comprehensive information on City Council candidates.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 4, 2007 ~ 7:00 pm
Forum is free and open to the public and news media
Location:
Nunemaker Auditorium, 3rd Floor, Monroe Hall, Loyola University
Free parking available in the West Road Parking Garage (enter from St. Charles Ave.)

Candidates:
(confirmed as of 09.25.07)

Diana E. Bajoie
Virginia Boulet
Quentin Brown
Kimberly Williamson Butler
Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson
Dyan French
Kaare Johnson
Joe Jones
Thomas Lewis
Malcolm Suber
Tommie A. Vassel
Cynthia Willard-Lewis

Moderator:
Lee Zurik, Anchor/Reporter WWL-TV

For additional information, go to:
http://citycouncila tlarge.blogspot. com/

Please contact us with information about upcoming election events so we can send out the latest updates!

October 11 Forum at Xavier University
COUNCIL-AT-LARGE FORUM ALLOWS VOTERS TO QUESTION
CANDIDATES IN CITY’S MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION

With the governor’s race not shaping up to be much of a contest, the most important ballot most New Orleans voters will cast in the October 20 election will be for the City Council-at-Large seat vacated by Oliver Thomas. The winner will assume the presidency of the City Council next year, and play a major role in the pace and direction of the city’s recovery.

To give voters the opportunity hear directly from the thirteen candidates about their visions and plans for the future of New Orleans, there will be a Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 11, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The Forum will be held in the Xavier University ballroom, and will be moderated by Roop Raj from WDSU-TV.

The Candidate Forum will be sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, the Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolita n Area Committee (CBNO/MAC), and Xavier University.

All thirteen candidates for the Council-at-Large seat have confirmed their attendance for the Forum.

For more info, contact:
Lea Young, League of Women Voters, (504) 289-1791
Nolan Rollins, Urban League, (504) 620-2332
Keith Twitchell, CBNO/MAC (504) 943-7970

October 16 Forum at Ben Franklin High School
COMMUNITY BASED ISSUES FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Tuesday October 16th, a nonpartisan community issues forum for all 13 candidates for the at-large city council seat will take place from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Ben Franklin High School, located at 2100 Leon c. Simon Blvd ( on the UNO campus). The emphasis of the forum will be on the issues involved in the recovery and rebuilding of the city, especially as the recovery affects flooded neighborhoods, dispersed citizens, low income and public housing residents, African Americans and other racial groups. The candidates will be questioned on a variety of citywide and neighborhood recovery issues.

This forum is being organized by the African American Leadership Project (AALP), and the Louisiana Unity Coalition, and is supported by the New Orleans Association of Black Social Worker’s, the Millions More Movement, the Neighborhood Rebuild ing Plans Collaborative, Rainbow PUSH Coalition , the NAACP, ACORN, and SCLC. A special feature of the community issues forum will be the participation and involvement of youth and their parents. The forum format will consist of an opening statement from each candidate regarding why they are seeking the seat, and their summary of their position on the major recovery issues.

For more information, e-mail wazuri@aol.com, or call 504-285-8969

City Walk #13: Carrollton to Hollygrove
Thursday, September 27, 2007, 7PM
START: Plum St. Snowballs, 1300 Burdette St. at Plum. Walk up Plum
St. to Carrollton Ave.; turn LEFT on Carrollton and RIGHT on Oak St.
Follow Oak to Cambronne; turn RIGHT on Cambronne, the LEFT on Hickory.
Turn RIGHT on Leonidas and RIGHT on Apricot. STOP: 83190 Apricot St.
Reception at the home of Karen Gadbois.
Transportation will be provided back to Plum St. Snowballs.
Special thanks to Karen for hosting this week’s City Walk!

At-Large City Council Candidates

Field Community Questions at Election Forum

On October 4 at 7:00pm a group of neighborhood associations and community organizations are coming together to host a forum for the candidates for the City Council’s At-Large seat. The forum will be held at Nunemaker Auditorium, 3rd Floor of Monroe Hall at Loyola University.

Candidates for the At-Large seat who have confirmed to participate in the forum include: Diana E. Bajoie, Virginia Boulet, Quentin Brown, Kimberly Williamson Butler, Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, Dyan French, Kaare Johnson, Joe Jones, Thomas Lewis, Malcolm Suber, Tommie A. Vassel, and Cynthia Willard-Lewis

Gail Masters Reimonenq, has been invited but have not yet confirmed.

The format for the Election Forum will be a panel discussion; candidates will be asked four to seven questions by moderator Lee Zurik, news anchor and reporter at WWL-TV. The questions were developed by the sponsoring Neighborhood Associations (see below) and will focus on community-wide priorities and concerns.

Sponsoring organizations include a wide range of Neighborhood Associations and community organizations from throughout New Orleans. Please see below for a complete list of sponsoring associations and organizations.

The Election Forum is designed to provide the entire New Orleans community with information about the candidates running for the At-Large seat of City Council, allowing voters to make a more educated choice on October 20. The forum was organized because it is often difficult to access comprehensive information on City Council candidates.

Sponsoring Organizations:

District B Coordinating Council

Member Organizations:

Baronne Street Neighborhood Association

Bouligny Riverside Neighborhood Assoc.

Broadmoor Improvement Association

Carol Condominium Assoc

Central City Renaissance Alliance

Coliseum Square Neighborhood Association

Delachaise Neighborhood Association

Downtown Development District

Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association

Faubourg Marengo Neighborhood Association

Garden District Neighborhood Association

Garden District Security District

Irish Channel Neighborhood Association

Lower Magazine Street Homeowners Association

Mid-City Neighborhood

Organization

Milan Neighborhood Association

Napoleon & Claiborne Improvement Association

Neighbors United

Phoenix New Orleans (PNOLA)

St. Charles Avenue Association

Touro Bouligny Neighborhood Association

Additional Sponsoring Organizations:

Audubon Area Zoning Association

Audubon Riverside Neighborhood Association

Benroe Housing Initiatives P.C.

Carrollton Riverbend Residents Association

Central Carrollton Neighborhood Association

Downtown Neighborhoods Improvement Association

Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association

Gert Town Enterprise Economic Redevelopment,
Gert Town – Maryville Neighborhood Association,

Lafayette Square Association

Northwest Carrollton Civic Association

Zion City Neighborhood Improvement Association

Neighborhoods Partnership Network

Common Good

Belly dancers, photography, mixed media art, painters, pottery, poets and authors.
Saturday, August 25 from 4-8pm.

It’s All on Oak, and
It’s Only on Oak!

“Art on Oak”, the premier event for Oak Street’s merchants
and art community has returned home from the storm; and it’s better than ever.

Visit the 8500 block shops to pick up a map and itinerary (see attached); and
be sure to join us as stores hang their multi-colored flags and
open their doors in celebration of the unique creative spirit that
is always on Oak Street.
Come to enjoy the talent, the refreshment, the entertainment and….
each other.

Capoeira will perform at 7:00. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form
that fuses dance, music, self-defense, and acrobatics. It is energetic,
joyful, and exposes people to a new language, music, movement, and culture.

Dear District A Resident:

I am aware that the new, higher assessments have alarmed many residents of District A. For the record, while I fully support more fair and equitable assessments, I am committed to ensuring that the byproduct of this is not an unnecessary increase in taxes across the board.

Because of that, I would like to provide you with some additional information about the process so that you are aware that a higher property assessment does not necessarily lead to a higher and/or proportionally higher tax bill.

Most importantly, you can appeal your assessment. If you believe that your assessment is too high (i.e. not the fair market value of the property), you should appeal to your assessor in person, between August 1 and 15, 2007. The phone numbers of the assessors are listed below, but you can appeal in person at their offices on the 4th floor of City Hall. If you do not receive a satisfactory answer from your assessor, you may appeal again by completing a form at the Assessor’s office. The hearings for this level of appeal are heard by the Board of Review in September. After that, appeal is available to the Louisiana Tax Commission.

Secondly, State law requires the City Council to roll back (or reduce) the millage to the level that would keep 2008 revenue equal to 2007. It can only roll forward (or increase) the millage to take advantage of the additional revenue based on a higher total assessed value of the City with a 2/3 vote. Furthermore, once the millage is set in 2008, it cannot be rolled forward until the next assessment year – 2012.

Once the budget is approved (the budget must be approved on or before December 1), based on the millage required to cover debt service which is recommended by the Board of Liquidation, and the revenue the City must generate to cover the budget, the City Council adopts a millage in December. That millage rate is used to compute your tax bill, which is sent to you in January. The City Council does not vote on millages set by the Board of Liquidation, Levee Board, School Board, and the Orleans Law Enforcement District.

Finally, I think most of us living in New Orleans are aware of the unfair assessment system we have suffered with over the years in which similar properties in similar areas are assessed unequally, and many properties have not been accurately assessed for years. As the City works toward the goal of fair and accurate assessments, I remain committed to ensuring that the City budget remains affordable to its citizens so that the millage can actually be lowered because EVERYONE is carrying the tax burden equitably.

Sincerely,

Shelley Midura

Orleans Parish Board of Assessors Offices are located in City Hall, Fourth Floor, East

Office hours: M-F 9am-4pm

1st Municipal District – Darren G. Mire - 658-1310

2nd Municipal District – Claude T. Mauberret - 658-1320

3rd Municipal District – Erroll G. Williams – 658-1330

4th Municipal District – Betty Jefferson – 658-1340

5th Municipal District – Tom Arnold – 658-1350 - Algiers Courthouse Office 368-7642

6th Municipal District – Nancy Marshall – 658-1360

7th Municipal District – Henry Heaton – 658-1370

Target Recovery Zone/Carrollton Shopping Center Town Hall –

Please join us at Xavier University this Tuesday for a Joint District A and Office of Recovery Management Town Hall as Councilmember Midura, Dr. Blakely and the Carrollton Shopping Center developer to determine what the surrounding residents priorities are as far as services.

While the development cannot be all things to all people it will help allow the developer to work to fulfill as many needs as possible with this development and the neighboring commercial sites that are vacant.

WHAT: District A & Office of Recovery Management Town Hall

WHERE: Xavier University Center

William & May McCaffrey Ball Room A

1 Drexel Dr.

New Orleans, La

WHEN: Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

6:00-7:30pm

WHO: Councilmember Shelley Midura and Executive Director of the
Office of Recovery Management Dr. Ed Blakely

Last month we had a group of energetic teenagers from World Changers here to help out, paint clean, sort and eat gumbo.

Thanks to everyone who helped and a big Thanks to Helm Paint for sending over paint, a power washer and advice to get our Lions back in shape.

SilenceIsViolence an anti-violence campaign City Walk #3: Mid-City to Gert Town Sunday, April 15, 7pm SilenceIsViolence City Walks are weekly evening strolls from one New Orleans neighborhood to another. The walks take place each Sunday evening and are intended to establish a positive, sustainable anti-violence presence in our neighborhoods. We walk 1-2 miles each week and hold a small reception at our destination establishment. Transportation is provided back to the departure establishment.

City Walk #3 will take place on Sunday, April 15, departing at 7pm sharp!

START: Parkway Bakery and Tavern, 532 Hagan Ave. at Bayou St. John. Proceed up Jeff. Davis Pkwy. to Tulane Ave. Walk across the overpass; at the bottom, turn RIGHT onto Drexel Dr. Walk across Xavier University campus on Drexel Dr. Turn LEFT onto the last footbridge and cross the canal. Cross Washington Ave. and continue straight on Pine St. Turn RIGHT onto Stonelitz and LEFT onto Short St. Continue up Short St. to Earhart; cross Earhart to Daquiri Island.
STOP: Daquiri Island, 7908 Earhart Blvd. (2 miles total) Reception with music by the Soul Rebels Brass Band. Transportation will be provided back to Parkway between 8 and 9pm

VIEW THE SET

We had a real nice turnout today and thanks to Mercy Corps for providing help and tools.

NorthWest Carrollton is holding a post tornado
MARCH 10th Neighborhood Clean up - HELP NEEDED!

Volunteers are needed. Participating in this cleanup will give our neighborhood a much needed visual and emotional boost.

NorthWest Carrollton is holding
a PostKatrina- Post Tornado-Katrina Krewe Style Neighborhood Wide Cleanup on Saturday March 10th from 9AM-3PM.
Cleanup starts at Pritchard Place and S. Carrollton Ave.
(across Carrollton from the Seminary @ the Lions).

Please bring your lunch, shovel, gloves, broom, etc. Red Cross will be in the area with water, snacks and drinks.

For more details please contact our volunteer coordinator
Margaret Reinhard via Email at margreinhard@ yahoo.com or via Phone at 504 865-1176.