city government

What the city is and is not recycling, and why

By |

A crisis in the recycling industry is reflected in what we can and cannot put in our recycling bins starting with this week’s pickup, the city announced. Here’s what can go into the bin for curbside recycling pickup:

Plastics: Only #1 (soda/water bottles) and #2 (milk/juice/shampoo/detergent containers);
Paper: Newspapers, junk mail, phone books, catalogs, office paper; corrugated cardboard, boxboard (cereal boxes/soft drink boxes);
Metal: Small aluminum and steel cans. Plastics #3 through #7, wax board (juice boxes/milk cartons) and plastic bags will no longer be accepted by the city’s collection contractors. So the container that once held grated Parmesan or takeout probably can’t be recycled anymore. Check the number inside the triangle; Mardi Gras cups, for example, are generally #5 plastic.

city government

Council votes to ban short-term rentals in the Garden District

By |

The city’s overhaul of short-term rental regulations, passed by the City Council on Thursday, will restrict the tourist accommodations in residential areas. In the Garden District, however, they will be completely banned, with the passage of an amendment to the sweeping regulations. The STR prohibition applies to the area from “the center line of St. Charles Avenue, downriver side of Jackson Avenue, center line of Magazine Street, and downriver side of Delachaise.” No waivers will be allowed. The amendment and other measures must be formally adopted within 90 days to become law.

city government

Coffee on Your Corner to discuss transportation

By |

Transportation is the topic of the Coffee on Your Corner event for District A to be held Thursday, May 16, at the IHop on 3511 S. Carrollton Ave. from 10 to 11 a.m.

The city’s Coffee on Your Corner events bring city officials and representatives into neighborhoods for coffee and an exchange of information. District A residents can hear about city programs, initiatives and operations directly from city officials and representatives. The event is an effort accommodate residents who are less inclined to attend public meetings in the evenings outside of their communities. Click here to register for the event.

city government

City update on severe weather, flooding

By |

from the City of New Orleans
Updated 11 a.m. 5/13/2019

New Orleans officials released the following information following heavy rains and thunderstorms that moved through the metro area Sunday morning. More than five inches of rain fell in parts of the city between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., with bouts of heavy rain at rates of two inches an hour and higher sparking Flash Flood Warnings. Widespread street flooding was reported throughout the city. Observed flooding in some areas took notably longer to drain. Those areas include:

Area bounded by Canal Boulevard, West End Boulevard, City Park Avenue, and Filmore Avenue
Broad Street and Orleans Avenue corridors
Banks Street corridor
Franklin Avenue at I-610/I-10 overpass
Napoleon Avenue from Claiborne Avenue to Broad Street
St.

city government

Officials tout improved drainage, streets with South Galvez Infrastructure Project

By |

The South Galvez Street Infrastructure Project officially ended on Thursday when city officials gathered for a ceremony. The project, which cost $5.4 million to complete, runs from Toledano Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It was designed in accordance with New Orleans’ Complete Streets policy. “The residents in this area needed to see that they are valued, they’re respected, and we’re wanting to make the investment in where they live, and that means we are investing in the people in our city,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell stated in a press release. The project was hailed for its potential to bring improvements to an often-overlooked part of the historic Central City neighborhood.

city government

Norwegian Seamen’s Church buildings granted landmark status

By |

A 20th century complex of buildings in a district revered for its 19th century architecture was given official landmark status Wednesday by the Historic District Landmarks Commission. Designed and constructed in 1968, the Norwegian Seamen’s Church held its last service on Christmas Eve 2018. It then changed to secular hands, and its new owners are planning a wellness center. The church’s history in the Lower Garden District began in 1906, and it is its history and cultural significance — as well as the airy Scandinavian-style mid-century architecture — that the HDLC honored in granting the extra layer of protection from alteration or demolition. “The buildings that make up the campus more stylistically resemble Scandinavian architecture than that of the surrounding neighborhood,” HDLC staff stated in their report.

city government

Parks and rec officials: Ballot proposal means services, jobs, safety and more

By |

By India Yarborough, iayarbor@my.loyno.edu
Loyola Student News Service

New Orleanians will decide the fate Saturday of a city proposal to redistribute parks and recreation funds. And while many city residents might gloss over the plan’s fine print, involved parks and rec organizations say the proposal is an effort to improve the quality of life of New Orleans residents. “It’s vital, and it’s no fluff,” said Ann Mcdonald, director of the city’s Department of Parks and Parkways. Parks and Parkways is one of four parks and recreation organizations in the city that have an interest in seeing the millage proposal pass. The proposal, if passed May 4, would take the 6.31 mills of taxpayer dollars that are currently divided between Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and the Department of Parks and Parkways, and redistribute that money more evenly between four organizations: Audubon, the development commission, Parks and Parkways, and City Park.

city government

Sample ballot for Saturday’s election

By |

Saturday, May 4

Municipal General Election
Sample Ballot

Voters will select “yes” or “no” to the following:

PW Parks and Recreation – 6.31 Mills (In Lieu) – CC – 20 Yrs. In lieu of 3.00 mills currently levied for Parkway and Parks Commission and New Orleans Recreation Department and 0.32 mills and 2.99 mills levied for Audubon Commission (“Prior Taxes”), shall the City be authorized to levy a special tax of 6.31 mills (“Tax”) for twenty years, January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2040 (estimated at $22,150,000 in the first year) with proceeds dedicated first to payment of debt service obligations secured by the Prior Taxes then to improving park safety and accessibility, capturing stormwater to reduce flooding, repairing and upgrading playgrounds and recreation centers, conserving natural areas, and constructing, improving, maintaining, and operating parks, recreational, and wildlife conservation facilities in the City, except that a portion of collections shall be remitted to certain state and statewide retirement systems as required by law, allocated pro-rata as follows: 1.95 mills to New Orleans Recreation Development Commission; 1.80 mills to New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways; 0.61 mills to City Park Improvement Association; and 1.95 mills to Audubon Commission, supplemental to and not in lieu of City general fund appropriations budgeted for 2020, subject to requirements provided by Ordinance Calendar Number 32,501 and with expenditures subject to public disclosure through annual audits?

city government

Council wants answers about change in traffic-camera guidelines

By |

A surge in traffic camera tickets recently took New Orleans driver by surprise, after the city quietly lowered the threshold for speeding in school zones from 6 to 4 mph. The City Council’s Budget Committee is asking the administration to address the changes to the Traffic Camera Safety Program in a meeting on Thursday, April 18. The committee is seeking an explanation regarding the administration’s recent decision to lower the threshold for triggering traffic camera tickets without first announcing those changes to the public, according to a press release from Budget Committee Chairman and District D Councilman Jared Brossett. Brossett has requested Chief Administration Officer Gilbert Montaño and representatives from the Mayor’s Office attend the upcoming Budget Committee meeting. Additionally, Brossett will ask the administration to provide an update on the implementation of Resolution R-19-94, which was authored by Councilman-at-large Jason Williams and passed by the Council on March 14, encouraging a single Ticket Amnesty Day in New Orleans.

city government

NOPD to conduct traffic sobriety checkpoint this week

By |

The NOPD’s Traffic Division will conduct a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location within Orleans Parish. The checkpoint will be in effect from 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 to 5 a.m. on Friday, April 12. Motorists who encounter this checkpoint will experience minimal delays and should have the proper documentation available if requested – this includes proof of insurance, driver’s license and vehicle registration.