A Sojourner Truth Academy student paints at Taylor Park in Central City during March's "Fight the Blight" day. (Sabree Hill, UptownMessenger.com)
On Saturday morning, two of the Uptown New Orleans neighborhoods that have been most energetic in seeking their own revitalization will receive a shot in the arm from the city and hopefully hundreds of volunteers on “Fight the Blight” day at Samuel Square park.
Samuel Square sits on both sides of Napoleon Avenue near Loyola Avenue, placing it in both the Freret and Milan neighborhoods. Over the past year, the Freret commercial corridor has surged with new businesses opening, and Milan residents have entered a new level of partnership with police to quell crime on their streets.
Improvements to the park will be the focal point of the “Fight the Blight” efforts, with volunteers picking up trash, installing new park benches and picnic tables, painting swing sets and repairing the basketball court. But city officials will extend their fight against blight in a five-block radius around the park, going deep into both the Freret and Milan neighborhoods to identify nuisance properties for targeted enforcement.
The cleanup will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact the Freret Neighborhood Center at 373-6403 to sign up volunteers.
Great news! I noticed that someone was actually repairing the water fountain near the basketball court at Samuel Square in the last month.