Major NORD Reform to be Considered by City Council During Regular Council Meeting Tuesday

May 27, 2010

New Orleans, LA - May 27, 2010 - After several years of evaluating 'best practices' and developing a comprehensive model for improved New Orleans recreation, the City is close to implementing a new vision for municipal recreation, which will be the subject matter of City Council consideration, Tuesday, June 1st. The New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) was once considered a national model of excellence, and the goal/objective of the reform initiative is to return to this standard of excellence.
 
Several years ago, the City Council Youth and Recreation Committee undertook the task of studying top municipal recreation programs in the United States. Expert testimony was received by the Council Committee, and ultimately a formal plan of action was approved by the full City Council. As part of this plan, a Recreation Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP), co-chaired by Rod West, Roy Glapion and Bobby Garon, was put in place. A series of year-long, public community meetings were held to evaluate the current NORD, study other award-winning municipal recreation programs and recommend reforms which would benefit all New Orleans citizens. Ultimately, a comprehensive proposal was recommended to and accepted by the City Council. The proposal involved the creation of a new governance structure and the need for additional funding for recreation.
 
CAP formally recommended that a public private partnership be formed to govern New Orleans recreation. To effectuate this reform, a change to the City's Home Rule Charter is necessary. On June 1st, the City Council will take up an Ordinance (supported by Mayor Landrieu and co-authored by all seven Councilmembers) to put this matter to the vote of the public in October. The specific make-up of the new public private partnership will be outlined in a separate Ordinance to be introduced on June 1st as well. If the Charter change is passed by the voters in October, the new Commission will then appoint its board of directors and begin the search for a full-time executive director. This public private partnership tracks the best practices of many award-winning cities around the United States, including Baton Rouge.
 
The second recommendation made by CAP was to significantly increase funding for the new recreation model. All of the cities with award-winning municipal recreation departments have budgets far exceeding the budget currently in place in New Orleans. The source for this new funding, which all parties understand is crucial to the initiative's success, will be allocated through the 2011 budget process.
 
Subsequent to the work of CAP, Mayor Mitch Landrieu appointed a Recreation Task Force, also chaired by West and Glapion, to make recommendations to the Mayor regarding the future of New Orleans municipal recreation.
 
"I am greatly excited to work in partnership with Mayor Landrieu and my Council colleagues in implementing what I believe will be one of the most beneficial and important initiatives in New Orleans history," said City Council President Arnie Fielkow. "The future of our City rests in our youth, and it is incumbent upon us to provide these youth and all other New Orleans citizens with a quality and equitable municipal recreation system, both in terms of facilities and programming. This reform will pay dividends to the citizens of New Orleans in many respects, including crime prevention, economic development, improved physical and mental health and general quality of life. I look forward to the City Council passing the Ordinance next Tuesday so that the voters of New Orleans can hopefully approve this significant reform at the ballot box next October," said Fielkow. 
 
"From the beginning it has always been about the kids," said Rod West. "We've set the table and now New Orleanians get to decide if we are satisfied with the status quo or whether we are willing to pay the price to be a great city for the young and young at heart," said West.

<< Back to News