June 4, 2010
Councilmembers Fielkow, Clarkson and Gisleson Palmer talk with Grand Isle Mayor Camardelle about the oil spill
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Councilmember Fielkow with New Orleans students in front of Rickwood Field after the Rickwood Classic
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Councilmember Fielkow visits with kids at the newly refurbished Norman Playground
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Focus on Response to the Oil Spill, Reforms to NORD and City Contracting and Community Events and Updates
New Orleans, LA - June 4, 2010 - Hello Friends,
Oil Spill
Inundated with horrific statistics and saddening images from the Deepwater Horizon spill, all other issues facing the City somewhat pale in comparison. Yesterday, Thursday, June 3, I toured the Barataria Basin and Grand Isle with Councilmembers Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson and Kristin Gisleson Palmer. Organized by Jefferson Parish Councilmembers Thomas Capella and Chris Roberts, Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner, Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle and the Grand Isle Council, it was an eye opening experience as we walked around thick cakes of tar on the beaches.
After the boat tour, there was a briefing at the Grand Isle Community Center, during which we discussed the need for immediate action to combat the crisis we are all facing. For it is not just one Parish battling this spill; it is not even one state; it is the full Gulf region, from Texas to Florida. The oil is days away from entering into the estuaries, which will threaten the natural environment that supports the entire Southeast economy. Though it's taking the longest to reach New Orleans, if the supply of seafood is heavily diminished, the impact on our City could be great. We also had an opportunity to have a brief meeting with Senator Mary Landrieu, who expressed her two priorities as: facilitating the claims process for affected families and pushing for the construction of berms to guard the coast from the looming oil threat. Click here to view a detailed News Release about the boat tour.
NORD
Yet as your elected officials, the members of the City Council must move forward on other pressing items to make progress in the City's economic, educational and recreational arenas, among others.
This week marked an extremely exciting City Council meeting in which New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) Reform, which I have been working on since coming into office over four years ago, made a significant step forward. As we all know, NORD has been in steady decline for more than 30 years. Decrepit playgrounds and low enrollment in summer programs are clear symptoms of a department that has been plagued by mismanagement, due in part to constant political turnover and an ongoing reduction in resources dedicated to recreation.
A Citizens Advisory Panel, which studied 'best practices' of healthy recreation departments, recommended to the Council that a public private partnership be formed to govern New Orleans recreation. To implement this reform, a change to the City's Home Rule Charter is necessary. On June 1st, the City Council took 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. I look forward to engaging the public on this issue in advance of the October ballot initiative. To view a News Release on the NORD reform, click here.
Contracting
Another breakthrough in City Hall occurred this week when Mayor Landrieu issued several executive orders, which included, among other things, new procedures for the issuance of professional service contracts, the ability of the public to view how these contracts are awarded, and a more effective enforcement program to ensure that the City's local business/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) laws are honored, strengthened and that a strong compliance program is put into effect. I look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor on these contracting reforms and also continuing to work to ensure that the City Council's contracting process remains open, transparent and equitable. Let the sun shine in on professional service contracts! Click here to view my official Statement on these executive orders.
Youth
This week I was also very excited to travel to Birmingham, AL with 130 middle school students from New Orleans. This is our second year of what I hope will be an annual outing to a city that was a focal point of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Joining us on the trip was Reverend 'Skip' Alexander, a peer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave a first hand account of what Birmingham was like in 1963. We visited the 16th St. Baptist Church, the site of a hate crime that galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
But sport and recreation were also a main component of the trip. We attended the Rickwood Classic, a minor league baseball game in America's oldest ballpark. The last stop was to the University of Alabama's football complex, where fellow New Orleanian Burton Burns spoke to the kids. The assistant head coach of the Crimson Tide, Burns spoke about personal responsibility and breaking barriers. 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and running back Trent Richardson also addressed the kids about the importance of education, stating that football won't last forever. All in all, it was a fun trip that hopefully broadened the minds and lifted the spirits of all those in attendance.
Recreation/Facilities
Other exciting news for the youth of New Orleans is the completion of
the renovation of the Odile Davis Baseball Complex in the Ninth Ward. This milestone was reached through a partnership of several local groups, including myself, the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) and Assistant Superintendent Timothy McConnell; Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Nu Gamma Chapter; Coach Melvin Howard of The Victory Youth Training Academy and NORD. We effectively restored the baseball diamond, leveled the infield, restored perimeter fencing, erected canopies over bleachers and dugout, erected two batting cages and renovated the concession stand and bathrooms.
Another NORD facility, Norman Playground, also re-opened in Algiers to many smiling faces and uniformed children ready to play ball.
Yet another youth recreation initiative that I fully support is a Big League Dreams sports complex here in New Orleans. They are a national sports company that has built 10 sport complexes throughout the country with six to eight baseball and softball diamonds, all modeled after historic ballparks - from Fenway to Wrigley Field. The site identified for this complex is in New Orleans East, an area of the City that is in most need of a clean, family-oriented and functioning recreation complex. The development, which would also have amenities for other sports from volleyball to basketball, would also be a tourist attraction; other Big League Dreams parks have stimulated their community's economy by creating a need for hotels and restaurants.
The project would require the City to make an initial investment to construct the complex. Then, Big League Dreams would take over all costs, management and financial responsibilities. Read the full article on the Big League Dreams project, which appeared in May's edition of New Orleans Living.
Graduation
Additionally, it was an honor to deliver the Keynote address at the 2010 Lusher Charter High School Commencement held on the Tulane University campus. The 2010 graduating class represented the first full 4-year graduating class post-Katrina at Lusher, a nationally recognized charter school which prides itself on 'Celebrating cultural diversity through high academics and the arts.'
I thanked the students, their parents and faculty for returning to, and reinvesting in, New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. I also challenged the graduates to maintain their youthful idealism and to 'Repair the World' by being unafraid to tackle today's major problems, such as racial/cultural discrimination, poverty, homelessness and environmental damage. Moreover, I asked the graduates, especially those leaving the City for college, to keep spreading the word about New Orleans' revitalization and unique cultural spirit.
Senior Citizens
However, it is not just the youth of the City that should be taken care of, for senior citizens are the pillars from which we learn. I spoke at a luncheon for volunteers and stakeholders of the AARP. Our local AARP has performed miracles in many areas of the City, especially Hollygrove. We are all fortunate that these dedicated and resilient seniors in our community chose to return to our failing City after Katrina. They have done so much to help us rebuild, from volunteering in community programs to taking their civic duties seriously by going to the polls.
In closing, I want to add that although the 5th anniversary of Katrina is approaching and we have other crises to attend to, I maintain a close eye on the City's continued recovery. At the end of May, I attended the homecoming of Kim and Mark Ford, residents of the Holy Cross neighborhood. Katrina brought over five feet of water into their new home, and it was through an organization called Project Homecoming that the Fords were able to move back into their home.
Vann Joines, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for Project Homecoming, said, "Our staff and volunteers are often overwhelmed with the amount of devastation that remains five years after the storm, and they ask me, 'What are the leaders of New Orleans doing about this ongoing problem?' The Councilman (Fielkow) put these fears to rest in his words on Friday, when he affirmed that Project Homecoming is part of a greater rebuilding effort, which is wholeheartedly supported by the leaders of our city."
I wish the Fords and all others that are moving back into their homes: Good luck!
Finally, on a personal note, I want, as a proud dad, to congratulate my youngest son, Steven, on his recent athletic accomplishments. As a junior at Ben Franklin High School, Steven captured his third straight high school tennis championship and, just yesterday, was named as "Honorable Mention" to the All-State baseball team!
I remain your faithful City Council President.
Arnie Fielkow
Contact:
Danielle Viguerie
Office of Councilmember-at-Large Arnie Fielkow
Ph: 504-658-1063
daviguerie@cityofno.com
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