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Remembering Hurricane Katrina In Eastern New Orleans

Despite the damage and devastation New Orleans East suffered as a result of Hurricane Katrina, together we have rebuilt and are continuing to rebuild our community. Renaissance Marketplace has partnered with New Orleans East Business Association (NOEBA) and Eastern New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission (ENONAC) to honor survivors, victims, families, and responders of the flooding event following Hurricane Katrina with a "White Dove Releasing." This will be an Eastern New Orleans observance of the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina held on Saturday, August 28 2010, beginning at 2pm and ending at 7pm located at 5700 Read Blvd (adjacent Lowes).

As a white linen event, this is a special Marketplace located on Read Blvd next to Lowe's. White doves will fly over New Orleans East on Saturday, August 28th between 2-7pm when Renaissance Marketplace of Eastern New Orleans honors the people of New Orleans East and the 9th Ward Five Years of Rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina!

Vendors, art, food, music, dance, and representatives from Xavier University, Dillard University, Delgado Community College and the Bookmobile will be there. In addition, an amazing photographic exhibit honoring "Those who fell through the Cracks" will be on display. N'Fungola Sibo African Dance Troupe will perform, and at 6pm dozens of white doves will be released followed by a second line with the Kinfolk Brass Band.

Renaissance Marketplace, NOEBA and ENONAC are dedicated to the cause of progress and creating a vibrant, healthy and educated Eastern New Orleans. Therefore, it is our desire to bring our churches, our educators, our grassroots community leaders, our politicians and most importantly our residents and business owners together as one for the observation of the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

For more information please contact Corinne DuCré @ 504-905-2892 or via email renaissancemarketplace@yahoo.com.

Meet The Candidates - District 2 Senate Race

Presented by ENONAC

To be held on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 6:00pm at St. Maria Gorettie Community Center. The candidates are as follows:

NOELA News - August 23, 2010

CITY PURCHASES HOSPITAL IN NEW ORLEANS EAST

Mayor Landrieu Saves City $23.75 Million for the former Methodist Hospital
New Orleans, LA - Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced that the City of New Orleans has closed on its purchase of the former Methodist Hospital from Universal Health Services (UHS) for $16.25 million.

"Signed, sealed, delivered," remarked Landrieu. "It has been nearly five years since Hurricane Katrina, and more than 80,000 residents in eastern New Orleans still have to drive up to 30 minutes to an emergency room. That's why it's so important that we put in place a full-service hospital that is financially sustainable over time as quickly as possible. It has been one of my top priorities since taking office. "

After renegotiating what was a flawed real estate deal with Universal Health Services, Landrieu announced in mid-July that the City would purchase Methodist Hospital for $16.25 million - representing a $23.75 million savings for the real estate deal alone. Landrieu laid out a plan to renovate and open the hospital for a projected cost of $110 million - resulting in projected total savings of $53 million for taxpayers.

"Our goal is to restore full healthcare services to eastern New Orleans," said Judy Reese Morse, Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff. "We have consistently heard in community meetings in New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth Ward that this is a top priority. We are now delivering on this promise."

Ronnie Burns, Chairman of the Hospital Service District Board that will oversee the development and operation of the hospital stated, "This is a great day for the citizens of New Orleans. We purchased the property that paves the way for a first-class hospital for the citizens of New Orleans East, the Lower Ninth Ward, and Gentilly. We thank Mayor Landrieu for his leadership in providing access to health care for all of New Orleans and we look forward to working with him in the coming months and years."

During the transition period before Landrieu took office, he met with the CEO of UHS, convened a Health Care Task Force and also established a Methodist Hospital subcommittee to make recommendations for health care in eastern New Orleans.

In his first days in office, Landrieu convened a working group on the issue. Its mission was to create a visioning document to articulate the broad goals for the future of health care in eastern New Orleans. As part of that effort, focus groups were conducted with physicians, hospital administrators and business and community leaders.

The City also hired Compass Clinical Consulting to produce a technical plan that outlined programming, operating costs and other aspects for a hospital.

NOELA News - August 9, 2010

Methodist Hospital Offer to Purchase

TODAY, JULY 15TH, THE HOSPITAL SERVICE DISTRICT SIGNED A 60 DAY EXTENSION NEGOTIATED BY THE LANDRIEU ADMINISTRATION TO PURCHASE THE METHODIST HOSPITAL CAMPUS (ONLY), FOR $16,250,000.

THE ACT OF SALE IS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 20TH.

Statement of Facts - Chronology of Events of the Hospital Service District UHS Acquisition

Read the Statement of Facts

Petition

What we want, need and deserve is a full service hospital,NOW! 
Hurricane Katrina took away all of our earthly possessions and left us without basic needs and necessities. We relied on our government leaders to provide the essential resources that would help in our recovery.  We believed our government and elected officials would be fair and equitable with the rebuilding of the Eastern New Orleans region. Then, and now we still believe in good government. We suffered a critical loss of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) allocated for getting our community back on its feet at a time when some  leaders pushed to make our communities and neighborhoods green space (“Shrinking the City’s Footprint Movement”).  As a community, we decided we were not going to be green spaced and forced out of our neighborhoods, but we would work hard and help each other to recover.  We came back to our homes and churches; we started bringing some of our small businesses back and started some new ones. However, we didn’t count on economic sanctions getting in the way of our community-based efforts to rebuild. This lack of slow to no government support has resulted in us having no hospital, no library, no park, and no adequate staffing for emergency responders.
 We would never expect the Mayor to make a bad deal and spend 40 million dollars on property appraised for less.  However, we do expect that the Mayor negotiate  in good faith with Universal Health Services (UHS) to obtain an acceptable purchase price for Methodist Hospital. The renovation of Methodist Hospital will be less costly and less time consuming than purchasing new land and  constructing a new hospital. Residents of the East New Orleans region should not be forced to travel long distances, wasting critical time in traffic  in order to receive proper medical attention.
It appears our political representatives choose to ignore health care needs of families, the many seniors in special housing and nursing homes and the work force  traveling in and out of our community.  A full service hospital is a basic requirement to service the 80,000 plus people who currently reside in New Orleans East (NOE); that includes residents and workers in Gentilly, Lower and Upper Ninth Ward, the Lake Area, and parts of St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes.
Anyone who has experienced the need for medical attention, a family member, a senior citizen or a child, and it was not available should join us in signing this petition   to  send a message to city hall that we need full hospital services  in Eastern New Orleans.  The purpose of city government is to insure the health and welfare of its residents.  The Mayor should know that we have reached the end of our rope.  We are no longer willing to sit quietly, walk softly, or stand still while this area of New Orleans is ignored.  It's critical for the Mayor to meet with, talk with, and work with the East New Orleans community to reach an effective solution. 
We are mothers, fathers, grandparents, great grandparents and children.  We are construction workers, doctors, lawyers and city workers.  We are grass cutters, bus drivers, and first responders.  We are Human Beings!  So, we urge that METHODIST HOSPITAL IS RE-OPENED NOW!  
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/reopenmethodisthospital/

ENONAC and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA)

ENONAC AND the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) announce the Collaboration of the Lot Next Door program. ENONAC's role is to assist NORA and the individual subdivisions by identifying contact information of individual subdivisions and a source of community information.

This program was designed to handle the sale of hurricane Katrina damaged properties which were sold by property owners through Louisiana’s Road Home program.   These properties in Eastern New Orleans are still available to the individual neighbors located to the right, left and rear of these properties.

Property Listings

http://noraworks.org/images/lotnext.gif
Introducing Lot Next Door
“The New Orleans City Council created the Lot Next Door program. It allows residents to purchase a NORA-owned property immediately "next door" to their own. Beginning summer 2008, NORA will send notification letters by registered mail on a rolling basis to eligible homeowners.   If you received a letter and it has been over six months and no decision was made, you still have an opportunity to participate in this program.  These letters will include specific instructions for participating in the Lot Next Door program. Letter recipients are determined based on the status of their city tax and homestead exemption records and whether they are adjacent to NORA-owned or potentially owned property. Please note: : NORA owns a small number of properties and has limited sources of property. NORA expects to receive property sold to the State as part of Road Home program and can file expropriation lawsuits to acquire property officially designated blighted. To be eligible, Lot Next Door participants must:
  1. Have a homestead exemption on your property
  2. Live directly to the right or left of the property NORA owns or will come to own
  3. Currently comply with City building codes and health and safety ordinances on all properties you own in Orleans Parish;
  4. Be current on taxes on all property you own in Orleans Parish;
  5. Be prepared to pay NORA the appraised, fair market lot value plus legal fees and costs; and
  6. Plan to hold ownership of the subject property for at least five years or pay a penalty

* Information obtained from http://noraworks.org/Lotnext.htm

The original establishment of this program was authored by Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis. See below for Ordinance number and link:     ORDINANCE (AS AMENDED) CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: April 5, 2007 CALENDAR NO. 26,455 NO. 22605 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY: COUNCILMEMBER WILLARD-LEWIS   http://noraworks.org/PDFs/LND%20Ordinance.pdf

LOT NEXT DOOR (Phase 1) 
The New Orleans City Council created the Lot Next Door program, allowing residents adjacent to hurricane Katrina damaged property that was sold to the Road Home Corp to purchase that property at appraised value. STATUS: Lot Next Door program is still currently  still OPEN.   QUESTIONS & INFORMATION: Click here or email Dawn D. Domengeaux at NORA - dddomengeaux@cityofno.com for status or information.

NOELA News - June 21, 2010

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