The I believe 22nd annual KOA Mid-Summer Mardi gras parade is this Saturday night. Starts at the Maple Leaf on Oak around 8:30 PM, winds around to Snake & Jakes, I think, and ends up back at the Maple Leaf around 11:30. Or so they say.
Your options are to join in the fun (it’s free and open), watch it or lock your doors and turn up the TV.
Just another thing that makes Carrollton a unique place to live.
Is was fun and fairly well attended by neighborhood residents and Oak Street business people and property owners. Very enjoyable music was provided by Off Kilter, a neighborhood band.
Originally uploaded by nola-shiva.
They do a lot of streetcar reconstruction and renovation at the streetcar barn. Another one of the cool things found in Carrollton.
I’ve lived in Carrollton for most of the 30 years I’ve lived in New Orleans. Inertia? Maybe. But there are many good reasons to live here and remain here. While preparing for the recent PRC Sellabration of New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods we came up with a list of 36 reasons.
See the Page at right (under “Pages”).
And feel free to add your own reasons under “comments” at the bottom of the page.
Palmer Park Art Market
Originally uploaded by nola-shiva.
Despite the heat the Palmer Park Art Market went on, as it will the last Saturday of each month this summer and into the Fall. The Art Market is one of the many attractions found in Carrollton.
Originally uploaded by nola-shiva.
Even though it may not look like it.
The sidewalks are open, so please continue to support Oak Street merchants. So you have to park a little further away. So what? You probably need the exercise.
Friends and Neighbors:
A few quick notes on things happening in the neighborhood—or relevant to the neighborhood.
Community Crime and Safety Forum– The Central Carrollton Association is hosting this event this Thursday evening, March 19, with District Attorney Leon Cannizarro and NOPD Second District Commander Bruce Little as featured speakers.
Place: St. Matthew’s United Church of Christ, 1333 S. Carrollton, corner of Willow
Time: 6:00 Registration and refreshments; 6:30 – 8:00 Program
Free and open to the public.
Orleans Parish School Board “Stakeholders’ Forum”—Also Thursday, March 19.
Place: Lindy Boggs Conference Center, Room 152, CERM Building, 2045 Lakeshore Dr. (this is one of the relatively new buildings at the lake end of Elysian Fields, part of the UNO campus).
Time: 4:30-6:30
Purpose: “to allow education leaders, advocates and stakeholders the opportunity to share their opinions and ideas for sustaining progress in public education within Orleans Parish.”
Harrell Park PLAYGROUND CONSTRUCTION
When: Saturday, April 18, 8 a.m. until
Where: Harrell Park, Leonidas near the corner of Claiborne
Yes, this is still a while in the future, but mark your calendars. An opportunity for some hands-on contribution to the improvement of the neighborhood. Sponsors include the Allstate Foundation, the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, and Operation Kids. For more information, contact: Pastor Stanford Williams, (504) 394-4752 or swilliamsii@msn.com or Tilman Hardy, (504) 237-9556 or tilmanhardy@kw.com
OAK STREET
As you have doubtless noticed, the MAJOR renovation of Oak Street has begun. The merchants on the street are still there and struggling to survive this enormous disruption. Please do what you can to continue to patronize and support them during this activity. The sidewalks are still open—and it’s quite a sight! Each two block section is supposed to take about two months to complete. If all goes well, the street should be totally transformed around Thanksgiving.
And we, your neighborhood association, are also still here. And we’re still looking for folks who want to get involved and help out. There are lots of things we MIGHT be doing, but they all require volunteers. The “mights” include everything from cataloguing blighted properties in the neighborhood to helping with a “Carrollton in Bloom” project that has been suggested by our sister organization, the Palmer Park Neighborhood Association. See a British model. Or maybe you have your own ideas. If so, I’d be please to hear them.
And we are seriously looking for new people to serve on the organization’s board. If you’re interested, or just have questions about it, let’s talk.
Happy Spring!
Jerry Speir, President
Carrollton/Riverbend Neighborhood Assoc.
Community Forum: Neighborhood Safety
Thursday, March 19, 2009
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
St. Matthew United Church of Christ
1333 S. Carrollton Avenue
Speakers
Leon Cannizarro, Orleans Parish District Attorney
Major Bruce Little, Second NOPD District Commander
Program
6:00-6:30 p.m. Registration and Refreshments
6:30-8:00 p.m. Program
Sponsored by Central Carrollton Association and the Carrollton Area Network
For more info: www.centralcarrolltonassociation.org
Neighborhood Safety meeting flyer download.
Attending—Board: Marilyn Barbera, Pax Bobrow, Kevin Brown, Betty DiMarco, Tilman Hardy, Marshall Hevron, Julianna Padgett, Jerry Speir, and Jim Stratton,
Absent Board Members: Gordon Cagnolatti, Rodney Dionisio, Rudolf Garrison, Todd Leavitt, Judith Miranti, Amanda Smithson, Gary Smith, Llewelyn Soniat, and Betsy Weymann
Residents/Guests: Annettte Bak, Camilla Franklin
Crime—Jennifer Jenkins reported a car-jacking in the 8500 block of Freret at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11. [A subsequent e-mail from NOPD reported an arrest in the matter, and the recovery of both the vehicle and the weapon used.] The CRNA Crime Committee will continue to hold “porch parties” as the primary get-togethers within our CRNA boundaries, but is also hosting meetings with representatives of the Crime Committees of other associations within the Carrollton Area Network for the purpose of coordinating our various efforts to combat crime. The focus of the moment is on improving the information that we get from NOPD.
Planning for a General Meeting and Election of Officers—Julianna Padgett, Betty DiMarco and Jerry Speir agreed to serve as a Nominating Committee.
Leonidas House—The “work day” on the previous Saturday drew 20+ people and accomplished quite a bit. A second work day is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21. The State Historic Preservation Office has provided some very nice renderings of a possible renovation of the building. A Community Advisory Group is being formed. Leonidas House meetings are on the 2d Tuesday of each month at 5:30 at the Keller-Williams offices, 8601 Leake. Persons wishing to be involved should come to the meeting and/or contact Tilman Hardy (tilmanhardy@kw.com) or Annette Bak (annettebak@chevron.com) directly.
Schools—Annette Bak reported that a recent Literacy Fair at Johnson School was very successful. Kevin Brown noted that a clean-up at the school, by AmeriCorps volunteers, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day was also very successful. Jerry Speir reported on a recent conversation with School Board President Woody Koppel re: the Priestley school building. It was agreed that further conversations should be initiated to bring Mr. Koppel and other school system personnel up to speed on the potential for renovating the existing building, rather than demolishing it. (Annette Bak and Tilman Hardy expressed an interest in such further discussions and suggested that Jean Fischer and Mary Green should be included. There was also discussion of the broader need in the area for a discussion about schools in the Greater Carrollton area and how future plans relate to each.
Citizen Participation Program—There will be a breakfast meeting on Saturday, Feb. 28 [place/time] to discuss the latest developments with the CPP.
Newsletter—Pax Bobrow is willing to put together another edition of the newsletter—IF others will do the initial writing. She will edit, produce and distribute the newsletter, but needs articles. Anyone with anything to contribute should contact Pax directly at paxbobrow@yahoo.com
Oak Street—The actual street work on Oak is scheduled to start on the Monday after Mardi Gras. The work will be done in two-block sections, starting at Carrollton. If all goes according to plan, the work should be completed by November 1.
Carrollton Audubon Renaissance, Inc. (CARI)—Jerry Speir reported that the four public meetings for public input into CARI’s neighborhood planning process have been well-attended and have generated lots of ideas for the planners to sort through as they develop a draft land-use plan for the area. That draft will then be open for further public review before being finalized.
The planning discussion led to reflections on past efforts to establish a local historic district in the area. Jerry Speir volunteered to attempt to sort out the hold-up in that process.
Tilman Hardy suggested that we need our own planning committee to deal with green space issues as they relate to zoning. Pax Bobrow, Jim Stratton, and Camilla Franklin volunteered to help with such an effort.
There was general discussion of the value of having a joint meeting of the boards of all the associations that operate within CRNA boundaries. The idea was generally supported, with the caveat that some work toward planning an agenda should precede such a meeting.
NEXT CRNA Board Meeting: Thursday, March 12 at the Keller-Willliams offices, 7 p.m.
It apparently occurred at 11:00 AM. A suspect was quickly arrested.
“New Orleans Police Officer Shereese Harper said investigators were able to apprehend the suspect quickly because of the ‘diligent work of the Homicide Division and outstanding citizen involvement.’”
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1234852266244720.xml&coll=1
