Thursday, May 8th, 6:oo PM. Community Commitment Education Center (Spruce@ Leonidas)
Join us for a continuing discussion of the Future of Johnson School. Invited Guest: Developer Paul Irons, New Orleans Restoration Properties.
See previous discussions below.
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Next Meeting: Thursday, May 8: 6PM
Hi – Thanks for attending and here are some key highlights from yesterday’s meeting for those who weren’t able to make it. We hope that you will join us on May 8th – see our homework at the end:
Case Study: Dan Lang presented a community case study from Shreveport, La. A church had a three-year process of transforming a church property into a community center. Two aspects that were discussed 1) the church had the deed to the property and 2) they raised $20,000 to hire a consultant for needs assessment, etc. The result is an important hub for the community that provides needed services, etc.
Adaptive Use Models : Tony Collela provided us with several converted buildings in other cities to consider in Philadelphia (BOK) and Portland, ME. (Longfellow Commons). Many examples of these conversations across the country.
Developers: Betty DiMarco spoke with Nolan Marshall, a school board member, about his involvement in two developments: Bell Apts on Ursuline and the TEP Center on St. Claude. Both involved working with HANO and NORA. She also spoke with Terri North, Director of Providence Housing which builds and manages affordable, including elderly, housing. While Providence is not in a position to help us, Ms. North referred us to Paul Irons and HRI. Betty spoke with Paul Irons, who is seems to be very interested and is willing to meet with us on May 8th. She will approach HRI also.
Solar/Energy Efficiency: Julianna Padgett spoke with Sophie Winston of the City’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability. Ms. Winston provided the following resources and comments for our consideration:
Energy Smart – I’ve provided a link to the commercial offerings through Energy Smart which is the local energy efficiency program run by Entergy New Orleans
DOE American Made Challenges – there has definitely been a slow down in the amount of grant opportunities I see from the DOE and other federal agencies, but as far as I can tell, these DOE Prizes are still moving along. They tend to be more niche and focused on research demonstrations but there are some related to solar development, specifically the Community Energy Innovation and Community Power Accelerator Prizes.
Community Solar in New Orleans – the link provided is an overview of the City of New Orleans policy around the development of Community Solar projects. Community Solar is a great way to convert a vacant lot, but it is a pricey endeavor that requires the participation of a solar developer. The maximum amount of power generation for any Community Solar project is 5 megawatts, with a total cap of 55 megawatts for all projects. Right now, the application queue for community solar is full, but that does not mean that all of these projects will reach completion/move forward.
Outreach. We discussed the need for gaining more information from the neighborhood. A door to door survey, use of QR codes, or focus groups. We were asked to start developing potential questions.
HOMEWORK: via email, share questions 1) you want to ask any potential developer, 2) you want to have included on a survey of neighbors.
See you on May 8th.
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Posted on April 10, 2025 by jpadgettnola | Edit
Tues, April 22, 6:00-7:30pm
Community Commitment Education Center, Leonidas@Spruce
Purpose: Follow-up to April 10th meeting. If possible, before the 22nd, talk with someone who would be interested and could help us think through possibilities about this project. Given the parameters of the school board, we are looking for partners interested in a 30-90 year lease or a private buyer. Initial ideas, but we are not limited to, include elder housing, solar farm, expansion of Okra Abbey, early childhood education, social services, etc – OR a combination of all these. Any potential partners, as well as potential grant/funding sources to explore will all be welcome.
Contact information: Betty DiMarco, dimarco_bl@icloud.com or Julianna Padgett, juliannapadgett@gmail.com
Sign up also for FACEBOOK page: Future of Johnson School Redevelopment (thank you, Lauren!)
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Carrollton-Riverbend Neighborhood Association (CRNA) 