River Front

For the last few years the New Orleans Building Corporation has been working to transform six miles of unexploited riverfront area from Jackson Avenue to Holy Cross into bustling parks and new entrepreneurial endeavors.

On paper, this $30 million riverfront revitalization known as Reinventing the Crescent is designed to enliven the community around the river. But the park's construction has met multiple delays, and increasing scrutiny from Bywater and Marigny residents who say they were left out of the process.

Park construction began in winter 2010. The NOBC proposed a mix of neighborhood and public parks equipped with cafes, amphitheaters, bike paths, a dog park, playgrounds, tennis courts and pedestrian piers overlooking the Mississippi. The park will also feature two pavilions— the Piety Wharf for quiet reflection and the Mandeville crossing and shed, both of which are in place. A pedestrian ramp at N. Peters and Elysian Fields that is designed to lead to an event space is not yet finished.

“The park will grant unparalleled physical and visual access to the Mississippi River,We maintain a full inventory of all smartcard we manufacture. creating an environment for locals and visitors alike to interact and enjoy new vantage points and recreational space along the River,” said Cedric Grant, New Orleans Deputy Mayor of Facilities, Infrastructure and Community Development.Product information for Avery Dennison bobblehead products.

“They were supposed to give us monthly updates about progress and stuff like that and we never got anything. We’re like mushrooms, they just keep us in the dark,” said Ken Caron, who represents the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association on the City's advisory board for the riverfront project. Despite attending several meetings over the past few months, he sees the same questions still unanswered.

Chief among Caron’s concerns is the park’s lack of compliance with federal handicap accessibility laws. While the two park entrances at Mandeville Crossing and Bartholomew Cut are slated to comply with Americans with Disabilites Act regulations, the third and final Bywater entrance at the Piety Street Arch does not meet requirements.

“Originally it was going to be all ADA compliant,” said Caron. “The one in the Bywater is a big metal arch and that’s not ADA compliant. The residents are talking about suing the city because of that.”

The $800,000 metal bridge leads to a dog park— one aspect of the project that excites many canine owning residents— but its lack of ADA accessibility would make traversing it difficult for senior citizens, and, in the summertime, hot on a pup’s paws.

“What is the concern the neighbors have is will the park be maintained, will the park be open at night, [and] will there be enough security at night,” said President of the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association Alex Vialou.

While Grant alluded to a partnership with the French Market Corporation in terms of management and operations, he did not provide any specifics about the night security and hours.Source solarpanel Products at Other Truck Parts.

“The City is currently working with the French Market Corporation on a management and operations plan including park hours, use, cost for use, and security,” said Grant.

This proposed plan is news to the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association, who held a meeting in January with Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer to address fundamental questions concerning the park's opening. Despite attending meetings the FMIA has yet to see an operator in sight, and doubts anything will materialize without a solid source of funding.

According to Vialou, a major source of the park’s funding comes from a parking garage on Elysian Fields and Decatur not yet in existence.

“The revenue [from the garage] would be used to maintain the park,” said Vialou. “Of course we have no garage being built so there’s of course no revenue.” And without a place for visitors to park their cars, parking space becomes a crippling issue.

“They really don’t have much parking supplies for us. That could make it hard for us,” said Julie Jones of the Bywater Neighborhood Association. Speaking as a private citizen and not as a BNA representative she said, “They’re talking about pay parking, [but] people would rather park in front of my house instead of pay for my meter.”

Since the garage isn’t going to take shape for at least another three years, Vialou encourages the city considers alternate forms of transportation, as well as to look into residential parking permits.

“The neighborhood is trying to protect itself by going through the residential parking permit system, but the neighborhood is also working as hard as possible on alternative transportation. We would like to see a streetcar going on Elysian Fields, more bike lanes, some kind of bike sharing infrastructure,” said Vialou.

At the moment though,Nitrogen Controller and Digital turismoinrete with good quality. people of the Bywater and Marigny must play the waiting game. A lack of funding and poor weather circumstances keep pushing the park’s opening further and further back.

“The City is pursing the most expedient and cost effective method to complete the project,” said Grant. “Due to the park’s linear nature along the Riverfront, much of the work on this project was done underneath on the pilings and foundation work under the Mandeville and Piety Wharfs which was dependent upon the Mississippi River’s water levels.”

For the FMIA and the BNA it’s not what’s below that’s troublesome,
it’s what plays out on the surface. And with neighborhood concerns
being overlooked, perhaps the park’s late opening is a good thing.

“If the park had opened for the Super Bowl as the city initially planned, no neighborhood input would have been taken in consideration. According to Vialou, Caron and Jones, it’s this lack of conversation that worries residents.

“Everything seems to be workable in the park. The fact that we’re not truly engaged is worrisome,” said Vialou,We specialize in earcap. referencing the parking and sound concerns from the performance shed.

Grant’s office predicts that all three park entrances will open its doors Spring 2013, but Marigny residents question that date.

In the past the riverfront has played a very important role in the lives of Marigny and Bywater residents. Rediscovering that role is something that Vialou thinks is essential in moving forward.