2018 Neighborhood Leaders Roundtables

City Infrastructure

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Lakeview Christian Center, 5885 Fleur de Lis Drive

On Saturday, September 22nd, the Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office hosted the 2018 3rd Quarter Neighborhood Leaders Roundtable. The theme for this Roundtable was City Infrastructure.

Ramsey Green (Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Infrastructure), Warren Jones (Interim Director for the Department of Public Works), and Ghassan Korban (newly appointed Executive Director of the Sewerage and Water Board) all spoke to neighborhood leaders on the administration’s priorities for tackling New Orleans’ infrastructural issues. Additional presentations included an overview of the Big Easy Budget Game (courtesy of Committee for a Better New Orleans), Connect the Crescent, and the administration’s newly launched Digital Equity Campaign. The Roundtable concluded with a question and answer session in which neighborhood leaders had the chance to share questions, comments, and concerns with our guest speakers.

Thank you to all of those who attended!

Hurricane Preparedness

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Mosquito and Pest Control Board, 2100 Leon C Simon Drive

On Saturday, June 2, 2018 the Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office hosted the 2nd quarter Neighborhood Leaders’ Roundtable on Hurricane Preparedness at the the Mosquito and Pest Control Board, 2100 Leon C Simon Drive. Over 115 residents and community leaders from across the City attended the event to learn valuable information on preparing for this hurricane season as well as and how the city is responding and preparing for weather events. Residents were able to network and connect with resources to assist with mitigating neighborhood flooding.

The program opened with a community spotlight on Water Wise NOLA work in the Seventh Ward and Treme to include highlights from the installation of a raingarden at Angela Chalk(7th Ward residents) home which eliminated street and backyard flooding. Councilmember Jared Brosett was also presented to greet attendees as well as representatives from Councilmembers Helena Monera and Jay H. Banks offices. CAO Gilbert Montano was warmly received by the crowd as he provided greets and discussed his background and role within local government. Followed by the welcoming attendees were introduced the new emergency response team to include Collin Arnold, Emily Nichols and Commanders Sandier and Frick, NOPD.

After introductions our featured presenters Anne Coglianese, Office of Resiliency and Sustainability provided an overview of the city’s resilient plan relating to eliminating coastal flooding as well as shared opportunities through the Gentilly Resilient District while Laura Mellem with NOLA Ready provided an in depth presentation on the city’s emergency preparedness plan to include the difference between evacuations as well as provided tools on preparing for several types of weather events to include tornadoes, coastal flooding and hurricanes.

After the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to engage in a roundtable activity that reinforced the tools for preparing for hurricane season as well as engaged in a questions and answers period with the new Emergency Response Team. Topics included Sewerage & Water Board pumping capacity, contraflow efforts, evacuation plan for non-English speakers, opportunities for green infacstruture as well as updating the evacuation spot placements.

Following the formal program, residents engaged and received resources from the following city agencies: New Orleans Fire Department, NOLA Ready, Capital Improvement Program, and NOLA Ready as well as the American Red Cross and Waterwise NOLA. The event was truly a success, as residents left better informed on preparing for hurricane season and ready to their part in mitigating neighborhood level flooding.

For more information on Hurricane Preparedness please visit http://ready.nola.gov.

Opioid Crisis: Combating Overdose and Fighting Addiction

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Filmore in the Oaks, 1040 Filmore Avenue

Over 80 leaders from across the City attended this event. NOPD Superintendent Michael S. Harrison, Sr. was warmly received by the crowd as he spoke about strategies NOPD is taking to combat the opioid crisis and recapping the many successes NOPD has had this year and the challenges that we still have to face together in the years to come.

The Chief set the stage for an informative presentation from the Director of New Orleans Health Department, Dr. Joseph Kanter, who spoke at length about the impact and growing number of opioid cases in the State and New Orleans in particular. Dr. Jeff Elder, Director of EMS, then informed residents about methods used to combat and prevent overdose.

Following these presentations, leaders had the opportunity to ask some very pertinent and well thought out questions on behalf of their communities. Leaders also had an opportunity to engage in the resource fair staffed by Odyssey House, Metropolitan Human Services, Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the New Orleans Health Department. Special thanks to those departments and agencies for sharing important information with everyone in attendance.

This event was truly a success, as residents left informed and ready to do their part in ensuring that together we can combat the opioid crisis.

Special thanks to all of our presenters and of course to my team who did an outstanding job!