Gentilly Terrace and Gardens
Improvement Association

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PROVISIONAL:

Gentilly Terrace & Gardens Improvement Association
General Membership Meeting:  May 9^th, 2007

Meeting convened at 7:00 p.m.

Approximately 25 people present.

PROVISIONAL

Norm Whitley explained that UNO wishes for participants in all community meetings to park in the faculty lot next to the Old Business Administration Building .  This is why we chose to meet in this building, instead of the usual building.  Norm then introduced the officers.  He also noted that a significant number of e-mails he sends to members get returned.  In order to help reduce future confusion, he will also have the agenda items, meeting announcements, and other background information posted on the website.  This should help to make sure fewer people are left out. 

The big agenda item for this evening is the discussing of working groups or task forces.  We need to prioritize the many initiatives that have been identified so far, such as local historic designation, safety and quality of life, beautification, etc…

Norm then introduced Patty Gay with the Preservation resource Center

Patty Gay noted how pleased she is that Gentilly Terrace is considering pursuit of a local historic designation.  She passed out a pre-storm brochure focused on Gentilly Terrace that was funded by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities(LEH).  The brochure provides an overview of the area’s history and activities.  It is in need of updating, but that can be done later. 

Since Hurricane Katrina, two other local neighborhoods, Broadmoor and South Lakeview , have been added to the national register of historic places.  Also, two other local neighborhoods have been declared eligible.  National designations help protect communities by requiring reviews for demolitions and other federally financed projects.

There are some challenges in seeking local historic designation.  A big problem at the moment is that the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) is very short of staff and funding.  They are unable to provide reviews in the time frame they would like.  Such designations do benefit the community and city with increased property values, etc….but, they also require resources to research and establish. 

A number of other local communities have expressed interest in pursuing local historic designation.  After the storm, communities have seen how such designations can help the residents.  With this increased interest, it may be necessary for communities to join together and lobby local officials for additional support.

Although some residents fear the additional burden of reviews that can be required by historic designation, there are variable levels of oversight.  These different levels range from “full review” to “demolition review”, etc….There are also conservation districts that communities can consider as an alternative to historic district status.

Q:        What is the process?
A:         A committee appointed by the Mayor oversees the process.  Mr. Eliot Perkins (658-7040) should be the first that you approach.  A survey of the properties in the neighborhood must be done.  Ideally, you will be able to create boundaries that coincide with your neighborhood’s boundaries.  Currently, many districts are gerrymandered and have peculiarly shaped borders.  Even dropping to a lower level of review to refine the boundaries might be worth considering.  This more cohesive approach is better in the long run.

Once the survey is complete and historic designation is determined to be appropriate, the matter goes before the City Council.  If historic designation is granted, the level of review will determine which matters must be taken before the HDLC.  But, in general, interior modifications and painting are not part of HDLC review processes.

There is one problem now that must eventually be tweaked.  The HDLC is supposed to include one member from each historic district.  The popularity of the program has resulted in a large number of districts, making the commission too large and unwieldy.  It is frequently difficult to even have enough representatives present to constitute a quorum.  This will need to be modified as the districts become increasingly popular.

In addition to the historic designation project, the PRC is very interested in Gentilly Terrace’s suggestions for workshops that could be of benefit to the community.  These could range from topics such as buying blighted houses to plastering classes.  But, we are very eager to organize more workshops to help the community and would greatly welcome your suggestions.  Tell us what would be most beneficial to you.

Q:        So, should we speak first with Councilwoman Morrell, or someone else?
A:         I would suggest starting with Eliot Perkins and asking for his recommendations.

Q:        The boundaries listed on this Gentilly Terrace brochure are only a small part of Gentilly Terrace.  Why?
A:         Those are the boundaries of the area that has received national designation.  Their criteria are more strict and only those houses qualified through the national process.  That is partly why it is so important to also seek local designation.

Norm Whitley noted that he had received word from a resident complaining about speeding and other safety issues on their block.  They were told by NOPD that “we’re really focusing on checkpoints right now, and not really surveillance…”   They were then told to contact the quality of life officer, who has not returned their call.  Norm also tried to follow up with the quality of life officer and has received no return phone call.  He will now take this matter up with NOPD directly, probably through CPT Elder.

Another resident wrote to say that some children living with their mother in a house on Spain , near Gentilly Blvd., have created problems for neighbors.  The two boys have been harassing children passing through the area.  This has included intimidation and threats and attempts to steal money.  One young child had his MP3 player stolen by the boys.  Neighbors have spoken to the mother.  But, these incidents are far too reminiscent of a recent robbery on Lombard .  Norm has also received no response from NOPD about this matter and will take it up with CPT Elder and other NOPD officials.

With these problems, how do we convince NOPD to be more responsive?  I have thought about approaching a local church, such as Gentilly Baptist Church, to see if they could offer a room to serve as some form of police substation.  This is only one idea and I hope residents will forward additional suggestions to me.  I will approach NOPD about this possibility.

Another initiative is Health and Quality of Life.  The dumping along Peoples Avenue still continues.  Debris haulers have told one Peoples resident that the City has forbidden them to pick up debris from the canal side of the street.  With active dumping still taking place, the situation is getting worse daily.  Since the debris haulers are paid by the pound, they are eager to pick up from both sides of the street.  But, until they are given permission, nothing will be solved.  Norm will take this to Councilwoman Morrell.

Another initiative is Beautification and Quality of Life:  This is closely tied to the above and we can pursue together.

Another initiative is Neighborhood Communications:  We need to get signage out to help residents who don’t have convenient access to the internet.  Help with the webpage would also be important.  Some communities rely on simple phone trees to alert residents to meetings, events, etc…..I am also exploring the thought of sending text messages to individual cel phones from my computer.  I know such messages can be intrusive and don’t want to use them more than necessary.

Daniel Falk noted that the Neighborhood Assessment Survey he is doing is about one-third complete.

Norm Whitley updated us on the status of the Gentilly Project, undertaken by Dartmouth Professor Quintus Jett.  U.C. Berkley has offered to help Quintus by making the project a sort of “living link”.  This would include technical capabilities for residents to update their own individual entries with information ranging from current challenges to video updates.  This could provide near real-time information for people interested in the challenges and successes of the neighborhood.

Another initiative is the status of Covenants and Zoning:  Wayne Gillette is working on the covenant side of this project.  He should be able to provide an update soon.  Karen Fernandez has already reported in the past that most homes in Gentilly Terrace are single-family.

The bar known as Kisses Lounge is still being considered.  But, at a recent meeting between Councilwoman Morrell, Mr. Lawes(the bar owner), Gwen Hawkins, Norm, etc…addressed the reasons behind community opposition.  Mr. Lawes was informed by the City that locating a bar in that building would be problematic and did not follow their advice.  Norm explained again that the community has nothing against Mr. Lawes.  But, a conditional use permit applies to the building, not the developer.  If Mr. Lawes were allowed to open a bar there and then move on to other projects, that location would be allowed to maintain the conditional use in perpetuity.  This makes it a very important decision for the residents.  The matter will come up for discussion again on May 22^nd.  This has been done to give Mr. Lawes sufficient time to find another location.

Are there any questions or discussion about these topics and which are most urgent for us?

Comment:         Franklin and Gentilly has become very dangerous, with fully-loaded trucks speeding down the road.  Is there any way to get NOPD to place a traffic cop there, even once per week.

Comment:         Security details are very important to neighbors, especially now.  If residents fear returning, they won’t.  Norm will try to get CPT Elder and Councilwoman Morrell to attend the association’s June meeting.

Comment:         Maybe we can each be proactive and log our complaints onto the Gentilly Warriors blog that was created by Denise McConduit.  This would create a public paper trail for problems.

Norm noted that the PRC has a “Neighborhood Council.  Through them he has met Gil Benedict with the NPN and Alan Gutierrez with ThinkNOLA.  Both of these organizations are possible resources for creating a wiki or other way to help disseminate information to residents and the community at large.  In the near term, the Gentilly Warrior blog should be used by residents.  Eventually, we hope to help create some city-wide outlet that could be used to pressure officials to be more responsive to the concerns of residents.

Q:        When are councilmembers up for re-election?
A:         They were just elected in 2006.

Q:        What about a better location for meetings.  Some residents are leary of coming to UNO because they are concerned about getting lost on the campus.
A:         I will pursue a better location for the next meeting.  We will try to find a non-UNO meeting location, perhaps a church or other building.

Norm summarized to say that crime and other threats to our quality of life will be the primary focus for the association in the immediate future.

Additonal Notes from Norm:

Gentilly Terrace Elementary should be operational in the Fall, in some un-named form.

JP Morrell has been asked to provide a list of bills that he has pre-filed with the legislature. 

The District 6 Community Council is working on ways to get the City Council to adopt the plans that resulted from those many neighborhood planning sessions.  Until city officials agree to consult those plans when making official decisions, there will be a disconnect between what residents want and what happens.   Those plans must be adopted. 

The Corps of Engineers still has not released a new, accurate Risk Assessment.  Residents need to be aware of the challenges that we will face in coming years.  Even small rainfall events may result in localized flooding for years to come.  The Corps must stop delaying those assessments.

 I met with Tom Jackson of the new Levee Authority.  They are working on a memorandum of understanding that would outline how non-flood assets are managed.  This includes assets such as the Lakefront Airport , the Boehmian Spillway, etc….The new levee authority has no real funding.  This could be a significant concern as we move forward.

The Lot Next Door ordinance was recently passed by the City Council.  A copy of the ordinance is included in each of the packets passed out tonight.  

Comment:  The Spur station on Franklin Ave. was bought.  But, I don’t know what they are planning for that property.

Norm noted that the GCIA has a space on their webpage intended to track newly-reopened businesses.  Someone also called him to announce that Reggie’s Flowers on Elysian Fields is now open.

Comment:  Jerry Williams mentioned at the D6CC meeting that the city will discuss plans for redevelopment zones in the near future.  Neighborhoods should have their plans together before that.  But, nobody at the meeting really understood what that meant.  There were no details offered and no explanation of what additional information the city might want from residents.

Patty Gay noted that nobody truly knows what will be done at those locations.  Perhaps this might be a good workshop idea, to help residents decipher what opportunities might exist within those zones.  Personally, I wish that neighborhoods along Elysian Fields would band together and lobby for some form of design review for the Avenue.  That is a backbone of the community and should be planned better than it has in the past.  Everyone should read Richard Campanella’s book. 

Comment:         Entergy outages remain very bad, even on clear days with no weather challenges.  Norm will try to get an Entergy representative to attend a future meeting.

Adjourned at 9:00 p.m.