2. City Thanks Local and National Partners for Helping Respond to New
Orleans East Tornado
On Feb. 7, an EF-3 tornado
hit New Orleans East, the strongest to hit New Orleans. Approximately 300
properties were severely damaged over the 2-2.5 mile tornado path. On Feb. 13,
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened a disaster recovery center at
East New Orleans Public Library (5641 Read Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70127) for
residents seeking local and federal services who were impacted by the
tornado. On Tuesday, Feb. 21 Mayor Landrieu
held a town hall meeting for the almost 200 residents impacted by the tornado
to provide additional information and resources.
The City has completed the
sixth and final curbside pass to clear all debris from the impacted area. More
work remains. To find out how to volunteer, visit www.gnof.org.
3. Mayor Calls Mardi Gras, NBA All-Star Weekend Successes
Mayor Landrieu called the
2017 NBA All-Star Weekend a huge success and thanked the local, state and
federal public safety agencies, public employees, the host committee, and the
people of New Orleans for helping make it all possible. NOPD officers made a
total of 100 arrests and seized 12 illegal weapons over the weekend. Over the
weekend, the city’s hotel occupancy was at 99 percent. The City employed a
total of 930 contract workers from the Department of Sanitation and other City
departments to plan and execute the clean-up during All-Star Weekend.
53 City
Sanitation workers and contractors collected a total of 9,079.3 tons of debris
using 22 pieces of equipment. The City also issued over 182 vendor and special
permits related to the Mardi Gras and NBA All-Star Weekend activities.
Mayor Landrieu called the
2017 Mardi Gras season a success and thanked law enforcement, public employees,
Carnival krewes and the people of New Orleans for helping make it all possible.
In total, about 4,500
dedicated public employees, over 1,000 Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB)
employees and 170 airport employees served the people of New Orleans, many of
whom directly or indirectly help with Mardi Gras festivities – working around
the clock to plan, protect, execute and clean up.
Over the Mardi Gras holiday,
the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport saw an eight-year high
number of passengers traveling through the airport. Over an eight-day period
beginning Friday, February 24 through Friday, March 3, 2017, the airport expects
to have over 148,000 passengers depart, a 4 percent increase over 2016 and a
46.5 percent increase over 2010.
4. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Airport Expands to Accommodate Record-Breaking Growth, Begins Non-stop Flights
to and from London
Mayor Landrieu and the New Orleans Aviation Board (NOAB) announced
a five-gate expansion of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
North Terminal Project, bringing the total number of gates from 30 to 35.
Announced in April 2013, the new North Terminal will be
constructed on the north side of the existing Louis Armstrong New Orleans
International Airport (MSY) property, creating over 13,000 new construction
jobs and significant opportunities for local businesses and disadvantaged
business enterprises (DBEs) in the region. In total, the approximately
820,000 square-foot terminal will feature 35 gates, a 2,200-car parking garage,
a central utility plant and a ground transportation staging area. The
anticipated funding of the $110 million expansion will be through airport
bonds. The project is on track to be complete in October 2018.
In March 2017, British Airways
officially began non-stop, year-round flights between New Orleans and London.
The new international flight departs four times per week from Louis Armstrong
New Orleans International Airport (MSY) to London Heathrow (LHR). From London
Heathrow, British Airways’ passengers can connect seamlessly to over 130
destinations in Europe and beyond.
For more information, click here.
5. Mayor Landrieu Signs Executive Order to Provide Equal Pay for Women
Mayor Landrieu, joined by
elected officials and pay equity advocates, issued an executive order aimed at
bringing the City of New Orleans closer to equal pay for women. The executive
order bans questions about salary history during the application and interview
processes for City positions and requests that the Civil Service Commission
conduct a pay disparity study among City employees. The executive order is part
of a larger equal pay strategy the Mayor will work with key strategic partners
to develop this year.
Landrieu’s executive order
is designed to address the wage gap between male and female full-time
employees. According to a 2014 Tulane University study, the wage gap between
male and female full-time employees among all employers in Orleans Parish is 21
percent. Inquiries about salary history during the application and interview
processes have been shown to perpetuate wage disparities for women.
Additionally, because women historically make less than men, using salary
history as a base line for future pay negatively impacts women.
To view the full executive
order, click here.
6. City Offers Open
Application for Summer Recreation, Employment Opportunities for Over 4,500
Youth
Mayor Landrieu and City
officials unveiled a robust package of recreation and job opportunities that
are available to New Orleans youth this summer. Opportunities are available in
all five City Council districts through the New Orleans Recreation Development
Commission (NORDC) and NOLA Youth Works, the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment
Program. In total, the City is committing over $1 million to summer
programming this year. NORDC will offer 41 youth camps (ages 4-12) that will
serve over 3,900 kids across the city through partnerships with schools,
non-profits and faith-based organizations. The programming offers a wide array
of academic, cultural and recreational activities. Parents can visit NORDC’s
website for a full list of opportunities and instructions on how to
register their children.
The Mayor’s 2017 NOLA Youth
Works Summer Employment Program will serve over 800 young people ages 13-21
with six program offerings. NOLA Youth Works partners with private companies
and non-profit organizations to provide quality summer experiences at safe,
structured and properly supervised environments.
7. Mayor Landrieu Honors Businesses for Creating Pathways to
Prosperity, Hosts Twelfth STRIVE NOLA Graduation
Mayor Landrieu hosted the Corporate Citizenship Awards,
recognizing local and national businesses working to create real job
opportunities for the city’s disadvantaged job seekers. Each business received
keys for “unlocking” a new area of Economic Opportunity in New Orleans. Through
partnership with the City of New Orleans, these organizations are proof that
businesses can grow while creating opportunities for disadvantaged job seekers.
The City additionally hosted
the twelfth STRIVE New Orleans (STRIVE NOLA) graduation ceremony, which
featured 19 graduates. Launched in March 2015, STRIVE NOLA connects
disadvantaged jobseekers to employment opportunities by providing workforce case
management, job readiness training and supportive services.
STRIVE NOLA is part of Mayor
Landrieu’s Economic Opportunity Strategy—a comprehensive effort to connect
disadvantaged jobseekers and businesses to new opportunities by working to
ensure that every resident can take part in the city’s economic growth through
partnerships with local training providers, social service agencies and
community advocates.
Through collaboration with local and national businesses, the City
of New Orleans has seen success in job creation. Since the strategy’s launch in
2014, we connected over 1,000 disadvantaged job seekers to employment. The
City’s unemployment rate has dropped from 6.7% to 5.8% and the African American
male under-employment rate has dropped from 52% to 44%.
8. City Officials Open School to Provide Safe Learning Environment for
Juvenile Detainees,
Opens Milne NOLA FOR LIFE Center to Provide Opportunities for At-Risk
Youth
Mayor Landrieu along with
Orleans Parish School Board Superintendent Henderson Lewis and Youth Study
Center officials hosted a dedication ceremony for the Travis Hill School (1100
Milton St.) housed in the Youth Study Center (YSC) – New Orleans’ Juvenile
Detention Center.
The Travis Hill School
houses approximately 48 students facing juvenile and adult charges daily. The
students who attend Travis Hill earn credits toward their high school diploma,
and those credits can be transferred to another school upon their release from
the Youth Study Center.
Mayor Landrieu joined City
Councilmembers, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC),
NORDC Foundation, and City officials from NOLA FOR LIFE, the Mayor's
comprehensive murder reduction strategy, to celebrate the opening of the NORD
Milne NOLA FOR LIFE Center (5420 Franklin Ave.) in the Milneburg neighborhood.
This facility previously served as part of the Milne Boys Home, which was
severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to housing a
teen center, boxing and other NORDC programming, the center will also support
the City’s NOLA FOR LIFE initiative. Launched in May 2012, NOLA FOR LIFE is
Mayor Landrieu's comprehensive strategy to tackle the city's historically high
murder rate. Recognizing that law enforcement alone cannot solve the murder
problem, NOLA FOR LIFE takes a holistic approach to get to the root of the
problem and implements initiatives in five main categories: Stop the Shooting,
Invest in Prevention, Promote Jobs and Opportunity, Strengthen the NOPD and Get
Involved and Rebuild Neighborhoods.
9. Mayor Landrieu, City Officials Celebrate Opening of Newly-Renovated Nix
Library
Mayor Landrieu and City
officials celebrated the reopening of the newly-renovated Nix Library (1401 S.
Carrollton Ave.) This $320,000 investment includes technological upgrades,
infrastructure changes and a new floorplan.
The Nix Library has been
under renovation since October 2016. The renovation project consisted of a
number of facility repairs and upgrades including new interior paint, plaster
repair, floor replacement, new lighting, a new water fountain, plumbing and
electrical work, and new hardscaping. Since 2010, the City of New Orleans has
reopened, rebuilt, renovated or added 14 libraries across New Orleans totaling
over $42 million. These libraries are part of $321 million worth of capital
investment made by the City.
10. Mayor Landrieu Celebrates Over $1M Investment in 68 Local Non-profits
The City of New Orleans
honored 68 local non-profit organizations that are touching the lives of New
Orleanians in the areas of job readiness, cultural arts training, affordable
housing, childhood hunger and other ways. In 2016, the City invested $1,773,000
into the local non-profit community. With this funding, grant recipients have
been able to expand opportunities and create additional programming for the
communities they serve.
With an emphasis on youth
development and empowerment, Wisner grants to 16 organizations sought to
increase Click here for a list of 2016 grant recipients.
11. City Expands Biking Options for New Orleanians
The
City, in partnership with Social
Bicycles, Inc, is preparing to launch
bike share, a new and affordable transportation system for residents to move
through the city, in Fall 2017. It will consist of 70 stations with
700 bicycles and a guaranteed minimum future expansion of 90 stations with 900
bicycles.
The City previewed the bike
share program in March 2017, in which residents and visitros used one of the 35
bicycles between seven temporary stations setup in Iberville, Downtown and
Central City. Two additional bicycle racks will be available to end a ride or
find a bike.
For more information, visit https://nola.socialbicycles.com/ and www.nola.gov/bike-share/.
12. Mayor
Landrieu Honors Community’s Work around Equity, Peace, Racial Reconciliation
Mayor Landrieu hosted New
Orleans Together, an event to honor community members and national partners for
their work around equity, peace, unity and racial reconciliation. The
evening included local and national artists who are known for using their
talents to promote peace and unity. Featuring appearances by Grammy Award
Winner India.Arie, artist and activist Brandan “Bmike” Odums, singer Robin
Barnes, the Cole Williams Band and Tysson, New Orleans Together welcomed over
1400 attendees to the Mahalia Jackson Theatre.
New Orleans Together
recognized participants of the Welcome Table New Orleans (WTNO) initiative and
members of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Planning Commission for their
work in the community. WTNO participants have produced 22 reconciliation
projects throughout New Orleans created to spark discussion around race. Since
2010, Mayor Landrieu has made race and equity a priority for the City of New Orleans.
In 2014, he launched WTNO Initiative to focus on race, reconciliation and
community building.
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