April Updates from the Mayor's Neighborhood Engagement Office
Memoriam: Mr. Eric Songy
Eric J. Songy, a proud Algiers resident and neighborhood leader, passed away peacefully at home on March 9, 2019 at the age of 66.
Mr. Songy lived in the Bocage neighborhood for over 30 years where he served as both Chairman of the Algiers Neighborhood Presidents Council and as President of the Bocage Civic Association.
A dedicated and active community leader for over a decade, Mr. Songy participated in countless community events and meetings such as the Neighborhood Leaders' Roundtables, the annual Neighborhood Summit, and more. He was a constant presence and active supporter of his neighborhood and community, tirelessly volunteering his time and energy towards everything from hosting luncheons with NOPD officers, to supporting the ProjectNOLA Crime Cameras initiative, and much more.
Mr. Songy's presence will be greatly missed by the Mayor's Neighborhood Engagement Office team and all of those who knew him.
Roundtable Recap: A Discussion on New Orleans Public Safety
 Mayor LaToya Cantrell welcomes attendees to the Neighborhood Leaders' Roundtable
Roundtable attendees participate in a group activity
On the morning of Saturday, March 23rd in the beautiful Arbor Room in City Park, nearly 200 neighborhood leaders from all across New Orleans gathered for the first Neighborhood Leaders’ Roundtable of 2019. Our fantastic lineup of guest speakers included NOPD Superintendent Shaun D. Ferguson, NOFD Chief Timothy McConnell, Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Colin Arnold, and the one and only Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
Thank you to all of our engaged and enthusiastic attendees, and to all of our informative guest speakers. We hope you can join us at the next Roundtable!
For more information on the Neighborhood Leaders' Roundtable, please visit: www.nola.gov/roundtable
City Hall Spotlight: Tenisha Stevens
 Tenisha Stevens, Criminal Justice Commissioner
This month we had the chance to sit down and chat with Tenisha Stevens, who serves as the Criminal Justice Commissioner for the City of New Orleans.
Click this link to learn more about Tenisha.
Welcoming our Spring 2019 Civic Leadership Academy Cohort!
 Spring 2019 CLA - Week 1
We are incredibly excited to welcome the 29 members of the newest Civic Leadership Academy (CLA) cohort, who kicked off their Spring 2019 session on Wednesday, March 27th.
Week 1 guest speakers included the Mayor's Chief of Staff John Pourciau and City Council Chief of Staff David Gavlinski, who provided the cohort with an engaging and informative overview of the Organization & Vision of City Government. Upcoming CLA class topics for the month of April will include an overview of City services, City budgeting/financing, and more!
For more information on the Mayor's Neighborhood Engagement Office's Civic Leadership Academy (held bi-annually), please visit: www.nola.gov/CLA
Your input is needed! Come learn about Moving New Orleans
 Moving New Orleans community workshops schedule
The City of New Orleans’ Office of Transportation, in collaboration with the Department of Public Works, the City Planning Commission and our community partners, will present a series of "open house" neighborhood workshops to engage residents about the upcoming plan to expand and improve the City’s bike network, also known as Moving New Orleans Bikes.
These five meetings, held April 8-18, will explain how the City plans to:
- Create a community-inspired vision for the New Orleans bikeway network
- Educate the public on the bikeway planning effort
- Discuss the importance of safe and protected bikeway infrastructure and it’s benefit to all modes of traffic
- Gather support for a rapid build-out of the bikeway network once planned
For more information on these meetings and Moving New Orleans, please click this link.
Coffee on Your Corner: First Quarter Recap
 NOPD 3rd District Commander Jeff Walls leads a discussion on public safety at The Bean Gallery coffee shop in Mid-City
Jen Cecil, Director of the City of New Orleans One Stop Shop for Permits and Licenses, speaks with attendees at the District C (East Bank) Coffee on Your Corner event at Elizabeth's
During the first three months of 2019, NEO held morning discussions in each city council district at which residents had the opportunity to share feedback and ideas with city department representatives on a wide variety of issues. As part of our Coffee on Your Corner series, these informal events (over a hot cup of coffee!) allowed for city department leaders to answer questions and share insights directly with residents.
NEO would like to thank The Bean Gallery, Gracious Bakery, Elizabeth’s, Pontilly Coffee, New Orleans East Hospital and Starbucks (on Holiday Drive on the Westbank) for opening their doors for these important community conversations. A big thank you is also extended to NOPD, the Health Department, Safety and Permits, the Office of Resilience and Sustainability, Code Enforcement, the Department of Public Works, RoadWork NOLA, Capital Projects, and the Mayor’s Office team for serving as engaging and informative guest speakers.
For more information on Coffee on Your Corner, please visit: www.nola.gov/Coffee
PCAB: Continuous relationship building between NOPD and the New Orleans community
The end of March marked the end of the first quarter for the City’s Police-Community Advisory Boards. Since forming in December, the new boards worked diligently to meet with neighborhood associations, residents, and their respective NOPD Districts to address numerous public safety concerns.
The 2nd quarter PCAB meetings are slated to begin in May. Residents are encouraged to contact their NOPD district’s PCAB via email. If you’d like to have a PCAB representative at your neighborhood meeting or you’d like to discuss a public safety concern, don’t hesitate to reach out.
PCAB contact information and upcoming meeting dates can be found at the following link: www.nola.gov/PCAB
Upcoming Saturday Community Office Hours
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting Community Office Hours in each New Orleans Council District on Saturday, April 20th from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Locations:
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District A: Mid-City Library (4140 Canal St.)
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District B: Milton H. Latter Memorial Library (5120 St. Charles Ave.)
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District C (Eastbank): Treme Rec Center (900 N. Villere St.)
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District D: Milne Rec Center (5420 Franklin Ave.)
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District E (Lower Ninth Ward): Sanchez Multi-Service Center (1616 Caffin Ave.)
For more information, please visit: www.nola.gov/COH
Organize a Clean Up Event In Your Neighborhood!
 The time has come to #CleanUpNOLA Visit http://CleanUpNOLA.org so we can do it together! The Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office is happy to assist you in planning your event or providing tools/supplies.
Thank you to the following groups for organizing and hosting clean up days this past month:
- Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association
- Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation
- The Ecletic Collective
- United Saints
- District E Council Office
- Queen Up Day - KOQ
Madame Mayor for a Day Competition!
 Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Office of Youth and Families are excited to announce the “Madame Mayor for a Day” essay contest. New Orleans girls between the ages of 11 and 18 are invited to submit an essay detailing how they would improve New Orleans if they were Mayor for the day.
The contest is open for submissions beginning March 19, and closing April 19. Two winners will be selected, sworn in as ‘Deputy Mayor’, and get a chance to shadow Mayor Cantrell for an entire day.
Click this link for more information.
Free Smoke Alarms, courtesy of NOFD
The New Orleans Fire Department would like to remind citizens that “Smoke Alarms Saves Lives."
If you or anyone you know is need of a smoke alarm, the NOFD will provide and install 10-year smoke alarms free of charge to any citizen of Orleans Parish.
For your free smoke alarm, please contact the NOFD at 504-658-4714, or click this link to make your request online!
Annual Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day: Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 8am - 1pm
For more information, please visit:
https://nola.gov/sanitation/trash/household-hazardous-waste/
Follow @RoadworkNOLA on social media to stay up to date on New Orleans road construction updates
 @RoadworkNOLA Instragram
@RoadworkNOLA Twitter
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