Now more than ever, it is imperative that we design and build projects aimed at managing rainfall more efficiently. Our resilience projects are about designing with multiple benefits such as flood mitigation, workforce development, equity, etc. in mind.
Our resilience project team is working with the existing pump capacity by building additional storage around the city utilizing parks, vacant land, and innovative streetscaping to create temporary storage to hold rain during those big events while the pumps catch up. This approach, combined with efficiencies to the pump system to get the most capacity of the pumps and reliably provide power to the system, as well as our ongoing effort to keep litter out of the drainage system, is our immediate priority to get the most out of the existing system.
We have a $250M capital program coming from FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and $141M HUD National Disaster Resilience (NDR) funds to take significant steps toward implementing this approach across the City either in design or under bid for construction. Following is an update on some of our NDR and HMPG projects.
Community Adaptation Program (CAP)
This Community Adaptation Program is intended to provide funding to low – moderate income households in Gentilly. A maximum of 200 eligible applicants can receive up to $25k for the design and installation of a variety of small-scale storm water management interventions. This targeted approach will reduce flooding risks for homeowners’ individual property as well as their neighborhood.
The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) received more than 600 pre-applications and have approved over 100 to date. NORA recently hosted an Open House with design partners Aptim + Team and Dana Brown & Associates + Team to give eligible applicants the opportunity to meet the design teams in a more, relaxed social setting.
GENTILLY RESILIENCE DISTRICT
The District is comprised of green infrastructure projects and programming; all designed with the community in mind. Most of the projects in the District are fully funded by the National Disaster Resilience (NDR) grant. As a requirement of that grant, the City has a responsibility to educate, engage and inform the community from design through construction of the project.
Blue & Green Corridors Project
The Blue & Green Corridors project affects multiple areas / intersections throughout the Gentilly neighborhood. The design is comprised of a series of waterways (Blue Corridors) and neutral ground / green spaces (Green Corridors) that work together to a create a network of storm water interventions that will mitigate flood risks and provide recreational features.
The project design team recently hosted an Open House at Pierre A. Capdau elementary school, where community participants were given the opportunity to learn about the project, meet the City and design team, while and give their feedback on the current proposed design. Input received at this event will be considered as the contractor continues to advance the project design.
St. Anthony Green Streets
This project aims to establish a new standard for mitigating risks associated with the unique environmental challenges affecting the quality of life for residents. The plan is to incorporate strategic storm water management interventions on Wingate and Wildair Drives and in Filmore Playground and Gatto Playground.
The City co-hosted a series of community events with the design team at various locations on November 7, 17 & 20, 2018. Residents were given the opportunity to see how community input was integrated into the most recent design, connect with neighbors at project green spaces, as well as to learn about upcoming outreach activities.
St. Bernard Neighborhood Campus
This project is designed to reduce neighborhood flood risks, utilizing storm water retention under McDonough 35 High School Campus / Willie Hall Playground, as well as provide landscaping to improve green space and additional recreational features – based on community feedback. These improvements will spur neighborhood revitalization and improve the quality of life for residents.
The City co-hosted a visioning workshop with the design team on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at Pentecost Baptist Church. The project is currently at 30% design. We will continue to solicit community input throughout the design process by way of public meetings and creative engagement pursuits. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2020.
Mirabeau Water Garden
This project will add educational and recreational facilities to the 25-acre site of a former convent of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, enhancing public health in Gentilly. Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2019.
The Milne Campus project
This project will train local teens in storm water management, adding storm water storage to the campus in a way that honors the property’s 80-year history with youth. The project is in the design phase.
The Dillard Wetlands
This project will retrofit existing woodlands to capture water from neighboring areas and serve as an outdoor classroom and nature preserve for the neighborhood.
HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM
Pontilly Neighborhood Storm water Network
Pontilly residents have long anticipated the construction of this project.The City has allocated $15M in HMGP grant funds for the design & construction of an array of storm water interventions including bioswales and street basins; all designed to work as a network to reduce flood risks.
A pre-construction community meeting was held Thursday, February 14, 2019 at Mary D. Coghill elementary school; construction is scheduled to begin March 2019.
View the preconstruction public meeting presentation here.
Hagan Lafitte
This is one of the first green infrastructure projects under construction; work began in December 2019. There will be improvements to the gray infrastructure with added green infrastructure to lessen the burden on the drainage system and reduce flooding potential.
Command Construction is currently working in Easton Park and are expected to complete that phase by late April 2019. The park and adjacent facilities will be closed until work is complete. The entire project is scheduled to last approximately 17 months.
View the preconstruction public meeting presentation here.
Mirabeau Water Garden
The City of New Orleans acquired the parcel of land from the Sisters of the St. Joseph. The property has remained undeveloped while the City devised a plan and identified funding to transform the space into a large-scale storm water park, that at full function will store up 10 million gallons of water and feature an array of park like / recreational landscapes that will also address environmental challenges – to include but not limited to, flood reduction and storm water management.
The final design documents are under review by FEMA; once approved, the City will issue a Request for Bid to select a contractor for construction. Work is anticipated to begin Spring/Summer 2019.
Drainage Pump Station (DPS 01) Improvements
The DPS 01 Project will connect street improvements with storm water storage in parks. The project area includes nine New Orleans neighborhoods: Broadmoor, Central City, Garden District, Lower Garden District, Irish Channel, St. Thomas Development, Touro, East Riverside, and Milan. These neighborhoods are located between the Central Business District and Uptown and within the DPS 01 drainage district.
The project is currently at 90 percent design and construction is anticipated in early 2020. View the latest public meeting presentation here.
St. Roch Neighborhood Project
The St. Roch Neighborhood project area consists of the 26 city block section bounded by N. Robertson St. to the north, Franklin Ave. to the east, St. Claude Ave. to the south and Elysian Fields Ave. to the West. The neighborhood experiences chronic flooding from even relatively small storms, with more severe flooding associated with larger storm events.
Improvements will include bioswales, rain gardens and subsurface storm water storage. The project is currently at 90 percent design and construction is anticipated in summer 2019.
View the latest public meeting presentation here.
Oak Park Storm Water Management
The Oak Park Storm water Management Flood Mitigation project aims to transform five vacant NORA-owned parcels on Perlita Street into a storm water management feature that reduces flood risk using underground water storage and planting of native species, which will help to infiltrate and filter storm water.
We co-hosted a 90% design community update meeting on January 8, 2019, to share the current design being reviewed. Construction is anticipated to begin spring 2019.
View the latest public meeting slides here.