The Cantrell Administration continues to work with existing pump capacity by building additional storage around the city utilizing parks and vacant land, and by building innovative streetscaping to create temporary storage to hold rain during big weather events, allowing the pumps time to catch up. This approach, combined with other efficiencies to the pump system that maximize capacity 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.

The $141M HUD-funded Gentilly Resilience District (GRD) is a combination of efforts across the Gentilly neighborhood that are designed to reduce flood risk, slow land subsidence, improve energy reliability and encourage neighborhood revitalization. Visit www.nola.gov/resilience for more information.

The following projects and programs currently comprise the Gentilly Resilience District:

Mirabeau Water Garden, Pontilly Neighborhood Stormwater Network, Blue & Green Corridors, St. Bernard Neighborhood Campus, Milneburg Stormwater Resilience, St. Anthony Green Streets, Dillard Wetlands, Community Adaptation Program, Workforce Development, and Public Art Placemaking.

There have been delays with moving GRD projects into construction, largely due to getting HUD approval for the de-bundling, which essentially means breaking down bigger projects into smaller ones that have lower bonding thresholds, making them more accessible to small businesses. Construction is anticipated to begin for several of the GRD projects in the late Fall 2021.

DILLARD WETLANDS

The Dillard Wetlands project site is a 27-acre dense woodland tucked along the western edge of the London Avenue Canal. It borders the former Gregory Junior High School / Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) site and is across the canal from the historic Dillard University campus.

The project is currently in the 90% design phase and is being designed in collaboration with the community to develop a comprehensive program with the following core goals and benefits:

• Stormwater Management - mitigate flooding and improve water quality
• Support biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
• Create a community space with varied educational, recreational & social opportunities

We would like to thank all the neighborhood residents that attended the Resilience Design Review Committee (RDRC) #2 Dillard Wetlands 60% Design meeting on Aug. 4, 2021. Due to COVID-19, the meeting took place via Zoom. Please click here to access the meeting recording.

Thank you to the stakeholders that attended the GRD at Dillard Wetlands: Stakeholder Virtual Meeting held via Zoom on Nov. 4, 2021, to get updates on the site boundaries, present related material options, and share updates on future street developments from the design team. The meeting recording and presentation will be available on the project website.

St. Anthoy Green Streets

The St. Anthony Green Streets (SAGS) project is a redesign and retro-fit of six residential streets and two neighborhood parks within the St. Anthony neighborhood. Through the design process and implementation of this project, the design team and city representatives hope to establish a new resilient standard for neighborhood scale streets and parks that can be replicated across the region. Neighbors have also given their input at various community engagement events held during the design phase at Gatto and Filmore playgrounds, Bastion, and Beacon Light church.

The project consists of three distinct construction projects, which will be bid separately and in sequence approximately 30 to 60 days apart. Currently we have completed the 90% design phase for the first construction project: SAGS Parks and Playgrounds (Filmore and Gatto). The second construction project will be green infrastructure and street repairs in the north section, which includes select neighborhood streets between Robert E. Lee Boulevard and Prentiss Avenue cross streets. The middle section (between Prentiss and Filmore avenues) and the south section (Filmore Avenue to Mirabeau Avenue) will be constructed in the third and final phase of construction. These two projects’ design plans are currently at 75% designed.

We want to thank all the neighbors that attended the Resilience Design Review Committee (RDRC) St. Anthony Green Streets 90% Design – Parks meeting on July 14, 2021. The committee approved the design, the City is acquiring the necessary federal environmental regulatory approvals, and the design team is moving toward completing the final construction documents. If you missed the meeting but want to stay up to date, please click here to access the St. Anthony Green Streets presentation and here for the Public Art presentation.

Stay tuned for future RDRC meetings where we will be seeking this same final approval for the second and third construction phases in the coming months.

ARTS CELEBRATION: UNVEILING OF THE UNITY AND HARMONY SCULPTURES

On Sunday, November 7, 2021, the City of New Orleans, the Arts Council New Orleans, Water Leaders Institute, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA), and Levees.org unveiled Unity and Harmony, two new sculptures located at the London Avenue Canal Levee Breach Site (5000 Warrington Drive) and the NORA Rain Garden (corner of Filmore Avenue and Wildair Drive).

The artwork was created by students from the Arts Council's Young Artist Movement program, under the mentorship of local artist Carl Joe Williams. Commissioned for the City of New Orleans Gentilly Resilience District, the sculptures explore New Orleans’s complex and difficult relationship with water and the city’s shift to green infrastructure. Unity commemorates the stories of residents that experienced devastating loss due to Hurricane Katrina and continue to face stormwater and other environmental risks. Harmony explores the theme of environmental resilience through patterns and imagery related to the flow of water. The sculptures also represent an inhibitor to the healthy flow of water: plastic waste. The sculptures incorporate aluminum casts that reflect back on the viewer their role in living harmoniously with their environment.

Thank you to everyone that was able to join us and to our partners, mentioned above, as well as to @denaliartsolutions and @thenetgentilly. If you were unable to attend, you can still come by both sites and personally enjoy these magnificent sculptures.

Workforce Development

$3 million of the National Disaster Resilience (NDR) funds has been allocated to provide Workforce Development training services that aim to:

• Train the local workforce in green infrastructure and water management.
• Focus on job readiness and developing the next generation of builders, problem-solvers, and green infrastructure specialists.
• Support programs to hire and train a skilled workforce to build and support the maintenance of NDR-funded projects.

Are You Looking to Start a Career in Green Infrastructure but Don't Know How? Check Out the Flyer Below to Learn More About Thrive's Green Job Training Program!