Bayou St. John Gets High Tech

Bayou St. John recently received solar powered high tech water monitoring equipment that will monitor such things as depth, temperature, oxygen, and salinity levels which when all processed together will indicate water quality. And, if that wasn't enough, the unit will eventually transmit this data to a public website.

This data could be used by fishermen to know when is the best time to catch fish in Bayou St. John. The data could also be used by scientists to back up the residents requests to have the Bayou St. John sector gates open on a regular basis and only closed during extremely high tides or when a hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico.

New Orleans 4 Years After Katrina

Night Out Against Crime in Faubourg St. John

An amazing "Night Out Against Crime" and one that will be remembered for a long long time. Allen Toussaint and Rockin Dopsie performed together in a spectacular performance all for the benefit of the 1st District of the New Orleans Police Department. Nelson Savoie and Warren Guidry have held the "Night Out Against Crime" each year for many years in Faubourg St. John and it showed. The entire celebration was flawless. Great food, great fun, and spectacular music all for the benefit of the New Orleans Police Department. You can still donate to the cause. Contact Nelson Savoie or Warren Guidry at realcajuns@gmail.com or just hit the DONATE button at http://fsjna.org, make your tax deductible donation, then send an email to info@fsjna.org with instructions on how to apply your donation. (N.O.P.D., Night Out Against Crime)

Big Night Out

Video courtesy DJ Studios, 2nd Line Productions of New Orleans

Big party at 3006 Esplanade in New Orleans on August 4th

http://www.fsjna.org/2009/07/night-out-against-crime-3/

Welcome World Walkers

http://worldwalk-peacetour.info/

I had the opportunity to visit with a couple
of brothers from Hungary who are walking
around for world peace.

One of the things they found most odd was
when they were in Jackson County
(they said in North Florida) they were unable
to buy beer on Sunday. The concept was
amusing and befuddling to them. Blue laws.

The strangest experience they relayed was
walking down a very narrow strip of road
in Mauritania where minefields were present
on either side of the road. There are signs
with skulls on them to warn people not to
stray off the roadway.

Made bathroom decisions interesting.

Since either side of the road was full of
mines, they had to sleep literally within
inches of the road as cars continued to
use the narrow pathway. Their most
interesting food was camel. They said it
tastes a lot like regular beef.

They also relayed that Hungarian,
while an interesting language with
46 characters, is utterly useless.
No one in Europe speaks Hungarian and
even the Hungarians use English as their
language of choice.

More info below:
http://www.fsjna.org/2009/07/faubourg-st-john-welcomes-world-walkers/

The Lafitte Corridor

Go to http://folc-nola.org for more info.

RTA Board Meeting July 1st, 2009

The meeting began after 11:30 a.m. to a packed room. General orders of business were covered along with two major issues. The first issue was Veolia's contract with the RTA which was renewed for 5 years. Either party can discontinue the contract with 180 day notice. After 5 years the contract can be renewed for another 5 years. Veolia's website and a statement from their website is below: http://www.veoliatransportation.com/vision-for-cities/smart-development Smart development focuses understanding the interrelationships between population, land use, transportation, economics, environment, and other factors. The goal is to develop policies that result in more sustainable urban environments that provide a high quality of life. Also covered was the addition of three new streetcar lines which will span from St. Claude down Rampart Street. I understand the new lines will be named Desire, Rampart and Loyola. This film covers the section of the meeting as it relates to the streetcar issue.

Moving New Orleans Forward

The dock you see in this picture was donated by Robert Boh. There is another one directly across from it that was also donated. The docks are constructed with boards made of a composite material that will not rot, last for generations, and withstand any storm. The herringbone layout of the boards on the dock contributes to its strength as do the large support beams which are sandwiched in between cement caps on top of the pilings.

The pilings, foundation, and docks are so strong that according to the foreman at the site, "could support a tractor-trailer being driven on them". The same gentleman stated that he retired in 2004 but was asked to come out of retirement to participate in this project. He also noted that as a younger man he helped drive the pilings that support the large building wings added to the New Orleans Museum of Art years ago.

A restaurant and boat shed are to be built soon near the dock. Large cleats are ready for the paddle boats and canoes which are eventually going to be tied to them. Grasses were planted in front of the dock nearest the museum.

The "fountain" you see in the picture is not exactly what it seems. While it certainly looks like a fountain and has a dramatic plume shooting into the air, it is actually an aerator to keep up the oxygen level in the water.

The foreman indicated that Mr. Boh's donation to the Big Lake project near the museum already exceeds 200,000 dollars.

Congratulations to Mr. Boh for giving back to our community and helping to move New Orleans forward.

See more in this flyer from the Trust for Public Land at:

http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/TPL-LA%20Fall2008%2012-31-08.pdf

From The Trust for Public Land website:

The Trust for Public Land's agreement with Boh Bros. Construction Company includes a generous donation of services by company president, Robert S. Boh, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Boh Bros. in New Orleans. With this commitment of services along with an early cash donation to the project, Boh Bros. joins an impressive list of local and national foundations that have made the Big Lake project possible.

Article and photo by Charlie London

2009 Crescent City Classic at Mile 4

Old Soldiers' Home Demolished

Dr. John Surprises Fortier Park

Let's Go Fishin'

http://www.fsjna.org/2009/03/lets-go-fishin/

There will be a Fish Fry this Friday night, March 6th,
at the Our Lady of the Rosary cafeteria at 1322 Moss Street.
The menu will consist of fresh fried catfish, with sides and will cost $7 per plate.
Food will be served from 6 PM to 9PM.
Draught beer, soft drinks, wine and deserts will be available.
Dinners will be available for dine-in or take-out.
This is for a good cause and if you went to this last year the fish was great.
Plenty of free parking available
The event will be repeated next Friday, March 13th at the same time and place.

The Fish Fry is a community outreach event and fund raiser to rebuild
the wheelchair/ADA ramp on the Broad Street side of the church to
make it more user friendly. The fund raiser is called "Revamp the Ramp".
The new ramp will comply with all modern standards of ADA
(American with Disabilities Act.)