Skip to content

Tag: 70119

Dear Mr. Carrere

Dear Mr. Carrere,

Your name was given to me as a good person to contact in Code Enforcement for the City of New Orleans.

Unfortunately a number of homes in my immediate neighborhood remain hazardous eyesores that have not been properly remediated since the floods of 2005.

Today I am writing to you about what I consider to be the worst of the lot: 3016 Bienville. This double today stands with both doors open and moldering furniture visible inside from the curb. It has never been gutted or even secured. Since I live literally around the corner, I pass by this house often. What I see makes my blood boil. But imagine how the people feel who live one or two doors down or across the street and must gaze upon this travesty every day — not to mention keeping their kids out of harm’s way.

This is a historic shotgun double, and as such it is an important part of the fabric of the block. It does not need to be demolished. Indeed its demolition would add injury to insult. It should be renovated. And in the meantime, it should be secured immediately.

It makes me furious to contemplate how a property owner could be so irresponsible, and so disrespectful to me and my neighbors. But furious or not, I understand that some people are just bad eggs. I can accept that. What I wonder about, and the reason I am writing you today, is to ask this question: What can the city do to hold the owner of this property accountable? What will you do?

For my part of I have filed every kind of report I can imagine on this property. We have received assurances that he’s going to sell, etc. And yet today the building still stands there without even the rudimentary and step of boarding up the front door as required by ordinance.

Personally I believe the owner should be fined and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

At the end of my rope,

Bart Everson

PS: You can see a picture of the house here.

3016 Bienville

Note that this photo was taken almost two years ago and not one thing has changed since then, except the weeds have gotten higher.

Drive-By

A friend of mine posted the following on our neighborhood discussion group:

I was working at my other house I am renovating tonight around 8:50 pm. Rendon/Conti St. Heard four/five shots fired. Looked out the back door as the shooter sped off. Shortly after I heard the cries across the street and realized someone was shot. It seems a baby was shot in the arm instead of whoever they meant to shoot. That puts me within 200′ of two drive by’s within two nights. Real scary. I heard they know who did it so I guess that means at least another drive by the next couple of nights. Street justice they call it. What a shame.

This happened about three blocks from us.

315-17 N Rendon

Here’s the story from the Times-Picayune:

2-year-old girl shot in Mid-City

By Leslie Williams, The Times-Picayune
Thursday August 07, 2008, 10:29 PM

A 2-year old girl was shot in the arm shortly before 9 p.m. in Mid-City, according to police and neighbors.

She was taken to a local hospital, said Officer Shereese Harper, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Police Department. Her condition was not immediately available.

The shooting occurred at 315 N. Rendon St., a pink double not far from the intersection of Bienville and N. Rendon streets, police said.

“I heard about four or five shots,” said a neighbor, who asked not to be identified. “When I came outside, I saw a two-door silver car speed by.”

The neighbor said he later pointed out two cartridges on the asphalt in the 300 block of North Rendon to police who arrived at the scene.

A woman started crying and yelling once she realized the child was injured, neighbors said.

Harper said police are trying to determine the motive for the shooting and identify suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers, which is offering a reward of as much as $2,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case. The telephone number is 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 1.877.903.7867.

Leslie Williams can be reached at lwilliams@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3358.

Stuff like this scares me.

VA Lindy?

Yesterday I spoke with Jennifer Weishaupt, president of Mid-City Neighborhood Organization, about the possibility of the VA hospital at the site of the old Lindy Boggs Medical Center (Mercy Hospital).

As you may be aware, Victory Real Estate Investments has assembled some parcels of land, including the old hospital. They were hoping to build a big retail complex, but because of the downturn in the national economy, that’s looking less likely.

So Victory recently offered the land to the Veteran’s Administration. According to Jennifer, the VA has been made aware of the plans for the greenway along the Lafitte Corridor. Indeed, they seem to have an appreciation for the value of it — and it kind of makes sense, doesn’t it, that a public health entity would see the value of a public health infrastructure.

Alternative Site for VA Hospital

The illustration above shows the proposed alternative VA site (yellow border) and the path of the greenway on the Lafitte Corridor (green line).

But moreover, I think the Lindy Boggs site offers some advantages over the current “front runner” location in lower Mid-City.