NEW ORLEANS, La. — Residents of New Orleans East packed a church Tuesday night, Nov. 10, to back the idea of a city hall annex in their part of town, a proposal from Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration meant to make government services easier to reach.
The 6 p.m. meeting took place inside Greater St. Stephen Church, on Read Boulevard, and was hosted by the Municipal Complex Advisory Committee, a panel of appointed experts that began meeting in August to decide what to do about the deteriorating downtown city hall. The panel is looking at relocating, building a new city hall, or renovating the current one, and it is weighing an annex in the East as part of that discussion.
Committee chair Andy Kopplin told the audience the city faces about $430 million in costs over the next 30 years simply to keep operating in the buildings it has now. The panel is due to tell the city what it thinks should happen in December; a longer written report comes in January.
Speakers at public comment focused on money and access. One attendee estimated that if 500 people a day travel from the East to downtown for city services and each spends about $20 on lunch, roughly $10,000 a day leaves the neighborhood. Others said a resident or business owner who needs a permit, license or help with a code issue can lose half a day, and the wages that go with it, making the trip downtown.
Other residents said they want the annex to bring a full range of services rather than a narrow set, and a local business owner called for the city to invest in the area, saying she is hopeful an annex could help turn things around. Possible sites mentioned include former shopping centers, medical buildings and an old grocery store.
City Councilmember Jason Hughes, whose district includes the East, pledged to push for Sewerage and Water Board services there. Moreno announced plans for a survey so residents can say what they need from an annex.
Section: More New Orleans LA politics news
Filed under: New Orleans LA Politics News
