| Woodland Oaks Civic Association Meeting Minutes Date: November 15, 2011 Type: General |
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Emergency Operations Center for SE Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - West
Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Estle Neie, Mike Biondolillo, William (Billy) Arnold and the general
membership
Absent: Tony Quaglino, Charles Saucier, Terry Clark, Lynette Bourg, Patricia Randazzo
1. Bob called the meeting to order.
2. Captain Ronnie Platt (JPSO) was unable to attend but he did report through Bob that the young man
mutilating cats in the neighborhood was arrested, and there was a shooting on the 2900 block of Manhattan
Blvd. Monday night, November 14.
3. Bob reported the neighborhood signs were awarded and will soon be installed. Saturday, November 19 is
election day and we should vote YES for amendment which will prevent future home sales tax.
4. Tony DiGerolamo (administrative assistant to Councilman Bill Townsend) offered the following information:
The repair of flood damaged streets has been funded again.
Code enforcement has been very busy with reported code violations. Citizens can call the office or report
violations on line.
Harvey Blvd. will be resurfaced from Manhattan to Wall Blvd.
Because Barataria Blvd is a state highway, the fly-over ramps at the expressway are funded.
The expressway ramps at Peters Road and Manhattan Blvd. are being designed, but waiting on funding.
Ramps at Peters Road will have first priority.
The office of Inspector General was approved at the last election, as well as the funding.
5. Susan Maclay (President of the SE LA Flood Protection Authority - West) showed pictures of the breached
levee and flooding at Boomtown during tropical storm Lee. This would have been prevented if the GIWW flood
gate had been closed before the water level reached 4 feet above sea level. With the help of Giuseppe
Miserendino (Regional Director of SE LA FPA-W) and Peggy Bourgeois (HCIA Executive Director), Susan
discussed the following issues needing resolution.
maintenance of the inner Harvey Canal levee to protect businesses inside the flood wall.
procedures for the operation of the GIWW flood gate and pump station
water elevation in the industrial canal at which the GIWW gate will be closed
funding and responsibility for maintenance and operation of the GIWW gate and pump station (The state will
likely fund the maintenance and operation.)
quality of the earthen levees on the west side of the Harvey Canal and Westwego (The amount and size of
debris found in the levees do not comply with the specifications.)
6. Susan stated the features of the building for the Emergency Operations Center:
built in 2007 and 2008 in an existing warehouse
designed to withstand 200 mph winds
4000 square feet, sleeps 56 people, large kitchen and appliances
operations room with direct communication to the JP EOC in Gretna
2 generators with 2 weeks of fuel storage
capable of running on diesel, natural gas or propane
7. An officer from the JPSO briefly discussed the Neighborhood Watch program and handed out application
forms. Anyone wishing to start this program for their street, block or neighborhood can call the Crime
Prevention Unit at 376-2401.
8. Bob adjourned the meeting.
********************************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: September 20, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie, Mike Biondolillo, Charles Saucier,
William (Billy) Arnold and the general membership
Absent: Tony Quaglino, Terry Clark, Lynette Bourg
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. The next meeting will be held at the Command Center for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection
Authority West located at 7001 River Road Marrero.
3. October 11 is Night Out Against Crime. WOCA will host a social at the Par 3 park or the Woodland
West Swim Club.
4. Michael O’Brien is running against Ricky Templet for District 1 council position. Michael gave a brief
description of his background and reasons for running for this position.
5. Ricky Templet is state representative for District 85 and is also running for District 1 Councilman.
Ricky gave a list of his accomplishments as state rep and his reasons for running for councilman.
6. Gerard Jackson is state representative for District 87. Effective January 2012, WOCA will be moved
to District 87 as part of the state re-districting. Gerald is in his second term and cannot run again. He gave
a brief history of his background and offered his contact information to the citizens. His office number is
349-0030. This and other contact information will be posted on our website WOCA-harvey.org.
7. Rocky Asevedo is running for state representative for District 105. This district is mostly
Plaquemines Parish but now includes some of southeastern Jefferson Parish. He is a licensed
professional councilor for at-risk youths.
8. Bill Townsend explained the job of the Inspector General and how this person will be selected by a
committee of 5 professionals from the local colleges.
9. Chris Roberts (Councilman at Large) explained how the FEMA money for street repairs is not yet
available, since FEMA is strapped for money after the recent disasters. He still expects FEMA to honor its
commitment.
10. Mike McAuliffe announced October 15 is National Fire Prevention Week and offered safety
brochures to the public.
11. Bob adjourned the meeting.
********************************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: July 19, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie, Lynette Bourg, Mike Biondolillo,
Terry Clark, William (Billy) Arnold and the general membership
Absent: Tony Quaglino, Charles Saucier
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Bill Townsend is our interim councilman till January 2012 and he discussed the following:
• The drainage work on Vulcan is complete and the street work on Vulcan will not be completed until early
2012.
• Some members complained about the workmanship of the concrete finish on Vulcan and Bill promised to
investigate.
• The neighborhood signs have been awarded to Creative Gardens.
• The streets of the neighborhood will be surveyed for damage and an engineering firm will decide which
repairs to make with the money obtained from FEMA.
• The retention pond may need some maintenance to correct areas where the dirt has caved-in, behind
Telstar.
3. Ricky Templet is our state representative until January 2012. He is not seeking re-election and will
instead run for District 1 councilman. He offered the following information:
• The redistricting of Louisiana has moved our neighborhood into District 87 with west Harvey and Marrero.
He will bring a district map to our next meeting.
• Ricky has been instrumental in getting the drug known as bath salts designated as illegal.
• Back ground checks are now required for employees who care for the elderly.
4. Guisseppe Miserendino is the regional director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority -
West and he gave a slide show presentation to explain the current status of our flood protection:
• We have spent about $4 billion on West bank flood protection since Katrina and all of the work is
scheduled to be completed by June 2012.
• There are 3 significant incomplete projects: 1) western tie-in levee across highway 90 to the Mississippi
River in the eastern end of St. Charles Parish, 2) Harvey Canal walls and GIWW, and 3) eastern tie-in from the
GIWW across highway 23 to the Mississippi River.
• Highway 90 must be closed with Hasco baskets until the completion of a gate across the road.
• Highway 90 and highway 23 will be closed after tropical storm winds become present, because these
roads are also major evacuation routes.
• Sector gates will be installed in Bayou Segnette in Westwego and Bayou Verret in St. Charles Parish,
similar to, but smaller than the gates in the Harvey Canal.
• Members of the SE LA Flood Protection Authority are continually inspecting the work of the COE and have
insisted on many repairs and corrections.
• The responsibility for maintenance and operation of the GIWW is still a topic of discussion and a
resolution is not yet reached. The state of LA will most likely be responsible.
5. Mike McAuliffe with the JPFD offered some safety tips and mentioned KFC will build a new restaurant on
Manhattan Blvd. about 3 blocks south of the WB Expressway.
6. Bob noted that recent pictured of the GIWW can be viewed at our web site, www.woca-harvey.org. Bob
hopes to arrange a tour of the facility in the fall.
7. State representative of District 87, Gerard Jackson was invited to attend our meeting but did not show.
8. Bob adjourned the meeting.
******************************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: May 17, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie, Lynette Bourg and the general
membership
Absent: Terry Clark, Tony Quaglino, Mike Biondolillo, Charles Saucier, William (Billy) Arnold
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Bob made the following announcements:
• A Hurricane Preparedness Expo will be held in Lafreniere Park on Saturday, May 21, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
• Citizens can sign up for emergency alert notifications by visiting the JeffParish.net website and clicking on
Online Services and then JP Emergency Alert System Registration. Notices can be electronically delivered by
phone, email or text.
3. Clerk of Court, Jon Gegenheimer explained the duties and improvements of his office:
• The primary function of his office is the security of public records, such as marriage licenses, real estate
transactions and court records. He took office in 1988.
• All records are now stored electronically with redundant hard drives located at separate and secure
locations. There are about 14 million documents and 48 million pages stored.
• His office also handles elections and assigns election commissioners for each precinct. A typical election
cost $15000 to $18000 per precinct.
• Jury management is also a duty of this office. The court house has a new jury pool room with WIFI. 90% of
jury duty applicants only serve one day.
• In 1988, the clerk had 380 employees and now due to modern technology has only 260.
• The office is funded by fees and not by taxes. In 1988 there was a $1 million deficit and now there is an
$11 million surplus.
• For a fee of $50 per month, all records can be accessed online. There are about 900 subscribers to this
service. The general public can go to the court house and access records using the computer terminals.
• Citizens may visit www.jpclerkofcourt.us for jury duty instructions and office phone numbers.
4. Tony DiGerolamo (assistant to Councilman Bill Townsend for District 1) and Brett Lawson (assistant to
Councilman-at-Large Chris Roberts) offered the following information:
• The Spanish Oaks Swim Club will likely be claimed by the Parish after 3 years of unpaid taxes. This is
about 2 years away. JP is maintaining the property to keep it safe.
• The work on Vulcan Dr. should be completed by July 1.
• FEMA has granted JP $100 million for flooded street repairs and the WOCA area will see a significant
amount of these funds for repairs.
• All citizens are encouraged to report blight, street damage and any nuisances to the council by phone or
email. Visit woca-harvey.com or jeffparish.net for contact information.
• The code enforcement web site will have the status of all reported code violations.
5. Ricky Templet gave a brief account of the recent legislation session. He sponsored a bill to make it
illegal to distribute and use artificial marijuana, which looks like potpourri, and “bath salts.”
6. Bob gave an update on the status of the GIWW floodgate and pump station. The floodgate is complete
and operational. We will have maximum surge protection this hurricane season and partial pump capacity.
7. Officer Chad Dear with the JPSO District 2 announced that the new District 2 office is fully operational and
located at 1900 Manhattan Blvd. The phone number is 598-5828 and should only be used for non-emergency
requests, such as street patrols. Use 911 for all emergencies and reporting of any suspicious activity.
8. Bob adjourned the meeting.
**********************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: January 16, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Mike Biondolillo, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie and the general
membership
Absent: Charles Saucier, William (Billy) Arnold, Terry Clark, Tony Quaglino, Lynette Bourg
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Brian Parks (architect) of Greg Cantrell, Inc., showed us the latest drawings of the neighborhood signs:
• The signs will be made of polystyrene and the letters will be powder-coated metal. The entire sign will
weigh about 200 lbs. and designed to cause minimum damage if struck by a vehicle.
• One sign will be placed on Lapalco near Apollo and the other sign will be place on Manhattan near
Bradford Drive.
3. Councilman Tom Capella discussed current construction activities:
• Manhattan Blvd will be resurfaced from Lapalco to Harvey Blvd.
• The Huey P. Long Bridge is scheduled to be complete in 2013.
• Some improvements to street drainage are under way in Woodland West and throughout JP.
• FEMA has given JP almost $100 million for street repair as a result of damage caused by Hurricane
Katrina.
• The old Evan Cooperage property is being considered as a site for a casino. The councilman will report
back on ownership and clean-up of the property activity.
4. Bob outlined the status of the GIWW gate and pump station.
• The pump station area is now flooded and some pumps will be operational this summer.
• The sector gates will be floated into place in April 2011.
• By end of June 2011, we will have flood protection from tidal surge.
• The final elevation of all walls and levees will provide protection to 16 feet above sea level.
• Total completion is scheduled for 2013.
• Operation and maintenance are still undetermined.
• See WOCA-harvey.org web site for pictures and links.
5. Captain Ronnie Platt briefly discussed crime in Jefferson Parish.
• For 2010, crime in JP was significantly down, except murder.
• For MLK day, New Orleans had 5 murders. JP had one murder.
• Unlocked cars are the easiest target for thieves. Always lock your vehicle.
6. Mike McAuliffe offered the following information from the fire department.
• During 2010 the fire department received 650 calls and 25% were fires.
• Mike has flyers for disaster preparation and home safety.
• A new state law requires new home construction to include a smoke alarm with lithium battery. The sale
of a home requires it to have a smoke alarm.
7. Bob adjourned the meeting.
*************************************************************************************************************
Location: Emergency Operations Center for SE Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - West
Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Estle Neie, Mike Biondolillo, William (Billy) Arnold and the general
membership
Absent: Tony Quaglino, Charles Saucier, Terry Clark, Lynette Bourg, Patricia Randazzo
1. Bob called the meeting to order.
2. Captain Ronnie Platt (JPSO) was unable to attend but he did report through Bob that the young man
mutilating cats in the neighborhood was arrested, and there was a shooting on the 2900 block of Manhattan
Blvd. Monday night, November 14.
3. Bob reported the neighborhood signs were awarded and will soon be installed. Saturday, November 19 is
election day and we should vote YES for amendment which will prevent future home sales tax.
4. Tony DiGerolamo (administrative assistant to Councilman Bill Townsend) offered the following information:
The repair of flood damaged streets has been funded again.
Code enforcement has been very busy with reported code violations. Citizens can call the office or report
violations on line.
Harvey Blvd. will be resurfaced from Manhattan to Wall Blvd.
Because Barataria Blvd is a state highway, the fly-over ramps at the expressway are funded.
The expressway ramps at Peters Road and Manhattan Blvd. are being designed, but waiting on funding.
Ramps at Peters Road will have first priority.
The office of Inspector General was approved at the last election, as well as the funding.
5. Susan Maclay (President of the SE LA Flood Protection Authority - West) showed pictures of the breached
levee and flooding at Boomtown during tropical storm Lee. This would have been prevented if the GIWW flood
gate had been closed before the water level reached 4 feet above sea level. With the help of Giuseppe
Miserendino (Regional Director of SE LA FPA-W) and Peggy Bourgeois (HCIA Executive Director), Susan
discussed the following issues needing resolution.
maintenance of the inner Harvey Canal levee to protect businesses inside the flood wall.
procedures for the operation of the GIWW flood gate and pump station
water elevation in the industrial canal at which the GIWW gate will be closed
funding and responsibility for maintenance and operation of the GIWW gate and pump station (The state will
likely fund the maintenance and operation.)
quality of the earthen levees on the west side of the Harvey Canal and Westwego (The amount and size of
debris found in the levees do not comply with the specifications.)
6. Susan stated the features of the building for the Emergency Operations Center:
built in 2007 and 2008 in an existing warehouse
designed to withstand 200 mph winds
4000 square feet, sleeps 56 people, large kitchen and appliances
operations room with direct communication to the JP EOC in Gretna
2 generators with 2 weeks of fuel storage
capable of running on diesel, natural gas or propane
7. An officer from the JPSO briefly discussed the Neighborhood Watch program and handed out application
forms. Anyone wishing to start this program for their street, block or neighborhood can call the Crime
Prevention Unit at 376-2401.
8. Bob adjourned the meeting.
********************************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: September 20, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie, Mike Biondolillo, Charles Saucier,
William (Billy) Arnold and the general membership
Absent: Tony Quaglino, Terry Clark, Lynette Bourg
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. The next meeting will be held at the Command Center for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection
Authority West located at 7001 River Road Marrero.
3. October 11 is Night Out Against Crime. WOCA will host a social at the Par 3 park or the Woodland
West Swim Club.
4. Michael O’Brien is running against Ricky Templet for District 1 council position. Michael gave a brief
description of his background and reasons for running for this position.
5. Ricky Templet is state representative for District 85 and is also running for District 1 Councilman.
Ricky gave a list of his accomplishments as state rep and his reasons for running for councilman.
6. Gerard Jackson is state representative for District 87. Effective January 2012, WOCA will be moved
to District 87 as part of the state re-districting. Gerald is in his second term and cannot run again. He gave
a brief history of his background and offered his contact information to the citizens. His office number is
349-0030. This and other contact information will be posted on our website WOCA-harvey.org.
7. Rocky Asevedo is running for state representative for District 105. This district is mostly
Plaquemines Parish but now includes some of southeastern Jefferson Parish. He is a licensed
professional councilor for at-risk youths.
8. Bill Townsend explained the job of the Inspector General and how this person will be selected by a
committee of 5 professionals from the local colleges.
9. Chris Roberts (Councilman at Large) explained how the FEMA money for street repairs is not yet
available, since FEMA is strapped for money after the recent disasters. He still expects FEMA to honor its
commitment.
10. Mike McAuliffe announced October 15 is National Fire Prevention Week and offered safety
brochures to the public.
11. Bob adjourned the meeting.
********************************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: July 19, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie, Lynette Bourg, Mike Biondolillo,
Terry Clark, William (Billy) Arnold and the general membership
Absent: Tony Quaglino, Charles Saucier
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Bill Townsend is our interim councilman till January 2012 and he discussed the following:
• The drainage work on Vulcan is complete and the street work on Vulcan will not be completed until early
2012.
• Some members complained about the workmanship of the concrete finish on Vulcan and Bill promised to
investigate.
• The neighborhood signs have been awarded to Creative Gardens.
• The streets of the neighborhood will be surveyed for damage and an engineering firm will decide which
repairs to make with the money obtained from FEMA.
• The retention pond may need some maintenance to correct areas where the dirt has caved-in, behind
Telstar.
3. Ricky Templet is our state representative until January 2012. He is not seeking re-election and will
instead run for District 1 councilman. He offered the following information:
• The redistricting of Louisiana has moved our neighborhood into District 87 with west Harvey and Marrero.
He will bring a district map to our next meeting.
• Ricky has been instrumental in getting the drug known as bath salts designated as illegal.
• Back ground checks are now required for employees who care for the elderly.
4. Guisseppe Miserendino is the regional director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority -
West and he gave a slide show presentation to explain the current status of our flood protection:
• We have spent about $4 billion on West bank flood protection since Katrina and all of the work is
scheduled to be completed by June 2012.
• There are 3 significant incomplete projects: 1) western tie-in levee across highway 90 to the Mississippi
River in the eastern end of St. Charles Parish, 2) Harvey Canal walls and GIWW, and 3) eastern tie-in from the
GIWW across highway 23 to the Mississippi River.
• Highway 90 must be closed with Hasco baskets until the completion of a gate across the road.
• Highway 90 and highway 23 will be closed after tropical storm winds become present, because these
roads are also major evacuation routes.
• Sector gates will be installed in Bayou Segnette in Westwego and Bayou Verret in St. Charles Parish,
similar to, but smaller than the gates in the Harvey Canal.
• Members of the SE LA Flood Protection Authority are continually inspecting the work of the COE and have
insisted on many repairs and corrections.
• The responsibility for maintenance and operation of the GIWW is still a topic of discussion and a
resolution is not yet reached. The state of LA will most likely be responsible.
5. Mike McAuliffe with the JPFD offered some safety tips and mentioned KFC will build a new restaurant on
Manhattan Blvd. about 3 blocks south of the WB Expressway.
6. Bob noted that recent pictured of the GIWW can be viewed at our web site, www.woca-harvey.org. Bob
hopes to arrange a tour of the facility in the fall.
7. State representative of District 87, Gerard Jackson was invited to attend our meeting but did not show.
8. Bob adjourned the meeting.
******************************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: May 17, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie, Lynette Bourg and the general
membership
Absent: Terry Clark, Tony Quaglino, Mike Biondolillo, Charles Saucier, William (Billy) Arnold
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Bob made the following announcements:
• A Hurricane Preparedness Expo will be held in Lafreniere Park on Saturday, May 21, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
• Citizens can sign up for emergency alert notifications by visiting the JeffParish.net website and clicking on
Online Services and then JP Emergency Alert System Registration. Notices can be electronically delivered by
phone, email or text.
3. Clerk of Court, Jon Gegenheimer explained the duties and improvements of his office:
• The primary function of his office is the security of public records, such as marriage licenses, real estate
transactions and court records. He took office in 1988.
• All records are now stored electronically with redundant hard drives located at separate and secure
locations. There are about 14 million documents and 48 million pages stored.
• His office also handles elections and assigns election commissioners for each precinct. A typical election
cost $15000 to $18000 per precinct.
• Jury management is also a duty of this office. The court house has a new jury pool room with WIFI. 90% of
jury duty applicants only serve one day.
• In 1988, the clerk had 380 employees and now due to modern technology has only 260.
• The office is funded by fees and not by taxes. In 1988 there was a $1 million deficit and now there is an
$11 million surplus.
• For a fee of $50 per month, all records can be accessed online. There are about 900 subscribers to this
service. The general public can go to the court house and access records using the computer terminals.
• Citizens may visit www.jpclerkofcourt.us for jury duty instructions and office phone numbers.
4. Tony DiGerolamo (assistant to Councilman Bill Townsend for District 1) and Brett Lawson (assistant to
Councilman-at-Large Chris Roberts) offered the following information:
• The Spanish Oaks Swim Club will likely be claimed by the Parish after 3 years of unpaid taxes. This is
about 2 years away. JP is maintaining the property to keep it safe.
• The work on Vulcan Dr. should be completed by July 1.
• FEMA has granted JP $100 million for flooded street repairs and the WOCA area will see a significant
amount of these funds for repairs.
• All citizens are encouraged to report blight, street damage and any nuisances to the council by phone or
email. Visit woca-harvey.com or jeffparish.net for contact information.
• The code enforcement web site will have the status of all reported code violations.
5. Ricky Templet gave a brief account of the recent legislation session. He sponsored a bill to make it
illegal to distribute and use artificial marijuana, which looks like potpourri, and “bath salts.”
6. Bob gave an update on the status of the GIWW floodgate and pump station. The floodgate is complete
and operational. We will have maximum surge protection this hurricane season and partial pump capacity.
7. Officer Chad Dear with the JPSO District 2 announced that the new District 2 office is fully operational and
located at 1900 Manhattan Blvd. The phone number is 598-5828 and should only be used for non-emergency
requests, such as street patrols. Use 911 for all emergencies and reporting of any suspicious activity.
8. Bob adjourned the meeting.
**********************************************************************************************************
Woodland Oaks Civic Association
Meeting Minutes
Date: January 16, 2011 Type: General
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM Location: Faith Presbyterian Church Minutes Prepared by: Lynn Folse
Attendees: Robert (Bob) Grace, Lynn Folse, Mike Biondolillo, Patricia Randazzo, Estle Neie and the general
membership
Absent: Charles Saucier, William (Billy) Arnold, Terry Clark, Tony Quaglino, Lynette Bourg
1. Bob called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Brian Parks (architect) of Greg Cantrell, Inc., showed us the latest drawings of the neighborhood signs:
• The signs will be made of polystyrene and the letters will be powder-coated metal. The entire sign will
weigh about 200 lbs. and designed to cause minimum damage if struck by a vehicle.
• One sign will be placed on Lapalco near Apollo and the other sign will be place on Manhattan near
Bradford Drive.
3. Councilman Tom Capella discussed current construction activities:
• Manhattan Blvd will be resurfaced from Lapalco to Harvey Blvd.
• The Huey P. Long Bridge is scheduled to be complete in 2013.
• Some improvements to street drainage are under way in Woodland West and throughout JP.
• FEMA has given JP almost $100 million for street repair as a result of damage caused by Hurricane
Katrina.
• The old Evan Cooperage property is being considered as a site for a casino. The councilman will report
back on ownership and clean-up of the property activity.
4. Bob outlined the status of the GIWW gate and pump station.
• The pump station area is now flooded and some pumps will be operational this summer.
• The sector gates will be floated into place in April 2011.
• By end of June 2011, we will have flood protection from tidal surge.
• The final elevation of all walls and levees will provide protection to 16 feet above sea level.
• Total completion is scheduled for 2013.
• Operation and maintenance are still undetermined.
• See WOCA-harvey.org web site for pictures and links.
5. Captain Ronnie Platt briefly discussed crime in Jefferson Parish.
• For 2010, crime in JP was significantly down, except murder.
• For MLK day, New Orleans had 5 murders. JP had one murder.
• Unlocked cars are the easiest target for thieves. Always lock your vehicle.
6. Mike McAuliffe offered the following information from the fire department.
• During 2010 the fire department received 650 calls and 25% were fires.
• Mike has flyers for disaster preparation and home safety.
• A new state law requires new home construction to include a smoke alarm with lithium battery. The sale
of a home requires it to have a smoke alarm.
7. Bob adjourned the meeting.
*************************************************************************************************************
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