Following the Crime Walk, neighbors and friends are welcome to attend a light reception where we will discuss our neighborhood vision for Comiskey Park. As you may be aware, there are great efforts in our neighborhood to restore the former amenities of Comiskey Park and the Mayor has recently announced that it will receive approximately $10 million in capital funding for a redesign. A group of concerned citizens will be available after the Crime Walk to talk to residents about their vision for the Park and to recruit members of “Friends of Comiskey Park.” The Friends of Comiskey currently includes members of the neighborhood and a growing group of young adults interested in making this park a continued asset to the neighborhood.

Please join us on Thursday Evening for the Crime Walk and the Launch Party of the “Friends of Comiskey Park”. Following is a link to the informational flyer, MCNO Crime_Walk_Zone_F_August 25, 2010. Please pass this information to your friends, neighbors and constituents.

District A Budgeting Meeting, Tues, Aug. 10

  Councilperson Guidry and Mayor Landrieu will host a meeting to review the budget constraints that our City is facing. This is your chance to give input on what priorities matter to you. The District “A” meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10th at Grace Episcopal Church, located at 3700 Canal Street; doors open at 6 p.m. The meeting will include break-out sessions designed to gather as much public input as possible. You do not need to live in District A to attend, although there will also be a District B meeting at a later date.

Two Laffite Corridor Meetings – Aug. 9 and 13  

On Monday, Aug. 9, from 2-3pm, there will be a Selection Committee meeting to evaluate proposals for the Lafitte Corridor design team. Public is invited to attend. Meeting will be held at the City Planning Commission Conference Room (1340 Poydras, 9th floor).

On Friday, Aug. 13 at 9am, the Lafitte Greenway Steering Advisory Committee will meet. This is a group of citizens charged by the Mayor with helping direct and supervise the development of the Lafitte Corridor. Public is invited and comments are accepted. Meeting will be held at the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, 2322 Canal St. The group announced it will continue discussion of the Committee’s mission and vision for the Lafitte Greenway/Lafitte Corridor Revitalization Project and hear news regarding progress towards selection of a design team for the project.

City Council Considers Master Plan and Canal Street
Protection – Aug 12  

At its regular meeting on August 12 (10am, City Council Chambers at 1300 Perdido Street), the City Council will consider passage of the Master Plan. Also, Councilperson Guidry will make a motion for upper Canal Street to be added to the Inner City Urban Corridor status already in the works for lower Canal Street. The ICUC status gives an additional measure of review and oversight to signage, building design, alchohol permits, business types, and other quality of life issues for new businesses that come to the area. It is a great benefit for Mid-City as it ensures that new business is compatible, both in use and in appearance, with our historic residential neighborhood.

Safety tip: To avoid heat exhausion this summer, stay out of the sun and stay hydrated.

A great place to beat the heat and hydrate yourself is:

the MCNO Mixer on Tuesday, August 17th

5:00 – 7:00 pm

at the newly re-opened Katie’s Restaurant

3701 Iberville St.

Drink Specials for Mixer Guests:
$4 Mint Mojitos
$5 Stoli Martinis
2 for 1 Beer

Free off-street parking is available in the lot located in the 200 block of N. Telemachus St. Enter on N Telemachus, exit on Bienville.

Here’s to the triumphant return of a Mid-City favorite!

See you there!

 MCNO Annual Community Picnic

Monday, July 5, 2010

6:00—8:00 p.m. 

Grace Episcopal Church

3700 Canal Street

(between Cortez and Telemachus Streets)

Free, family-friendly event open to all Mid-Citizens 

Come enjoy food and drinks donated by local favorites:

Angelo Brocatos

Finn McCool’s Irish Pub

Parkway Bakery

The Ruby Slipper Cafe

Venezia’s  Pizzeria

and

WOW Wingery

Come out and meet your neighbors!

Picnic Announcement

Movie Night is a family-friendly, free event open to everyone who loves Mid-City (and the Princess Bride!)

• Mainland Mojitos $3.75
• Buckets of Domestic Beer $10
• Bottles of Wine (Pinot Grigio, Chardonay, Reisling, Merlot and Cab Sav.) $15

Date:
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Time:
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Location:
Preservation Resource Center
Street:
923 Tchoupitoulas St
City/Town:
New Orleans, LA

View Map
Description
Event Details:

Tuesday, June 8, 2010
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. “Elevating Your Historic Home”
7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. “Properties for Sale in a Historic Neighborhood”

At the PRC
923 Tchoupitoulas St.
(in the Warehouse District)

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. “Elevating Your Historic Home”
(Speakers TBA.)

7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. “Properties for Sale in a Historic Neighborhood”
Including a history of the neighborhood. (Neighborhood TBA.)

Free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Suzanne at 504.636.3399 or sblaum@prcno.org.

We have a new live music venue in Mid-City!

Let’s give our new business neighbors a warm, Mid-City welcome by packing the place for our upcoming

MCNO Mixer on Wednesday, May 26th!

Bayou Park Bar – 542 S. Jefferson Davis Hwy.

Beer specials: $1.50 domestic/$2.50 import
Mixed Drinks: $2.50 well/$3.50 call

Lynn Drury takes the stage at 9:00 pm – free admission!

Cold drinks and cool music on a warm May day! Gotta love Mid-City!

See you there!

There are currently three open Zone Captain positions – zones A, G, and K. These positions will formally be filled during a special election that will be held at the next neighborhood meeting (Monday, June 7, 3700 Canal Street – Grace Episcopal – 6:30pm – 8:00pm). We currently have two candidates for Zone G, one candidate for Zone K and none for Zone A.

All board positions are filled by MCNO members, and only MCNO members can vote for them, even though board members represent all residents and property owners in their area of interest within Mid-City. We encourage all residents and property owners to join MCNO and vote. The Zone Captain is your representative and advocate within the MCNO board structure, and dues can be waived in cases of hardship. If you are uncertain if you are in one of these zones, click here.

NOMINATIONS: Online nominations are accepted in advance of the election, but must be made by noon on Friday, May 28. In person nominations are also accepted at the meeting. To nominate yourself or someone else, click here. Your information will be kept confidential.

VOTING: Online balloting for all Zone A and K nominations made by the deadline will begin Monday, May 31. At that time, biographies of all candidates will also be posted.

Online voting is already underway for Zone G, which was previously announced. Any new Zone G candidates added via the nomination process will be added to the existing online ballot. If you would like information on the existing Zone G candidates or would like to vote for one, click here

In-person votes for all candidates will also be accepted at the special election.

ABOUT NOMINEES: Zone Captains must have ties to the zone – either as residents, property owners, or business owners. (An exception may be made if no qualified individuals run for a zone.)

Zone Captains are full, voting board members that act as coordinators with and ambassadors for, the residents in their zone. They help residents in their zone prioritize their needs and desires for the zone, including such issues as education, blight, crime, zoning, and city planning. They also act as a liaison between NOPD and the residents for the block party activities any other major special events in their zone. The Zone Captain represents their Zone in Mid-City wide decisions and are responsible for gaining input from residents and taking a Zone-wide position on issues that arise relating to city planning, code enforcement, zoning, crime, and other quality of life issues. They bring their zone’s issues to the board for MCNO support.

Zone Captains are charged with building the capacity of members and volunteers within their Zone and can facilitate their job by creating a network of “go-to” people who can assist them. It is anticipated that Zone Captains will spend an average of five hours per week on their duties.

Festival Season is upon us!
What better way to herald in the season of live music and cold drinks than with live music and cold drinks!?!

The April MCNO Mixer is Tuesday, April 13, 2010 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Banks Street Bar
4401 Banks Street

For MCNO guests:
$1.50 domestic beer
$3.50 wine

Live music starts at 8:00 pm with Bradley’s Circus (all the way from the Netherlands!) and N’Awlins Johnnys! Admission is free!

See you there!

To fill out the resident response form, click here

To fill out the blighted property form, click here

Note that the Mayor-Elect’s Blight Task Force is currently creating a map of all blighted properties, so the more you report, the more well documented the Mid-City Neighborhood will be!