What's Up Downtown
22 April 2016 Issue
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS RELEASES
BICYCLE SHARE SYSTEM 'REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS'

 
Affordable and accessible transportation option for residents
 
The City of New Orleans is calling for Request for Proposals (RFP) for the private operation and financing of a comprehensive bicycle share system. The system is expected to serve a wide range of residents and visitors across neighborhoods and provide year-round, equitable access to worksites and destinations. All proposals must be privately financed. No public dollars will be spent on the implementation, operation or maintenance of the system. Click here to download the RFP.

MAYOR TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE IN NEW ORLEANS
 
 

The Mayor will outline steps the City has taken to reduce violence and issue a call to action for the New Orleans community.
 
The speech is open to the public. Those who are not able to attend are encouraged to follow @mayorlandrieu and @NOLA_FOR_LIFE on Twitter for live tweeting of the event using the hashtag #N4L.
 
925 Common New Retail

 

Belmont Commons, LLC and 925 Common Luxury Apartments are pleased to announce the imminent opening of their first retail tenant, The Rooster Club, Barbers of New Orleans. The Rooster Club is a full-service, upscale men's barbershop, which will occupy 1,800 square feet at 925 Common Street across from the Wyndham - Baronne and Moxy hotels.
 
An announcement of a 6,500+ square foot destination restaurant tenant at the corner of Common Street and Roosevelt Way is coming soon. One 2,000+ square foot retail space remains available. The sidewalk improvements to facilitate the street retail expansion were completed in participation with the DDD's Sidewalk Enhancement Grant program.

WEDNESDAY AT THE SQUARE

Kermit Ruffins will be the featured performer at the April 27 Wednesday at the Square Concert at Lafayette Square. Also performing will be Trumpet Mafia.

The 12-week concert series will continue each Wednesday through June 1. The Young Leadership Council presents the weekly event that features live music, food and beverages and arts and crafts. The DDD is a major sponsor. For a complete list of performers and to volunteer, CLICK HERE.

NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENTS 2016 NATIONAL POETRY MONTH EVENTS SCHEDULE
                             

This month marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Over the years, National Poetry Month has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry's vital place in our culture. 
  
The New Orleans Public Library is celebrating with events that include a workshop and reading by Louisiana Poet Laureate Peter Cooley, Pothole Poetry and Pizza Poetry for teens, and multiple readings by local poets. Click here for more details and poetry related programs.

The Wonderful Indonesia Festival
                             
 
The first Wonderful Indonesia Festival ever produced in the U.S. Scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Riverwalk's Spanish Plaza, the event will provide an opportunity for visitors and locals to discover more about the Asian country through its music, food and traditional dances.
 
The free event will also offer a chance to win a vacation for two to Bali - one of the country's premier vacation destinations.
 
Please visit www.wonderfulindonesiafestival.org for more information.

JAMMIN' ON JULIA
 
                             

The Arts District of New Orleans annual fundraising event Jammin' on Julia is set to take place on May 7 from 6-9pm. It is a free spring festival where visitors stroll through historic and artful Julia Street. It will coincide with the relaunch and rebranding of the district. In addition to the usual First Saturday Gallery Openings, each gallery will host a musical guest, the street will be closed to create a more exciting and open atmosphere for patrons, and local restaurants will setup for food vending in the street.

ADAM PENDLETON: BECOMING IMPERCEPTIBLE 
EXHIBITION ON VIEW NOW-JUNE 16, 2016 AT THE CAC
 

The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans (CAC) presents Adam Pendleton: Becoming Imperceptible, the largest solo museum presentation of the artist's work in the United States. Including film, wall paintings, ceramics, silkscreens (on mylar, plexiglass, steel, and canvas), the exhibition frames the artist's oeuvre as a complex dialogue between culture and system, a body of work invested in the cross-referencing of aesthetic and social histories.
 
LeMieux Galleries Art Listings
 

Jon Langford
Song Paintings
Now - May 28, 2016
Special Jazz Fest Reception
Thursday April 28th from 7-9 PM
 
Mama's Nightingale
Now - April 30, 2016
Original illustrations by Leslie Staub
 
LeMieux Galleries, 332 Julia Street, 504-522-5988

TRAFFIC ADVISORIES for Downtown


 
Picayune Pl.
Picayune Pl., between Natchez and Gravier streets closed to vehicular traffic with no on-street parking, during work hours while crews perform exploratory excavation work. Due to underground utility conflicts, the Sewerage and Water Board must redesign placement of the new waterline prior to installation. Once exploratory excavation work is completed, the street will be temporarily asphalted and open to vehicular traffic until waterline replacement work begins.
 
Waterline replacement work is scheduled to begin in March 2016 and last approximately three months. During this time Picayune Pl., between Natchez and Gravier streets, will be closed to vehicular traffic with no on-street parking, during work hours.
 
Gravier St.
Going on now and lasting in the summer months, Gravier St. between Baronne and O'Keefe streets will be closed to vehicular traffic with no on-street parking, during work hours.
 
The scope of work includes excavating a portion of the roadway, replacing damaged or leaking water lines, placing fill material beneath the roadway, and paving the damaged portion of the roadway.
 
In general, construction crews will be working from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Work on the weekends is not anticipated; however, inclement weather may alter the project schedule. Residents are reminded to use caution when driving, bicycling and walking near construction sites.
 
Work in the Central Business District / French Quarter began in January 2014 and is scheduled to last through summer 2016. The construction contract was awarded to Boh Brothers Construction for $6.8 million.
 
For more information about these projects, or to sign up for regular e-mail status updates on the FEMA-funded Waterline Replacement Program, contact Kristen Sawyer at kksawyer@nola.gov or 504-658-8483.

TRAFFIC COORDINATION MAP 

View Areas Impacted by Construction

 

City of New Orleans Department of Public Works has traffic coordination maps for the major portions of the City that are currently being impacted by construction including Downtown New Orleans. Visit www.nola.gov/dpw/traffic-coordination to view them. The maps are updated every 2 weeks.

 
DOWNTOWN NOLA APP

Downtown in the Palm of Your Hands

Download the free Downtown NOLA Mobile App featuring the Downtown guide, SafeWalk and ways to communicate directly with the DDD about Downtown matters. Download now by clicking on one of the links below to have Downtown NOLA in the palm of your hand.

ADD YOUR BUSINESS TO THE DDD WEBSITE

Downtown organizations may register and add their company and/or event to the site for free. Click here to begin your post. 

 

Don't miss this opportunity to let us help promote you!

 

And be sure to follow us on Twitter @DDDNewOrleans & Instagram @DDDNewOrleans and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/DowntownNola. 
SAFECAMNOLA.COM 

Register Your Security Camera with NOPD to Help Fight Crime

 

If you own a security camera in New Orleans, you can now register it with NOPD to help detectives solve crimes in your neighborhood and provide strong evidence to put offenders away. 

 

The New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, in partnership with the NOPD, launched a new online service called Safecam NOLA.  The program allows residents and business owners to register their security cameras with New Orleans Police. The SafecamNOLA project is an expansion of "Safecam8," which was an on-line program that Downtown residents and business owners in the Eighth Police District have been using for years to register their cameras with Eighth District police.  The 1,302 8th District cameras that are in that system are now included in the citywide SafecamNOLA system.  

 

Please visit www.SafecamNOLA.com to enroll today.

 
RECYCLING BINS BEING DELIVERED DOWNTOWN
Glass Recycling Included 

Citizens in Downtown New Orleans can call 311 to request delivery of the blue recycling bins if their property is eligible for collection by the City.
 
Residents and small businesses can recycle paper, small metals, cardboard and plastics (#1-#7) on Tuesday of each week. Glass will be collected on Thursday.
 
Collection of recyclable materials operated by Empire Services. For more information visit www.nola.gov. 

RTA INCREASED BUS SERVICE

The RTA Board of Commissioners has increased bus service by over 11 percent to support more job access and make weekend and late evening travel more convenient. Click here for the new schedule.
 
These changes include 5am start times and 24 hour service on many routes used by commuters to access Downtown employment centers, education facilities, and medical care.
 
These service enhancements are designed to restore weekend service in many areas, improve neighborhood access, provide connectivity to major transit lines, and increase frequency on many lines. Additionally, an express line has been added to the Louis Armstrong International Airport to provide access to jobs at the airport and at the new terminal construction site.