The Orleans Parish School Board has announced that it is extending the deadline for public comments for the School Facilities Master Plan to October 17 at 5 p.m. Numerous criticisms have already been lodged against the new plan, so perhaps the present board is recognizing the need for more public input before passing any proposed plan, which will affect the city’s public school landscape for decades.

     It’s no secret, however, that state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek is intent on getting the plan approved before the new school board takes office. To let your voice be heard, you can email your comments to masterplan@rsdla.net, or via mail:

Public Comment, Orleans Parish School Board, 3520 General De Gaulle Dr., NOLA 70114, or fax: 309-2875.

They have nothing more to say.

When asked if members of the American Society of Civil of Engineers should have accepted medals from the Corps of Engineers while the same ASCE members were reviewing the Corps’ investigation (IPET report) into the levee failures, ASCE declined comment.

Following up on this week’s print story, “Post-Katrina Cleansing?“ — regarding the civilian medals the Corps of Engineers presented to members of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ External Review Panel in February 2007, more than three months before the ERP issued its main report on the IPET — Gambit Weekly again asked (ASCE was contacted for the print article, but failed to respond) if it was a mistake for the ERP members to accept the awards?

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After repeatedly being misinformed by the Corps of Engineers about new low-rise pump technology, Sharon Duplessis says she and other concerned residents decided to go directly to the source. The result is tonight’s meeting hosted by the Lakeview Civic Improvement Association (and co-sponsored by another 11 neighborhood groups) being held at 6:30 p.m. at St. Dominic’s Gymnasium, 6300 block of Vicksburg Street behind St. Dominic’s Church on Harrison Avenue.  

Representatives from KSB, which is the third largest pump manufacturer in the world, and engineers from the Netherlands and Germany who have used the technology will explain how the low-rise pumps operate. High-level officials from the Corps of Engineers, including the new head of the Hurricane Protection Office, Colonel McCormick, a representative from Sen. Landrieu’s office and other public officials will be at the presentation. 

“Really it’s unprecedented in this country — 12 neighborhood organizations getting together and saying to the Corps that we don’t want your pumps,” Duplessis says.

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According to a City Hall spokesperson, the City still hasn’t executed any of the contracts for funding local HIV/AIDS agencies.

     As Gambit Weekly first pointed out in August (“What’s in Their Wallets?” ),   the city annually receives federal monies to fund local agencies that assist the 4,144 people living with HIV/AIDS in the New Orleans area. The fiscal year for this funding began in March with New Orleans receiving just over $7 million for primary care and support services. At this point, local AIDS/HIV agencies have gone almost seven months without any financial reimbursement. One local agency, In This Together, was paying its employees with personal credit card loans, and was eventually forced to stop providing case management services for clients.

      Now it appears another agency, N’R Peace, which primarily focuses on poor African American s, is headed in a similar direction.

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This press release is from the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters: Early voting will be held at the Registrar of Voters Offices at City Hall and the Algiers Courthouse for both the September 6^th and October 4^th elections, from 8:30am to 6:00pm, Saturday, September 20, 2008 through Saturday, September 27, 2008, except Sunday.  Free parking is provided at the City Hall site, on LaSalle and Perdido Streets, only where indicated, to include parking for persons with disabilities.  Parking is available at the Algiers Courthouse. Voters may enter the City Hall sites from the two front entrances on Perdido Street and the back entrance on Poydras Street only. No entry on LaSalle Street.Any questions, please call Donna Smith Brown at 658-8317, or Barbara Stafford at 658-8314.

 It appears that Jay Blossman, the outgoing chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC), broke a public service commission rule when he recently held a fundraiser for Eric Skrmetta, a Metairie Republican who is hoping to replace Blossman.

     Blossman hosted the fundraiser, which was $1000 per person/per couple, for Skrmetta at the Camelot Club in Baton Rouge on September 9. On September 10, the PSC’s regularly scheduled business and executive session took place at the PSC headquarters in Baton Rouge.

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The canal gates are closed at the Harvey Canal, 17^th Street Canal and the London Avenue Canal due to Hurricane Ike. With water rising in each of these outfall canals to what the Corps of Engineers refers to as the “operational trigger,” the Corps has decided to close the gates in order to maintain a safe water level in the canals.

     While the gates are closed, the Corps, working closely with New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, will use the temporary pumps at the canal gates in order to maximize drainage in the city.

     The gates at the Orleans Avenue Canal are not closed.

     “Orleans has a higher safe level of water,” says Corps spokesperson Amanda Jones, “so they probably won’t be closed. They didn’t close for Gustav either.” 

Wendell Curole’s family has been part of the Louisiana coast for five generations, but as he explains, hurricanes have forced the family to move north on several occasions. Originally, the family lived on Chenière Caminada, a small fishing island, but in 1893, a hurricane ripped through it, killing an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 people.

     What was left of Curole’s family migrated to Leeville. Unfortunately, in 1915 a Category 4 storm, touched down near Grand Isle, leaving 275 people dead, and Leeville in shambles. Curole’s family relocated this time to the area of Cutoff, Louisiana and Golden Meadow, Louisiana.

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What if Christmas was delayed, not just a day, but for six months? That’ll give you an idea of what it’s been like for local children’s music extraordinaires the Imagination Movers and their legions of preschool fans while they waited for the debut of the band’s new live-action television show. The wait is finally over, and the show premiers at 9 a.m. Saturday on the Disney Channel. Scott Durbin, the goateed Mover with Wobble Goggles, sums it up simply.

     “It took a long time,” Durbin says.

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If you’re done cleaning up the leaves and branches in your backyard, City Park is asking for help this Saturday in its 1300-acre backyard. Here’s a press release from City Park spokesman, John Hopper.

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