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Q: How did Hurricane Katrina impact the CBMC neighborhoods?
Q: Where are CBMC members?
Q: What is the post-Katrina hurricane evacuation plan for the impact area?
Q: What is the future of the IHNC lock replacement project?
Q: How will CBMC communities be affected by lock construction in 2006?
Q: What other planning efforts are being undertaken in CBMC neighborhoods post –Katrina?
Q: What needs have the CBMC identified for 2006 mitigation projects?
Q: What
mitigation funds have been spent?
Q: Why is this project being built?
Q: What is the construction schedule for the project?
Q:
Is the Lock
Replacement Project a canal-widening project?
Q:
Is it true that
people's homes will be purchased to build this project?
Q:
Will there be
years of continuous disruption during construction?
Q:
What should
the residents do during the long periods that the Claiborne and St. Claude
Bridges will be closed?
Q:
What should
the residents do during the long periods of significant traffic congestion
on neighborhood streets?
Q:
Why was this
project "shoved down the throat" of the surrounding neighborhoods?
Q:
How can this
project be constructed when it will damage private property? Will the
Corps respond to legitimate claims of damage?
Q:
What has the
Community-Based Mitigation Committee (CBMC) accomplished so far?
Q: Will
the lock or Canal be widened outside the floodwalls?
Q: Will the Mitigation Plan include funds for repairing
homes damaged by construction?
Q: How do I qualify for contract work with the Corps?
Q: How will residents and workers be protected during construction?
Q: Will the Mitigation Plan include money to repair streets
torn up by construction contractors' trucks?
Q: How did Hurricane Katrina impact the CBMC neighborhoods?
Due to the levee failures on the east and west sides of the Industrial Canal, CBMC neighborhoods were extensively flooded. In addition to wind and rain damage caused by the hurricane, substantial impacts of life and property occurred.
Impacts from the hurricane and flooding affected housing, businesses, schools, and community resources such as libraries and parks, fire and police stations. Levee failures on the east side of the canal greatly devastated housing in the Lower Ninth Ward, with flooding extending into Holy Cross. On the west side of the canal, extensive flooding from levee breaks also damaged homes and businesses in St. Claude, Desire/Florida, and parts of the Bywater neighborhoods.
- 87.5% of the impact area population was affected by hurricane damage, with 99.9% of the Lower Ninth Ward affected and 95.9% of the St. Claude/Florida area affected (Source: Brown University)
Q: Where are CBMC members?
While some CBMC members have returned to their neighborhoods, some continue to be displaced in other cities and other parts of the metropolitan area. Due to the devastation in CBMC neighborhoods, many members have relocated to other parts of the city. CBMC members continue to be involved in the mitigation process and are anxious to help rebuild their neighborhoods.
Q: What is the post-Katrina hurricane evacuation plan for the impact area?
The City of New Orleans has announced their updated Hurricane Evacuation Plan. There will be no shelter-of-last-resort located in New Orleans. Instead, a systematic evacuation of the city will occur with mandatory evacuation notices ordered for any Category 3 or stronger hurricane approaching the city.
- RTA buses will be used to bring residents without the means to evacuate to the Convention Center
- From the Convention Center, residents will register and be evacuated on buses to shelters across the state
- Residents with special needs and the elderly will be evacuated by Amtrak trains to hospitals and care centers across the state
- Hotel guests will self-evacuate via the New Orleans airport
- Contraflow will be implemented on I-10 for all mandatory evacuations
You can view the City's evacuation plan at: http://www.cityofno.com/Portals/Portal46/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=38
Q: What is the future of the IHNC lock replacement project?
Congress allocated $11 million for the IHNC project for FY06, with $600,000 for mitigation funding. Due to the extent of hurricane protection projects and levee repairs, the Corps will continue with lock design, but no construction is scheduled to take place in 2006. More information about the long-range future of the lock project should be known by the end of the fiscal year.
Q: How will CBMC communities be affected by lock construction in 2006?
2006 funding for the lock project will be used for design only. No construction is scheduled to take place in 2006.
Q: What other planning efforts are being undertaken in CBMC neighborhoods post–Katrina?
There are extensive neighborhood and city-wide planning efforts taking place in New Orleans. Local neighborhoods are organizing to create redevelopment plans that address pre-and post-Katrina needs. The New Orleans’ City Council has also initiated a city-wide planning effort in an attempt to bring together local planning initiatives into one comprehensive plan. The City Council’s plan will incorporate neighborhood plans with reconstruction strategies and redevelopment visions for each neighborhood.
The City Council has charged planning consultants with several tasks:
- Provide technical planning support to the neighborhoods
- Help residents identify and prioritize specific investments and programs for their neighborhood
- Estimate the cost, funding sources/structure
- Consolidate neighborhood plans for approval by the City Planning Commission, the City Council, and appropriate funding sources.
The planning consultants are currently holding meetings in each neighborhood for critical citizen input. They will also meet with community groups and individual citizens as part of the process.
Q: What needs have the CBMC identified for 2006 mitigation projects?
In August 2005, before Katrina, the CBMC held a retreat to review the mitigation plan and update recommendations and priorities. The priority recommendations that emerged from these discussions included: (Click here to view the summary minutes from the retreat. )
- Home Improvement Loan Program
- Enhance Playgrounds and Parks
- Strengthen Neighborhood Organizations
- Vacant Lot Maintenance
The CBMC also discussed other recommendations, including:
- Career Opportunity Education for High School Students
- 24-Hour Police Protection East of the Canal
- Community Policing Initiatives
- Coordinate with Harbor Police
- Enhance Street Lighting
- Noise and Vibration Monitoring
- Improve Streets and Drainage
- Traffic Coordination System
- New Middle School
- Benches and Lighting on Levee Walking Path
Although conditions and needs have changed dramatically due to Hurricane Katrina, the CBMC met again in January 2006 to discuss mitigation projects for 2006. They identified a set of priority recommendations for FY06 that include:
- Additional police protection in the impact area
- A communications system to connect displaced residents and strengthen neighborhoods
- Housing Improvement Program
- Playground improvements and use of existing, unspent funds
- Vacant Lot Clean-Up (planning only)
- Street Light Improvements (planning only)
Q: What
mitigation funds have been spent?
A: Mitigation funds have been spent to implement mitigation
projects since the fiscal year 2001:
- $991,000 in mitigation funds has been spent to implement the Job
Training initiative from 2001 to 2004. Job training mitigation funds
have provided life skills, basic construction and advanced skills
training.
- $13,000 in mitigation funds was spent in 2002 to implement a communications
integration system between bridge operators and Police, Fire and
EMS professionals. Radios were installed at the Florida, Claiborne,
St. Claude and Industrial Canal Lock towers to ensure emergency access
in and out of the impact community.
- $547,551 has been spent for additional police protection below
the Industrial Canal (east side of the canal) since May 4, 2003.
Safety mitigation funds provide additional police patrols in the
Lower Ninth Ward and Holy Cross neighborhoods between 11 PM and 7
AM.
- $200,000 was allocated and transferred to Friends of NORD in 2004
for the renovation of Richard Lee Playground. In 2004 the Army Corps
of Engineers entered into a grant agreement with Friends of NORD
to renovate playgrounds in the impact area. The partnership includes
matching funds from the City of New Orleans in the amount of $120,000
for Richard Lee.
- $2,741 was spent on the Vacant Lot Cleanup Program that began in May 2005.
^ Back to Questions
Q:
Why is this project being built?
A: The Industrial Canal Lock Replacement project
has been the subject of several decades of planning, community involvement,
intense media coverage, and controversy. Over the years, several project
alternatives involving significant loss of wetlands in St. Bernard Parish
or major disruptions to the densely urbanized areas adjoining the existing
lock in New Orleans have been proposed. The current design of the project
has clearly benefited from the lengthy planning process - the Corps
listened to community concerns and applied innovative engineering to
develop the present plan. The authorized plan provides for construction
of the new lock without residential relocations and with minimal disruption
to navigation traffic in the canal and vehicular traffic on bridge crossings
over the canal. In addition, a Community Impact Mitigation Plan was
authorized as an integral feature of the project construction to fully
address impacts that were not completely avoided.
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Q: What is the construction schedule for the project?
A: The Corps of Engineers is currently updating the construction schedule. We will post this schedule once it is up to date.
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Q: Is
the Lock Replacement Project a canal-widening project?
A: No, the Corps will NOT widen the canal, which
is 690 feet between centerlines of the levees. No new right-of-way is
required to build the project and there will be no takings of private
property or homes. Rather it is the lock that will be enlarged to accommodate
modern vessel traffic. The current lock is 75 feet wide and 640 feet
long. It will be widened 47 percent to 110 feet. At 1,200 feet, the
new lock will be about twice as long as the old one.
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Q:
Is
it true that people's homes will be purchased to build this project?
A: No, the Corps spent $10 million to study the
original plans for the project, which previously would have required
the acquisition of homes in the Bywater and Holy Cross neighborhoods.
Based on input from the community and the results of the study, the
Corps found that changing the new lock's location to avoid dislocating
homes was in the best interest of the community.
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Q:
Will
there be years of continuous disruption during construction?
A: No, the estimated construction period for
the project is 10-12 years. However, the surrounding communities will
not be disrupted for the entire construction period. The work will take
place in phases, at different times in various locations, most of it
within the canal itself. Each project feature is being designed and
managed to minimize disruption. Construction activities that may be
disruptive to the neighboring communities (such as pile driving or truck
hauling) will not occur at night.
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Q:
What
should the residents do during the long periods that the Claiborne and
St. Claude Bridges will be closed?
A: The bridges at St. Claude and North Claiborne
Avenues will remain open over the entire construction period, with minor
exceptions. A temporary $17 million bridge will avoid closures altogether
on St. Claude. At no time during construction will more than one bridge
be out of service and there will be no closures scheduled during the
hurricane season.
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Q:
What
should the residents do during the long periods of significant traffic
congestion on neighborhood streets?
A: The project has been designed to minimize
traffic disruptions. Project features addressing this concern include
the $17 million St. Claude temporary bridge, off-site construction of
the North Claiborne Bridge and the lock itself, and float-in of bridge
and lock components. Much of the construction work will be done from
the water and much of the materials and equipment required for the project
will be transported on the canal. Each project feature will have designated
truck routes designed to minimize disruption to neighborhood traffic.
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Q:
Why was this project
"shoved down the throat" of the surrounding neighborhoods?
A
Claims
that the Corps will "shove the lock down the neighborhood's throat"
ignore years of listening to residents and more than $50 million of
responses. Example 1, $17 million temporary bridge at St. Claude Avenue.
Example 2, changing the new lock's location to avoid dislocating homes,
costing more than $10 million. Example 3, the ongoing $37 million Community-Based
Mitigation Plan.
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Q:
How
can this project be constructed when it will damage private property?
Will the Corps respond to legitimate claims of damage?
A:
First,
damages to private property are not expected. Second, legitimate claims
of property damage will be paid out of construction contingency funds.
^ Back to Questions
Q:
What
has the Community-Based Mitigation Committee (CBMC) accomplished so far?
A:
In
spite of exceedingly restrictive budgetary constraints resulting from
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack and the ongoing War on Terror,
the CBMC has accomplished quite a lot. To date, the CBMC has implemented 1) a basic construction and life skills training program
that graduated two classes; 2) an advanced construction skills
training program, which graduated one electrical class and one welding
class as well as another welding class beginning in February 2004; 3)
an emergency bridge communication system that enables emergency
workers to contact the bridge operators in the event of an emergency
situation; 4) additional police protection for the Lower Ninth
Ward and Holy Cross neighborhoods.
In 2006, the committee will resume efforts to renovate playgrounds, initiate a housing improvement program, and a communication system to strengthen the redevelopment of neighborhoods. The committee will also begin plans for vacant lot cleanup and street lighting improvements.
^ Back to Questions
Q: Will
the lock or Canal be widened outside the floodwalls?
A: The
Canal itself will NOT be widened outside the floodwalls. The new lock,
however, will be wider than the existing lock to make it safer and more
efficient for barge traffic to pass through it. The construction of the
new lock will NOT require home relocations and will NOT reduce any flood
protection for the neighborhoods.
^ Back to Questions
Q: Will the Mitigation Plan include funds for repairing homes damaged
by construction?
A: The
Mitigation Plan was never intended to address structural damage to homes
or other property that might result from the project. First, damages
are not expected. Second, legitimate claims of property damage will be
paid out of the construction contingency
funds. This is a benefit to the community since it allows the
mitigation money to be allocated to other pressing needs. The CBMC is
concerned about the possibility of structural damage to homes from pile
driving. This mitigation recommendation includes:
- Installing technical
devices to monitor noise and vibration levels at select locations in
the community during construction.
- Encouraging residents
to photograph their homes (dated photos) to document any impact on structures
from truck traffic and/or pile driving.
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Q: When and how long will bridges be closed for construction?
A: The
Corps is committed to closing bridges for only a brief period of time
and only one bridge will be closed at any given time. The Claiborne
Avenue Bridge is scheduled to be closed for only two weeks. Several years later, the St. Claude Bridge will be restricted
to two lanes of traffic (one lane in each direction) during 2 two-month
periods when the approaches are tied into the new bridge (two months on
each end of the bridge). The St. Claude Bridge will never be completely
closed. The CBMC has requested and the Corps has committed to make
sure these bridge closings and lane restrictions do not occur during the
hurricane season.
^ Back to Questions
Q: How do I qualify for contract work with the Corps?
A: There
is no prequalification process to do work with the Corps. However, all
contractors must be registered in the Cental Contractor Registration
(CCR).
For information, call: 1-888-227-2423
Contractors that can qualify as a Small Disadvantaged Business, a Section
8(a) contractor, or as a HUBZone Small Business Concern (note that almost
the entire impact area has been declared a HUBZone) should contact the
Small Business Administration at 589-6688.
Contractors can also get assistance from the Corps New Orleans District's
Small Business Office by calling the Deputy for Small Business at 862-2627.
^ Back to Questions
Q: Will
there be a program for minority contractors?
A: The
Corps of Engineers has a very active small business program. The deputy
for Small Business with the Corps can be contacted by any small, disadvantaged,
or women-owned businesses seeking to work on contracts with the Corps.
Tel: 862-2627; Fax: 862-2102.
^ Back to Questions
Q:
Will the Corps promise good wages for construction jobs?
A: Yes.
The Davis-Bacon Act applies to federal construction contracts in excess
of $2,000. It specifies that all contractors and subcontractors pay to
the various classes of laborers and mechanics employed on a particular
project the wage rates and fringe benefits determined by the Department
of Labor to be prevailing in the area. Additionally, the Act requires
that certain labor standards provisions be specified in the contract.
To determine which wage rates are prevailing in an area, the Department
of Labor solicits input from contractors, federal agencies and unions.
For example, where it is determined that a union rate is prevailing in
the area, that rate is identified in the wage decision and all contractors
and subcontractors must pay at least that amount to the particular classification
of employee, whether he/she is a union member or not. One of the responsibilities
of the Corps' own construction inspectors is to ensure contractor compliance
with the Davis-Bacon provisions on all construction contracts.
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Q:
How will residents and workers be protected during construction?
A: For
the first Corps project to remove and remediate the East Bank Industrial
Area (EBIA) businesses, the contractor, Washington Group International,
Inc., was required to prepare a Site Safety and Health Plan and Perimeter
Monitoring Plan (available for review at Alvar St. and MLK Libraries).
For the protection of residents and workers, the site boundary will
be continuously monitored for noise and dust during demolition operations. Also, the immediate remediation areas will be monitored for potential
contaminants and workers will utilize personal monitoring systems. Later
Corps contracts will contain plans and requirements targeted toward potential
contaminants and environmental factors for the protection of both residents
and workers.
^ Back to Questions
Q:
Will the Mitigation Plan include money to repair streets torn up by
construction contractors' trucks?
A: Contractors
will be required to avoid neighborhood streets as much as possible. All
truck traffic will be contained on designated public truck routes between
I-10 and the construction sites. Corps contractors will be responsible
for pre-construction and post-construction documentation of the access
routes' conditions and repairing those access routes to pre-construction
conditions at the conclusion of the contracts. The CBMC will monitor the
construction activity and any roadway deterioration during construction.
The CBMC will ensure that the Corps upgrades streets when deterioration
occurs due to construction. However, there are neighborhood concerns,
such as the 18-wheelers on local residential streets that need to be addressed
by local residents, not the CBMC. Residents need to cooperate to ensure
people do not drive and park their 18-wheeler trucks in the neighborhood.
You can contact the 5th District NOPD's Quality of Life Officer
to voice concerns.
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