Crescent City Saturday Farmers Market – May, 2013
New Orleans Saturday Farmer’s Market
700 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Saturday Dates in May, 2013
May 4, 2013
May 11, 2013
May 18, 2013
May 25, 2013
8AM – 12PM
New Orleans French Market – May, 2013
Farmer’s Market and Flea Market
French Quarter
1008 N Peters St
New Orleans, LA 70116
May, 2013
Monday – Sunday, 9AM – 6PM
Call 504-522-2621 or Click for More Information about the French Quarter Market!
Gretna Farmer’s Market – May, 2013
Gretna Farmer’s Market
300 Huey P Long Ave.
Gretna, LA 70053
Saturday Dates in May, 2013
May 4, 2013
May 11, 2013
May 18, 2013
May 25, 2013
Click Here for More Information.
Belle Chasse, Louisiana in the running for “Cleanest City”
Cleanest City Chairman Joy Palazola presents a “Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc Certificate of Merit” to Parish President Billy Nungesser, Belle Chasse Garden Club Chairman Mary Hazen, Director of Public Works Byron Williams, and Recreation Department Superintendent Corey Buie. Photo by Jessica Gonzales
Judges from the Louisiana Garden Club’s “Cleanest City Contest” met with members of the Belle Chasse Garden club, Director of Public Service Byron Williams, and Superintendent of the Recreation Department Corey Buie Thursday April 6 at the Plaquemines Parish Government office for the initial judging process, and a tour of Belle Chasse.
The judges calculated the scores based on several criteria including approaches (welcome signs, etc.), public and municipal buildings, parks & recreation areas, cemeteries, business establishments, residential areas, streets, sidewalks, neutral grounds, community involvement and more.
The contest has been inspiring cities across Louisiana to beautify since 1958, and this is the first time Belle Chasse has entered. The initiative is a co-effort of the Belle Chasse Garden Club and the Plaquemines Parish Government.
“Our mission statement is ‘Litter Free, Plaquemines Proud’,” explained Belle Chasse Garden Club Chairman Mary Hazen. “The Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc. and the Belle Chasse Garden Club encourage residents, businesses, clubs, and visitors to our parish to be Plaquemines Proud and litter-free.”
During the April 5 initial meeting at the Parish Government Office, Judge Joe Baucum explained to Belle Chasse Garden Club members that judges look for city’s with year-round dedication to beautification.
“Garden Club focus should be encouraging that year-round beautification by encouraging public planting and doing some litter campaign with schools, not just beautification around the contest judging period,” said Baucum.
Director of Public Service Byron Williams explained to the judges that the recreation department does a tremendous job maintaining the parish’s many public grounds, as well as regularly maintaining the parish’s ballfields.
In terms of public works, Garden Club member Mary Ann Relle told the judges of their February 23 oak tree planting at Medal of Honor Park and a “welcome sign” project that has taken 3 years to complete due to many DOTD and government compliance rules.
“We’ve completed the design for a brand new Welcome Sign that will be placed at the entrance of the parish in the Hwy 406 area, and we just finished the Belle Chasse High School lands,” Relle stated. “We usually take on 1 or 2 learner projects per year.”
Cleanest City Contest Chairman Joy Palazola explained that entering cities compete against cities with similar population numbers, and Belle Chase is in Category G. The Category G winner for the last two years has been Pineville, LA, located in Rapides Parish– two hours south of Shreveport.
Belle Chasse Garden Club members will find out in May if they can take home the ‘Cleanest City’ title, and they remain optimistic about a cleaner future for the entire parish.
“We’re just entering Belle Chasse in the contest this year, but our goal is to see the entire parish get into it and be litter free,” said Hazen.
Litter Free, Plaquemines Proud Tips: 5 Ways to Control Litter from the Belle Chasse Garden Club
- Set an example by not littering.
- Pick up one piece of litter every day.
- Every week, pick up all the litter in front of your house, including the street
- Ask your neighbors to properly dispose of their trash. Show them the difference between a clean area and an area spoiled by litter, and stress why it’s important to put trash in proper containers.
- Make sure that your trash cans have lids that can be securely attached. If you have curbside trash service, don’t put out unopened containers or boxes filled with trash.
Belle Chasse & The Parks of Plaquemines to See a Reduction in Flood Insurance Requirements
Once New FEMA Flood Maps Are Adopted, The Entire Subdivision of the Parks of Plaquemines Will Be Taken Completely Out of the Flood Zone, Insuring that New Homes Buyers & Our Residents Will Have the Lowest Flood Insurance Rates Possible!
Some greater New Orleans residents may soon see a decrease or complete removal of the flood insurance requirements on their insurance policies. New maps published by FEMA in January, 2013, show that parts of Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and Plaquemines Parishes have seen a lowering of Base Flood Elevations (BFE). BFE is the elevation on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Special Flood Hazard Areas. The FIRM shows the water surface elevation which results from a flood and bases its Zones on the one percent chance of equaling or exceeding that water surface level in any given year. While southern Plaquemines Parish will experience an increase in BFE because parts of the parish are located outside of the new levee system, Belle Chasse is one area of Plaquemines Parish which will experience a significant reduction in or the total removal of flood insurance requirements for its residents. With improvements to the Mississippi River levee, the BFE in Belle Chasse dropped from 1.5 feet above sea level to 0-3 feet below sea level.
The reason that the Belle Chasse area is getting the good news of the reduction or removal of flood insurance is because of an agreement between the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA after Hurricane Katrina. The levee system that has been constructed in the Greater New Orleans area has been built, complete with new closing floodgates, with the parameters for a 100-year storm. Because of this intense and productive work, their efforts have resulted in residents in The Parks of Plaquemines to “breathe easier” when it comes to the potential risk of flood damage to their homes. For more information about this announcement or to view the flood maps, click on the links below.
