Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Will Be Constructed in New Orleans

The much maligned and re-negotiated lease for the New Orleans World Trade Center finally has a viable tenant in the form of a world-renowned, international hotel chain – Four Seasons.  The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences will be constructed in New Orleans in the old World Trade Center Building with 2 additions to be added to either side of the building.  The Four Season group are partnered with Carpenter and Co. of Cambridge, MA, and Woodward Interests in New Orleans to completely renovate the structure, creating the addition of two wings to the side of the building as well.

Part of the attraction for the Four Season’s bid was the addition of the 76 hotel-serviced condos that would also be available for sale in addition to weekend, weekly, or monthly rentals.  The revenue of sales was a separate income item for the City of New Orleans.  The second attractive and unique part of their bid was their proposal for a “digital, immersive” experience for visitors who would want to visit an exhibit named New Orleans: History at the Confluence four-seasons-hotel-and-residencesof Cultures.  This exhibit would present a digital story-telling experience of the City of New Orleans and would be put together by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor of African-American studies, and Lawrence Powell, Tulane University history professor.

The financial ramifications of this project are far-reaching.  The construction of the hotel and condos would also contribute to the city’s tax revenues in construction payroll for the $364 million project which is $95 – $130 million higher than its competitors.  Of that amount approximately $127 million of the money is designated to go to minority-owned, women-owned, local, and disadvantaged businesses putting the money right back into the economy.  Along with the construction revenue in terms of payroll as well as building materials and supplies, the hotel would also pay the City of New Orleans a lease, locked in for 10 years of $3.25 million / year, increasing to $3.75 for the next year barring any significant increases in the tax threshold.  Also, percentages of the sales of the condos as well as the gross revenues of the digital exhibit would also be collected by the city, as well as any additional bonus revenue generating components of the hotel.

“In our estimation, in this case, we have both – picking the best cities and partnering with the best developers. I’m confident we will bring new visitors to the city and add to its already vibrant tourism,” said J. Allen Smith, Four Seasons president and CEO.

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Federal City’s Fitness Center Gets New Operator

The YMCA currently operating in Federal City on the West Bank in Jefferson Parish will cease operations as of March 31st.  The Algiers Development District, which handles in partnership the budget and operations of Federal City and is also a public entity of the City of New Orleans, quickly scrambled to find a new company to operate the newly renovated fitness center.  The Federal City Fitness Center originally was the gym used for Naval and Marine personnel at the now closed naval base.  A $2.5 million construction renovation occurred, and the newly converted gym was reopened in May, 2012.  An expansion adding an addition 4,000 square feet as well as the construction of a swimming pool is currently underway in Federal City.  The 4,000 square foot expansion is costing $2.2 million with another $900,000 going towards the pool.

Even as a non-profit organization, paying only $1 / year in rent on a 50-year lease, the YMCA did not see the expected growth of membership for its facility in Federal City.  The projected amount was approximately 1,000 federal-city-fitness-center-operationsmarines who were stationed near the location, but those memberships simply never happened.  Without even having to properly advertising an RFP (Request for Proposal), the Algiers Development District was immediately contacted by no less than 5 interested parties once news got out about the YMCA vacating the facility.  Once the requirements for bids were established, only two companies remained in competition for the operations contracto – Franco’s Athletic Club and Ochsner Health Systems which also operates the Elmwood Fitness Center.

Closed door meetings were held with both companies after it was determined that the project did not have to be put out for bids like other state projects.  Both companies were able to confidentially present their plans to the committee.

“We had great presentations,” said Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, a member of the district board after the meeting, “We still have questions that need to be resolved.”

A subcommittee was designated to negotiate the terms with the two firms.  Federal City’s fitness center gets new operator was announced as Ochsner Health System was then selected to take over operations of the fitness center, according to the website for the Algiers Development District.  As the YMCA was operating the building on a week-to-week basis, the resolution of this matter was vital to all involved.

“ADD’s first priority is to the Algiers community and the people of Federal City,” said ADD Chairman, Jeff Arnold. “Our main goal, after the YMCA notified us of their decision and their timeline, was to ensure no disruption in services to the 2,300 members that use the facility daily as a fitness center and, next, to identify an operator with a successful track record and business model. We think this agreement with Ochsner accomplishes both of those needs.”

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Old World Look for Old Town Homes in New Orleans, Louisiana

If you have spent any time in the city of New Orleans or even its outlying suburbs on the West Bank such as Algiers, Gretna, Marrero, Terrytown, and Harvey; you have probably noticed a variety of architectural stylings of the historic and obviously 100-year to 200-year-old homes.  When you view these homes as a current resident or as a tourist, you probably don’t think about what it takes to retrofit these homes during a home renovation, restoration, or new construction on an addition.  If you did, you would be weighing the benefits of more modern systems that are energy efficient and more eco-friendly vs. trying to maintain the integrity of the historic architecture.

Specifically, when it comes to windows in historic homes, many homeowners and home buyers spend a lot of time window-restoration-new-orleans-louisianagoing back and forth as to restoration or replacement.  The ROI (return on investment) of replacing every window in the house with an energy efficient, low-E, double or even triple paned tinted window is approximately 10 – 12 years for standard-sized windows.  However, the first dilemma in starting a historic restoration is that you are probably going to run into a lot of non-standard-sized windows in your new home purchase.  If you go to custom order a bunch of different window sizes, you may not see a return on investment in savings from your electric bill for up to 20 years.

The second issue that you will have to face is that if your home is already listed on the National Register of Historic Place OR if you are interested in getting your home listed on this registry or need tax incentives for doing a historic renovation or restoration, you will probably have to reconsider using modern vinyl, aluminum, or wood framed window in the home altogether.

Finally, let’s consider what you are really getting when you decide to replace your existing wooden / glass windows in your 100 to 200-year-old home.  The wood used in today’s construction is significantly less dense than lumber used in building 100 years ago in the Greater New Orleans area. The reason for this is that the trees had been standing for a much longer period of time because they may have never been cut.  Because of this, the rings in the trees are closer together and much more dense than today’s treed lumber.  Therefore, even though you may find windows that are more energy efficient that look the way you would like or need them to for your renovation or restoration, you may be trading durability for a perceived ROI benefit on your electric bill.

Before you make your decision, consider this: the wood casing for the windows on your historic home is much more durable than today’s wooden window casings.  Also, the construction used to create the window frames themselves was a type of joinery that allowed the wood to expand and contract with the intense humidity of the New Orleans climate.  Finally, today’s wood and even vinyl has been known not to be able to last through the direct rays of the sunshine in this southern region.

The glass that is used in your windows is actually a higher quality of glass than is used today as well.  With the proper insulation, resealing and caulking, glazing, and other energy-smart tactics such as black-out shades and blinds, you can reduce the amount of heat loss in the winter and gain in the summer to fully enjoy the aesthetics of keeping an old world look for old town homes in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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New Orleans French Market – April, 2015

frenchmarket

Farmer’s Market and Flea Market

French Quarter
1008 N Peters St
New Orleans, LA 70116

April, 2015

Monday – Sunday, 9AM – 6PM

Call 504-522-2621 or Click for More Information about the French Quarter Market!

Gretna Farmer’s Market – April, 2015

gretna-farmers-market

Gretna Farmer’s Market

300 Huey P Long Ave.
Gretna, LA 70053

Saturday Dates in April, 2015

April 4, 2015
April 11, 2015
April 18, 2015
April 25, 2015

 

8:30AM – 12:30PM

Click Here for More Information.