Community Meeting

Thursday Jan 31st 6:30 pm

St. Joseph Church Rebuild Center – 803 Gravier St (behind chuch)

Come and discuss the NEPA Draft Environmental Assessment for the VA

Come and discuss your concerns about the project. Tell us what you want to see for the surrounding areas? What are you worried about? Design? Traffic? Security? Do you want your house moved? We are drafting a community comments letter telling the VA what the community wants. Bring your questions and comments on the attached questionaire.

Why you should be concerned if:

You live in the footprint:

0 Respectful and timely communication with VA, City and State

0 Larger negotiating power for your home

0 Do you want to move your house

0 Salvaging materials from your house

You live in the surrounding area:

0 Respectful and timely communication with VA, City and State

0 Being a part of the design of the hospital

0 What is the impact of construction on your house(truck routes, noise, pile driving, etc)

0 Financial compensation for construction damage to your property

0 Community Benefits for those remaining (fix streets, fix drainage, etc)

0 Crime, parking and quality of life issues that may result from living near a large hospital complex

You live in New Orleans

0 Hold government accountable

0 Make the process transparent

0 Insist that the destruction of a NO Historic District is handled in a respectful manner

0 Insist that government treat its citizens with respect

What is NEPA? The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that was signed into law on January 1, 1970 by U.S. President Richard Nixon. NEPA came into existence following widespread protests against the government’s destruction of neighborhoods, historic and cultural sites, and the natural environment while building Interstate highways during the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the law applies to federal agencies and the programs they fund. Essentially it requires that, prior to taking any “major” or “significant” action, the federal agency must consider the environmental impacts of that action. Environmental Impact Statements (EISes) and Environmental Assessments (EAs) are written and publicly released as part of the decision making process. The EIS or EA explore reasonable alternatives to a proposed action, and the possible consequences of those actions. (source: Wikipedia)

“For more info see”:http://www.nepa.gov/nepa/regs/nepa/nepaeqia.htm

“and”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Environmental_Policy_Act
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Karen Gadbois co-founded The Lens. She now covers New Orleans government issues and writes about land use. With television reporter Lee Zurik she exposed widespread misuse of city recovery funds and led...