Algiers Economic Development Foundation

Old Algiers RiverFest Silent Auction

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:41:47 +0000

Old Algiers ReverFest™ will hold its annual Preview Party & Silent Auction on Friday, March 12, 2010 at Mardi Gras World and invites you to be a donor.

This event will feature traditional jazz, including a guest performance by New Orleans’ own Allen Toussaint, an unveiling of the official 2010 Riverfest™ poster by renowned artist Margaret Slade Kelley and the introduction of a signature cocktail in partnership with our friends at Old New Orleans Rum. As in the past, the Silent Auction is a highlight of the affair; with proceeds benefiting RiverFest™, an all volunteer effort, and its year-round educational programming, focusing on New Orleans’ music, arts and culture.

RiverFest™ would be delighted to include your business as a supporter of this worthwhile event through your generous donation of a Silent Auction item.

Silent Auction Items will be prominently displayed and listed in the Preview Party program. This is a wonderful opportunity to expose your business to prominent individuals from throughout metropolitan New Orleans.

Click here for a Silent Auction Donation Form.

Westbank Business Showcase - Success !!!

Ron — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:42:58 +0000

The Algiers Community Foundation and
Algiers Economic Development Foundation

would like to say “Thank You”

to all the participants who made our

2009 Westbank Business Showcase

Presented by Ochsner West Bank

such a success!

Also a big “thank you” to our sponsors and donors:

Presenting Sponsor

Logo Sponsors:

Food Donors

Adrian’s Bakery,

Aurora Catering,

Dry Dock Café,

Gattuso’s Neighborhood Bar & Restaurant,

Great Balls of Cake,

Olive Branch Café, Piccadilly Restaurant,

PJ’s Coffee,

Rainey’s Restaurant & Catering,

Scooters,

The Rising Sun Nut Wagon,

The Suite,

Thanh Thanh Restaurant

Special Volunteers

Helen Cox Jr. Air Force ROTC

I Design LLC

Free Computer Classes at Hubbell

Ron — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:54:49 +0000

Hubbell Library is now offering free, one-on-one basic computer classes. The classes are by appointment only, and can be scheduled for your convenience by calling Rachel Bailey at the library, 366-0657.

When calling, please let her know what you would like help with, so she may prepare for your specific needs. Whether it’s setting up an email account, learning how to navigate the Internet, or learning the basics of Excel or other Microsoft systems, she will be glad to give you all the help she can give. Class time will be about an hour, but you can go to as many sessions as you like.

STUDENT, SCHOOL AND DISTRICT - HIGHEST STATE PERFORMANCE SCORE

Ron — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:57:15 +0000

STUDENT, SCHOOL AND DISTRICT GAINS RESULT IN ALL-TIME HIGHEST STATE PERFORMANCE SCORE

Almost 80% of Louisiana public schools showed increases; almost 50% met 2009 Growth targets.

Baton Rouge, La. - When Louisiana set its 10-year accountability goal at 100 in 1999, policy makers were unsure about how quickly the state could achieve that goal. In fact, the state had not administered a student assessment prior to setting the goal. The guiding force was the need for the state to improve at a pace that would allow it to move up from its ranking of last or near the bottom in most education measures. Today, a decade later, Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) officials announced the 2009 State Performance Score – a 91.0. While it’s short of the 10-year goal of 100, the score represents a significant gain from the score of 69.4 that was achieved the first year, in 1999, as well as a substantial 4.7 gain from the 2008 score of 86.3.

To read more, click here.

City Council to Receive Presentation on Tax Appeal Recommendations

Ron — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:45:17 +0000

City Council to Receive Presentation on Tax Appeal Recommendations

At its next regular Council meeting on Tuesday October 20th, the City Council will receive a formal presentation from Frilot, LLC, of recommendations in connection with the 2010 tax appeals for Orleans Parish.

The presentation will specifically provide information on the number of appeals with a break down by type and district, and a summary of the aggregate recommendations by the Board of Review (BOR).
After the presentation, the Council, acting as the Board of Review, will vote on whether or not to approve the recommendations presented by Frilot, LLC.
Decision letters will be mailed to all appellants by October 25th and will contain information about taking further appeals to the Louisiana Tax Commission.
Frilot, LLC has reported a high level of participation from assessors and taxpayers, which has led to an increased number of settlements at tax appeal hearings. Hearings were held on September 30th, October 2nd and October 7th.
Frilot has handled approximately 6,000 tax appeals over the last three years for the BOR - approximately 5,400 appeals for tax year 2008, 450 appeals for tax year 2009 and 200 for tax year 2010.
This is the last BOR tax appeal year before the city changes to a single assessor next year.

Tax Incentives Stimulate Algiers Artists

Ron — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:20:55 +0000

A year ago, 29 state-designated cultural products districts began offering a package of tax incentives that formalized use of the arts and artists to generate economic activity. Two of those districts are located in Algiers, the Federal City, Tunisburg, Algiers Point Cultural District and the Old Algiers Cultural District. Click here to view the cultural district maps.

If you buy original works of art within a designated cultural district, you don’t have to pay state or local tax. That can mean a savings of up to 9 percent of the purchase price, depending on the parish in which the purchase is made.
The lieutenant governor’s office defines eligible works of art as “original, one-of-kind, visual art; conceived and made by hand of the artist or under his direction; and not intended for mass production, except for limited editions.”

Examples include “visual arts and crafts, ” ceramics, wood, glass, mixed media, wearable art, and “limited, numbered editions (up to 100) of lithographs.” Ineligible products include performing art, reproductions of visual art, food and live plants.

And if you renovate an old building within such a district, you may be eligible for state tax credits. The rules vary depending on whether the building is rental property, an owner occupied residence or a commercial property.
Assuming the structure is more than 50 years old, and that the renovation maintains the historic character of the building, property owners could be eligible for up to $25,000 in credits.

Member Profile - Thomas Travel & Cruise

Ron — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:22:32 +0000

Thomas Travel & Cruise, back on General DeGaulle Ave. “Getting back has been a long & difficult struggle” said owner, Darlene Thomas. “Katrina blew the roof off of our office building. Our original staff did not return to the city after Katrina. We ran our office from an Atlanta location for the 6 weeks that we were out of the city. And then from our home in the interim time needed for repairs to be made. No sooner had we moved back into our office when along came Gustav and blew the roof away again. What a mess that was. Those days are behind us now. We are thrilled to be back.”
“You know a lot of our colleagues left town to never return. We love New Orleans and the people of New Orleans. We thought about leaving, but when we came back and saw improvements being made and witnessed glimmers of hope, it melted our hearts. When we drove down Canal street and saw new palm trees lining the corridor and when we dined on the grilled oysters at Drago’s, we said, no way are we leaving this fine city. We are here to stay. Our customers were so faithful. They stood by us during those dark days.”

Today 2009 is a new day. Thomas Travel & Cruise is back and growing as a one stop, complete agency. If you want to take a cooking class in France, bake pizza in Italy, cruise the Med on a yacht, take a relaxing cruise or cruise the world –whatever the desire, Thomas Travel & Cruise we can assist with making your dream a reality.

Contact Thomas Travel & Cruise at 504-398-0056 or 800-344-6298. Algiers Economic Development Foundation and the Westbank welcomes Darlene & Reggie Thomas, small business owners, back to Gen. DeGaulle.

It’s anchors aweigh for the Federal City

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:26:52 +0000

A new campus is taking shape at Algiers base.
(Times Picayune Westbank Bureau - Saturday, September 19, 2009 by Paula Purpura).

The transformation of the Naval Support Activity in Algiers into a federal campus for military, government and private agencies is solidly under way with the footprint for the national headquarters for Marine Forces Reserve, the project’s anchor tenant, taking shape.

A year ago, local leaders and Navy officials signed the final documents setting the stage for the active construction site, where concrete slabs are being poured over 2,600 pilings. By December, project officials expect the exterior walls to be four stories tall overlooking Opelousas and Hendee streets.

Contractor Woodward Design+Build of New Orleans expects the 417,000-square-foot headquarters compound to be occupied by Sept. 15, 2011, the federally mandated deadline for the command’s 1,900 Marines and civilian personnel to move in.

“We’re on track, feeling excited about the prospects and delivering what we said we’re going to deliver,” said retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Mize, who is spearheading the Federal City development.

Using $150 million from the state Department of Economic Development, Federal City planners are constructing facilities for the command and the Marine Forces Reserve Band, which embedded a conductor’s baton and two Marine Corps coins in the building’s concrete last month.

Developers envision that over 15 years, the Federal City will attract other government agencies and private businesses to the campus, ultimately bringing 10,000 jobs to Algiers.

Keep Algiers Clean

Ron — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:49:58 +0000

Living in blight and debris can be hard on a person’s psyche. A spruce up can really improve quality of life and that’s what’s coming for West bank residents in Algiers. AEDF, the Algiers Development District (ADD) and Sheriff Marlin Gusman team up to combat blight in Algiers. See the WWL interview with State Representative Jeff Arnold and Sheriff Marlin Gusman here.

About the Algiers Development District

The Algiers Development District of the City of New Orleans is a special taxing district (TIF) created by state legislation. The special taxing district is comprised of all territory within the fifteenth ward (Algiers) of Orleans Parish, State of Louisiana. The district has been designated as a local redevelopment authority for Federal City military base realignment purposes and has been authorized to incur debt, including revenue bonds from revenue sources for its enumerated purposes.

About the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office

The Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office (OPCSO) operates the Parish jail facilities, providing for the care, custody and control of incarcerated subjects. The Sheriff’s Office executes all writs, orders, and processes of the Traffic, Municipal and Criminal courts. Sheriff’s Deputies are peace officers with the full authority to conduct criminal investigations and make arrests within Orleans Parish.

Westbank Business Showcase Exhibitor Information

Ron — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:53:14 +0000

Dear potential Westbank Business Showcase exhibitor:

The 2009 Westbank Business Showcase – “Standing Strong, Moving Forward” is set for Sunday, November 15, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at Mardi Gras World in Algiers. The presenting sponsor is Ochsner Medical Center – West Bank. Supporting sponsorships are available. In appreciation of your support of our 2008 Showcase, we are offering you the opportunity to take advantage of early registration for best booth assignments at the 2009 Showcase. Click here for Exhibitor Application

Our goal for the 2009 Westbank Business Showcase is to stimulate an economic boost for Westbank area businesses by increasing consumer awareness of locally provided goods and services. We will build on last year’s successful event and have increased our marketing budget in order to provide greater visibility through radio, media, print and community marketing. The event is open to the general public and again will offer free refreshments, door prizes, and over 75 businesses for networking and shopping. The Showcase will be marketed to West and East bankers with mail outs and posters throughout the city and area communities to reach thousands of potential customers and clients.

Cost for booths remains $200 for members and $250 for nonmembers. MEMBERS – TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EARLY REGISTRATION WINDOW ENDING MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, for best booth assignments.

The deadline to guarantee your business listing in the program is Friday, October 30. Please fax the registration form to AEDF at 362-6564 and complete the credit card information if paying by Visa or MC. If paying by check, please make your check payable to Algiers Economic Development Foundation and mail to the AEDF office at 3520 General DeGaulle Drive, Suite 3110, New Orleans, LA 70114. For more information, call AEDF at 362-6436.

Thank you for your partnership and participation in our continuing mission to help Westbank businesses grow and prosper.

Best regards,

Christopher J. Kane
President AEDF