1 1 INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL 2 LOCK REPLACEMENT 3 GENERAL REEVALUATION REPORT 4 AND 5 SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENT IMPACT STATEMENT 6 PRESENTATION 7 PUBLIC MEETING AND COMMENTS 8 9 10 PLACE: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CHARTER SCHOOL 11 1617 CAFFIN AVENUE 12 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 13 DATE: MARCH 7, 2017 14 TIME: 6:30 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. 15 HOST: ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS 70117 16 17 18 19 20 21 REPORTED BY: 22 SHELLEY A. NICHOLSON 23 CERTIFIED COURT REPORTER 24 25 INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 2 1 2 3 MEETING MR. POCHE: Good evening, everyone, and thank you 4 for coming out to tonight's meeting. 5 everyone hear me okay in the back? 6 AUDIENCE: 7 Yes. 8 MR. POCHE: 9 10 Can Okay, great, I just wanted to make sure everyone can hear. 11 My name is Rene Poche, I'm with the public 12 affairs office with the New Orleans District. 13 will be facilitating tonight's meeting. 14 I First of all, thanks for your flexibility. 15 As you know we were scheduled for across the 16 street, and about two o'clock this afternoon the 17 decision was made to move the meeting here, and 18 obviously the word got out. 19 your flexibility on that. 20 thank the Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter 21 School, Norma Hicks, the Principal, for 22 accommodating us at the last minute, it was a 23 great help and a great benefit. 24 25 So we appreciate We'd also like to AUDIENCE: (Applause.) INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 3 1 MR. POCHE: 2 Yes, you can clap. Thank you. 3 So, we've got a lot of folks here tonight 4 and that's a good thing, because we need to hear 5 from you. 6 We need your input on this project. Now there's a couple of things we need to 7 come to an agreement on as well. It's that we 8 acknowledge that everyone has strong feelings 9 one way or another toward the project. We 10 acknowledge that. 11 everyone, to include us, that we conduct 12 ourselves with respect for each other, so we can 13 hear all the opinions. 14 information into the document, into the record, 15 so a final decision can be made. 16 requests. 17 their time, please, with respect to that person. 18 Don't catcall, yell, scream, all those things, 19 it's just not right; okay. 20 ways. 21 do have New Orleans Finest in the back, and 22 they'll escort you out the building until -- 23 24 25 What we ask tonight is that We need to get all the So a couple of When someone is speaking, respect It will go both And if we do have any issues with that we AUDIENCE: (Many people making comments at once.) MR. POCHE: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 4 1 This is exactly what I'm talking about, we 2 need -- we can't, we can't get the information 3 if you're going to make noise every time someone 4 says something don't like. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 AUDIENCE: (Many people making comments.) MR. POCHE: And we understand that. AUDIENCE: You're threatening us. MR. POCHE: No, I am not threatening you. I am just telling you. AUDIENCE: You are. You are. MR. POCHE: Let's move on. So we ask that you respect 18 each other, let's leave it with that. 19 each other when everyone is making their 20 comments. 21 Respect A couple of things we will do; we will run 22 through the presentation. Then we're going to 23 open the floor for twenty minutes of question, 24 because we understand you'll have questions 25 after the presentation. And then after that, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 5 1 we'll move into the comment period where the 2 Corps and its representatives will not be able 3 to answer any questions, we'll be in the 4 listening mode only. 5 we'll get as many questions as we can in that 6 twenty minute period, and then we'll go to hear 7 your comments. 8 everything up by nine o'clock tonight. 9 So, we ask that you -- And then we have to wrap So now I'm going to turn it over to Sean 10 Mikal, he is the planner for this project, he's 11 going to walk you through the project. 12 MR. MIKAL: 13 Let me make sure this works real quickly. 14 All right. Thank you all very much for 15 coming out tonight, again. My name is Sean 16 Mikal, I'm the planner, and there is some of the 17 members of the project delivery team, you'll be 18 hearing the acronym PT, they're also here in 19 attendance, that you may have already talked, 20 if you haven't had the chance -- so you may have 21 met some of them at the open house and been able 22 to discuss any questions or concerns you had. 23 So I want to -- I know you're anxious to get to 24 the Q&A and the comment session, I'm going to 25 try and run through this presentation as INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 6 1 2 efficiently as possible. A quick background on this project, you 3 all know the -- or many of know the history of 4 this project, that existing lock was constructed 5 or it started in 1915 and opened for operation 6 in 1923. 7 old. 8 happening more often that we have to do O&M 9 events on this. So the lock is nearly a hundred years It is getting more expensive and it's That's part of the reason why 10 this replacement is happening or is being 11 proposed. 12 13 14 And the other problem is -- MS. SKIDMORE: Excuse me, the jargon, O and M? MR. MIKAL: 15 Operation and maintenance, O&M. 16 Okay, everybody, I'm going to try and 17 minimize acronyms. 18 the army and like acronyms. 19 maintenance of the lock. 20 I'm civilian, but I work for So operation and The other part of it is this existing lock 21 is inefficient. Some of the barges on average, 22 maritime traffic that's moving through this lock 23 on average sits in the river on the IHNC for 24 sixteen hours. 25 hours, some times it's less than that. Sometimes it's forty-eight This new INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 7 1 lock would increase that efficiency, which is a 2 benefit to the nation because the cost of goods 3 and fuels and thing, that impacts what these 4 guys have to charge the people that provide the 5 commodities that they're shipping; okay, you 6 know, So with that we're going to get started 7 with the presentation, you know. 8 9 And as I mentioned already, this facility was constructed by the Port of New Orleans in 10 1923, it's six hundred -- the existing lock is 11 640 feet long, 75 fee wide, and 31 1/2 feet 12 deep. 13 lock in 1944. 14 actually a toll facility. 15 to go through this facility. 16 number of reasons, the Corps started to lease 17 the facility. 18 we purchased the property, we call it "in fee", 19 but we purchased the property. 20 The Federal Government began leasing the Up until that point it was You had to pay a toll In 1994, for a In 1986 we took possession of it, The St. Claude Bridge, interestingly enough, 21 it's not on this picture, but it's actually 22 owned by the Port, but it is a piece of the 23 existing lock. 24 existing lock, the St. Claude Bridge, the river, 25 the GIWW and IHNC. Here is an overview of the So this IHNC was constructed INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 8 1 to connect the river with Lake Pontchartrain. 2 The GIWW was actually already in operation, but 3 it was out in open water, and for national 4 security reasons and other reasons it was moved 5 inland and connected to the Inter Harbor 6 Navigation Canal and then the MRGO was 7 constructed in the 60's, and we're where we're 8 at today. 9 So in 1956 Congress authorized for 10 replacement of the lock when the existing lock 11 is obsolete or when it becomes economically 12 justifiable. 13 that was modified in WRDA in 1986 to -- Congress 14 directed us at that point and said, you are 15 going to build a lock, either near the existing 16 lock or in Violet, Louisiana. 17 We're at that point. In 1986, So in subsequent years, that was in 1986, 18 we're now in 2017, but in 2015 after a couple of 19 lawsuits and other things we started up a 20 general reevaluation report so where we relook 21 at things, we assess and come up with a new plan 22 or reaffirm old plans, or decide not to go ahead 23 with the plan. 24 was a scoping meeting, and those comments were 25 considered and put and integrated and took into So in 2015, February 2015 there INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 9 1 the GRR, the General Reevaluation Report, and 2 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that 3 went out on the street. 4 reports, studies, and we reviewed those and 5 included them integrated them into this current 6 GRR, this general reevaluation. 7 We considered prior From the scoping meeting input and the 8 review of that input, if you have seen the 9 report there is a table in here, and this table 10 list all of th e alternatives that have been 11 looked at through the history, starting with the 12 1975 Selection Report, and subsequent 13 evaluations and studies and reports. 14 down to this point today where we have a shallow 15 draft lock here; this is our initial array, 16 which is no action plan, which is to maintain 17 the existing lock. 18 through five, which is the shallow draft lock of 19 varying dimensions: 900 feet by 75; 900 feet 20 by 110; 1200 feet by 75 feet; 1200 feet by 110 21 feet wide; and then plan six, which is the 1200 22 foot long by 110 foot wide by 36 foot deep draft 23 lock. 24 25 And we get Four plans, plans two So like I said, this is our initial array. And from this you get to the focused array. So INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 10 1 you have to remember that this is focused now on 2 shallow draft navigation. 3 is not necessarily stopping in the IHNC, it is 4 traffic that is moving up and down the 5 Mississippi River, coming from Texas along the 6 GIWW moving east; coming from Florida, as far as 7 Florida and moving west, going through the IHNC 8 to access all other points. 9 note, it is the only way east of the Mississippi This is traffic that So it's I major 10 River, and at this location, to get to 11 Mississippi, Alabama Florida and beyond if they 12 can go that far. 13 So what we considered with the deep draft -- 14 in 2009 we had the Supplemental Environmental 15 Impact Statement of Amount, we were sued and 16 enjoined on that in 2011. 17 to the 2009 SEIS we had the closure of the MRGO, 18 we had the physical structure on Bayou Loutre, a 19 rock surface, semipermeable; and then we had a 20 nonpermeable one, waterproof, whatever you want 21 to call it, structure that IHNC surge barrier 22 built near the congruence of the MRGO and the 23 GIWW. 24 deep draft foundation on the MRGO was 25 effectively done, it was de-authorized, and with In this time, prior And that is a permanent structure. So INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 11 1 2 these two barriers it's over. Prior to the closure of the MRGO with all 3 things happening and Katrina, deep draft 4 navigation what was remaining starting leaving 5 the IHNC, started going to other places, started 6 going to the Mississippi River. 7 ship -- two companies left right now, currently 8 left, using the IHNC, the existing lock, that 9 can use it and one is the Cold Storage Facility, There are two 10 they already have a facility on the river; and 11 then there is the recycling guys that actually 12 can still use the shallow draft lock. 13 And then you consider, you consider all of 14 these things and the fact that a shallow draft 15 or a deep draft lock would have more impacts. 16 We're dredging more material, we're building -- 17 we're putting more pilings in, we're doing a 18 number of things in a greater scale than in any 19 of the shallow locks. 20 we're not going to build it and it's not 21 justified. 22 And what I've -- and the way we do things is we 23 have shallow draft navigation and it's a hundred 24 percent federal, and any deep draft portion 25 beyond the shallow draft, that's an increment So from that decide okay, A deep draft lock is not justified. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 12 1 that we have to find a local sponsor for. 2 Port of New Orleans, they dismantled their 3 gantry cranes on the IHNC, and they built new 4 gantry cranes on the Mississippi River. 5 there was a divestiture of the Port of New 6 Orleans from deep draft navigation in the IHNC. 7 Subsequent to that is the Port of New Orleans, 8 they were our local sponsor on that deep draft 9 increment. So They were going to pay a portion to 10 have this deep draft increment built. 11 pulled out. 12 local sponsor anymore. 13 The They They said, we don't want to be a So you consider all the environmental 14 impacts, the loss of the remaining deep draft 15 navigation, and you decide well it's no longer, 16 we can't implement the deep draft lock anymore. 17 So you remove that plan, and you end up with a 18 final array, which is all the other plans, 19 except for plan six which is the deep draft 20 navigation lock. 21 deep draft navigation lock is no longer an 22 alternative that we are considering at this 23 point. 24 25 So that plan is gone. The So I wanted to go through these -- and I'll try and get through them as quickly as possible INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 13 1 -- these are representations of what goes 2 through, the maritime traffic that goes through 3 the existing lock. 4 35 by 200 foot barges, this is the tow, he can 5 lock once and get through. 6 that are 54, roughly 54 feet wide by 300 feet 7 wide (sic), they have to cut and then they have 8 to lock twice. 9 assist boat and then he has to move through. What we have here, these are These large barges So you've got to wait for an So 10 this is just one representation of any number of 11 configures that can go through the existing 12 lock. 13 What you're seeing now is the distribution 14 of large barges is a majority of that is going 15 through, over fifty percent of what is going 16 through the lock right now. 17 getting bigger. 18 more traffic, but what is happening is this lock 19 is so inefficient that they guys have to wait, 20 like I said previously, sixteen hours. 21 a link on the website that can show when these 22 guys get into the que and how long they have to 23 wait on turn, and that means how long they have 24 to wait before they get into the lock and before 25 they can move out. Barges aren't We aren't necessarily seeing There is That includes waiting on the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 14 1 inland part, on the IHNC side of the lock, and 2 then on the river side of it. 3 So this is the existing condition. This 4 what it looks like. 5 barge, and again he's got one in here with an 6 assist boat, and then he's got the other one 7 waiting to go through it, and then he moves 8 through and gets into the river when he's ready. 9 And then they can move the next barge through. 10 So you see, here's the big So what I've done, I'm showing the big barge 11 -- oop, oop -- the big barge configuration, he 12 has to allow twice for the existing lock, if you 13 built a 900 by 75 foot long lock he can lock 14 once. 15 he can fit two of the big barges side by side. 16 So you can fit four barges and then move it once 17 through the lock, the lock at the same time. 18 However, if you build it 110 feet wide, And then you have the combinations here, the 19 existing lock, and the 1200 wide by 75 feet 20 wide, and you see he doesn't have to cut his 21 tow, but he can't fit one of the tugs in there. 22 So you start to lose some effi -- you spend more 23 money on a longer lock but you'd lose efficiency 24 because you're not providing any more packing 25 capability. And then if you build a 1200 foot INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 15 1 by 110 foot wide lock, again you can put two big 2 barges, two, two barged tows side by side in the 3 big lock, but you spent some extra money on 4 space here that you didn't need to because you 5 can't pack the tanker any more efficiently. 6 So what does this all mean? Well you give 7 the numbers to the accountants and they crunch 8 numbers and they come up with the National 9 Economic Development Plan. What this is is what 10 benefit does this project have to the nation. 11 That's how the Corps evaluates our projects, 12 what are we doing, what is our project or 13 proposed project is doing that Congress expects 14 us to do, someone else has asked us to do, what 15 benefits is happening are being provided. 16 So it depends who you are, but when we 17 selected a plan, we had a plan two, the existing 18 lock, there's no benefit, it's there; right? 19 You have a plan two, plan three, plan four and 20 plan five. 21 is what number here, this net annual excess 22 benefit, what is the highest number here. 23 can see they're all pretty close. 24 number, the 900 by 110 foot one lock, that is 25 our selected plan, it provides the greatest net What we look at to select our plan You Well this INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 16 1 excess annual benefits. And then the B/C ratio 2 is 1.78, and the B/C ratio, the benefit/cost 3 ration that is a representation of how much -- 4 the simplest way to say it is, and if we put a 5 dollar in it -- we get the nation benefits by 6 $4.78. 7 pocketing $4.78, it just means that through the 8 economic analysis, through the movement of goods 9 and a number of other factors, there's a benefit It doesn't mean that someone is 10 to the nation of that, that amount. 11 ultimately our stats select a plan, plan three, 12 is 900 feet long by 110 feet wide by minus 22 13 feet, and this is North American Vertical Datum 14 1988. 15 changed, updated, but right now this is what 16 we're using, and it's been selected because it 17 provides the -- it generates the greatest net 18 excess benefits. 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 So There's several of these datums, they get AUDIENCE MEMBER: To whom? MR. MIKAL: To the nation. AUDIENCE: (Comments and laughter.) AUDIENCE MEMBER: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 17 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 But that's from 1988. MR. MIKAL: No, no, this is the date. AUDIENCE MEMBER: But is that from 1988? MR. MIKAL: No, ma'am. This is current datum. This 8 these numbers are based off of current data, 9 current modum. This, this is the risk of 10 having, putting acronyms in the presentation. 11 This is the North American Vertical Datum 1988, 12 it's a reference point for the engineering and 13 the geologists and stuff for them to use when 14 they design things and they have to consider sea 15 level rise and how high does the levee -- the 16 top of the lock structure have to be and things 17 like that. 18 is old it's just that that's the last point that 19 they have for this, that elevation. 20 It's not -- it doesn't mean anything I would like to finish and then we'll get to 21 the Q&A session. If you ask questions now -- 22 are we recording everything right now? 23 have a Q&A session, and I would politely like to 24 ask that I be allowed to finish this so I don't 25 run into your time for Q&A and the comment We do INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 18 1 session. 2 through this as quickly as possible, I admit 3 it's not very exciting, but let me get through 4 it. 5 Is that okay? I'm going to get So funding is 100 percent federal. Where 6 does the funding come from? What does that 7 mean? 8 split 50 percent through the general treasury 9 and 50 percent to the Inland Waters Trust Fund. Well, study and construction funding is 10 So the users of the Inland Waterway Navigation 11 System throughout the nation they pay a tax on 12 the fuels that they use. 13 piggy bank somewhere, and that money -- and they 14 can use 50 percent of their money against any 15 upgrades to the system that they feel is 16 necessary or someone is requesting a local 17 sponsor or a stakeholder. 18 percent comes through the Corps own 19 appropriation process. 20 maintenance, this is a federal project, it's an 21 inland navigation waterway project, the 22 operation and maintenance is 100 percent 23 federal. 24 25 That money goes into a The remaining 50 The operation and There have been some questions, why is it 22 feet if it's a shallow draft lock? This has to INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 19 1 do with some safety factors, using a design 2 draft of a loaded liquid tank barge that's 11 3 feet. 4 be one and a half or two times deeper than the 5 bottom of the barge. 6 filling and emptying the chamber when a vessel 7 is inside the lock. 8 shallower the, the lower the silt depth, the 9 slower you can fill or empty the chamber, and 10 11 So what you do is, your silt depth has to This has to do with safely Interesting to note, the that increases time that reduces efficiency. What this is showing here, these are dredge 12 and -- units. What these different rectangles 13 represent are areas through out time and 14 different sediment testing events. 15 were divvied up to make it easier to identify or 16 categorize areas that we had concerning -- this 17 right here, this area the MMU, the -- 18 measurement unit, five, this is the one with the 19 contaminants of concern. 20 it just means we've identified contaminants that 21 should not be -- that are bound to the sediment. 22 The water quality is fine, and I see you going 23 out with a cup, take a sip of water -- water 24 quality does not exceed current standards. 25 sediment is something else, it does contain some These areas It's not an HTR site, The INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 20 1 contaminants of concern. But what we're going 2 to do is use some innovative technologies, 3 environmental dredges, environmental bucket 4 dredges, that would remove this material as 5 safely as possible without -- with minimizing 6 water, that release back in to the water power. 7 And then it would be loaded on to barges and 8 sent to a commercial landfill that is approved 9 to take this material. That material would be 10 handled by someone else. 11 techniques they would use to make that material 12 stable for their landfill, but that's what would 13 happen. 14 I don't know what That material would be taken away. What was proposed when we had the deep draft 15 lock was a huge prefound (sic) disposal facility 16 in New Orleans, where we would put this material 17 and we would have to handle it in perpetuity, we 18 would have to maintain it, maintain flood -- 19 dirt, dirt -- I guess floodwalls, I guess, 20 dikes. 21 only dredging from this area right here, about 22 100,000 cubic yards, 110,000. 23 and would be taken to a commercial landfill. 24 25 When that's gone, that's gone, we're Easy to handle Some of the materials that have been identified -- these are contaminants of concern, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 21 1 they're not hazardous or toxic or radioactive 2 materials. 3 release them back -- if we stir -- if we just 4 dredge the material and let it go back into the 5 water, and you tested the water, it would exceed 6 acceptable human standard. 7 These are just things that if you Okay, as part -- in 1996 then WRDA -- '86 8 the original authorization was amended to 9 include a community impact mitigation plan, and 10 that is to address impacts to the community as a 11 result of the construction of the project. 12 we're doing with that community impact 13 mitigation is right now some of that actually 14 has been committed, a very small part of it, 15 we're verifying what we've done, and we're going 16 to look at what is remaining in the current 17 community impact mitigation plan, and we're 18 going to assess what needs to be -- we're going 19 to reformulate, we're going to decide what could 20 be added, what could be taken out. 21 going to include involvement from the community. 22 We're going to encourage -- we going to 23 encourage public input. 24 whatever we come up with in this community 25 impact mitigation plan it has to be a relation What That is And the impacts, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 22 1 between the community surrounding the 2 construction site that are affected by the 3 construction, and then by the operation and 4 maintenance of the project. 5 Some of the things here are listed we're 6 looking at. 7 list in 1995 is included, but in the general 8 reevaluation report a slightly updated version 9 in the 1997 evaluation report is also included, 10 and we're going to be working from those two to 11 come up with a community impact mitigation plan. 12 These are the communities that are impacted, 13 affected by the project. 14 Lower Ninth Ward, Holy Cross and the Bywater. 15 16 17 It's just a sample. The original We have St. Claude, AUDIENCE MEMBER: That 900 feet $1000 can go to community. MR. MIKAL: 18 And then we have, and then in WRDA 2007, 19 Section 1583 was added, which tells us that we 20 need to come up with a tropic mitigation 21 program, and this will address impacts if there 22 are, of the project once it's constructed, and 23 how the operation of the lock with navigation to 24 the IHNC would impact traffic, would impact the 25 operation of the bridges. We're in the very INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 23 1 early stages of trying to figure out how we are 2 going to address this, and to figure out an 3 answer or how to address this legislation to 4 come up with whatever impacts we might find, an 5 how to provide solutions to any adverse impacts 6 or results. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 AUDIENCE MEMBER: So are you saying this is a done deal? MR. MIKAL: May I please finish? AUDIENCE: Are you saying this is a done deal so it doesn't -MR. MIKAL: No, ma'am. 16 finish. 17 close. 18 No, ma'am, I'm not. I'm almost done. I'd like to I promise I'm getting So these two slides here, this presentation 19 will be made available, I believe Rene will make 20 this announcement again at the end of the 21 meeting, this will be available by noon tomorrow 22 on our website, you can download it. 23 These next two slides represent the 24 construction sequence, which is represented by 25 these poster boards over here. So I'm just INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 24 1 going to click through these real quick. So 2 what happens is the construction sequence, you 3 build a cofferdam, your first -- the first piece 4 of the cofferdam, this is where the new lock 5 would be located. 6 you complete the cofferdam, the cofferdam you 7 carry over this deep water, the material is 8 excavated. 9 then you build a lock. You dredge a bypass channel, This material is removed offsite, When this is going on, 10 your other construction ongoing here now. One 11 of them are floodwalls. 12 going to be at least 23 1/2 feet high. And this 13 is approximately where they are going. Now 14 remember this is a rendering so it may not 15 represent exactly where the flood wall will go. 16 And then you dredge a bypass channel, you These floodwalls are 17 build a temporary bridge, you demolish the St. 18 Claude Bridge. 19 Bridge, and you end up with a new lock up here 20 and a new St. Claude Bridge from here. 21 again, this is just a rendering so it may not 22 look like this, but you have no lock down here, 23 it's been demolished, and this is what it looks 24 like in a better drawing a little bit closer up, 25 de-wire, new lock. You build a new St. Claude And The lock when it's finished, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 25 1 these areas back here are backfilled, you have 2 twenty-four and a half foot levees that run to 3 the river. 4 this is what it looks like when it is done. 5 This is the existing lock, and This may look a little skewered here, but 6 this bridge is here, but it is the best our 7 design could do with the short amount of time. 8 He did a great job actually. 9 So some takeaways. Material, dredged 10 material that is unsafe for human, for open mart 11 disposal for human contact, will be placed in a 12 solid waste landfill. 13 temporary relocation of some residents where we 14 might be building the temporary bridge, we do 15 not plan -- we do not have plans right now to 16 take any home, to take any property. 17 18 19 20 There could be potential AUDIENCE: (Many comments.) MR. MIKAL: But because of the temporary bridge there 21 could be some heavy equipment, and it would make 22 it unsafe for those that live adjacent to the 23 construction, we don't know where it would be, 24 so it would be unsafe for them to get to their 25 home. But that's a temporary and a voluntary INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 26 1 2 relocation. So construction is not necessarily 3 throughout the entire site all at one time. It 4 will be one gigantic construction site, and it 5 could last 13 years, but it doesn't mean that 6 we're digging up one gigantic mud hole all at 7 the same time. 8 Technically you are building a larger lock. 9 Technically we are widening the area where the It is a larger lock. 10 existing lock is because we're taking it out. 11 But we are not taking any more property than 12 currently exists, that we currently own. 13 going to stay within our footprint. 14 We are The St. Claude Bridge will be replaced, the 15 existing flood risk reduction features will 16 remain along the Mississippi River and the levee 17 where it was yellow on that image, new 18 floodwalls, those will be constructed so you'll 19 have another redundant feature there. 20 we're going to reformulate the community impact 21 mitigation plan. 22 And then This is a rough timeline or the schedule. 23 Schedules change too, even on our studies. So 24 right now we're planning on having the final 25 SEIS out in -- I hear the rain now -- another INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 27 1 availability of the final SEIS in final register 2 on March 23, 2018. 3 change. 4 5 This date is subject to AUDIENCE MEMBER: You've begun this? 6 MR. MIKAL: 7 Yes. This is where we're at. This is where 8 we are at right now. We have a draft report 9 that went to the EPA, which is what we have to 10 do, and we are in the public review period, 11 which was extended to March 14th. 12 13 14 15 AUDIENCE MEMBER: Where was the community input? MR. MIKAL: So this is the end of the presentation. Mr. 16 Mark Lahare is the environmental manager. 17 you have comments or questions you'd like to 18 send in separately from the meeting if you don't 19 have a question tonight or comment to submit, 20 you can submit it to him. 21 22 23 24 25 If AUDIENCE MEMBER: Can you extend the public comment period beyond next week? MR. MIKAL: And right now, Mr. Poche, we're going to get INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 28 1 2 3 4 5 started on the question and answer session. AUDIENCE MEMBERS: (Simultaneous comments and questions.) MR. MIKAL: Hang on, hang on. Could we go back to 6 the last slide? 7 information, contact information should also be 8 available on the public notes. 9 10 I never mentioned, his AUDIENCE MEMBER: For clarity sake, what part of the comments 11 of the Q&A session are going to be on record? 12 What part is going to be on record? 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 MR. MIKAL: She has been recording the entire time, so the Q&A session will be captured. MR. POCHE: Everything is being recorded right now by the court reporter. AUDIENCE MEMBER: Everything is recorded, but is it going on 21 record. 22 MR. POCHE: 23 Everything? Yes, ma'am, all comments, it will be part of 24 the administrative record. 25 in the final EIS. It will be included Correct me if I'm wrong, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 29 1 2 3 4 Mark. AUDIENCE MEMBER: Everything that is said here is on record? MR. POCHE: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 All transcripts -- Yes. AUDIENCE MEMBER: Including comment cards? MR. DUPLANTIER: Yes, comment cards are definitely on the record. Hold on. To get it on the record, the court 12 reporter needs the name -- to get your comments, 13 questions, the back and forth on the record, she 14 is saying she needs names. 15 let our PA folks bring you microphones when it's 16 your time to talk to make sure that she able, 17 because she just told me she can't hear with the 18 back and forth unless you have the microphone if 19 you want it on the record. 20 21 22 23 24 25 So we're going to AUDIENCE MEMBER: So you're saying the comments and the Q&A? MR. DUPLANTIER: Comments and Q&A on the record, yes. MR. POCHE: We do want to remind you, you do have the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 30 1 comment cards, if you wish you can use that, 2 it's postage paid. 3 can drop it in the mail, it's treated just as 4 equal as anything that goes on in here tonight. 5 You can fill that out, you So we have twenty minutes for your 6 questions. We're going to get to any many 7 questions as we can in that twenty minutes. 8 when the microphone comes to you, if you would 9 please just say your name and ask your question, So 10 then we're going to move on to another question 11 while that question is being answered so we will 12 get to as many questions as we can. 13 14 AUDIENCE MEMBER: Wait a minute, am I to understand, you're 15 saying twenty minutes, I was told this meeting 16 was ending at 9:00 p.m. 17 18 MR. POCHE: That's twenty minutes for questions, after 19 that public comment is open. 20 after that. 21 o'clock. 22 23 24 25 So you can talk We will end tonight at 9:00 AUDIENCE MEMBER: And again, all on the record? MR. POCHE: All on the record. What we found with these INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 31 1 meetings is we make the presentation, and then 2 you have -- everyone had a lot of questions and 3 we couldn't answer them because we were sitting 4 here listening to you, and that just didn't 5 work. 6 questions as we can for twenty minutes, then 7 we'll go into the comment period and that's when 8 we'll stop answering everything, we'll just 9 listen to what you have to say. 10 11 12 So now we're going to take as many And it is all on the record. MS. STOKES: Hi, my name is Sandra Stokes, I have two 13 quick questions. 14 at fully before you decided on this, this is 15 the best alternative? 16 full environmental impact statement done? 17 18 What alternatives did you look And when was the last MR. MIKAL: The last full environmental impact 19 statement, which was a supplemental 20 environmental impact statement was done in 2009, 21 it was signed in 2009. 22 an EIS that was completed in 1998. 23 did in this project is we looked at, quickly, we 24 looked all the previous things that we looked at 25 in prior reports and studies, and determined Prior to that there was And what we INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 32 1 that all other places that we could have put 2 this lock had been exhausted, because the 3 conditions that precluded those location for a 4 new lock remain the same. 5 the best and works to minimize impacts to 6 environment and to the public, in addition to 7 the fact that Congress has told us we're going 8 to build a lock either at IHNC or in Violet. 9 10 So this location is MS. STOKES: Let me just say that the world has changed 11 down here since Hurricane Katrina, and a brand 12 new environmental impact that we -- 13 14 15 16 17 MATTHEW: Ma'am, this is question and answer, please save that for the comment period. Impacts. MS. E. SKIDMORE: I just want to put this in perspective, so 18 you're saying that -- we're doing all this 19 destruction so that two barges can go through 20 for $4.00 profit to the nation? 21 this is? 22 23 That's what Am I missing that? MR. MIKAL: No, ma'am, the annual benefits to the nation 24 was as it was reported up there, it was 25 $172,000, that's an annual amount. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 MS. SKIDMORE: $4.00. MR. MIKAL: Every year. MS. SKIDMORE: $4.00. MR. MIKAL: Okay, next comment. Could we get the next comment, please. MS. ADDINGTON: 11 My name is Patricia Addington, I'm going to 12 try and ask this question as clearly as I can. 13 I think we're sort of circling around the same 14 things. 15 why I put my hand up before when you had the 16 figures up there about the cost/benefit 17 analysis. 18 factors were considered in determining the cost 19 and the benefits, because one of the things I'd 20 like to understand is whether an economic study 21 of the impact on this community was one of the 22 factors taken into consideration in determining 23 the cost benefit of the project. 24 other -- one final questions is, has the 25 mitigation plan been approved by the courts? I would like to understand, and that's Is there somewhere we can see what And the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 34 1 2 3 4 MR. LAHARE: This is Mark Lahare, I'm one of the economist working on the study. With respect to what the benefits are 5 comprised of, they are comprised of the delay 6 cost savings that result from the larger lock to 7 the navigation industry. 8 the costs it's obviously the construction of the 9 costs and the incremental O&M that's associated And with respect to 10 with the new lock. 11 about the community impact and if that was a 12 cost in the project, indirectly it is, but the 13 mitigation with the mitigation plan that we plan 14 on -- 15 16 But now what you're asking MS. ADDINGTON: But show me where we can see that's -- that 17 equation is sort of laid out about how you do 18 the cost/benefit analysis? 19 20 21 22 23 MR. LAHARE: It's in the report. It's in the economic appendix, it has all that laid out for you. MR. KEITH CRAFT: Yes, my name is Keith Craft. 24 question. 25 lock, first? I have twofold What happened to the plans for the Secondly, who would be held INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 35 1 responsible if any of this failed as it did 2 before, i.e., the levees, lock or whatever? 3 will be responsible for that? 4 AUDIENCE: 5 6 Who (Many comments at one time.) MR. DUPLANTIER: 7 Bobby Duplantier. 8 The existing level of flood protection that 9 is there right now will absolutely one hundred 10 percent maintained. 11 the new project is implemented. 12 13 14 It will be maintained after Did I miss the first part? MR. CRAFT: Firstly I asked, what happened to the plans 15 for the lock going to Violet? 16 who will be responsible if the levee or the 17 locks failed? 18 19 Secondly, I asked MR. MIKAL: The Violet location was thrown out as an 20 alternative over -- almost twenty-five years 21 ago. 22 where it would located and it would actually -- 23 we would have to take homes and property. 24 would have to go through a Mississippi River 25 levee, and you would have to go through a back The environmental impacts of that lock You INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 36 1 levee and a hurricane protection levee. 2 the MRGO closed you have no place for navigation 3 to go. 4 AUDIENCE: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 And now The second part of the question. MR. MIKAL: There is no defined responsible party. AUDIENCE: (Boos.) AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you, that's a straightforward answer. MS. KAT DAVIS: My name is Kat Davis, I live a 4717 Urquhart 14 Street, between Cistern and Jourdan Avenue, so 15 I'm right at the levee, okay. 16 why can't -- the main thing is the boats are not 17 going through there fast enough; is that right? 18 19 20 21 22 I went to know MR. MIKAL: It's the efficiency that they move through the lock, correct. MS. DAVIS: Okay. Whey can't they put some pumps in 23 there to flood the lock faster and get some 24 people who can actually drive those barges? 25 Because every time they go through there they INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 37 1 hit the levee, they're shaking my house. 2 right? 3 hearing about this? 4 twenty minutes of question and answer. 5 going to need to come back, because it's a lot 6 of people in here and you can't fit this in 7 whatever, two hours. 8 we're -- 9 10 All And I wan to know why are we just And you need more than You're This is our lives that MR. MIKAL: Can we get to answer the question, because I 11 would like to give the opportunity for someone 12 to ask a question. 13 putting pumps is a very innovative idea, but 14 that's the issue right now. 15 is inefficient, and it's old, so we need a 16 bigger lot to fit more tankers through there. 17 18 19 20 21 So you're answer about The lock right now MS. DAVIS: I'm sorry, what did you say about the pumps? MR. MIKAL: I said that it's an innovative idea, but 22 that's not the issue of pushing traffic through 23 the lock with pumps and folks that can drive 24 tugboats better. 25 tugboat operators right now, if there are any in The operators that use -- the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 38 1 this audience, they are very experienced tugboat 2 operators. 3 getting old, and it's obsolete, and it's 4 inefficient, and it can't fit bigger barges in 5 there. 6 bigger than these 300 that are up there. 7 configurations are different, but the barges 8 aren't getting bigger. 9 to what's moving through the lock. 10 11 12 The problem with the lock is it's The barges are not going to be getting The So there's a finite size So if we could get to the next question. MS. DAVIS: Wait, I had a second question. I wanted to 13 know what's going to happen when you build a new 14 St. Claude Bridge, where we going to go over, 15 part of this is obsolete? 16 17 MR. MIKAL: There will be a temporary bridge 18 constructed, the St. Claude Bridge would be 19 demolished, a new one will be constructed, the 20 temporary bridge will be removed, and then it 21 will be open for traffic. 22 23 MR. CALVIN ALEXANDER: My name is Calvin Alexander. You know, I 24 spoke to you, Sean, before the actual meeting 25 started, and my problem is with the information INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 39 1 that you gave in your presentation here, and the 2 information we got when we walked through and 3 looked at the easel boards were somewhat 4 different. 5 walked by was all the walls will be the same 6 height on the eastern side. 7 someone else, he said, oh no, the wall is going 8 to twenty-three, twenty-four feet. 9 get your presentation together. One of the thing I was told as we Then I spoke to You need to 10 Let me make my question, can you please make 11 it a priority to get your presentation together 12 with all the people get who are going to speak 13 to us before they start to speak, okay? 14 second part of that is, we really would like to 15 know if you can extend the period from the 14th 16 of March at least until the end of this month? 17 Thank you. 18 19 20 And the AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. MIKAL: 21 The existing floodwalls that are out there 22 now will, I think ninety, ninety-five percent of 23 them will remain in place. 24 additional flood wall that is constructed that 25 is about twenty-four and a half feet high, it There will be an INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 40 1 would be a least that high or that count. 2 would be some new floodwalls constructed where 3 the existing lock is demolished, because when 4 you put the floodwalls there. 5 There In regards to the comment period, we can 6 consider that but I can't make any guarantees 7 tonight. 8 9 MR. STERLING COLEMAN: My name is Sterling Coleman. And what I 10 want to know is when you move the locks from St. 11 Claude to Claiborne are you going to put 12 something at the very mouth of that area where 13 Holy Cross and what used to be the Port of 14 Embarkation meet? 15 happen is you're letting more water in to come 16 into that Claiborne area, which is going to hurt 17 the levees that you have because it's going to 18 be twice as much pressure on it. 19 20 Because what's going to MR. DAVID LOVETT: My name is David Lovett. I'm with the 21 Engineering Division with the Corps. 22 additional -- I guess you're referring to 23 additional Mississippi River water that's going 24 to be coming up -- 25 With the MR. COLEMAN: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 41 1 2 3 4 Exactly. MR. LOVETT: -- into the IHNC due to the lock being relocated further north? 5 MR. COLEMAN: 6 Right. 7 MR. LOVETT: 8 All the new floodwalls that are going to be 9 constructed along that, from the existing lock 10 up to the new lock, will be constructed up to 11 the new elevation of twenty-four and a half to 12 accommodate the higher Mississippi River 13 elevation. 14 15 MR. COLEMAN: That's not going to work. You gonna 16 have to put something on the area to stop it, 17 just like you have on the other end of the like 18 you got coming up the lake. 19 gonna flood us. 20 21 If you don't, you MR. ANDREW STEPHENS: Hi. Andrew Stephens with CAWIC and Holy 22 Cross Neighborhood Association. First question: 23 Sean, I believe you've spoken before about the 24 need to remove some land on the down river south 25 side of the existing St. Claude Bridge on the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 42 1 north side in order for this bypass channel to 2 be dug. 3 levee and land removal? 4 Could you describe the process of that And the second question I have to followup 5 with that is: 6 this region in the Lower Ninth Ward to trust the 7 work of the Army Corps after we've been flooded 8 twice? 9 AUDIENCE: 10 11 12 How do you expect the people of (Applause.) MR. LOVETT: I'll address the first part of the question 13 in terms of the construction sequencing with the 14 temporary bridge and the permanent bridge, and 15 then the -- also a construction bypass will have 16 to be sequenced so that you have a portion of 17 the flood wall built first, then a temporary 18 bridge built, then you would go ahead and do 19 your excavation of your bypass channel. 20 you have the temporary bridge built you would 21 demolish the existing bridge, build your new 22 flood wall beneath the new footprint of the new 23 bridge, and then build it over there. 24 going to be a sequenced activity. 25 Once So it's MR. MIKAL: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 43 1 2 3 4 It's existing levee land that we're going to be cutting away. MR. LOVETT: You're going to have a new flood wall in 5 place along there for the overreach, 6 essentially. 7 in your flood protection during that time 8 period. 9 going to be sequenced to ensure that, that when You're not going to have any gaps You will have a new levee and they are 10 we do the excavation that you're not left 11 vulnerable. 12 13 14 15 AUDIENCE MEMBER: Could you answer the second question? MR. MIKAL: I'm going to defer it on that one. 16 I talked to you before. 17 next. 18 I think I'd like to get to the AUDIENCE: 19 (Many speaking at one time.) 20 He's not going to answer that one. 21 We an need to answer to that question, it's 22 a very important question. 23 24 25 MR. MIKAL: It's not a question that addresses the selection of this plan, the design of this plan, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 44 1 2 3 4 so with all due respect. AUDIENCE: (Many speaking at once.) MR. POCHE: 5 Can we get to the next question and answer 6 because we're going to be running out of time 7 for you to even ask questions. 8 to be rude, but the fellow with the -- 9 10 I'm not trying MR. BRUCE HARRIS: Yes, my name is Bruce Harris. And I was 11 wondering, as I was listening to the 12 presentation I was wondering about the 120 wide 13 expansion; would that be equally distributed on 14 the lower nine side and the upper nine side? 15 16 MR. MIKAL: It will be within the existing footprint of 17 the property that we own. 18 distribution of that would be -- you're talking 19 about widening that area where the existing lock 20 is, I don't know how, I don't think we -- 21 22 So what the MR. HARRIS: The reason I was concerned about the effect 23 it would have on residents, and would residents 24 have to be -- would it be something that where 25 the government would come in and say you got to INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 45 1 go? 2 MR. MIKAL: 3 No, no, no. No, that's not happening. The 4 construction of this -- the demolish -- the 5 construction of the new lock and the demolition 6 of the existing lock we are not taking anybody's 7 homes for that yet. 8 MR. HARRIS: 9 Okay. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 One more question. MS. SKIDMORE: You said yet. You said yet. You said yet. Remember what you said. MR. MIKAL: I said right now -- I said -MS. SKIDMORE: Not going to take it yet, remember what you said. MR. MIKAL: I said yet because we haven't made a 20 final decision yet. 21 what I've been referring to is the temporary 22 bridge. 23 MR. DUPLANTIER: 24 25 It's a nuance of terms, but None of the existing alternatives that Sean went through will require any permanent INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 46 1 residential relocations, none of them, we said 2 that earlier. 3 4 MR. HARRIS: Okay, one more question. You mentioned 5 earlier that the close of the MRGO and those 6 facility that led down into the Gulf had been 7 eliminated. 8 this such a -- is this an expansion just for 9 barge use or is this an expansion for -- 10 11 So if that's the case then why is MR. MIKAL: It's an expansion, it's a new lock to 12 increase the efficiency of inland navigation, 13 maritime travel -- 14 15 16 17 MR. HARRIS: But where is it going? MR. MIKAL: It's going to Florida, it's going to 18 Texas, it's going to parts of Louisiana, it's 19 going up the Mississippi River, it's going down 20 to the mouth of the river. 21 22 23 24 25 Okay. Can we get to the next question, please, sir. MR. GREGORY WARREN: Hi there. My name is Gregory Warren. I live in the Holy Cross part of the Lower Ninth INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 47 1 Ward. 2 section you were going to be working that might 3 potentially require residents to temporarily 4 voluntarily relocate for however long it takes, 5 and that the project could take up to thirteen 6 years. 7 that table would relocate for thirteen years to 8 help the nation? 9 I was just curious if anybody sitting at AUDIENCE: 10 11 And you mentioned that there was a (Applause and shouts.) MR. MIKAL: 12 We haven't determined who or how many people 13 would be affected by temporary relocation. 14 on. 15 temporary relocation, it only involves 16 construction of the temporary bridge, okay. 17 18 Hang It's not going to be a thirteen year MR. WARREN: But would you personally, voluntarily leave 19 your house for an indefinite number of years or 20 months for the benefit of the nation? 21 22 23 24 25 MR. MIKAL: That's not a question I can answer up here, so if we could take the next question. MR. WARREN: I'm simply asking you. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 48 1 2 3 4 MR. MIKAL: Can we get the next question, please. Ms. LINDA JACKSON: My name is Linda Jackson and this is a 5 request for the Freedom of Information Act on 6 behalf of the Lower Ninth Ward Homeowners 7 Association, Holy Cross Association, Citizens 8 Against Widening the Canal, the Lower Ninth Ward 9 Stakeholders Coalition, the Lower Ninth Ward All 10 Common Ground, the Lower Nine Zill (sic), Lower 11 Nine Voters Coalition, I'm asking for the 12 transit time research methodology for vessels, 13 tows and barges for the Inner Harbor 14 Navigational Canal; copy ofthe original logs 15 from the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal from 16 September 1, 2006 to February 28, 2017; all 17 correspondence on the activities, including but 18 not limited to written and the electronic 19 communication, audio arrangements, notations, 20 formulas, involving transit time, wait time, 21 delaying of the vessels towing the barge for the 22 purpose of the passage through the Inner Harbor 23 lock on the Industrial Canal, better known as 24 the Industrial Lock, during this appropriate 180 25 day period. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 49 1 2 3 4 AUDIENCE: (Applause and shouts.) REV. WILLIE CALHOUN: My name is Reverend Willie L. Calhoun, Jr. 5 I live at 2125 Delery Street. 6 the toxic sediments that's in the canal and how 7 they're going to impact this community. 8 My concerns are In 1997 the Corps release their report 9 saying that there was no environmental impact 10 statement concerning the toxins in the canal. 11 However, Tulane went in and they gave some 12 money, and they went and actually found arsenic, 13 barium, benzel (sic), and all that. 14 of read the reports before I didn't see any of 15 those things in that report. 16 about at toxic sediments that's going to be 17 placed -- in your report, now it says that y'all 18 can't put that contamination back into the 19 water. 20 to get it out of the water, put it on a barge, 21 and none of it fall back in. 22 As I kind I'm concerned That's going to be interesting for y'all And I got one more question, because I want 23 to know about the pile driving. Because when 24 you start driving piles in the canal that's 25 definitely going to impact people homes. All INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 50 1 right? 2 but when you drive that pile down and that water 3 starts to fill in you're going to create a water 4 table that's going to ruin the water table in 5 this area. 6 to speak to at least in a quarter mile radius of 7 the impact of having the water table lowered at 8 all? 9 AUDIENCE: 10 No. 11 12 13 Not only will it impact people homes, Has a study been done to talk to -- If y'all ain't done of that stuff, y'all ain't ready to -MR. LAHARE: Mark Lahare, environmental impact manager. 14 To answer your first question, there were three 15 sampling studies done, one in '93, one in '97, 16 one in 2007. 17 not to take up too much time, the list that Sean 18 presented earlier, the metals, volatile organic 19 compounds, those type of contaminants of 20 concern, as we have termed them, in "endenues" 21 (sic) in den five through seven, which is where 22 the cofferdam will be constructed, that type of 23 excavation that we we're doing what Sean said is 24 normally referred to as an environmental bucket 25 dredge or a watertight hydraulic bucket dredge. To not get overly technical, so as INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 51 1 This minimizes the amount of resuspension of 2 sediments in the water column. 3 doing is excavating the solid waste sediments, 4 putting it into a barge, transporting it to a 5 permitted industrial landfill. 6 similar to that would be if you were building a 7 building you'd use certain types of materials 8 that cannot be put in municipal landfills, they 9 have to go to permitted industrial site So what that's So something 10 landfills. 11 doing it with the best technology, with 12 watertight bucket dredges, to minimize the 13 amount of resuspension of sediment. 14 15 16 17 18 19 This is that same process. We are AUDIENCE MEMBER: So the toxic sediments should have no impact to this community whatsoever? MR. LAHARE: I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. AUDIENCE MEMBER: 20 You're telling me that the toxic sediments 21 that you're going to disturb in that canal is 22 not going to have any impact on this community 23 whatsoever? 24 25 No health impacts? MR. LAHARE: Yes, that is correct. It's in our report. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 52 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 It's on page 2-20. AUDIENCE MEMBER: And if somebody gets sick y'all not held accountable? (All speaking at once.) MR. LAHARE: The second part of the question I'm going to defer to -AUDIENCE: Hello, my name is -- I'm sorry. MR. MIKAL: I was just going to address the second part 13 of your question about the pile driving 14 activity. 15 reevaluation report right now. 16 progress in the design, and also get into the 17 further design stages we'll get more involved in 18 to the pile driving activities. 19 20 We're very early in the general As we further AUDIENCE MEMBER: But if you gonna impact the levees, you 21 gonna put a levee up, you can't tell me the 22 vibrations from the pile driving is not going to 23 impact the levee? 24 of the study? 25 So you haven't done that part MR. MIKAL: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 53 1 2 3 4 5 6 So during construction we will do vibration monitoring to ensure the -AUDIENCE: (All speaking at once.) MR. MIKAL: I think we have time for -- Rene, one more 7 question? 8 MS. EVE ABRAMS: 9 10 11 12 13 14 And then we're going to move on. One more question? People have their hands up all over this room. MR. POCHE: We have five minutes to take questions then we have to get to the comments. MS. ABRAMS: 15 I think you're not then listening to your 16 constit -- the people of this community, there 17 are a lot of hands up in the room. 18 My question is: 19 Abrams is my name. 20 companies -- 21 22 23 24 25 Are there any -- oh, Eve Are there any specific MR. POCHE: Could you say your name again, please. MS. ABRAMS: Eve Abrams. And my question is: Are there any specific companies that are backing this INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 54 1 plan or stand to specifically directly benefit 2 from this plan? 3 AUDIENCE: 4 5 (Applause.) MS. ABRAMS: 6 7 8 I have another question, but I'll wait for your answer on that one. MR. MIKAL: 9 No. The inter navigational pays a tax on 10 the fuels that they use, which will be used to 11 fund fifty percent of study and fifty percent of 12 the construction, and then a hundred percent of 13 the money will be for operation and maintenance. 14 But no, there's, technically there is no one 15 company that is funding this for a particular 16 -- 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 AUDIENCE: (Many speaking.) MS. ABRAMS: Benefitting some, was my question, sir. MR. MIKAL: There's no one that's funding this benefitting themselves individually. MS. ABRAMS: There are no companies that are in any INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 55 1 2 way directly benefitting? MR. MIKAL: 3 4 5 The companies, the inland waterway users benefit from this. MS. ABRAMS: 6 7 8 So there are a group of companies that benefit from this; correct? MR. MIKAL: 9 10 11 This is what Congress has directed us to do. MS. ABRAMS: 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 I'm not asking about Congress, I'm asking -MR. MIKAL: Okay, can we get to the -- what's the next question? MS. ABRAMS: So you're not going to answer that question? MR. MIKAL: I have answered the question. The inland navigation users. MS. ABRAMS: I'll go to the next one since you're not going to answer that one. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 56 1 My understanding of environmental best 2 practices when you're mitigating a hazard site 3 is not to dredge up hazardous materials, but in 4 fact to cover them. 5 understanding how this is best environmental 6 practices. 7 MR. MIKAL: 8 9 10 11 12 And so I'm not In this case it is, because we have to construct the project. We have to de-water a -MS. ABRAMS: Well, you don't have to construct the 13 project, you're deciding to construct the 14 project. 15 16 MR. MIKAL: In order to construct this project, as part 17 of that process you would de-water, you would 18 excavate, you would de-water, that material 19 would be removed so that the base, the 20 foundation of the structure could be 21 constructed properly. 22 23 24 25 MS. ABRAMS: So is that in line with best environmental practices? MR. MIKAL: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 57 1 Yes, it is using the environmental bucket 2 dredge or the innovative technologies, whatever 3 may be available in the future. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 MS. ABRAMS: No, no, no, is it inline with best environmental practices? MR. MIKAL: Yes, yes. MS. ABRAMS: To dredge up a hazardous -MR. MIKAL: In this instance, in the method we have proposed to do it it absolutely is. MS. ABRAMS: Thank you. MR. POCHE: All right. We can take two more questions, and we have to get into the comments. MR. Anthony BROWN: My name is Anthony Brown. My question to 21 the Corps is, did the Corps as a group actually 22 meet any elected officials of the City of New 23 Orleans, and does invite them to this meeting? 24 25 AUDIENCE MEMBER: And the State of Louisiana. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 58 1 MR. MIKAL: 2 We have coordinate with local and state 3 elected officials, they have been invited and 4 made aware of this meeting. 5 folks -- 6 We have met with MR. BROWN: 7 From the City of New Orleans, can you tell 8 us who, specifically persons you actually met 9 with from City of New Orleans, elected 10 11 12 officials? MR. MIKAL: I don't have a full list. 13 Gray was one. 14 AUDIENCE MEMBER: 15 16 I know Councilman Oh, thank you. MR. DUPLANTIER: 17 I can tell you we extended invitations to 18 all of the elected officials, those offices. 19 walk closely with the Mayor's Office, with 20 Councilman Gray, again, not saying they support 21 the project. 22 23 24 25 We AUDIENCE MEMBER: You all met with them? MR. DUPLANTIER: Yes, we have met with Councilman Gray in INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 59 1 particular. 2 the project, but they have been engaged and -- 3 I'm not saying that they support MR. BROWN: 4 So only Councilman Gray you met with, okay. 5 February 23rd you guys were in a meeting in 6 St. Bernard Parish Parks and I was present at 7 that meeting. 8 presidents, you got, a number of elected 9 officials was there at St. Bernard Parish, this And you got the parish 10 is New Orleans, all right, this is the Lower 11 Ninth Ward. 12 13 14 15 MR. MIKAL: Uh-huh. MR. BROWN: Which elected official away from Gray did 16 you guys spoke or speak with? 17 any elected official inside here right now? 18 none. 19 20 21 22 Gray? Is there No, AUDIENCE MEMBER: Vote them out. MR. PETER: Hello, my name is Peter -- (inaudible) -- 23 from St. Bernard. I understand what the man 24 that has a question is, he wants to know if 25 something happens who's responsible for it. We INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 60 1 on a, St. Bernard, the Lower Ninth Ward, we know 2 what we doing with that. 3 have been if you break it who pays for it? 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 His question should MR. BROWN: Who pays it? MR. MIKAL: If -MR. MIKAL: We have one more question right here -In response to the officials, they have all 11 been contacted, they have been invited. 12 believe t here was a representative from the 13 Mayor's Office was here, if they're not still -- 14 oh, there he is in the back. 15 real quick. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 I Raise his hand MR. BROWN: No. Is he the Mayor? Is he the Mayor? MR. POCHE: Let us take this last question so we can get to the comments, please. MS. SHEEHAN: My name is M.A. Sheehan with the 23 homeownership association, and this question is 24 in regard of who's responsible and how can we 25 trust the Corps. When there was problems after INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 61 1 MRGO where the MRGO caused huge damage to this 2 neighborhood the Army Corps of Engineers 3 asserted sovereign immunity and said, ah, we 4 don't have to pay for the damage because we 5 have sovereign immunity. 6 Engineers agree to waive sovereign immunity if 7 any damage occurs to the neighborhood because of 8 this project? 9 MR. DUPLANTIER: 10 11 No. MS. SHEEHAN: 12 13 Thank you. LARRAINE HOFFMANN: 14 15 16 17 My name is Larraine Hoffmann, I live at 605 -AUDIENCE: (All shouting at once.) 18 MR. DUPLANTIER: 19 No. 20 21 22 23 24 25 Will the Army Corps of No. The answer is no. No. The answer to the question is no. AUDIENCE: (Continued shouting.) AUDIENCE MEMBER: He said no. MR. DUPLANTIER: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 62 1 2 3 The answer to the question is no, to be clear. The answer is no. AUDIENCE MEMBER(S): 4 Thank you. 5 And that's on record? 6 record. 7 MR. POCHE: 8 It is. 9 Go ahead, ma'am. 10 11 That needs to be on MS. HOFFMANN: You spent a great deal of time going through 12 timeline for your elaborate study and you went 13 through a lot of data, which we're going to have 14 a difficult time processing in a week, I 15 believe, is what you have allowed us for 16 comments, but one thing you did not really 17 discuss is the impact of transportation for us. 18 As bridges gone up or down, once the project is 19 completed and during the construction period, 20 what kind of delays might we experience? 21 went through data about barges and about time 22 periods for them, but will there be two bridges 23 up at the same time while more barges go 24 through? 25 transportation activities, and the people in St. You What will happen for us and our INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 63 1 Bernard, while we're dealing with an enormous 2 amount of construction, temporary bridges and 3 bridges that you have not describe at all in 4 your operation how they might affect our 5 transportation? 6 tonight. 7 8 9 10 That's worth some discussion AUDIENCE MEMBER: What about pedestrians? MR. MIKAL: I did discuss the, there are two things 11 going on. There is a community and -- plan 12 which includes mitigation or traffic impacts 13 during construction of the project. 14 separate, there's separate legislation, 15 Section 58 from the Water Resource Development 16 Act of 2007 which direct says to investigate and 17 come up with, and identify any potential 18 impacts, adverse impacts to vehicular traffic 19 caused by the operation and maintenance of this 20 new lock. 21 with the DOTD, coordinating with the Coast 22 Guard, coordinating with the Port os New Orleans 23 and a number of other folks, and figuring out 24 how bridges would open, how the navigation would 25 move through the lock. There is a And that would involve coordinating INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 64 1 In regards to pedestrian traffic the new St. 2 Claude, the temporary bridge, there will be an 3 accommodation for pedestrians to exit, because 4 we have to do that, we understand that, and the 5 replacement bridge will include those features 6 in kind, whatever exits now, and it doesn't mean 7 it will look the same, but perhaps it will be 8 safer then currently exits, but we would provide 9 the same level of service at the St. Claude 10 Bridge, no less, than this current St. Claude 11 Bridge provides, which includes pedestrian and 12 bicycle traffic. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 MS. HOFFMANN: You have no study to show the impact for us with the new bridges? MR. POCHE: Okay, that's going to close the Q&A part of this meeting. AUDIENCE: (Many members objecting.) MR. DAVID GAHARDY: 22 Hi, I'm David Gahardy and I have a comment, 23 I guess this could be a question but I guess I 24 won't get an answer now. 25 dredge now, a deep water lock now and we'll not We gave a deep water INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 65 1 have a deep water lock later. I don't 2 understand the benefit of eliminating deep draft 3 vehicles coming through the area, I guess is a 4 comment. 5 option, you spoke about it being eliminated 6 twenty, twenty-five years ago, but the situation 7 has changed dramatically, and can you still get 8 to the Intercoastal Waterway through Violet the 9 same as you get to the Intercoastal Waterway And when you spoke about the Violet 10 through the Industrial Canal, which I understand 11 was the main point in putting this lock is to 12 have access to the Intercoastal Waterway, which 13 I guess maybe y'all can post it on line or 14 something, the answers. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. POCHE: All right. Absolute last question, right here. AUDIENCE: I have questions. We need the microphone. MR. POCHE: We need to get into the comment period is 24 what we need to do. So we would like to remind 25 you that there are comment cards if you didn't INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 66 1 pick u pone. It is postage paid, you can fill 2 it out and drop it in the mail. 3 written are treated in the same way as the 4 comments that were spoken here tonight or 5 submitted here tonight, nothing is different. 6 We want to get as many comments as we can. 7 only have until 9:00 o'clock to get the 8 comments. 9 tonight, so we will open up the comment period. 10 Understand that we can not ask a question or Those comments So we want to get as many as we can 11 answer a question. 12 goes on the record, but we cannot answer it. 13 14 15 16 Why not? MR. POCHE: It's a hearing now, we're listening. AUDIENCE MEMBER: 18 Why? 19 MR. POCHE: 21 22 If you ask a question it AUDIENCE MEMBER: 17 20 We Go ahead. State your name, please. MR. JACQUES HEBERT: My name is Jacques Hebert, I'm a resident of 23 Holy Cross in the Lower Ninth Ward. I am 24 vehemently opposed to this project and have 25 significant concerns and questions about its INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 67 1 impact on our local environment, public safety 2 and quality of life. 3 the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish were 4 devastated, not by Hurricane Katrina but by the 5 effects brought by actors, including the Army 6 Corps of Engineers, whose actions were outside 7 of the control of these residents but greatly 8 affected their lives. 9 now closed Mississippi River Gulf Outlet More than ten years ago The construction of the 10 decimated the wetland buffer that once 11 protected our communities and businesses and 12 created a storm surge super highway that 13 channeled Katrina's wrath into the Industrial 14 Canal. 15 of the Industrial Canal led to a barge slamming 16 into our levees, killing hundreds of people, 17 damaging thousands of homes and businesses and 18 forever changing these communities. 19 The faulty operations of the management After such extensive damage and 20 mismanagement I question why the Army Corps of 21 Engineers would seek to advance a project that 22 would bring more traffic through the Industrial 23 Canal and further disrupt the lives of residents 24 and business owners for more than a decade to 25 come. Even more, the damage done by the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 68 1 leveeing of the Mississippi River and the 2 construction of MRGO, particularly to Bayou 3 Bienvenue just a few blocks away still have not 4 been addressed. 5 for South Louisiana should be to restore our 6 principle wetlands and work day and night to 7 make our communities more safe from threats of 8 hurricanes, sea level rise and subsidence and 9 more, and should not be on advancing additional 10 navigation projects that could result in damage 11 and disruption to communities that have suffered 12 enough. 13 until the Bayou Bienvenue Wetlands are restored 14 and the Army Corps has advanced other large 15 scale comprehensive restoration. 16 The Army Corps's only priority This project should be put on the shelf I have significant concerns about the St. 17 Claude, the replacement of the St. Claude 18 Bridge, this is a historic bridge that is part 19 of the fabric of the community. 20 separate the bridge from the Industrial Canal, 21 and yet we have not heard anything about how it 22 will be replaced, and how doing so will ensure 23 that the fabric of the Lower Ninth Ward is not 24 disrupted. 25 through and we need to be considered and You cannot Our community is not simply a past INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 69 1 respected based on these needs. 2 project advances we need to know how this bridge 3 will be affected and what the specific plans 4 exist to replace it. 5 I'm left with many questions. Before this Why is this 6 project going to take thirteen years? How will 7 it disrupt our daily lives? What are the 8 environmental implications? And how it will 9 affect our levee system and safety? How will 10 traffic and our bridges be affected? 11 be damage to our properties from extensive and 12 ongoing construction? 13 be impacted? 14 Will there How will our businesses I have -- to serve other business interests 15 and financial gains of one well connected 16 individual who resulted in this project being 17 put on the priority list of the federal 18 government worth saving the input of the people 19 who live in this area and will actually affect 20 by this project have in the process. 21 that we will have equal or more than a well 22 connected donor. My hope is 23 Lastly, I do thing that this project is a 24 prime example of environmental injustice and 25 racism. I do not think this sort of project INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 70 1 would advance or be proposed near more affluent 2 areas in New Orleans. 3 suffered enough? 4 starting to return from the affirmation damages 5 cause by manmade actors' actions, and yet 6 another potentially disruptive and destructive 7 project is being advanced despite many concerns 8 from this community. 9 restoration and fixing the damage you already Haven't these people The community is finally Focus on wetland 10 caused, and everything else should be put on 11 hold. 12 13 14 15 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. (INAUDIBLE): I first need a clarification. You flew by 16 this last, one of your last slides and you 17 mentioned in passing that the costs and traffic 18 created by -- had not been calculated. 19 wondering if you meant the traffic through the 20 thirteen years of the construction or afterwards 21 in perpetuity or both. 22 has not been calculated. 23 24 25 I am Which cost and traffic AUDIENCE: They're not answering. MR. (INAUDIBLE): INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 71 1 That is just some clarification about what 2 you were talking about earlier, what that 3 means. 4 5 6 7 MR. DUPLANTIER: This is the comment period. MATTHEW: We've entered into what is called the 8 comment period, they cannot respond to questions 9 at this point. 10 11 12 Your comment has been added to the public record. MR. (INAUDIBLE): Regardless, which -- where is the traffic 13 recreated during the thirteen years of the 14 construction or in perpetuity afterwards. 15 you haven't even figured that cost, which I 16 think might be significant in your costs 17 benefit, and if you haven't included the cost of 18 relocating people, because you yourself said you 19 don't know how many people need to be relocated, 20 I think that pretty much that renders your costs 21 benefit analysis incomplete. 22 your four dollar or dollar return is completely 23 inaccurate. 24 25 If And therefore, AUDIENCE: (Applause.) INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 72 1 2 AUDIENCE MEMBER: If this project go on for thirteen years asa 3 you all said, what do you think our insurance 4 companies are going to do for us? 5 protect what they have to protect. 6 insurance for flood and homeowners are going to 7 go sky high for $4.78, and we, our property 8 values gonna go down, we are going to feel it 9 economically because of the high cost of the They gonna Our 10 insurance. 11 it's much higher higher since Katrina. 12 that been considered to any form for this 13 project going to for thirteen years? 14 15 We all pay insurance in here, and Have MR. CRAFT: No questions. Keith Craft, no question, 16 it's a comment. 17 for you. 18 people asking question. 19 don't care, which I doubt that you. 20 though you want to be somewhere else. 21 shouldn't have come, because you exemplify an 22 attitude that is not for down here. 23 24 25 This comment is for you, sir, You act as though you are T'd off at You act as though you You act as You AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. VANESSA GUERINGER: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 73 1 My name is Vanessa Gueringer, spelled 2 G-U-E-R-I-N-G-E-R. I'm a lifelong resident of 3 the Lower Ninth Ward. 4 highly disrespectful and insulting for you all 5 to come here and ask us to be okay with this 6 project. 7 this community, they lost their lives. 8 changed forever, whole people displaced, 9 couldn't come back. First of all, it is You killed over four hundred people in Family You to have the blood of 10 this community on your hands. 11 and insult us like this and disrespect us is 12 demeaning. 13 And to come here Number one, there are needs, we demand that 14 there be a meeting in the Upper Ninth Ward, 15 because the upper ninth is going to be impacted 16 as well. 17 study be done. 18 be done. 19 another meeting that there are handouts, okay. 20 Everyone does not have access to a computer. 21 There needs to be handouts. 22 tomfoolery that you all involve yourselves in. 23 It's not a joke to us. You all have affected 24 our lives for decades. Who is going to benefit? 25 We see no tangible results of benefits for this We demand that a new environmental We demand that a traffic study We demand that when you all have This is the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 74 1 community. 2 tonight, it's appalling. 3 And everything that's been said here So again, I'm against this project, as well 4 as this community. There are lots of 5 uninhabitable places in Chalmette that can be 6 looked at. 7 the businesses on the IHNC, it's about Boysie 8 Bollinger, who was a main fundraiser for the 9 Trump campaign, that's who this is about. The consensus here is it is about It is 10 not about us. 11 comments go on public record. 12 meeting scheduled for the Upper Ninth Ward, and 13 the comment period be extended. 14 15 16 17 So I need to make sure that my There is another AUDIENCE: (Applause and cheers.) SHARON MARIE CHESTER: My name is Sharon Marie Chester, I'm a 18 social worker, the other St. Bernard. I 19 understand that you can't even guarantee the 20 funding for this thing throughout the thirteen 21 years that this is lined up. 22 halfway through this the funding runs out or Mr. 23 Bollinger takes his interests elsewhere? 24 like to know what the bottom line is, the direct 25 profit making investment spark with suddenly What happens when I'd INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 75 1 this having been bumped up on the priority from 2 number twenty-three to number -- way up there 3 because of the election. 4 ironic and I'd like to know what's supposed to 5 happen and how it defines on a breakdown on a 6 day to day basis. 7 relocating families, what do you mean? 8 9 10 11 12 13 I think it's really When you're talk about My last question is, what do we have to do to stop you? AUDIENCE: (Applause and cheers.) LISA LYON: My name is Lisa Lyon, I've owned a house 14 here for eight years now. I thought it was 15 interesting in looking at your map of the areas 16 that will be affected, it's also very reflective 17 of areas that have been affected by high lead 18 levels. 19 common course of conversation is exactly how 20 high is your child's lead level. 21 not if they have lead level but how high is it, 22 and whether or not it's going into the twenties 23 and into the period where they could later face 24 all sorts of emotional and mental difficulties. 25 This is caused in large part by lead being In the playground, when I go there, the Not whether or INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 76 1 roughed up in the community, much in a 2 reflective way as you are about to rough up an 3 entire massive -- 4 5 6 7 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. LYON: -- entire Superfund site essentially. And 8 yet you sit here saying that you absolutely have 9 zero culpability, legal or otherwise, you're 10 unwilling to claim any responsibility 11 whatsoever, and at the same time you're willing 12 to spill this on us again. 13 say is regardless of whether or not you have 14 legal culpability, you have culpability. 15 when you go home tonight and see your children 16 you need to think on whether or not you are, 17 would be willing for them to be playing next to 18 those levees, and for them to be walking along 19 the sides of those streets that you are about to 20 disrupt, because you are willing to do things 21 that you are not willing to do in your own 22 backyard. 23 24 25 And all I have to And AUDIENCE: (Applause.) NOREEN PARKER: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 77 1 My name is Noreen Parker and I have lived in 2 this neighbor since 1955. The voices are crying 3 out to me, I didn't want to say anything, but 4 the voices of the lives that were lost are 5 crying out in this room tonight. 6 crying out to us, because they been through so 7 much. 8 was almost a deserted area. 9 people. They are And when we came down here in 1955 this There were very few We had a canal in front of our house. 10 And my father worked two jobs and he took care 11 of seven children, and people back then worked 12 and stuck together and they made provisions for 13 their families, and that's what we are trying to 14 do now. 15 And in 1965 it was admitted the Mayor Schiro 16 blew up the levee so that the water would come 17 on this side, thinking that we didn't matter 18 down here, but we do matter. 19 like you. 20 grandchildren. 21 community as you do in yours. 22 like a little rundown neighborhood to you, but 23 this our neighborhood. 24 families have worked and fought and made it what 25 it is. We are people just We have children, we have We want to prosper in our This may look We have worked, our And they are crying out today, they are INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 78 1 crying out tonight, and we refuse, we will not, 2 we cannot, we must not let you destroy what we 3 have created. 4 We will not. We will not. And for some reason after Katrina they 5 wanted this land. They didn't want it in 1950, 6 1955, but we came down here, and our parents 7 they have worked hard and they are owned homes 8 and we paid taxes like everyone else. 9 worked for it. We are citizens. And they We are not 10 immigrants, we are citizens, and we have worked 11 hard, we continue to work hard. 12 be displaced. 13 we will not be displaced. 14 make, continue to make this community great. 15 So you do what you must and we will do we 16 17 18 19 20 must. And we will not We don't care what the cost is, We will fight and And we know that the Lord is with us. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) SAM MAHER: My name is Sam Maher, I own a house in the 21 Lower Nine. I work in the industry for Cargo 22 International, I'm not speaking on their behalf. 23 I do also sit on the Department of Homeland 24 Security over Mississippi Safety Advisory 25 Committee. And when y'all were changing the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 79 1 gates and barges and tugs were going through 2 Breton Sound to go through the intercoastal 3 waterway you were still getting the job done. 4 And then the gates were then put in and the work 5 is still getting done, and I just don't think 6 the market demands for such an expansion, 7 considering the risks that we're talking about. 8 So I'm kind of look at it in that way. 9 really, and I think these folks are making valid And I 10 points about your track record, especially I 11 mean when she talked about people dying here and 12 things like that. 13 of, you know, breaking people's hearts with the 14 kind of inconsistency as this going back to 15 plans from decades. 16 And then you're really kind So I think when you're looking what is going 17 to be the commercial impact and things like 18 that, it's not worth the risks to the community 19 that people have been living here much longer 20 than I have. 21 closed, there was talks of well oh, this is 22 going to impact the market, then the locks, you 23 know, they wanted to change out the gates and 24 things like that, I've just seen that the 25 industry finds a way to get the commodities and And you know after MRGO was INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 80 1 2 things like that when they need to be. You know, I'm not speaking on behalf, but I 3 definitely tell you when we have our next 4 committee meeting, you know, I'm going to be 5 very suspect when these things are brought up. 6 So I really hope that we can talk more about 7 that and I will definitely be in contact with 8 y'all. 9 10 Thank you. MS. GUERINGER: Vanessa Gueringer, Lower Ninth Ward, 11 again. 12 we want to know who are the -- who's 13 receiving mitigation money? 14 those folks who are receiving mitigation money. 15 We do know Councilman Gray is on board with this 16 project, and he is suspect, okay, of receiving 17 these funds. 18 president of A Community Voice, we've been 19 communicating via e-mail with a number of you 20 all, so we need that list to share with the 21 community. 22 A question I want put on the record, We want a list of So we need a list. I'm the vice The other thing is when I walked this 23 stretch of pictures, and you all talked about 24 these twenty-four or twenty-six foot floodwalls, 25 it looks like to me those floodwalls are only INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 81 1 gong to be protected the side of the canal 2 where these businesses are located. 3 that the floodwalls that were put back that we 4 have a jack-o-lantern effect that those 5 floodwalls are twelve, fifteen, seventeen feet 6 high. 7 these twenty-four, twenty-six foot floodwalls 8 cut off at a certain juncture, and it does not 9 protect all of those homes on the other side of We all know And so where are you all proposing to put 10 that wall. 11 Ohio and other parts of the nation and we have 12 all of that snow melting, and all of it trickles 13 down into the Mississippi River and the flood 14 levels go up, we can look for pressure, pressure 15 on floodwalls that are not what they should be. 16 When I looked at how it look like we have a 17 canal within a canal around this lock, and we're 18 looking at this simulation of a barge coming 19 through and I'm saying how close is this to the 20 those floodwalls that are not what they should 21 be. 22 there. 23 Because it is evident to us you don't. 24 25 So again, when we have flooding in You have a whole settlement of people Do you care about people's lives? But we are going to make sure we bring our congressman into a town hall meeting, we're INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 82 1 going to put pressure on those who represent us 2 who are not here tonight to make sure that this 3 project does not happen. 4 5 6 7 Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) SANDRA STOKES: Hi, I'm Sandra Stokes, I'm with the 8 Louisiana Landmark Society. And I got to tell 9 y'all it doesn't feel like this is fully thought 10 through completely, and this is a big project. 11 It feels like it's rushing through because maybe 12 the Feds said the money is there or whatever, 13 but you really haven't stopped to look at the 14 impacts on this neighborhood and the community. 15 Um, I think number one you need to extend the 16 deadline. 17 seven days to respond and a lot of research to 18 do with this. 19 This is new information, we have The other part of this if the world has 20 changed since Katrina, especially down here. 21 You've got coastal erosion, you've got the 22 closure of the MRGO, you've got -- everything 23 has changed. 24 step one, look at alternatives, do a traffic 25 study, so a complete environmental impact study. I think you need to go back to INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 83 1 It's just rush through without thinking all 2 these things through with all the change and 3 variables that have happened. 4 The community impact that you talk about is 5 four communities, that needs to be expanded. 6 The area of potential affect is much, much 7 bigger. 8 Orleans has to travel those bridges. 9 Bernard Parish is impacted as well as those four All of St. Bernard Parish to come into All of St. 10 communities, and all of Orleans Parish that 11 wants to go to St. Bernard Parish is impacted as 12 well. 13 impact has to be extended. 14 again. 15 AUDIENCE: 16 17 18 Your area of potential and community Really, start over Thanks. (Applause.) MS. JACKSON: Linda Jackson. One of the things I want to 19 say, I think Bollinger Shipyard has something to 20 do with this, number one. 21 Donald Trump came on national television -- this 22 can be proven -- on national television and 23 wanted to know what was taking Ray Nagin so long 24 to do what he needed to do in the canal, I think 25 we got it now. Number two, in 2007 INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 84 1 2 3 4 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) JAMAL MERRITT: My name is Jamal Merritt. They had done put 5 this project on a shelf, for forty-plus years. 6 It moved forward with Chalmette announced that 7 they want to have a port. 8 everything. 9 announcement that they want a port this project That is the key to If they wouldn't have made an 10 never would have taken first base, because it 11 was on the shelf forty-plus years. 12 want to be big timing, make more money than New 13 Orleans at the port and they moved it up, what 14 that lady said back there, the election. 15 at public television and this is on a year and a 16 half ago, about they trying to get the port. 17 They got the port and this is the result of it. 18 They don't nowhere to get out if they have a 19 port ought to be going down the river. 20 barges that they talking about has to go all the 21 way around, and that's not feasible to them, 22 that's why they want to expand the levee. 23 Chalmette is the culprit. 24 25 Chalmette I look The HAPPY JOHNSON: My name is Happy Johnson. My first comment INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 85 1 is that I think when we have these meetings we 2 should have handouts for residents. 3 formally make that request. I'd like to 4 My second request is that the question and 5 answer period be extended from twenty minutes to 6 at least an hour or maybe even ninety minutes. 7 I think when we come to a meeting and see this 8 amount of people and we see the interest, the 9 concern, I think the Corps needs to take that 10 into account and answer people's questions 11 because it's going to help us, you know, better 12 understand what is going on and it will help us 13 inform our neighbors and residents. 14 My third comment that I would like to say is 15 that you know while we're doing this I think at 16 one point someone from the Corps has to step up 17 and really just be a leader. 18 seeing an absence of leadership here. 19 cannot hold a community meeting like this and 20 treat people the way that that has been going 21 on. 22 AUDIENCE: 23 24 25 I think we're You (Applause.) MR. JOHNSON: And you know, we're not the Falcons and INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 86 1 y'all aren't the Saints, right? 2 the day we're really all Louisianians, right? 3 We have the same concern at the end of the day. 4 So I would formally recommend that USACE perhaps 5 hire a community engagement specialist to 6 coordinate these meetings so that we have more 7 effective outcomes. 8 9 10 11 At the end of Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) HELENE GARNER: Hi, my name is Helene Garner and I'm a New 12 Orleans resident. 13 echo the commentary of many of my fellow 14 community members that the comment period for 15 this particular action has been far too short 16 and it hasn't allowed community groups enough 17 time to aggregate, to inform their people and to 18 get questions back to you like we're doing now. 19 We need more of this and there hasn't been 20 nearly enough. 21 I would just simply like to So I would simply like to reiterate the fact 22 that we need more meeting in other -- in the 23 Upper Ninth Ward, and we need more time -- we 24 absolutely have to extend it. 25 extended past the end of March. It has to be Because just INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 87 1 looking at the data you gave me tonight, and I'm 2 somebody who has taken college statistics, 3 that's going to take me some time to get through 4 and to make some sense of, and I think we owe 5 that respect to our community here. 6 absolutely have to get more time for this. 7 8 9 10 We AUDIENCE: (Applause.) JAMES STRAND: Hello, my name is James Strand, I live on 11 the 2500 block of Jourdan. 12 with what everyone's been saying. 13 comment cards that we can send you, while we 14 have you here in person you should be answering 15 our questions. 16 And yeah, I agree We have My question, I guess won't get answered 17 right now, is you know you say thirteen years, 18 I'm going to go ahead and bet that's going to be 19 at least twenty, maybe thirty, during that time, 20 you know, during that decades of time, even with 21 the most optimistic projections of however or 22 landscapes going to change, we're going to be in 23 a different environment is terms of the shipping 24 industry, in terms of the goods moving in and 25 out. Have you taken that into consideration, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 88 1 you know by the time this is done, what's going 2 to be different and the economic changes and 3 losses that are going to come due to the loss of 4 land over those decades? 5 be a lot of bang for your buck in restoring that 6 land and protecting that land, and I want to 7 know what that 4.78 number that you got, have 8 you done those numbers for funding more coastal 9 protection measures? 10 You know there could My other comment or question is, during that 11 course from Florida all the way to Texas I 12 imagine there are a lot of bottlenecks, this is 13 one bottleneck that causes a loss of efficiency, 14 but I imagine there are many other bottlenecks, 15 and I wonder what the cost benefits of those 16 other bottlenecks are, and if they're, any of 17 those bottlenecks, or actually I should frame it 18 a different way. 19 you decided which ones to address to improve 20 efficiency did you take into consideration the 21 economics of the neighborhood that would be 22 affected and did you chose to pick neighborhoods 23 that you thought would be easier to just kind of 24 blow through, you know, as opposed to other 25 bottlenecks that might have, you know, that you Of all those bottlenecks when INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 89 1 2 3 4 5 felt giving you more resistance? AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's a question. DAVID GORDON: My name is David Gordon, I've lived in New 6 Orleans since 1982, working at Charity Hospital 7 for many years, until they closed it after 8 Katrina. 9 know this isn't focused on that, but I want to 10 make a connection because they closed, RMJ and 11 Hillary (sic) reports say they could have gone 12 back into Charity for much faster, quicker and 13 cheaper. 14 working class and poor people much better than 15 this new hospital is, an the debt they're 16 running into. 17 up is because with the closure of Charity 18 Hospital and shutting down of public housing, 19 and now what's happening here, all these things 20 are -- the reason I live in the Ninth Ward right 21 now is because I could no longer afford the 22 rents uptown, so, and a lot of people were 23 forced all over the city. 24 the blueprint for New Orleans since Katrina is 25 benefiting the port, like Bollinger, instead of Now I'm going to make a connection, I I think that hospital was serving But the reason I'm bringing that It just seems that INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 90 1 poorer people, you know. 2 tied together. 3 It seems to be all Also I the comment, I live in the Upper 4 Ninth Ward, and a lot people don't really know 5 what's going on, I think there needs to be a 6 community meeting in the Upper Ninth Ward. 7 8 9 10 AUDIENCE: Right, right (applause.) RONALD SCHWARTZ: My name is Ronald Schwartz, I live in a 11 house in the 4000 block of Urquhart. I was 12 leaving but I just had to come back and get some 13 things on the record. 14 tonight with an open mind. 15 anything about locks and dams. 16 curious to hear from all you, I had a lot of 17 people, friends that were against it, but I came 18 because this country thrives on industry and New 19 Orleans is a port city and we need money. 20 thing that immediately struck me was the first 21 thing you people did was come out here and 22 threaten us. 23 in our homes. 24 listen to you talk, and the first thing you do 25 is treat us like we're children and threaten us, I actually came here I really don't know And I was really The You're in our neighborhood, you're I came here with an open mind to INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 91 1 okay. So just right off the bat whatever it is 2 you're bringing to the table I really don't want 3 to have anything to do with it. 4 going, you evade the questions, you cut off at 5 twenty minutes when people are trying to get 6 clarification when you're first doing the 7 presentation, you're being respectful by giving 8 us time to comment. 9 can all sit around and do this, I mean I mean you keep What good is comment? We 10 everybody's doing this already in their living 11 rooms, this serves know purpose. 12 that this is good for is for us to ask you 13 questions and you to answer them, but it's 14 obvious you don't want to answer the questions. 15 And so the obvious question from there is why 16 don't you want to answer everybody's questions? 17 18 19 20 21 22 The only thing I came here with an open mind, and my mind is pretty well made up. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) RHONDA FINDLEY: My name is Rhonda Findley, I live at -- on 23 St. Clause Avenue. And you know how I found out 24 -- I'm going to come closer to you gentlemen, 25 because most of these people I already know, but INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 92 1 I'm going to get a good look at y'all, and 2 you're going to get a good look at me. 3 enough? 4 Okay. Fair So, you know how I found out about 5 this meeting, from Sara Debarker, a Facebook 6 post, because I was stuck at a traffic light 7 leaving work. 8 Avenue. 9 property in the Upper Ninth Ward, I have gotten My front door is on St. Claude The traffic is an impact. I have 10 no notices, no information, okay. 11 going to make -- as you can see these people are 12 educated, adamant, engaged, you met your match 13 with this community. 14 So, I am not That's number one. Number two, it is, it will be past 15 unacceptable for you not to have at least two 16 more community meetings, the Upper and Lower 17 again, and you definitely need to answer 18 questions, because what's the point? 19 been -- we are road weary around here, you know. 20 When we come out in full force denying the 21 answers to cogence, well thought out questions, 22 is unacceptable to the tax payers of this city, 23 right. 24 meeting, you definitely are morally obligated to 25 open up the comment period for way longer. So just think about that. We have We need a And INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 93 1 definitely we need Cedric Richmond and every 2 other accountable official here. 3 4 5 6 Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) WILLIE L. CALHOUN: Rev. Willie L. Calhoun, Jr. I think the 7 comment that you need to take away that you have 8 not heard one comment from this community that's 9 in favor of the project. I think what you need 10 to take away is that this hinges on 11 environmental racism. 12 to the community that they definitely do not 13 want. 14 real honest look at what's going on, I know our 15 -- I don't want to -- well president forty-five, 16 I'll put it that way, has already said that he 17 wants this project to go forward. 18 it's been determined that the tow operators, the 19 tug operators have been to Washington to see 20 that this project goes on, but the impact on 21 this community, as far as I can see and as far 22 as I understand, and I respect everybody here, 23 that there has not been enough study done to 24 really say to what the impacts to this community 25 will actually be. You're bringing something So I think that if you're going to have a So already So I'm going to ask you, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 94 1 because I don't see no Southern engineers up 2 there, I don't know all y'all either LSU or 3 Alabama, but we need for y'all to sit down and 4 really look at what the impacts to this 5 community really are. 6 people's lives, you're talking about their 7 homes. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 You're talking about So I'm asking you to sit down, my comments are, sit down and really take a good look at what's going on with all this. Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) DELANEY MARTIN: My name is Delaney Martin, I own, with my 15 non-profit arts association, the property at the 16 case of the St. Claude Bridge on the Upper Ninth 17 Ward side. 18 work. 19 sort of letter, despite being at the base of the 20 St. Claude Bridge, that's pretty weird. 21 beyond that I'd like to go public record to say 22 there is no way I could publicly comment on 23 something that Sean and the other engineers up 24 there have no answers for so many of the basic 25 questions. We do arts, education community For some reason I also did not get any And So I think we cannot hold any of INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 95 1 these meetings until you have actually answers 2 for our questions, and your plans are fully 3 figured out, then you can present a plan to us 4 that we can comment on. 5 6 7 8 9 Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) JANELLE HOLMES: Good evening, my name is Janelle Holmes, I'm a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward, family can 10 be traced back. I want to make a statement to 11 everyone in the audience and that is, you can 12 lead a horse to water but you can't make them 13 drink. 14 all our representatives from the state, the 15 city, and the federal government, and when you 16 lock around you do not see any of them here. 17 That should state to us that we are not 18 important. 19 mind that they are not important when it comes 20 to pulling down that lever, and we should get 21 people in that represent our interests. 22 and no longer are we going to stand for this 23 kind of treatment from any of them, and 24 basically that's what we need to build on, 25 getting them out, making sure that they know These gentlemen, the Army Corps invited This should go on record in your No more INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 96 1 that we are serious about what, everything that 2 impacts us in our neighborhood. 3 Also, if we're going to have a meeting, the 4 meeting should be collectively with Upper Nine, 5 Lower Nine and St. Bernard Parish, so we 6 collectively hear what they're telling us at one 7 time. 8 going on and how people think in St. Bernard 9 Parish and what is being said we don't know Because what one meeting is whatever is 10 unless we read through in detail and research, 11 we don't know. 12 represented by their representatives, but again 13 we see no, none of our elected representatives. 14 Thank you. 15 16 17 18 So basically they're being AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. STEPHENS: Andrew Stephens with CAWIC, Citizens Against 19 Widening the Industrial Canal, and HCNA, Holy 20 Cross Neighborhood Association. 21 concur with my fellow neighbors in the Lower 22 Ninth Ward and Upper Ninth Ward about the need 23 for a complete new environmental impact 24 statement, not a supplemental environmental 25 impact statement, but a full new EIS. I want to INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 97 1 Also, I want to completely support 2 opposition to this project. 3 an additional meeting in the Upper Ninth Ward 4 and an extension of the comment period before 5 this can even go forward. 6 cannot have this project even potentially happen 7 without the MRGO Ecosystem Restoration Project 8 first being fully funded to occur that restores 9 our wetlands that protect us from storm surge. 10 There needs to be Additionally, we I want to go back to numbers, because I 11 think numbers are important, and sadly numbers 12 are what elected officials only listen to. 13 Approximate damage from Hurricane Katrina was 14 estimated at $108 billion dollars. 15 from Betsy back in 1965 was $1.2 billion 16 dollars. 17 9.2 in today's money. 18 for this proposed project is $172 million. 19 you were to start working those numbers it would 20 that you 679.8 years for this project to be in 21 the black, meaning it would start to actually 22 produce money for the federal government which 23 had to pay for restoring this entire after 24 Hurricane Katrina and Betsy. 25 number in mind, 679 years it will take for this The number You adjust it for inflation, that's The net benefit per year If So keep that INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 98 1 project to make any economic sense. 2 There are other viable locations for this 3 project that have been dismissed because of 4 political maneuvering that's happened decades in 5 the past. 6 the river need to be up for consideration again, 7 and need to be looked at further. 8 viable option at this site, the only viable 9 option, people need to understand this, for the Those potential sites lower down in The only 10 IHNC is to fill it in up to the GIWW, fill it 11 in. 12 decades of its existence. 13 local, state and federal representatives to make 14 that review happen. 15 presented here tonight, but it needs to be. 16 needs to be an option that is reviewed and 17 implemented, fill it in and move it some place 18 else. 19 20 21 22 This caused too much damage over the So I want to support It's not an option that was It AUDIENCE: (Applause.) NAOMI GARNER: I'm going to follow in somebody else's 23 footsteps, because I think it's just I need to 24 be able to see you. 25 and I live here in the Lower Ninth in Holy Cross So my name is Naomi Garner INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 99 1 on Jourdan Avenue. And I did receive a letter, 2 and I have to say I was really struck by the 3 amount of information that was in there that 4 wasn't really any information about how the 5 project was going to potentially impact. 6 you mentioned, you alluded to it tonight, the 7 potential for displacement and then you 8 confirmed that would likely be an outcome. 9 just want to go record and say that I'm And So I 10 extremely concerned about that aspect in terms 11 of the impact of this project. 12 I'm also extremely concerned, and everyone's 13 already mentioned that's tonight, but the levees 14 will be compromised, there's no question about 15 that. 16 picture or how you display, you know, the 17 staging of the project, they will be 18 compromised. 19 twice, and this neighborhood is only now 20 starting to kind of come back. 21 resident here, and along with all of the 22 residents have been living here for years, I'm 23 watching people struggle to get by. 24 this project -- and I'm a planner, an urban 25 planner, I've worked on capital construction It doesn't matter how you paint the I mean they have been compromised I'm a new And for INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 100 1 projects, nothing goes to schedule. 2 this. 3 timeline, but with the federal funding, you 4 know, which you said is a hundred percent 5 federal funding, like we know that is not a 6 given. 7 projects are often delayed and are political, 8 and you know, there's just to much at risk, 9 there's way too much at risk. 10 I know So thirteen years is a projected The phases and the stages of these So the concerns, I just want to echo the 11 concerns that so many resident noted today, but 12 lives are at risk, livelihoods are at risk, 13 people's homes are at risk, the culture and 14 preservation of New Orleans is at risk, and it 15 doesn't, you know, make any sense for you know 16 this neighborhood to support a project that 17 would deteriorate or compromise that, in 18 addition to there are no economic benefits at 19 all for this neighborhood as a result of that 20 project. 21 22 23 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. GARNER: 24 I also want to go on record that I was in 25 this -- I don't know if anybody else remembers INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 101 1 this, but there was a meeting in this very room, 2 probably about a year ago, I do believe some of 3 the people -- I believe you were in this room, 4 and it's very interesting to hear that, you 5 know, the Violet location has not been on the 6 table for I don't know how long, because there 7 were maps that people dotted looking at 8 locations that were a potential and that no 9 location had been selected, and now you're here 10 tonight saying that the Violet location has been 11 off the table. 12 and say I don't know if anybody else recalls 13 that, but that was not what was talked about 14 that night. 15 And I just want to go on record So I oppose this project as is. I believe 16 that we do need to have an additional meeting. 17 And you know, you're just checking off the box 18 that the EPA has required of you, but we're 19 going to push back, because you're requirements 20 are a box but these are our lives, so be ready 21 for that. 22 23 24 25 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. ALEXANDER: Calvin Alexander again. I live right down INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 102 1 Caffin Avenue. I wore a red tie tonight and I 2 wore this red tie because there's some people 3 whose voices cannot be heard tonight. 4 Forty-plus years ago, fifty years ago now when 5 you first opened the MRGO and you being the 6 navigation experts in this country decided that 7 we were going to cut a shortcut out to the Gulf. 8 Well the Gulf was only a shortcut for the 9 hurricane water to be pushed in. So this red 10 tie represents the more than seven hundred 11 people roughly that supposedly died in Hurricane 12 Katrina, and we're not sure how many died after 13 Hurricane Betsy pushed water right up brand new 14 waterway in 1965. 15 So this red tie is here to talk for somebody 16 who can't talk for themselves. Yeah, there's 17 blood on your hands. 18 the last speaker who talked about two years ago. 19 The 2015 meeting you had with us you talked 20 about four alternates to this site here on the 21 Industrial Canal. 22 was mentioned and yes, you had a map showing 23 that, and Sean, you just said that Violet's been 24 off the table for twenty-five years. 25 That's a lie. It was just mentioned by Violet was one of those that Lie. It's a lie that is was an INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 103 1 alternate two years ago, it was not an 2 alternate. 3 We're tired of being lied to. 4 what colleagues have been saying, we can't trust 5 what you're telling us, and we're tired of the 6 lies. 7 We are tired of being lied to. I'm here to echo They're not going to be accepted. The other thing you said, Sean, was that 8 there ate two local companies using the canal 9 presently. 10 So really it's not going to do anything to benefit us at all, not financially. 11 Another answer you gave to someone was 12 the new lock is going to run to the river. Does 13 anybody really understand the impact of that? 14 No. 15 the river is going to be moved past Claiborne 16 Avenue to where the new lock is being proposed. 17 The river is being moved. 18 the current levee, the river when the storm 19 dumps and the heavy rains come in the springtime 20 the water is within just feet of the top of the 21 levee. 22 building twenty-four, twenty-five foot levees, I 23 don't give a damn about that. 24 There is no need to bring the Mississippi River 25 any farther then where it is right now. The lock is not going to run to the river, There are times when Yeah, I know you're talking about I don't care. It INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 104 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 needs to stop right there. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. ALEXANDER: In short, we can't, we won't, we don't trust what you're telling us. Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) IMELDA SCRUGGS: My name is Imelda Scruggs. I've been down 11 here since 1946. I was, I went to this school, 12 it was McCarty then, and we are, I lived on 13 Tupelo Street. 14 we fighting the Industrial Canal. 15 really closing us in. 16 New Orleans. 17 to die know where but in New Orleans. 18 trying to pull us out. 19 everything together, and y'all trying to pull us 20 out again. 21 the reason why I'm with the community action. 22 We going to fight y'all, because we're not, we 23 don't want y'all to put us out. 24 everybody say about how long they been here, I 25 been here since 1946. We fighting the expressway, now Y'all are I fought to get back to I told my children I didn't want Now y'all We just beginning to get Y'all don't care about us, that's I hear about So I been here a long INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 105 1 time. 2 Ninth Ward, and we work hard. 3 going to pull us out, we gonna fight. 4 5 6 7 I done seen a lot of changes in this So y'all not AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. SHEEHAN: Hi, my name is M.A. Sheehan again from Lower 8 Ninth Ward Homeownership. I wanted to address 9 the impact on the community. People asked you 10 about that being included in the, whether that's 11 included in the environmental impact statement. 12 What I heard you say, and I may be wrong, was 13 oh, we're looking at mitigating the impacts, and 14 we're trying to figure out how we're going to 15 mitigate impacts. 16 benefit analysis has been done. 17 thing is the impact on the community has to be 18 included in the cost benefit analysis, not just 19 mitigating it later. 20 Well, that's after the cost So the key And when that's done, there's the two pieces 21 that are sort of the impact on the community for 22 the twenty years the project is ongoing, and 23 then the impact on the community after that. 24 And the key thing in making that analysis I 25 think is that it can't be just an economic INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 106 1 analysis, it has to actually deal with people's 2 lives. 3 this significantly. 4 formula was developed that said we're gong to 5 reimburse you for the market value of your 6 house. 7 8 9 And the Lower Ninth Ward has suffered After Hurricane Katrina a AUDIENCE MEMBER: What a joke. MS. SHEEHAN: 10 In the Lower Ninth Ward the estimated cost 11 of damage, the average estimated cost of damage 12 after Hurricane Katrina was $199,000 but they 13 said we're going to give you the lesser of 14 market value or estimated cost of damage. 15 average market value was $67,000. 16 $67,000 for a house that had $199,000 worth of 17 damage. 18 analysis isn't going to be sufficient to 19 evaluate the lives of people here. 20 21 22 23 They So people got That's an example of how economic AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. SHEEHAN: So I'm asking you to take into, not just 24 make everything into an economic formula, but to 25 actually look at people's lives. One of the INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 107 1 things to look at, there are a lot of elderly 2 people in this neighborhood, and lot of them 3 were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and have 4 struggled and struggled to get back, and are 5 finally back. 6 the people who are temporarily displaced? 7 they going to die during the time that they're 8 temporarily displaced? 9 during the thirteen to twenty years that they And are these going to be some of Are Are they going to die 10 are subject to the upheaval of this project? 11 All that needs to be taken into account when 12 you're doing your cost benefit analysis of this 13 project. 14 And likewise, the possibility of failure 15 needs to be taken into account. 16 look at the possibility of failure consider that 17 this is a neighborhood that this will be the 18 third failure that it has suffered. 19 neighborhood where many people have died, and if 20 the same thing happens to the neighborhood again 21 that just multiplies the impact. 22 And when you This is a And finally just to reiterate what I asked 23 as a question I now state as a comment, if the 24 Army Corps of Engineers is so certain that this 25 project is not going to damage the neighborhood, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 108 1 then the Army Corps of Engineers can waive their 2 right to claim sovereign immunity. 3 4 5 6 AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. HOLMES: Janelle Holmes again, I forget to make this 7 statement. 8 affected by Hurricane Katrina, last week we 9 got our letter from -- 10 11 12 13 Pre Katrina residents that were AUDIENCE: (Laughter.) MS. HOLMES: -- decision letter from the barge, and I 14 think the highest I know someone getting is $72. 15 My dad $32, um myself was I think maybe $42, but 16 then it's still -- they have to make another 17 decision of whether or not I get that. 18 business, my dad had a business, my dad had a 19 family home, I had a home, and all I get is $42. 20 And so everyone sitting in here probably got the 21 same letter, but you new residents, if we're 22 impacted you're probably going to get that or 23 less or nothing. 24 25 I had a AUDIENCE: (Applause.) INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 109 1 2 MR. GORDON: This is David Gordon again. I was wondering 3 how many people are left in the room tonight 4 still have comments and how m any left the room 5 that still have questions. 6 questions and how -- let's go with a show of 7 hands. 8 How many are left that have comments? 9 half hour left to this meeting, can we readdress 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 How many people have How many have questions? All right. With a questions again? AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. GORDON: Otherwise it's a question not a comment, but I really would like, appreciate an answer. MR. POCHE: No, we're going to stick to the format. MR. GORDON: For the record, thirty people raised their hands that have comments. AUDIENCE: Questions. MR. GORDON: Questions. And we may have had one that raised their hand for a comment, which we INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 110 1 certainly will welcome to entertain. 2 be the last question answered, or maybe not, 3 depending on your answer. 4 MR. POCHE: 5 6 7 8 9 10 Can that We're going to stick to the format that we -AUDIENCE: (Boos.) MR. WARREN: Hi, Gregory Warren again, I just wanted to 11 put this on the record. 12 of the people sitting in these chairs completely 13 understand this, but I'm not sure if you guys 14 do, it's just the underlying racism behind this 15 whole thing. 16 be perfectly blunt, we're dealing with a poor 17 black community, and if this was a wealthy white 18 community I don't think any of this would be 19 happening right now. 20 21 22 23 24 25 I think probably most I believe that we're dealing, to AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. POCHE: Any more comments? AUDIENCE: Questions. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 111 1 2 3 4 MR. POCHE: Comments, any more comments? MR. GORDON: I'll go again since I didn't get an answer, 5 so I'll go back with the comments. I don't want 6 to put color into it. 7 against you, I don't, you know, Langston -- 8 (inaudible) -- you know, the color I don't have 9 to bring into it, the economic situation affects You know, it's not 10 everybody, you know. 11 Engineers, you got us once, go get a different 12 sucker, you know, go after new targets. 13 you. 14 15 16 17 And as far as the Corps of Thank AUDIENCE: (Applause.) VAN JOINS: My name is Van Joins, I live a 914 18 Independence Street in Bywater, as Upper Ninth 19 Ward resident was also not notified of this 20 community meeting. 21 at the lack of rigor associated with the 22 economic impact analysis, particularly 23 associated with the potential affects of a 24 closure of this Industrial Canal facility and 25 instead of opening the Violet facility. I am extremely disappointed If you INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 112 1 were to the Industrial Canal that land would be 2 developable, as well as the long term risks 3 associated with property damage, etcetera, going 4 through the Industrial Canal would be mitigated, 5 those are expenses that would be incurred by the 6 federal government if there were any damage, 7 again, because the national flood insurance 8 program. 9 be developed you would have a return on 10 investment of a multiple fold, not only 11 associated with that land between where the 12 Industrial Canal currently occupies, but all the 13 way through the Lower Ninth Ward because there 14 wouldn't be a risk associated in everyone's mind 15 of flooding out these neighborhoods again in the 16 future. 17 through Violet and then allow for port traffic 18 to go through there the potential risk to the 19 property damage would be drastically less than 20 essentially damaging all the property in the 21 Lower Ninth Ward and in St. Bernard Parish 22 again. 23 But if you allow that land instead to If you were then to cut the canal So I think there needs to be a risks 24 analysis associated, you know, not only with 25 what happens if these areas are flooded again, INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 113 1 but what happens if you were to instead the 2 Industrial Canal, allow that area to be 3 redeveloped, no longer have a risk with flooding 4 area out and the increased property value 5 associated with that. 6 actually computed the numbers, and I'm a real 7 estate developer so I would be to help you. 8 Doing this calculation on the back of an 9 envelope and I essentially saw the, you know, a I think you'd find if you 10 significantly higher than 4.7 times return on 11 investment, you know, annualized I think it 12 would be over a hundred fold return on 13 investment, it would take two years and in which 14 I'd be certainly interested in giving on any of 15 this land if that were to happen -- 16 17 18 19 AUDIENCE: (Laughter.) MR. JOINS: -- because I don't think there a rigor 20 associated with this economic analysis process. 21 I think essentially what you did, and correct me 22 if I'm wrong - but you can't say anything - is 23 that -- 24 25 AUDIENCE: (Laughter.) INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 114 1 MR. JOINS: 2 -- you essentially took the total costs of 3 goods that move through and said, okay, if we 4 increase the amount of traffic that goes through 5 in a certain amount of time there will be a 6 benefit because it drives down the overall costs 7 of those goods in this period of time because 8 we're able to get items through the port more 9 quickly, didn't really consider the risks or 10 cost benefits associated with closing and 11 allowing this property to be developed long 12 term. 13 So I guess what I'm commenting on is that I 14 think there needs to be more rigor in terms of 15 long term analysis associated with these 16 multiple options and the economic benefits 17 associated with them, not simply limiting them 18 to the movement of goods through these areas, 19 but rather the other potential benefits 20 associated with closing down some of these, and 21 in the case of the Industrial Canal, permanently 22 defunct methodologies of transport through, of 23 goods through the lock. 24 25 So please in the future, and I'm happy to help in any way that I can, would love to help INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 115 1 you all increase the rigor of your economical 2 analysis. 3 AUDIENCE: 4 5 (Applause.) MS. FINDLEY: 6 7 8 So, Rhonda Findley again, hello everybody. So are you going to answer questions? MR. GORDON: 9 10 No. MR. POCHE: 11 12 13 Thank you. No, we have to stick to the format that we have to -MS. FINDLEY: 14 So we are going to stay here and keep 15 commenting until nine p.m., right, everybody? 16 Okay, so you aren't going to be able to say that 17 you're going to have another community 18 engagement meeting, but I expect it. 19 questions, all the questions that have been 20 asked, when are they going to get answered? 21 When are you all going to answer every single 22 question that that woman is passionately typing 23 up? 24 I think that that's what has been so eloquently 25 stated and asked respectfully and repeatedly, When can we expect your feedback? All the Because INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 116 1 unlike the way the meeting started by announcing 2 there's a policeman and everybody needs to be 3 polite and yada, yada, yada, you know, that we 4 need the answers to these questions, and that 5 it's, just know no one is going to buy into the 6 BS that's kind of being served up tonight, 7 because it is not a two-way street. 8 the federal government and the Army Corps of 9 Engineers is telling what we're going to get It is just 10 whether we like it or not, and that is wrong, 11 morally wrong and it's just wrong on every 12 level. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 So, I think y'all should huddle and reconsider answering some questions. AUDIENCE MEMBER: It ain't gonna happen. (Applause.) MS. FINDLEY: I think you'd find it unacceptable if it were in your backyard. MS. HOFFMANN: I want to go back to the slide -- oh, 22 Larraine Hoffmann again, that's L-A-R-R-A-I-N-E, 23 H-O-F-F-M-A-N-N, 605 Deslonde Street. 24 a slide up quite a long time ago, and I don't 25 remember exactly what the relationship was, but There was INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 117 1 I think it purported to show involvement during 2 the process, correct me if I'm wrong, could 3 anybody just nod and tell me because it listed 4 St. Bernard Parish, Orleans Parish, anybody 5 remember that slide? 6 but I think it said who was supposed to be 7 involved, and I saw one community organization 8 on there, I saw Old Arabi Business something, 9 and it struck me as somewhat odd that in this It didn't list all of it, 10 room tonight where there are so many people from 11 the Lower Ninth Ward, and as you can hear 12 there are organizational leaders and members, 13 many of them, who are activity and passionately 14 involved in this community, that none of them 15 were mentioned. 16 slighted their absence, and I just want to put 17 on the record since nobody else has mentioned 18 that, that's insulting to people in this 19 community to conspicuously leave out all their 20 names. 21 meeting like this you have people doing 22 outreach, you have a public relations arm, 23 there's no reason not to have at least contacted 24 everybody in one of those organizations 25 individually and have the courtesy to mention I mean there were conspicuous And in doing due diligence before a INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 118 1 all of them or most of them, or none of them, 2 but don't mention somebody from another parish 3 without mentioning the organizations in this 4 room. 5 And since I asked the question and I didn't 6 get any kind of an answer, a few other people 7 have brought it up, I'm going to try an recap my 8 concern about transportation. 9 you did careful study about how you could For the record, 10 expedite commercial transportation through 11 barges going through this canal in the heart of 12 our neighborhoods and now you have said, if I 13 have missed it somebody correct me, but now you 14 have said you do not have a study about the 15 impact on the transportation of the people who 16 live here now. 17 didn't bother to do that, and we deserve to know 18 if there is more barge transportation that means 19 bridges will be going up more often whether 20 they're new, old or temporary, there are going 21 to be bridges going up. 22 be going up for longer because there are more 23 barges? 24 theory, but it was just omitted, completely 25 omitted. Is that correct? You just And are they going to I think there's some logic in that So that means our transportation is INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 119 1 affected in a negative way. 2 hard to tell, because you weren't concerned 3 about it. 4 would like to see a careful analysis of that in 5 terms of out time, our transportation and our 6 quality of life. 7 8 9 10 How much? Kind of But we are concerned about it and we Thank you. AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. CALHOUN: Willie L. Calhoun, Jr., again. We want to 11 make sure that the mitigation is not done with 12 politicians or nobody else, should we get to 13 that point make sure that the mitigation, that 14 it's of the people of this community that you 15 sit down and talk with. 16 sometimes you get off and sit somewhere and say 17 that they speak on behalf of this community. 18 This room represents this community. 19 to make sure that if anything happens, any 20 conversations that go on that this community was 21 represented in this room is notified, not that 22 we threatening anybody. 23 24 25 Because we do know that So we want AUDIENCE: (Laughter.) ALICE CRAFT-KERNEY: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 120 1 My name is Alice Craft-Kerney, C-R-A-F-T, 2 K-E-R-N-E-Y. I'm the former Executive Director 3 of the Lower Ninth Ward Health Clinic. 4 question is about transportation back and forth 5 across the bridge when there are medical 6 emergencies, okay. 7 to the only facility that's going to take care 8 of you, that's a level one trauma center, okay. 9 You can go to St. Bernard, but they can't take My That's the only way to get 10 of everything. 11 runs across there t hat may prevent you from 12 getting to the St. Bernard hospital. 13 better take all of that into consideration when 14 you're talking about these bridges, because 15 folks need to get to medical care and they're 16 going to have to have these bridges available so 17 that they can receive the kind of care that they 18 need. 19 20 21 22 Now you also have a train that So you AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. GUERINGER: Vanessa Gueringer again. Since we're on the 23 topic of transportation, what needs to be 24 considered and was not stated is that $94.1 25 million dollars was stolen away from this INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 121 1 community for schools. So the two schools that 2 we have is this elementary school and the high 3 school. 4 have been experiencing is being bussed out of 5 this neighborhood in the wee hours of the 6 morning, especially when there's daylight 7 savings time changes, and coming back well after 8 dark. 9 years ago. So since Katrina what our children We have a young woman that got raped some We've had all kinds of incidents 10 with our children who are being bussed all over 11 the city to schools outside of this community 12 because they cannot get into this school in this 13 community. 14 So again, when you're doing this traffic 15 study and all of this, take into consideration 16 all of those kids sitting on the busses for 17 hours, some of them riding for two hours in the 18 morning to get to a school across the river, 19 some of them riding for hours in the evening 20 getting here well after, having to do homework 21 and going to bed and getting up at four and and 22 five o'clock in the morning to go do it all over 23 again. 24 So take all of that into consideration. 25 How is that ever conducive to learning? I'm go to piggyback on what Alice said. My INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 122 1 mother died in January, she was 102, I was 2 always concerned when there was work being done 3 on these bridges down here, because she didn't 4 want to die outside of the New Orleans area, so 5 we came back here. 6 that should she get really sick, and Touro was 7 her hospital of choice, would the ambulance get 8 here in time to gets her to the hospital to save 9 her life. But I was always concerned So again, these brings, I mean we 10 have instances sometime weather we'll have two 11 bridges up at one time, and you think you can go 12 to the Florida Avenue Bridge, and you got to the 13 Florida Avenue Bridge and it's about to go up. 14 So we have trains that preclude us from 15 getting to our destinations. So it's so many 16 things. 17 so disrespectful for you all to come to this 18 community again, it just speaks to how 19 disproportionately communities of color are 20 always the first place where agencies come, 21 federal agencies, government agencies, it's just 22 not right. 23 to understand, you compromise these levees down 24 here and these walls, the floodwalls are twelve, 25 fifteen, seventeen feet, when you compromise And again, it's just so insulting and And what the rest of the city needs INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 123 1 these levees down here and they fall, and 2 there's a rain event, even after you close the 3 Lake Borgne separately, you close those gates 4 and there's a rain event all of that water 5 connects in that canal, do you know how nervous 6 we are? 7 when the water was almost to the top on the 8 Upper Ninth Ward side, so I knew it had to be 9 almost to the top on the side where I live at. 10 So you need to make sure that you take into I saw footage during Hurricane Ivan 11 consideration our lives, our property values, 12 our history and our return, because we know be 13 it for the strength of God, for the volunteers 14 that have come over and over again, we would not 15 be standing here today for the epic battles that 16 many of us fought, you know, the government 17 about come back here, and for you all have come 18 here again, you just ought to be ashamed of 19 yourselves, just ashamed of yourselves to come 20 here. 21 22 23 24 25 AUDIENCE MEMBER: They didn't want us to come back. MS. GUERINGER: So with that said, we are against this project. You do all the studies that you need INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 124 1 to do and make sure that Bywater that was on 2 your map that's in Upper Nine, that there's an 3 Upper Nine meeting, and we will make sure that 4 we work on our elected officials to make sure 5 that they understand, you better come here and 6 you better be about us and our issues because we 7 feel it's going down, we are going to fight. 8 9 10 11 AUDIENCE: We fight. (Applause.) SANDY BARTON: My name is Sandy Barton and I just want to 12 say this. For Hurricane Katrina evacuation was 13 a huge problem. 14 Parish, Lower Nine, Upper Nine to get to the 15 Interstate to get out of here for the hurricane. 16 So thirteen years our intenseness, our nerves 17 and our families are going to be on edge because 18 this thirteen-plus years going on every time 19 hurricane season comes around. 20 people here who couldn't get out who lost their 21 life. 22 season, how we gonna get out? 23 where you all live where you can hop on I-10 and 24 go wherever y'all go. 25 Bernard, they were the -- a process where St. People coming from St. Bernard There were So did you all consider our hurricane We don't live We have to travel. St. INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 125 1 Bernard came out first, then the Lower Nine came 2 out, then the Upper Nine came out, but we sat 3 and we waited, and we waited in nervousness, we 4 waited about our lives being taken from us 5 because of the process. 6 Again, we gonna go through this thirteen 7 years every time hurricane season rolls around, 8 that we got to hope and pray we don't have to 9 leave because of all this confusion that y'all 10 11 created for thirteen-plus years. AUDIENCE: 12 (Applause.) 13 JOHN (INAUDIBLE): 14 I'm John - (inaudible). Before I came 15 tonight I got a phone call that asked me whether 16 the conclusion for this study was still in 17 force, and I hadn't looked at it in sometime. 18 But this was a study that the Citizens Against 19 Widening the Industrial Canal commissioned, an 20 economic study in 2007. 21 economist who had been a Deputy Assistant 22 Secretary of the Army in charge of the Army 23 Corps of Engineers. 24 that y'all have presented to us tonight as being 25 the last environmental impact statement that was And it was done by an And he looked at the EIS INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 126 1 done, right, and he had this to say about just 2 the economics of it. 3 economic, right. 4 acknowledge that based on existing studies this 5 project no longer makes economic sense. 6 logical action that follows from this conclusion 7 is to halt all construction activities and 8 de-authorize the project. 9 alternative is conduct a thorough reanalysis And it's all because it's He said, "It's time to The The only reasonable 10 that is based on the realities of the tonnage 11 and delay data now available, as well as the 12 current economic, environmental and cultural 13 circumstances of the City of New Orleans." 14 he goes on to say, "This project's economics are 15 only one element in the full evaluation required 16 for this project. 17 environmental and community impacts. 18 itself the economic analysis falls into serious 19 question any decision to move forward with 20 construction. 21 can no longer hide behind a study that is 22 hopelessly out of date and argue that its 23 conclusions make an even marginal case that this 24 project should go forward." 25 And To this must be added the Yet by The Corps and project proponents AUDIENCE: INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 127 1 2 3 (Applause.) ANN MAIER: My name is Ann Maier, M-A-I-E-R. I live at 4 1808 Tennessee Street, that's very close to the 5 levee. 6 many of us are. 7 live because you choose to live here or because 8 of financial realities. 9 proud I am to see what diversity can do when I'm a Ninth Ward residence by choice, The Ninth Ward is a place to I would like to say how 10 people stand together. 11 understand that the people in the Ninth Ward and 12 the people in this part of the country vote, and 13 we will vote and our voices will be heard in a 14 way that makes the Army Corps of Engineers 15 understand that financial gain by a select few 16 on the backs of those that they think are 17 unvoiced will not be happening. 18 19 20 21 And I would like you to AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MS. PORTER: Thank you. My name is Kelly Porter, 22 K-E-L-L-Y, P-O-R-T-E-R, again. And as one of 23 our neighbors was making a comment earlier about 24 the cost and benefit analysis, as many are 25 tonight, that the analysis is incomplete in a INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 128 1 lot of ways, she mentioned how nervous it makes 2 residents feel to see those waters rise every 3 flood season, and after what happened previously 4 with the Army Corps of Engineers, and it 5 occurred to me that that is also an impact. 6 That is also a cost on the community that can be 7 quantified, but that is not being quantified. 8 There is a cost to treating PTSD. 9 cost to the mental health care that's required There is a 10 for people who been repeatedly displaced, 11 repeatedly marginalized. 12 to be honest about that cost benefit analysis, 13 there are two separate populations that you are 14 talking about. 15 population in this room, this community, this 16 neighborhood. 17 benefits from it is not this same community. 18 need to talk about the cost benefit analysis for 19 this community. 20 talking about making people's homes more flood 21 resistant people might be a little bit more 22 willing to talk to you, because they are worried 23 about their insurance rates and everything. 24 People here can be reasoned with, obviously, but 25 there is immediate benefit that you're citing to And I think if you are The cost is being put on this The benefit, the population that We I think that maybe if you were INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 129 1 this community, only cost. 2 that hammered out all the way. 3 you flush out all the costs, and that includes 4 the distress to this community and the mental 5 health affects on this community that you're 6 going to created by potentially widening this 7 canal. 8 AUDIENCE: 9 10 11 12 13 14 And we need to see We need to see Thank you. (Applause.) MR. POCHE: This will be the last comment before nine o'clock. MR. STEPHENS: Going to a letter from the Port of New 15 Orleans back in September of 2012 -- I'm sorry, 16 Andrews Stevens again, S-T-E-P-E-N-S again, with 17 CAWIC and Holy Cross Neighborhood Association. 18 The Port of New Orleans wrote a letter on 19 September 2012, outlining that the deep draft 20 option that you guys outlined tonight at a cost 21 benefit ratio to them of .90 to .95, under 1.0 22 was deemed by them to be not worthy of 23 investment. 24 shallow draft option that has been described 25 tonight having a cost benefit ratio of 1.06. They went on to describe the So INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 130 1 what we're talking about is this community at 2 its loss for .06, think about that. 3 Additionally, you have in your MRGO you'll 4 see the ecosystem restoration plan outlined four 5 alternate sites that are suitable for freshwater 6 diversion for the Mississippi River to the MRGO 7 and Lake Borgne. 8 here between Meraux and Poydras. 9 locations have been looked at as potential sites That's these locations right None of these 10 for a new lock and canal. 11 possibility, I guarantee you, innovation that 12 could happen to merge both a freshwater 13 emergent infrastructure and a canal at one of 14 these locations. 15 would describe in this report, has zero 16 residents that would be displaced or formed 17 (sic) by this project. 18 alternate number one for this location and 19 in fill the existing high agency and turn it 20 into city park. 21 22 23 24 25 There is a strong Alternate number one, you Go back and look at AUDIENCE: (Applause.) MR. POCHE: Okay. That's going to be the wrap of tonight's meeting. We have comment cars, you INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 131 1 can leave those, you can mail them. 2 to make a comment you can also make them this 3 way, you'll find the information here on the 4 sides slides as well. 5 Thank you. AUDIENCE: 6 Boo. 7 You'll hear from us soon. 8 If you want * * * * * 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017 132 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 C E R T I F I C A T E This certificate is valid only for a transcript accompanied by my original signature and original seal on this page. I, SHELLEY A. NICHOLSON, Official Court Reporter in and for the State of Louisiana, as the officer before whom this testimony was taken, do herby certify that the parties did report and testify as hereinbefore set forth in the foregoing 131 pages; that this testimony was reported by me in the stenotype (machine) reporting method, was prepared and transcribed by me, and is a true and correct transcript to the best of my ability and understanding; that the transcript has been prepared in compliance with transcript format guidelines required by statute or by rules of the board, that I have acted in compliance with the prohibition on contractual relationships, as defined by Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 1434 and in rules and advisory opinions of the board, that I am not related to counsel or to the parties herein, nor am I otherwise interested in the outcome of this matter; and am a valid member in good standing of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Certified Court Reporters. 15 16 17 _________________________ Shelley A. Nicholson, CCR Certified Court Reporter Louisiana License #87014 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CANAL LOCK REPLACEMENT Orleans Parish Public Meeting March 7, 2017