TOURO  BOULIGNY  NEIGHBORHOOD  ASSOCIATION                            …From  Napoleon  to  Louisiana,  Magazine  to  St.  Charles             March  18,  2019     Orleans  Parish  School  Board   Property  Committee   Nolan  Marshall,  Jr.  (Board_Member7@opsb.us)   Woody  Koppel  (Board_Member6@opsb.us)   Leslie  Ellison  (Board_Member4@opsb.us)   2401  Westbend  Parkway   New  Orleans,  LA  70114   VIA  EMAIL  ONLY       Dear  Property  Committee  Members,       I   am   writing   on   behalf   of   the   Touro   Bouligny   Neighborhood   Association   Board   (TBNA)   in   reference   to   Action   Item   4.1   on   the   Property   Committee   Meeting   agenda   for   March   19,   2019.   I   apologize   for   the   tardiness   of   this   letter,   but   the   neighborhood  was  informed  today  that  this  item  would  be  on  the  agenda.       Action   Item   4.1   authorizes   the   OPSB   administration   to   confect   an   agreement   with   HANO   in   order   to   procure   the   land   next   to   Booker   T.   Washington.     As   stated   by   Eric   Seling   and   Ben   Kleban,   HANO   desires   for   McDonogh   No.   7   to   be   a   part   of   the   property   package.   The   McDonogh   No.   7   property   is   located   within   TBNA   and   therefore   the   potential   sale   or   transfer   of   that   property   would   greatly   affect   our   neighborhood.           Upon   becoming   aware   last   year   that   there   was   a   potential   for   the   transfer   and   redevelopment  of  the  property,  the  TBNA  requested  a  meeting  with  the  OPSB,  which   was  held  on  November  12,  2018.      At  this  meeting,  OPSB  Representatives  explained   that   discussions   with   HANO   about   the   site   had   occurred   and   described   the   procedure  in  general  for  the  transfer  of  surplus  school  property.      No  specifics  about   the   redevelopment   of   the   site   or   timing   of   the   redevelopment   were   provided.         To   follow   up   on   the   discussion   from   that   meeting   and   request   more   detailed   information  about  the  potential  transfer  and  redevelopment,  the  TBNA  Board  sent  a   letter   to   the   OPSB   on   January   19,   2019.           The  OPSB  replied  with  a  letter  on  February  27,  2019.    The  recent  February  27,  2019   letter  from  the  OPSB  stated  that  “initial  discussions”  with  HANO  have  included  the   McDonogh  No.  7  site,  but  did  not  indicate  that  any  action  would  be  taken  in  the  near                                                          TOURO  BOULIGNY  NEIGHBORHOOD  ASSOCIATION                            …From  Napoleon  to  Louisiana,  Magazine  to  St.  Charles           future  regarding  the  property.      The  letter  did  not  provide  any  information  about  the   nature   or   timing   of   any   redevelopment   of   the   site,   but   directed   any   questions   regarding   this   topic   to   HANO.     Arrangements   were   made   for   a   follow   up   meeting   with   the   neighborhood   and   OPSB   on   March   18th.     HANO   was   invited,   but   did   not   attend.      At   the   meeting   on   March   18th,   the   neighborhood   learned   that   the   discussions  with  HANO,  to  the  contrary,  were  not  in  the  initial  phase  as  represented   in   the   February   27   letter,   but   would   be   subject   to   a   vote   by   the   OPSB   property   committee   the   next   day,   with   a   vote   by   the   full   board   on   Thursday,   March   21st.         Communication   with   the   TBNA   by   the   OPSB   has   not   been   transparent,   and   communication   with   the   TBNA   from   HANO   has   been   nonexistent.     The   community   has   not   received   adequate   information   regarding   the   nature   and   timing   of   the   potential  redevelopment  of  the  property.      The  neighborhood  only  learned  that  the   OPSB  would  take  a  vote  on  the  matter  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  March  18th,  less   than  24  hours  before  the  scheduled  vote.  The  TBNA  strongly  objects  to  this  decision   making   process   by   the   OPSB   and   HANO   which   has   provided   no   meaningful   information   to   the   community   and      excluded   the   community   from   this   decision   making  process.     The   TBNA   Board   opposes   any   sale   or   transfer   of   the   McDonogh   No.   7   property   at  this  time  to  HANO  due  to  the  lack  of  transparency  regarding  the  transfer  of   the   property   and   the   uncertainty   surrounding   the   transfer   and   future   use.    TBNA  has  not  received  any  information  from  HANO  or  the  OPSB  describing  the   development   plans   for   the   site   or   a   proposed   timeline   for   such   redevelopment.      Without   such   information,   the   stakeholders   in   the   neighborhood   cannot   adequately   evaluate   and   provide   an   informed   response   regarding   the   proposed  transfer.     A  residential  development  at  the  site  has  the  potential  to  be  out   of  scale  with  the  surrounding  low-­‐density  neighborhood.    Further,  without  a  definite   redevelopment  plan,  the  Board  is  concerned  that  HANO  will  allow  the  property  to  lie   vacant  for  an  extended  period  of  time,  creating  a  potential  health  and  safety  hazard   for  our  neighborhood.  HANO’s  poor  track  record  as  property  owner  only  increases   our  concerns.    Without  any  input  from  stakeholders  in  the  neighborhood,  a  valuable   community  asset  -­‐  a  school  that  has  been  serving  the  community  for  decades  -­‐  has   the   potential   to   be   replaced   with   a   residential   development   out   of   scale   to   the   neighborhood   or   with   an   abandoned   site.     HANO   was   invited   to   attend   our   neighborhood  meeting  this  evening  and  chose  not  to  attend  -­‐  this  only  enhances  our   fear  that  they  will  be  unwilling  to  work  with  the  neighborhood.                                                                  TOURO  BOULIGNY  NEIGHBORHOOD  ASSOCIATION                            …From  Napoleon  to  Louisiana,  Magazine  to  St.  Charles             We  would  appreciate  you  taking  our  concerns  into  account  when  voting  on  Action   Item  4.1       Sincerely,   Rella Zapletal Rella  Zapletal   Touro  Bouligny  Neighborhood  Association,  President   337-­‐739-­‐3041   tourobna@gmail.com