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The 6 Million Dollar Plan
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Something fishy is going on...
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From $3.5m to $6.0m in 24 months
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The Institute has taken great pains to not confer with park users. Could this be because there is nothing in their plan that is in the interests of these local people?
Despite the fact that Audubon Park is used by ALL the residents of New Orleans, the only people who were ever apprised of the Institute's plans were golfers and immediate neighbors. Even they were only given vague outlines. The drastic changes the new plan entails were only disclosed to the majority of park users when the new design maps were posted and the fences started going up at the end of July 2001.
Such stealth in planning followed by such speed in execution is unacceptable for any public project.
The May 1999 newsletter of the Uptown Neighborhood Improvement group includes a reference to a May 18th meeting at which Audubon representatives "will present plans for a $2.5 million renovation of the Audubon Golf Course and a $1.0 million clubhouse and maintenance facility near Magazine Street". Since the final plans were only recently revealed, it seems unlikely that many details were either available or shared at that time.
In the ensuing months and years, the plan has evolved into a total replacement of the present golf course for a whopping sum of $6 million dollars. $2 million of these dollars are from city bond funds, with the remaining $4 million apparently coming from a combination of state and private monies.
- Does anyone remember voting for this?
- Does anyone remember any public hearings on this project?
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