Broadmoor Residents' Association - District 6 Metro Council Report

Greetings! Let me begin by thanking you for your support in electing me to represent you on the East Baton Rouge Metro Council. I consider it an honor to have been elected and look forward to working with you for future growth and development of District 6 and the parish as a whole.

As a member of the Metro Council, my mission is to assure representation for all District 6 constituents, and to work with the Mayor and my colleagues to assure that Baton Rouge truly becomes one of America's next great cities.

My goal is to create a climate within the district that will inspire and encourage citizen involvement.

I bring twenty-years of experience in public service to the Metro Council. I have worked as a Housing Administrator for Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation, managed a Lease/Purchase Homeownership Program for New Hope Community Development Corporation and served as a Resident Initiative Coordinator for the Baton Rouge Housing Authority. Most recently, as the Housing Program Manager for the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, I traveled the state of Louisiana connecting families and communities with the resources necessary to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

My community involvement has included chairing the Racial Justice Committee as a board member of the YWCA, member of the EBRP Long Term Recovery Committee, Board Chair for Riz Up Louisiana and original board member of Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation. I also volunteer my time on many community service projects across the city. My passion to serve comes from my mother, a single parent who raised four children on a meager income while walking to work at night.

I look forward to your involvement and encourage you to keep me informed of concerns and activities in your community. Together we can make District 6 a great place to live, work and raise our families.

Please feel free to contact me at my council office at 389-5165 or via email. My legislative assistant is Pamela Smith.

June 11, 2008

(6/11/08) - The success of the Broadmoor Adopt-an-Oak program is definitely showing. Goodwood Blvd. looks terrific. I commend the Beautification Committee for overseeing the program and for securing an Entergy grant to carry out the mission; and the residents who have adopted trees. This neighborhood is setting a wonderful example for the community. Our trees are vitally important to the landscape and the environment, so hopefully others will follow suit and start a program in their neighborhoods.

In the summer of 2006, a committee was formed to create the Florida Boulevard Urban Design Overlay District. This committee began meeting in August and met monthly, completing its goal in January of this year. The purpose of the overlay district is "to provide guidelines for development and redevelopment activity along Florida Blvd. from North Foster Drive to Flannery Road and to strengthen the physical and economic character of the neighborhood by mitigating or avoiding incompatible land uses in development and redevelopment." Lighting, signage, parking requirements, fencing requirements, exterior building materials, landscape/buffer requirements and service areas are the main areas of focus in this district. All existing developments must come into compliance if there is a change of permitted use, change of occupancy, an addition resulting in a 30 percent or more increase of square footage, or a renovation that involves 30 percent or more of the gross floor area. Additionally, non-conforming signs must be brought into compliance if modifications are made or if damage occurs to an existing sign. Chain link, barbed wire, or razor wire on any lot which fronts Florida Blvd. and is visible from Florida Blvd. must be removed within 60 days of adoption of the ordinance. The entire ordinance may be viewed at the City-Parish Planning Commission Department website, www.brgov.com. I will also be happy to mail paper copies for those of you who would like one.

If you think a business is in violation of the ordinance, please contact my office at 389-5165 or e-mail council-dist6@brgov.com. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Broadmoor resident Linda Pace (former president and current board member of the Broadmoor Resident's Association) for her work on the committee. This was a long and tedious process and Linda's dedication, not only to Broadmoor, but to the community and City of Baton Rouge is deeply appreciated.

As you know, in an effort to make our streets safer, the City-Parish has instituted the use of red light cameras at several intersections. Cameras are now operational at the eastbound approach of the Coursey Blvd. intersection with Sherwood Forest Blvd., northbound Airline @ Old Hammond Hwy.; Essen @ 1-10; College @ 1-10 and LA 19 @ Blount Road. These intersections were chosen based upon crash data. On another traffic note, DOTD reported to us last year that the Cora/Florida intersection would be reinstated by mid-2008. According to our Traffic Engineering Department, work should begin by the end of this month to put in the foundations and set new poles along Florida Blvd. Partial completion is expected within 3 to 4 months. The new signals will be controlled by the City-Parish.

I am happy to report that sewer projects within the South Gravity Upper area are set to begin in 2009 for design work and 2010 for construction. The rehabilitation projects will reduce the amount of rainwater entering into the system by correcting defects in the collection system (collapsed pipes, pipe joints, leaking manholes). The capacity projects will reduce bottlenecks and boost flow to the storage facilities and treatment plants. Existing pump stations will be replaced as well. If you would like a copy of the project materials, please contact me and I will mail one to you. The Council just recently approved a budget supplement that includes funding to complete the construction of a drainage renovation project and to correct erosion issues in the drainage canals. This drainage and erosion control work will cost $1.5 million.

If you are not a member of the Broadmoor Resident's Association, I encourage you to join. It is a great way to meet your neighbors and work together to identify goals and solve problems in the neighborhood. There is strength in numbers, and strong civic associations create strong communities.

Please feel free to call me at 389-5165 or e-mail council-dist6@brgov.com if I can be of any assistance to you. I am happy to serve you.

Councilwoman Martha Jane Tassin

District 6 Metro Council Reports

March 4, 2009

June 11, 2008