VOL. 16, NO. 5 KENNER’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1991 MAY 2007 Free construction KENNER PARKS and storm debris & RECREATION pickup ending in Kenner The city of Kenner will discontinue res- idential pickup of storm debris from Hurricane Katrina after June 30, 2007. Prat R e d d y, Ke n n e r ’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the public works department, said beginning July 1, resi- SUMMER PROGRAMS dents will be responsible for remov i n g SEE CENTERFOLD storm debris to acceptable dump sites either themselves or via their contractors and sub- In event of 2007 hurricane, contractors. Storm debris is defined as damaged Would you materials torn out of a residence such as Muniz administration will share d r y wall, flooring, structural material – like to bid on studs, joists and rafters – and roofing tar facilities at police headquarters paper or shingles. Also included are storm- In 2007, if a hurricane comes a city contract? damaged gutter pipes and dow n s p o u t s , By ALLAN KATZ whistling out of the Gulf of Mex i c o built-in cabinets, insulation, large appli- In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina toward Kenner, Mayor Ed Muniz and his By ALLAN KATZ ances, furniture and personal water-dam- struck, then-Mayor Phil Capitano and his City Hall team will share the fourth floor aged items from soiled books, linens and For the first time, all the information City Hall team operated out of a hotel auditorium at the police administration clothing to kitchen and bath items. about city of Kenner bid packages are being while then-Police Chief Nick Congemi building with Police Chief Steve Caraway After June 30, 2007, said Reddy, scraps listed on the city’s website at least 30 days and his team operated out of Kenner’s and his team at a combined emergency left over from repairs or new construction before the bids are due. police administration building. continued on page 32 like lumber, drywall, carpet, floor tile etc., In addition, all the information about city will also be the responsibility of each of Kenner “Requests For Proposals” (RFPs) homeowner to dispose of through their con- is being listed on the website anywhere from struction contractor or subcontractor. For Rebuilt, refitted Yenni Building becomes 21 to 30 days before the RFPs are due. further information, call Kenner’s public Jefferson Parish symbol of a These developments are the realization works department at 468-7515. of campaign promises made by Mayor Ed Reddy said that after the June 30 dead- community ready to face future storms Muniz who pledged during his election line, dumping of construction and storm campaign that his administration wo u l d debris will not be allowed on neutral By ALLAN KATZ make public all the relevant information grounds, the area between the sidewalk and about city of Kenner bid packages and street in front of homes or on any other When Jefferson Parish Councilman RFPs so anyone would have the opportuni- public rights of way. Reddy also said that Louis Congemi first saw the Ye n n i ty to pursue city business. the Ramelli Group, the city’s garbage con- Building in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer tractor, will only be responsible for garbage he thought the shattered structure was a Mike Quigley said anyone can learn all the pickup. Reddy cautioned residents to not symbol of how inadequate the parish’s details of city requests for bids and RFPs by mix construction debris with household structure was to stand up to a storm as accessing www.kenner.la.us. garbage. fierce and relentless as Katrina. Quigley said the major RFP package A nyone observing the dumping of “The water in the Yenni Building was now being featured on the website is the storm debris or new construction scraps on ankle deep, cascading down the stairs,” city’s garbage collection contract, known as p u bli c rights of way should contact recalls A n t h o ny Francis, director of the solid waste contract, with an approxi- Kenner’s Department of Code Enforcement J e ff e r s o n ’s Department of General mate value of $2.6 annually. The contract at 468-6606. S e r vices. “The air conditioning cooling had been held by Waste Management until The code enforcement depart m e n t tower disintegrated in Katrina’s winds. We last October, when the company at that reported that there are still about 2,000 think there was a tornado that blew apart time, by its own volition, requested the city FEMA trailers in Kenner and about 80 per- the fixture that holds the elevator equip- reassign the remaining balance of its con- cent of their occupants have applied for ment. All of our radio equipment failed. We tract to Ramelli Janitorial Services. extensions of time to have the trailers were reduced to sending out messengers “ M ayor Muniz has pledged that all removed. The department is working with into the storm to carry instructions to our But, when Congemi, the former Kenner information about public bids and RFPs occupants to address their needs and help teams out in the field. We thought we were councilman and mayor, saw the shattered shall be available to the public in advance expedite repairs to their regular homes so ready for a big storm but we weren’t. Yenni Building, he saw an opportunity to of the due dates,” said Quigley. “If anyone the trailers can be removed. H Katrina’s 150-mile-an-hour winds and tor- rebuild and refit the parish’s main East has any questions about the bids or RFPs nadoes were too much for the Ye n n i Bank facility so that it would become a after checking the website, they are wel- Building and for our equipment.” continued on page 32 come to call us at 468-7200.” H 2 MAY 2007 KENNER STHR KENNER STHR MAY 2007 3 4 MAY 2007 KENNER STHR EVERY FRIDAY - HERITAGE PARK STARTING APRIL 13 TO MAY 25 6:00 P.M. TO 9:00 P.M. May 4 May 11 May 18 May 25 June 1 Vieux Carre No Idea David Baptiste Orleans Molly & The Gladiators Ringwalds NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK PLEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 468-7293 VISIT WWW.KENNER.LA.US LATELATE NITENITE LASERLASER EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT AT 9:00 MAY 5 – LASER OPOLIS Experience how music affects your mood in this laser show filled with vibrant forms and stimulating color! With songs from the 70s, 80s, and beyond, Laser Opolis is packed with hit after chart topping hit. Featured artists include Creed, Nirvana, No Doubt, REM, and many more. Among the selections are Torn, Smells like Teen Spirit, Spiderwebs, and End of the World. Running Time: 50 minutes MAY 12 – DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Experience the album that defined the sound of British rock band Pink Floyd. Released in 1973, Dark Side of the Moon explores the gamut of life experiences from birth to death. This laser show brings these intense themes to life through stunning color and imagery. Among the many tracks featured are Money, Us and Them, Time, and Brain Damage/Eclipse. Running Time: 50 minutes MAY 19 – HYPNOTICA Be hypnotized as thousands of colorful designs dance across a magnificent 50-foot domed screen! Hypnotica is the ultimate dance revolution, featuring an electronic/techno soundtrack taken straight from the latest rave! Includes selections from Fat Boy Slim, Bjork, Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers, and the Crystal Method. Running Time: 50 minutes MAY 26 – LASER ZEPPELIN THE BIGGEST Featuring some of the most popular Led Zeppelin songs ever released, Laser Zeppelin will satisfy even the most die-hard of fans! The playlist includes Song Remains the Same, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta DAM MOVIE YOU EVER SAW. Love, and Stairway to Heaven among many others. Running Time: 50 minutes NOW SHOWING! • The Kenner Planetarium and Megadome Cinema is located at 2020 Fourth Street in Kenner’s Rivertown. Tickets are $6/Adults, $5 Children/Seniors. Call 468-7231 Ext. 228 For Showtimes For more information call 468-7231, ext. 228. KENNER STHR MAY 2007 5 H From the Editor H Prayers certainly help, but if a hurricane heads our way, a cooperative attitude between Kenner City Hall and KPD is very good news ing that assertion is Jefferson Pa r i s h Jefferson Parish. It just makes sense that handling the Councilman (and former Ke n n e r As Congemi notes, only a fool would emergencies that a hurricane brings our Councilman and Mayor) Louis Congemi. imagine that we might have 175-mile-an- way is likely to be a lot more efficient More than anyone I know outside the pro- hour winds whistling down Wi l l i a m s when everyone is in the same room and fessional engineering fi e l d, Congemi B o u l evard without flooding, damaged working together, rather than separately. It By ALLAN KATZ loves hurricane-related infrastructure and homes and buildings and rubble in the also helps that Mayor Muniz has put has made himself an expert on the subject. middle of streets. Hurricanes tend to do together a very good administrative team Regardless where you choose to wor- He can go on for hours about the beauty that. But as we learned from Katrina, it that is very conscious of the need to bat- ship, everyone at Kenner City Hall and of a properly-constructed T-wall, a deep- makes a big difference when the hurricane ten down the hatches and prepare the hur- Kenner Police Headquarters would appre- ened drainage canal or a vastly improved protection infrastructure works.