As you know flooding and drainage in our area needs improvement. The Stormwater Master Plan* (SMP) project team has collected the data and is creating models to help illustrate drainage in our area. The next step is input from the community. Our feedback will help the City and Stormwater Master Plan project team better recommend projects and revisions to codes & ordinances.

The Garden District is located within the Ward Creek watershed, and our public meeting is Thursday, October 21st, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM! The virtual meeting will stream live to the SMP website at stormwater.brla.gov.  During this meeting, the project team will share what they’ve learned from data collection and modeling in our watershed and address any questions we may have about the Stormwater Master Plan and how it affects the folks in our area.

Register to attend @ stormwater.brla.gov/event/ward-creek-meeting

Registration and attendance to the meeting are all accessed through the same link. You will not have to register again. However, before the meeting, you will have to enter your zip code, last name and email address then you will verify that the system is pulling up the correct account. Once verified, you will have access the button to join the meeting. Download the quick guide to accessing the meeting, asking questions and troubleshooting if you have any issues. The meeting is not through a typical online software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc. It uses a system that allows the project team to  compile and track all of your questions, comments and feedback, which is critical in data collection and modeling process.

* The East Baton Rouge Stormwater Master Plan (SMP) is the guiding document for the implementation of overall flood risk reduction projects and policies for the City-Parish.

Garden District to Participate in Mid City Rummage Sale

Everyone loves a garage sale! Mid City Redevelopment Alliance and Mid City neighborhoods are partnering to host the first annual Mid City Rummage Sale! Any home located in Mid City can participate and anyone is welcome to wander and buy unique and eclectic finds.

Saturday, October 23, 2021, 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM
$10 registration fee

Registration includes a yard sign and your location on the Rummage Sale map!

Sign up at midcityrummagesale.com.

Summer is coming to end, and autumn is upon us! Several of the alleys in the Garden District have become wildly overgrown with invasive bamboo, while others have trash and debris. All this vegetation and detritus narrows the alley making it difficult for trucks to maneuver.

Please plan on cleaning your alley one Saturday in October. Many blocks have Block Captains who will be contacting residents. Please help your block this October and keep your alley in good shape all year. If you would like to know who your block captain is, please email [email protected].

Garden District Alley Guidelines

Alleys provide several benefits for residents who live along the alleys:

• Vehicle parking at the rear of the home
• Alley garbage collection
• Alley delivery of home appliances and construction material
• Alley access for first responders (EMS & fire trucks).

All alley residents share the responsibility of maintaining their alley.

OBSTRUCTIONS

A city ordinance prohibits any alley obstructions. You and service vehicles may unload in your alley, but please tell service men they need to move their vehicle if requested by a resident.

GRASS & VEGETATION

Alley residents are responsible for mowing alley grass and trimming alley vegetation. Some alleys in the Garden District are well manicured while others have overgrown vegetation. A well-kept alley is a safer alley because it offers no protection for a prowler.

GARBAGE & DEBRIS

Garbage trucks (Tuesdays and Fridays) empty garbage cans in your alley or at your front curb. ANY TRASH NOT IN A GARBAGE CAN MUST BE PLACED AT YOUR FRONT CURB FOR TUESDAY PICKUP BY THE TRASH TRUCK. Trash includes: tires, building material, tree limbs and vegetation, but not contractor debris. Residents/contractors are responsible for contractor debris. Place trash at your front curb away from vehicles, trees and power lines so the boom truck can pick it up. No garbage or trash is picked up on 22nd street.

Consider the following:

1. Post your house number in your alley in case you ever need a first responder to come to your back door.
2. Add a motion detector or light on your alley.

Send your questions or comments to gdcabr.org/contact-us.

Our very own WBRZ heard us shouting from the roof tops about our gorgeous trees, and they sent Brittany Weiss to investigate.

CHECK OUT THE STORY

Here’s How You Can Help Our Dying Trees!

Donate! To keep costs low, we must raise the funds to do an entire median at a time. It’s a $1,000 to prune, mulch and care for one (1) tree. You can donate any amount or adopt a whole tree at gdcabr.org/live-oaks.

Reach Out to Neighbors! Talk to your neighbors, peer pressure your loved ones, and help us keep the Garden District the beautiful place it is. If you live along a boulevard, please consider reaching out to your neighbors and adopting your median. We are also looking for big sponsors. The Garden District Civic Association created a non-profit to care for these majestic beasts so your donation is tax deductible!

Please contact the Board if you have any questions about the Collective or if you have any trouble donating at [email protected].

This month, East Baton Rouge Parish’s Transportation and Drainage Director Fred Raiford updated GDCA on EBR’s work on drainage and how our neighborhood fits in to its larger plans.

A bit of orientation on drainage in the Garden District: Most of the Garden District, particularly Roseland Terrace and Drehr Place, drains towards Government Street which connects to Dawson Creek (the drainage canal that parallels Acadian Thruway) near Hearthstone Street by Catholic High School property. Other parts of the Garden District, predominantly Kleinert Terrace, also drain to Dawson Creek via Olive Street. Areas west of Park Boulevard generally drain west to Corporate Canal with the exception of areas closest to the park, which drain to the lakes.

Part of the identified problem for the Garden District and areas both upstream and immediately downstream is that the existing culverts on Dawson Creek at Broussard and Hundred Oaks Streets constrict flow. In heavy rain events water backs up and prevents the Garden District (the Government Street and the Olive Street outfalls) from draining. The city has identified funding opportunities to mitigate this issue in our area.  Forte & Tablada, Inc. was selected by the parish to do the design work and prepare the plans for the improvements in our area.

However, these projects may increase the volume of water that is able to travel downstream at one time, meaning there can be negative downstream impacts. The city does not just want to relocate a flooding problem so the timeline is uncertain. The proposed project from Dawson Creek from the Hundred Oaks Street area to Kenilworth Boulevard, which will also provide relief to our neighborhood, is still seeking funding and in turn, has an uncertain timeline.

It is clear that drainage problems associated with the Broussard St. and Hundred Oaks Ave culverts on Dawson Creek play a significant role in our neighborhood’s drainage problems. Additionally, there are questions about system capacity within the Garden District as well – our local system is quite old and it is likely sections of it do not have the capacity for the kinds of high intensity storms that are an increasing part of our lives every spring and summer.

We are encouraged by EBR’s plans for the bridges. Additionally, the EBR Stormwater Master Plan will provide some clarity to the full picture of our neighborhood’s drainage situation. Defining our problems is the first step. We encourage all in the neighborhood to stay involved and continue to advocate for solutions.

If you are interested in these issues or would like to speak to EBR leadership about them, please join the EBR Stormwater Master Plan Virtual Public Meeting this Thursday, June 24, at 6:00 PM. Register at stormwater.brla.gov. You can also learn more about the Stormwater Master Plan by visiting the Virtual Open House.

Summary of Issues

Dawson Creek

What we know: Damming at Broussard St. and Hundred Oaks cause backups in our neighborhood. This is a problem on the entire reach of Dawson Creek.

What EBR plans to do: Replace the bridges (funding identified), but on an uncertain timeline.

Capacity on Government St. and Connections

What we know: There are potential capacity issues.

What EBR plans to do: The EBR Stormwater Master Plan’s findings will bring clarity to the issues and future project development is dependent on the completion of that effort.

Local Conveyance/Pipe Capacity

What we know:  There are potential capacity issues in our existing stormwater drainage system. Some of the rain events we have had in the recent past have certainly exceeded local system capacity.

What EBR plans to do:  The EBR Stormwater Masterplan’s findings will bring clarity to the issues and future project development is dependent on the completion of that effort. In the meantime the parish cleaned out the drain boxes and piping on Cherokee Street in March and has identified other locations in the Garden District that will be cleared when funding becomes available.

Learn more about the Dawson Creek Bridge Projects.

It’s a fact: Crimes of all sorts rise in frequency in the summer months. Criminologists have outlined a variety of reasons for this, but the reality is that crime in the Garden District will increase in the summer, as it will everywhere else.

The best security is multi-layered. Knowing your neighbors and keeping an eye out for unusual activity is the first step. There are plenty of other ways we can reduce crime in the Garden District and beyond. Here are some suggestions:

1. Get to know your property. Walk the perimeter of your house and check for obvious security problems. This could include a garage door that doesn’t close, a broken window, or even a hiding spot where a criminal could lay in wait.
2. Reduce the opportunity. The easiest and most impactful way to reduce crime is to simply lock your doors and keep valuables out of sight. Most crimes are simply opportunity. That’s why criminals target vehicles and homes with valuable items left visibly on display, pulling handles looking for unlocked doors.
3. Improve your lighting. Light is one of the single best deterrents to crime. The cost of running an LED light bulb is significantly less than the old incandescent bulbs, and there’s a myriad of switches that allow you to control security lighting intelligently.
4. Check your locks. Most hardware store-grade can be bumped or picked within seconds. A qualified locksmith can make recommendations about higher quality locks that can better secure your home.
5. Secure your valuables. Criminals know to look in dresser drawers, in the freezer, in the backs of closets, and in the other hiding spots that most people employ. A high quality home safe—bolted to the floor and the wall—will deter all but the most determined criminals.

We are raising awareness and money for the live oaks located in the Garden District.

Join us for Beats, Bubbles and Bites on the corner of Drehr Ave. and Cherokee St. $30 per ticket for Garden District Civic Association members. $40 for non-members. Ticket include picnic bites from City Pork,  complimentary bubbles donated by Red Cake Events, cash bar provided by Blend, and live music by the young Garden District phenom, Katie Love, and The Bayouside Swingers sponsored by Bayou Tree Service.

Bring your blankets and yard chairs! Money will go to the Live Oak Collective for preserving, trimming and fertilizing the live oaks in the medians of the Garden District.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Don’t be alarmed! The Garden District Civic Association board is going door-to-door to meet and greet our neighbors. The purpose of this walking campaign is to build community, bring awareness about the trees and our civic association and RAISE MONEY!!! One thing board members have heard time and time again is “I didn’t know the Garden District had a civic association” or “I didn’t know what the dues were for so I didn’t join” or “I didn’t think you were doing anything with the money so why would I join” or “I’m a renter. Why would I join the civic association”.

If you have any questions or want more information, please let your board visitor know! They will record your email address, and we will get back with you!

The Mardi Gras ribbons on Kleinert Avenue have been removed, but the loving sentiment the ribbons represented will long be remembered.  The ribbons tied around fifty of the great live oak trees on Kleinert Avenue, were lovingly placed there in honor of Dr. Katherine Lindley Spaht Dodson, a former resident of the Garden District.  Dr. Spaht Dodson tragically lost her life in January.

Dr. Katherine Lindley Spaht Dodson grew up in the Garden District and her parents still live in the neighborhood.   Dr. Dodson loved the Mardi Gras season and to pay tribute to their dear friend and loved one, several neighbors of Dr. Dodson’s parents including Lance Hayes and Andrew Avant decided to tie the traditional Mardi Gras-colored ribbons around the oaks to show their respect and celebrate her life and love of Mardi Gras.  This touching acknowledgement of Dr. Dodson’s life and legacy was spotlighted in the Baton Rouge magazine InRegister.  Read on for the complete story.

Allison, Ariana. Kleinert Avenue. Photograph of Mardi Gras ribbons on Kleinert Avenue. InRegister Magazine. 11 Feb. 2021, https://www.inregister.com/features/garden-districts-mardi-gras-trees-pay-tribute-to-the-memory-of-lindley-dodson?fbclid=IwAR3TV6wDBSYs6g7y_VwWrr-_a4bXJ0vYRVJVcL37qEU-B9up6s0kHyYD2mY. Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.