We remain concerned that the complacent composition of the public Audubon Commission, coupled with the unceasing profit agenda of the private Audubon Nature Institute, will mean that the Park's future will remain one of ad hoc and commercially-driven development not based on any consideration of the general public interest. Until a reconstituted Audubon Commission takes public input and accountability seriously, the ANI will continue to operate outside the purview of our city's zoning ordinances, land use plans, and alcoholic beverage laws.

As CEO of the ANI, Ron Forman continues to be paid far more than any comparable colleagues by an increasingly wide margin. In 2007, the latest year for which we have figures, Forman's compensation was a whopping $799,398.00.

Separating fact from fiction on Audubon's oft-repeated claim that they operate without receiving substantial public funding.

"Without receiving any operational support from public money ...we have significantly improved park services ..." (Ron Forman, letter to the Times-Picayune, 8-14-01)

Despite the ANI's claim that the new golf course was necessary to provide operational funds for maintenance of Audubon Park, their much-heralded new facility finished its first full year of operation (2003) firmly in the red, with a loss of $212,696, plus depreciation of $123,604 for a total Operating Loss of $336,300. Their 'not-a-restaurant' clubhouse food service, however, accounted for 24% of total revenue in 2003, far more than the 3% they had projected.

From the outset, ANI officials doggedly insisted that the function of the new clubhouse was to provide facilities "for the comfort of users of the golf course". In a deposition from January 2003, Dale Stastny swore under oath that NO non-golf related functions would be allowed in the building, weddings and wedding receptions specifically would not be permitted in the clubhouse, and that if someone asked to hold such an event in the clubhouse, they would be told "no".

We believe that if a Master Plan for Audubon Park had existed before the golf course redevelopment was started, not only would there have been much less controversy, but the redevelopment would have been more sensitive to the interests of the wider park-going public.

The Audubon Commission and Audubon Nature Institute were in the process of developing such a plan before Katrina. However, we remain concerned that any plan will not ultimately protect Audubon Park from further unwarranted development brought on by the financial imperatives of its guardians, and at the expense of the passive green space, public accessibility and tranquility of this valuable urban oasis.

District A
Tuesday, March 30th, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
City Park - Timken Center (old casino building) on Dreyfous Dr.
Parkview Terrace, 2nd floor

The New Orleans City Council, in coordination with the City Planning Commission, will hold public meetings in each Council District in an effort to inform and engage the public on the Master Plan, according to a press release from the council.

The council's Recovery Committee co-chairs, Cynthia Willard-Lewis and Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, have scheduled the meetings from March 18-30. The public meetings will be held throughout New Orleans in each Council District.

Link to nola.com article

As explained in the article below, it is critical that Audubon Park's neighbors ensure that the zoning changes in the new Master Plan actually remain, and are not derailed by those who seek to develop sites whose zoning has traditionally been at odds with their use, such as the land next to Children's Hospital that contains the tennis courts and Avenger Field. While this land in question has been zoned "Medical Services" under the current zoning code, it has been a publicly owned part of Audubon Park since 1949 when it was purchased by the Audubon Commission on behalf of the citizens of New Orleans. The new Master Plan finally corrects the zoning of this property and brings it in line with its traditional and long-standing use, a zoning change that advocates of the hospital expansion may try to 'excise' from the new Master Plan.

by Paul Murphy / WWL-TV Eyewitness News
Posted on March 10, 2010 at 5:21 PM

NEW ORLEANS -- Organizers of the "Save Audubon Park" campaign say there are close to 1000 yard signs across the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans, expressing strong opposition to a move to expand Children's Hospital.

According to the hospital's plan, new acute care beds and outpatient clinics would be built where tennis courts and ball fields now exist, where Tchoupitoulas Street meets the park.

"It's just not appropriate to take four or five acres away from the kids that practice soccer and soccer on Avenger Field and the hundreds of people, if not thousands or hours a week of tennis that's played here over at the tennis courts.

In a WWLTV interview January 19th, Children’s Hospital Vice President of Marketing Brian Landry is quoted as saying “What we're talking about is land that's adjacent to this campus that's always been zoned for medical services. The initial master plan was always to develop that site.”

This mysterious Master Plan to which Mr Landry refers is certainly not the Master Plan developed by the Audubon Institute between 2000 and 2004, shown on this site's home page, and not the new city Master Plan that has been developed since 2005, shown here. The land use and zoning map pictured here, dated January 6, 2010, is the Master Plan and Zoning map that the New Orleans City Planning Commission approved on Jan 26, 2010, after almost 2 years of work and a $2 million investment. On this map, it shows the land correctly zoned as park, appropriate both to its historical use and its ownership by the city's Audubon Park Commission since 1949.

The Audubon Commission is considering a plan to give part of Audubon Park to Children's Hospital for development. The project will include at least two additional buildings ranging from 2-6 stories and a parking lot. This would mean that they would take over the portion of Audubon Park which is now the tennis courts on Tchoupitoulas and Avenger Baseball/soccer field and stretch all the way to to the street alongside the Zoo and Exposition Blvd. (East Drive), and will also stretch from Tchoupitoulas all the way to the levee. The tennis courts would then have to be moved to what is now green space on the Fly.

Thanks to the very generous donations received to date, we can now offer Save Audubon Park yard signs and car decals (for the bumper or window).

Please let us know if you would like them delivered to you, or if you can come by to get them. We will gladly accept help in getting them distributed, so if you are available, please let me know. Please ask your friends and neighbors if they would like decals or signs.

If you would like them delivered, please email Melisa at neworleansmelisa@gmail.com with your name, address and how many signs you would like delivered, or call 458-5269. Signs are also available for pick up.

Thank you to the volunteers who continue to work on getting petitions signed. We have a lot of signatures, but still need a lot more if we are to make an impression to the Audubon Commission.

Melisa Rey