This project will improve and expand a vital community resource -- the only community center in the Lower Ninth Ward, still rebuilding in the long wake of Hurricane Katrina -- making it safer, greener, and more versatile.
The Lower Ninth Ward, a culturally vibrant and historic neighborhood, was hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of residents were displaced and their homes destroyed. The Lower Ninth Ward Village has served as a community anchor since 2007, providing vital programs for neighborhood children and returning families. Though hundreds of volunteers have contributed thousands of hours improving the old building, it remains in dire need of electrical, plumbing, structural, and fire safety work.
This fall, Historic Green will send a team of architects, engineers, construction experts, and project managers to New Orleans to produce a full set of plans and construction documents for the Village. The plans will allow the Village to employ the hundreds volunteers they manage every year more strategically and effectively, and they will ensure that the Village can get the permits and insurance it needs to serve the people that depend on it every day.
The Village serves over 1,000 neighborhood children and adults every year. The workers help displaced residents return home, provide children with a place to develop their talents, and serve as a hub for countless volunteers who wish to help rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward. This project is the first step toward creating the summer camp Mack McClendon (Village founder) has envisioned for years.
