Help ensure that the Greenway is a safe, active, and vibrant public space.

To apply for a board member position: Please submit a letter-of-interest and resume or equivalent to the Nominating Committee at apply@lafittegreenway.org by Monday, January 6, 2020.

Call for board members -2020-2023 Term:

Friends of Lafitte Greenway was formed in early 2006 by New Orleans community members who saw an opportunity to rethink their community’s landscape to enhance livability, environmental sustainability, open space equity, health, and revitalization. The organization built a network of diverse constituents who shared its vision of preserving the continuous open space in the former Lafitte rail corridor, and developing a Greenway that encourages active living, stimulates economic development, and links adjacent neighborhoods, cultural amenities, historic sites, and public spaces.

The Lafitte Greenway opened in November 2015 as a 2.6 mile pedestrian and bike path and linear park, connecting neighborhoods from Armstrong Park to City Park. The backbone of New Orleans' bike network, the Greenway is now used by 320,000 people annually.

Friends of Lafitte Greenway (Friends) is the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission’s (NORD’s) official partner, working together to program, develop, and steward the Greenway. Friends is a community-driven organization, guided by a Board of Directors, members, volunteers, Ambassadors, and staff. 

Mission:

To build, program, and promote the Lafitte Greenway as a great public space. 

Vision:

A healthy and vibrant public space that connects people to nature, their destinations, and each other.

Values:

Accountability ∙ Equity ∙ Sustainability ∙ Collaboration ∙ Joy

During your 3-year tenure the organization has big plans to implement our Strategic Plan, including the following key initiatives:

• Grow the Greenway’s role as a highly-used, community-oriented public space through expanded arts, cultural, and recreational programs, and excellent design and capital development.
• Ensure that the Greenway is a well-maintained ecosystem that is thriving, attractive and sustainable through stewardship, maintenance, and environmental education.
• Expand the Greenway’s role as a transportation connector that safely links neighborhoods and locations along the Greenway through design, development, and education.
• Increase individual giving, corporate, philanthropic support, and earned income opportunities to power our impact.
• Strengthen community engagement and communications.

We ask that you are willing to work as a team and openly share ideas. Additionally, we seek candidates with any or all of the following attributes:

• Knowledge and connections to the communities along the Lafitte Greenway.
• Leaders in the local business community.
• Community members from Greenway neighborhoods.
• Commitment to helping Friends achieve its fundraising goals through network development and personal giving.
• Access to diverse political and community networks.
• Ability to serve as an active, engaged board member for one 3-year term.      
• Prior participation with Friends of Lafitte Greenway as a member or volunteer is appreciated.

Friends of Lafitte Greenway in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) and Arts Council New Orleans is excited to announce the selected artist for the “From Parking to Plaza” public art commission, Will Nemitoff. 

Nemitoff’s project, “Iris of Memory,” will be a commemorative work recognizing the life and contributions of local artist, volunteer, mother, and teacher Deborah Vorhoff. The project will activate, celebrate, and transform the public space located at a critical crossroad related to New Orleans’ history, ecology, and bicycle and pedestrian circulation systems on the Lafitte Greenway. It will be installed on the parking pad of the former Brake Tag Station, where the Lafitte Greenway meets Bayou St. John and Jefferson Davis Parkway.

By: Kathy Finn | May 31, 2019

Source: MyNewOrleans.com | Full Article

In a city where land available for commercial development is scarce, it is refreshing to see a strip of green space not only preserved, but transformed into a magnet for new activity, which is what is happening along the corridor that stretches from New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood through Mid-City.

The former railroad right-of-way now known as Lafitte Greenway is slowly becoming an oasis of outdoor fun and relaxation thanks to a 2.6-mile bicycle path, with playgrounds and pedestrian-friendly features that have taken shape there. Since the corridor’s opening in 2015, about 320,000 cyclists and pedestrians access the greenway annually, according to automated people counters monitored by local researchers.

Now, developers who recognize the growing appeal of the green space have begun re-purposing adjacent sites and renovating ramshackle structures into new housing, cafés and bars, with plans to make the Greenway a place where people will routinely come for a refreshing break in the heart of a bustling city.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Lafitte Greenway multi-purpose field is currently closed for field reconditioning and to improve the natural grass quality, the New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission announced today. Lemann Field, located at 628 N. Claiborne Ave., is available for use nearby until further notice.

"We want to ensure that all of our facilities are in the best possible condition so that they can satisfy the needs of as many residents as possible. This closure allows NORD to continue to preserve the investment made on the Lafitte Greenway, and we're excited that the field will come back greener and better than ever," said NORD CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. "We want to thank our residents for their understanding."