Did you make it out to our 12th Annual Hike the Lafitte Greenway? If so you probably saw Annalisa (Annie) Kelly,  the chair of our Hike planning committee, along the route!  Annie has been heavily involved with Friends of Lafitte Greenway since volunteering as a trailblazer at the Hike in 2012; She’s a long-time member, former board member, dedicated volunteer and frequent Greenway user.

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

Call for board members: 2018-2021 Term

Application Deadline: Friday, January 5, 2018

Friends of Lafitte Greenway was formed in early 2006 by New Orleans community members who saw an opportunity to rethink the city's landscape to enhance livability, environmental sustainability, open space equity, and health. 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 amenity that encourages active living, facilitates economic development, and links adjacent neighborhoods, cultural features, historic sites, retail areas, 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. Friends of Lafitte Greenway is the City of New Orleans’ official partner, working together to program, develop, and steward the Greenway.

Friends of Lafitte Greenway is a community-driven organization, guided by a Board of Directors, members, volunteers, and staff. Our mission is to build, program, and promote the Lafitte Greenway as a great public space.

During your 3-year tenure the organization has big plans to: 

• Develop a strategic plan in 2018 to define programmatic and development goals
• Strengthen our partnership with NORD and the City of New Orleans to ensure that the Greenway is a safe, vibrant, and active public space
• Increase membership, sponsorship, and grant revenue
• Support capital projects on the Greenway, such as community gardens and the Greenway’s extension, and advance the community’s vision for the Greenway
• Grow our Health, Nature, and Community programs 

(photo from nola.gov/bike-share)

The New Orleans bike share program will be launching this winter. The first 70 stations will roll out over the course of 4-6 weeks beginning in December; out of those intial 70 stations five will be along the Greenway. The locations along the greeenway are N. Carrolton, N. Jefferson Davis, N.Galvez, N. Roman, and Basin St. Click here to access an interactive map of all the bike share stations. 

The 5th Annual Greenway Soirée was an unbelievable success, and it was such a joy to celebrate with Greenway supporters alongside the trail we love. With the help of sponsors, guests, restaurants, and auctions contributors, we raised over $50,000 to support our work to build, program and promote the Lafitte Greenway as a great public space!

The Greenway Soirée is just days away, and we have some pretty awesome auction packages lined up. For the first time in soirée history, we will be hosting a live auction in addition to our silent auction. There is bound to be something to please any and every Greenway fan in attendance. A huge thank you to all the local businesses that helped to make this auction possible. Don't miss out on the auction this Friday! 

The Parks Build Community Project is a national initiative by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Each year the NRPA conducts a complete park makeover in partnership with equipment manufacturers and the local host city. This year the Parks Build Community Project will revitalize Lemann Playground on the Lafitte Greenway by adding new amenities including playgrounds with swing sets, outdoor fitness equipment, two basketball courts, bleachers and high mass lighting on the multi-purpose field.

The Lemann Playground Ribbon Cutting & Community Celebration is Sunday, September 24, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on the Lafitte Greenway. The event will feature a second line, short program, live music, and activities for the community. The second line begins at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of Claiborne Ave. and Lafitte. Live music performances by DJ Chicken, the Washitaw Nation Mardi Gras Indians, Mamma Patrina Peters, and the Original Royal Players. This event is open to the community, all ages welcome.

To learn about NORD, please visit www.nordc.org or call (504) 658-3052.

Some exciting new changes in scenery are coming along the Greenway: rehabilitation to the meadows, bioswales, and walkways is now underway! Areas along the Greenway from N. Claiborne to N Galvez will be seeing new life this spring and summer.

One of our beloved Greenway Ambassadors, Felix Rainey, was born and raised in New Orleans. While growing up near the Bayou St. John, which was once a shipping route for transporting supplies to the canal, he first worked as a food server at Arnaud’s Restaurant. Today, he still lives in Mid-City and continues to work in the food industry, in addition to being an active volunteer in his community.

Adam Mejerson came to New Orleans as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity to assist with housing clean up after Hurricane Katrina. He went on to attend Loyola University, where he was active in recovery and blight remediation work. It was there that he became passionate about transforming vacant lots into productive spaces for community. As the son of an exercise physiologist, Adam grew up in a home designed to include various fitness facilities such as yoga. “I kinda grew up in a gym”, says Adam. These worlds came together 4 years ago when, in partnership with his father, Adam founded FitLot--a nonprofit that works to plan, build, and program outdoor fitness parks.

One of our New Year’s Resolutions is to tell the stories of the Greenway and the people who love it. We’re delighted to introduce a new section of our blog, The Green Spot, our monthly spotlight on Greenway users, supporters, and neighbors.

Our first Green Spot features one of our valued board members, Kevin Centanni, a New Orleans native and local business owner. His building is home to Susan Spicer's Rosedale, located along the railroad tracks in Lakeview, alongside the trail extension envisioned in the Greenway Master Plan. The historic and cultural significance of this New Orleans location was something that Centanni hoped to maintain while building his restaurant, which was a previously neglected and abandoned property across the street from his home. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it” he said, until he met the highly renowned chef, Susan Spicer. He thought, “what better chef to be the landlord for in New Orleans?”