It's been nearly five years since Katrina's floodwaters (and an inferior levee system!) swamped our city. You'll no doubt see "where are they now?" broadcasts ad nauseum over the next 14 days. I think every network has their own version of Anderson Cooper ready to trot down to "New Orleenz" for a couple of days' worth of coverage.
Locally, however, I'm starting to get really optimistic that we've finally turned THE corner. The city is being rebuilt, literally. Our new mayor, Mitch Landrieu, just announced about $700 million worth of already-funded projects. Some are in the design phase, some are "shovel-ready" and others are underway. Lots of repaving, new school buildings, new libraries, new fire and police stations, massive new hospitals and even renovations to the fabulous New Orleans Museum of Art are included in this comprehensive citywide plan.
Our local schoolchildren have a dizzying array of choices when it comes to education, including more charter schools than in any other U.S. city. We're adding to the freedom of school choice with some great new facilities. Last week, my jaw dropped when I saw the photos of the new L.B. Landry High School in Algiers. What was once a pretty ragged school is now gorgeous. Ditto for campuses throughout the city.
Our Super Bowl champions have a new "Champions Square" under construction where the wrecked New Orleans Centre mall once stood. Next door to the Superdome, it will give Saints fans a place to tailgate. It's something the footballers of this city have wanted for decades.
Even the downtrodden Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is getting in on the act. A new expansion/renovation project worth hundreds of millions of dollars is underway. Quite honestly, the airport isn't great now. It has the potential to be great when this is all done! (A nonstop flight to Europe would be cool, too!)
Optimism ebbs and flows around here, it seems, but I'm really looking forward to the new face of New Orleans in a few years!
