Property Management Cemeteries Update City of New Orleans

Property Management: Cemeteries Update City of New Orleans January 12, 2021

City-Owned Cemeteries Council District A: § St. Mary Cemetery - Spruce Street at Cohn and Adams Streets § Carrollton Cemetery - 1701 Hillary Street § Holt Cemetery – 527 City Park Avenue Council District B: § Valence Cemetery - 2000 Valence Street § Lafayette No. 1 Cemetery – Washington at Prytania Streets § Lafayette No. 2 Cemetery – Washington at Loyola Streets Council District E: § “Resthaven”- 11000 Old Gentilly Road City of New Orleans 1

City-Owned Cemeteries – Recent Changes Maintenance: In-house cemetery crew for better, more directed grounds keeping. Also reducing chemical weed abatement. Management: New cemeteries superintendent - restructuring of filing system, management of groundskeeping crew, oversight of burials and other outside services, continued accessibility to Lafayette #1 for stakeholders (owners, contractors). Legislation: Ordinances addressing changes in state law, updating city laws to better manage and fund the cemeteries. Capital Improvements: Lafayette #1: Renovated the sexton cottage (adding a restroom), repaired water line, closing of almost all open tombs. (Waiting on bond funding to complete the final repairs to the walkways in Lafayette #1, as well as automatic closing gates for all the cemeteries). Post Hurricane Zeta: Large water oak and smaller trees removed from Holt Cemetery. Required coordination between the Cemeteries Division, the city archaeologist, the state Cemeteries Board (though the La. Attorney General), as well as Parks and Parkways. Research Project: Cemeteries Division has received a grant to document the history of Holt Cemetery through family interviews of the deceased, oral histories and photography research. City of New Orleans 2

City-Owned Cemeteries – 2021 Plans § “ITB” for interment/burial services: There have been problems in the past with the level of service offered by private contractors. If the city contracts for the services, then it can control the quality of said services. § Further capital improvements: $1 M in bond revenue dedicated to cemeteries for capital expenditures: Lafayette #1 walkways, automated gates for all cemeteries, (hopefully) a new cemetery. § Security for Lafayette #1 when it is re-opened: Better control of tour groups and other visitors so that there are fewer people at any given time within the cemetery. City of New Orleans 3