Comments on: First the City, Now the State http://thinknola.com/post/first-the-city-now-the-state/ A Community Notebook Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:12:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Deborah Langhoff http://thinknola.com/post/first-the-city-now-the-state/comment-page-1/#comment-29044 Deborah Langhoff Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:46:33 +0000 http://thinknola.com/blog/think/2007/01/15/first-the-city-now-the-state/#comment-29044 ICF consistently underestimates what the job will take - at every stage, there is simply not enough. Overwhelmed, they couldn't imagine what 100,000+ destroyed homes means, while we unfortunately have had almost 17 months to understand it. It's slow, but it is moving. What I truly fear is the program grinding to a halt when the "grant letters generated" sum hits the $7 billion mark. Hope the accounting system can handle that one. By the way, their attorney said that Road Home properties, resulting from Options 2 and 3, will be made part of the public record at the time of the closing. ICF consistently underestimates what the job will take – at every stage, there is simply not enough. Overwhelmed, they couldn’t imagine what 100,000+ destroyed homes means, while we unfortunately have had almost 17 months to understand it.

It’s slow, but it is moving. What I truly fear is the program grinding to a halt when the “grant letters generated” sum hits the $7 billion mark. Hope the accounting system can handle that one.

By the way, their attorney said that Road Home properties, resulting from Options 2 and 3, will be made part of the public record at the time of the closing.

]]> By: Alan Gutierrez http://thinknola.com/post/first-the-city-now-the-state/comment-page-1/#comment-29014 Alan Gutierrez Sat, 20 Jan 2007 08:37:15 +0000 http://thinknola.com/blog/think/2007/01/15/first-the-city-now-the-state/#comment-29014 I'd like to get a walking tour of the software shops that are cobbling together all these nonsense awards. Must be a horror. Did anyone notice that Michael Byrne had to "eat his pledge to push 500 awards a day":http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives/2007_01_10.html#223997 in January? I’d like to get a walking tour of the software shops that are cobbling together all these nonsense awards. Must be a horror.

Did anyone notice that Michael Byrne had to “eat his pledge to push 500 awards a day”:http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives/2007_01_10.html#223997 in January?

]]> By: Edward Holub http://thinknola.com/post/first-the-city-now-the-state/comment-page-1/#comment-28966 Edward Holub Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:56:31 +0000 http://thinknola.com/blog/think/2007/01/15/first-the-city-now-the-state/#comment-28966 I can't believe the slow pace of road home money. But then again, I can..... Government greed, graft, misappropriations and no-bid contracts have cost the effected people of Katrina billions of earmarked dollars that could have helped rebuild the region. Instead, this business-as-usual Government continues its assult on the poor, weak, and unconnected. With questions of Road Home land use hitting home in conjucuntion with the ULI reports of last year, it seems the power elite is proceedng according to its stated lines. Default Greenspaces have taken over the lower ninth ward. Vital City services have been diverted from "red dot" areas of the city. Nearly half the population has not returned (The poor, mostly black half that is). Crime is out of control. Brothers and Sisters it is time now, more than ever, to revolt against the oppressors that seek to redefine your culture and Disney-fy your world! Rise up! Speak your mind! Get together with your neighbors! March on City Hall again and again, until they FINALLY do listen! Don't give up! Your time will come!!! I can’t believe the slow pace of road home money. But then again, I can…..

Government greed, graft, misappropriations and no-bid contracts have cost the effected people of Katrina billions of earmarked dollars that could have helped rebuild the region.

Instead, this business-as-usual Government continues its assult on the poor, weak, and unconnected. With questions of Road Home land use hitting home in conjucuntion with the ULI reports of last year, it seems the power elite is proceedng according to its stated lines.

Default Greenspaces have taken over the lower ninth ward. Vital City services have been diverted from “red dot” areas of the city. Nearly half the population has not returned (The poor, mostly black half that is). Crime is out of control.

Brothers and Sisters it is time now, more than ever, to revolt against the oppressors that seek to redefine your culture and Disney-fy your world! Rise up! Speak your mind! Get together with your neighbors! March on City Hall again and again, until they FINALLY do listen! Don’t give up! Your time will come!!!

]]> By: Monique Broussard http://thinknola.com/post/first-the-city-now-the-state/comment-page-1/#comment-28950 Monique Broussard Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:02:08 +0000 http://thinknola.com/blog/think/2007/01/15/first-the-city-now-the-state/#comment-28950 Many road home applicants received SBA loans to cover the gap where insurance did not cover rebuilding. Since Road home is supposedly concerned with closing the gap, then why can't the Road home make a blanket rule that if you received an SBA loan then your funds will go to pay-off the real estate portion of your SBA loan. Many homeowners are in a worse position because we have our 1st mortgage and now a second SBA mortgage. SBA has already determined that there was a gap. SBA & the Road home program is requesting exactly the same information!! After gathering all the deeds, insurance information, etc - homeowners have to do it all over again. Have these agencies ever heard of sharing information or working together? If the Road Home would start with paying the SBA loan for real estate they could quickly fund thousands of applicants. Many road home applicants received SBA loans to cover the gap where insurance did not cover rebuilding. Since Road home is supposedly concerned with closing the gap, then why can’t the Road home make a blanket rule that if you received an SBA loan then your funds will go to pay-off the real estate portion of your SBA loan. Many homeowners are in a worse position because we have our 1st mortgage and now a second SBA mortgage. SBA has already determined that there was a gap. SBA & the Road home program is requesting exactly the same information!! After gathering all the deeds, insurance information, etc – homeowners have to do it all over again. Have these agencies ever heard of sharing information or working together? If the Road Home would start with paying the SBA loan for real estate they could quickly fund thousands of applicants.

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