Bayou St. John (Bridge Restoration Project)

We have the privilege of having lots of clients in the Bayou St. John neighborhood. It is one of all of our favorite places to walk babies! Below is a note I received from one of our clients working on this wonderful re-bridge project...

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We are writing to enlist your support for the Re-Bridge project, which is seeking to rehabilitate two of the historic bridges on Bayou St. John. You can learn more about the details of the project on our website,http://www.rebridge.org, but in brief, one of the bridges, the Magnolia Bridge, is possibly the oldest bridge in New Orleans and was just named to the Louisiana Landmark Society's New Orleans Nine (http://www.louisianalandmarks.org/?q=/taxonomy/term/3) because of its grave state of disrepair. The second bridge, the Walter Parker (aka Dumaine) Bridge is not structurally damaged but is badly in need of concrete rehabilitation as well as cosmetic repair. Along with the bridges, Re-Bridge's project scope includes addressing the walkability of the area, which will significantly enhance the recreational experience for neighbors and visitors alike.

The first thing people ask when they hear about this project is why isn't the City handling this, and the answer is they are. Re-Bridge is working with all government agencies, including the City, to ratchet the rehabilitation of these bridges up on everyone's top priority list, but the fact is all funding for repairs of this nature requires matching funds. Our mission at Re-Bridge is to raise awareness for these bridges and to also raise the necessary funds to match City, State and Federal grants needed to address this project. We are going to do this with a multi-pronged approach: by seeking public and private funding sources, by holding fundraising and awareness events, and by asking people like you to help.

Everyone who lives or visits Bayou St. John and sees its historic bridges is enchanted by the sense of place and history of this area. The Magnolia Bridge itself is a landmark used for weddings, celebrations as well as memorials, sunset gazing and numerous other events where people are seeking a special place to mark their occasion. If you want to know how you can be a part of saving an important piece of New Orleans' heritage, start by helping to spread the word about the Magnolia and Walter Parker bridges and the Re-Bridge project. Sure we need money, but we also need people all over New Orleans and beyond to be aware of the status of these historic bridges and to know that something can be done about them with a little help from people like you.

Here is an action list for you, and if you act on only one thing on this list, you will have taken an important step towards saving these bridges (if you do two or more, consider yourself part of the amazing force of civic-minded people who continue to make New Orleans the best and most interesting place in the world to live):

Re-Bridge Action List

1. Forward this email to your group of friends, family, and group list (cc: me so I may continue to keep them informed)
2. Go to our website and buy a tee shirt, not just any tee but a soft, organic and hip designed tee where the profit goes straight to Re-Bridge (see BRIDGE GEAR)
3. Donate money directly on our website, every bit helps and is tax deductible because FSJNA is a 501(c)(3) (DONATE on right)
4. Come to our events that are listed on our website (the next one being the Bayou Bridges Breakfast: Come Learn With Us kid's event on June 25) (see EVENTS)
5. Be creative – do you have a suggestion for an event or a strategy for how Re-Bridge can be successful – we're all ears
6. Share a story with us about your experience on either bridge and we'll post it on our blog (we already have many stories there)
7. Like us on our Facebook page, tweet our url, blog about Re-Bridge – Word of Mouth is a powerful thing

Thanks for staying engaged and helping to save the bridges.