Many local news outlets announced the town hall meeting on Wednesday, but very few wrote follow-ups on what went down. And after having spoken to Glade Bilby, President of French Quarter Citizens, I can’t necessarily blame them.
Turns out, Wednesday’s highly anticipated meeting didn’t amount to that much by way of new revelations.
Bilby stated that Anne Kirkpatrick didn’t present a plan, and the meeting was primarily to gain input from local business owners and FQ residents/workers who wanted to voice their opinions about turning Bourbon into a fully pedestrian zone.
“Superintendent Kirkpatrick came on and said she’s not presenting a plan,” says Bilby. “We were there to get input and hear people's concerns and their suggestions, whether they live or work here.”
Although Bilby called the lack of a plan “disappointing,” he expressed that they met with the Security Committee for the French Quarter Management District on Monday, where they gave a more formal recommendation.
“We had a healthy discussion about that on Monday,” says Bilby. “And our recommendation was to close Bourbon Street at Canal Street rather than at Iberville, which is actually the the beginning of the French Quarter and to possibly go down to St. Anne.”
Bilby explained that as they await more details on what will happen to Bourbon Street, their organization is busy keeping up with other tasks and improvements to New Orleans' most historic district
“French Quarter Management District has done a lot for making the lighting repaired. We're almost finished,” says Bilby.
So when can we expect something by way of a formal plan regarding the pedestrianizing of Bourbon Street? There really isn’t an answer just yet.
“We're hoping to be more engaged in the fall," said Bilby of future plans.