New Orleans City council members vented their frustrations over the slow pace of recovery and how that office is being run. Some want to revamp the whole recovery system.
Joseph Taylor of Algiers told council members children at the Cutoff playground summer camp have endured no air conditioning.
"I mean we don't want to wait, and deal with crises as heat stroke in that center and then we'll have 500 people trying to repair the air conditioning,"Taylor said.
"It cannot be fixed. It has to be replaced and the cost of that is like $55-thousand. There's a bid out right now for the replacement of that air conditioning unit," said Capital Projects Director Bill Chrisman.
Chrisman said it would take at least a month to fix the air conditioning. Council members were outraged. James Carter said he's received an earful about how children play ball at night at Cutoff.
"I'm sure Councilman Fielkow will like this, in the park they will have to use the car lights to light the area. That is unacceptable!" Carter said.
"I want the whole world to hear this. When it comes to keeping NORD facilities on track open to our children this council is 24/7," said Council Vice President Jackie Clarkson.
But council members say the inadequacies of the park and playground are only one indicator of a much bigger problem.
"Finally Dr. Blakely is gone, so now things are pitched to some other staff person who doesn't want to get it done or who can't seem to get it done," said Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis.
Willard-Lewis even harped on the size of the Recovery Department, about 87 employees.
"And we have agencies with half of that with all the responsibilities of line departments, from picking up the trash, to fixing potholes, to running our parks and parkways, and running our NORD facilities. Give them the 87 people," Willard-Lewis said.
"In the case of the Recovery Department, that is some of the largest salaries we pay in city government and we have little to show for it," said Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell.
While some council members highly criticize the recovery, Joseph Taylor got his wish, an emergency order to fix that air conditioning for children, now.
Fox 8 tried to reach the Recovery Department. We're still waiting to hear back.
