NEW ORLEANS – Keep Louisiana Beautiful has awarded the Lafayette Square Conservancy a $6,129.60 grant to purchase and install 10 attractive and closed "rodent proof" trash containers for placement around the park.
The grant will support LSC's ongoing efforts to maintain and beautify Lafayette Square for the benefit of Downtown users. The LSC will initially deploy 4 cans on the interior of the park around the statue of Henry Clay, while the remaining cans will be placed around the perimeter of the park this fall. "The park regularly hosts Downtown events and is a great asset for area workers, residents and visitors,” LSC President Lee Vail said. “We believe this is a major step to keep the park cleaner and discourage rodents from entering the open cans currently in the park. The rodent proof trash cans are an important addition to ensure Lafayette Square remains a crown jewel for Downtown.”
Also in July the City of New Orleans Parks and Parkways Department installed new grass on the Camp Street side of the park. Director Ann E. Macdonald and her staff, in partnership with the LSC, have worked over the years to maintain the turf in the park, which hosts many concerts throughout the year. "The grass is a new cultivar which Parks and Parkways believes may stand up better to heavy foot traffic and thereby maintain the Square's green space," said Macdonald.
Lafayette Square, the second oldest park in New Orleans, was founded in 1788. The park, located in the heart of downtown New Orleans, is an urban green space used by area residents, workers and visitors.
The Lafayette Square Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit managed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors dedicated to the preservation and ongoing improvements of the park in partnership with the City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways.
The Conservancy was formed by a group of neighborhood residents, downtown workers and concerned citizens in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which left the park severely damaged. Today, the LSC helps support regular park cleanups, landscape plantings, sod restoration, and other capital improvements.
