The US Environmental Protection Agency recently held a week long conference in New Orleans, attended by people from all over the US. We were contacted by their group volunteer coordinator who indicated that they would have 40 volunteers available for any project we would have for them in Lakeview.

The District 5 Neighborhood Recovery Group Greenspace Committee organized a project for the removal of all the unwanted advertising signs placed on public space in Lakeview. The enthusiastic group of EPA volunteers arrived in two 20 passenger buses to 5800 Canal Blvd. on Friday June 23. In groups of two, they walked every street in Lakeview from I 610 to Robert E. Lee Blvd. and removed every unwanted sign that they could reach. (The Greenspace committee will soon follow up with a van and a ladder to get the remaining few signs on poles that could not be reached from the ground.)

These people donated their time to help us and we are very grateful. One of the volunteers said \"That is the hardest simple work I think I have ever done\" (it was hot on Friday). They capped off their afternoon with a Snowball from the new stand in the front of John Jay's parking lot, which was a welcome relief following their work. Thousands of signs were removed that are not only unwanted but illegal to post. In a conversation later in the day with an NOPD officer patrolling our streets, he indicated that they have been clearly instructed that if they see anyone placing signs, they are to stop and issue a citation to the offending individual.

Our heartfelt thanks to these volunteers for helping to return Lakeview to the clean and green place we would like it to be again.