We are sending a paper newsletter to members who have advised us that they do not have internet access. All other residents and members are encouraged to join the website (no charge, though we do encourage residents to become a member of the IEJT Civic Association) to receive notices of news.
Many of the items below have already been communicated to website members through blast e-mails, etc. However, to ensure all residents have access to the same information, we are pasting the print newsletter information below:
Important Dates: Jambalaya Lunch at the Pool 9/30 and Yard Sales 10/6 Details below
Board Members Current board members are Lois LeBlanc, president; David DeBlieux, vice-president; June Emory, treasurer; Penny Martin, secretary; Fran Williams, webmaster; Danielle Bowen, Margaret Johnson, Stan LeBlanc, Keith Gray, Tim Mercer, Van Heard. We do have two vacancies on the board so if you would like to volunteer for this, please let Lois LeBlanc know, 293-9587.
Website Sponsors Our website sponsors are Cadillac Café, a neighborhood pub and nightspot owned by Jan Gallo, one of our members; Clegg’s Nursery, longtime business in our area, and Cypress Tree Service and Cypress State Service owned by David Roppolo, life-long resident of IEJT. We are grateful to these businesses for helping us to communicate with residents.
Clegg’s donates the gift certificates awarded to Yard-Of-The-Month winners. Yard of the Month Our Yard-Of-The-Month contest runs for May, June and July. We reward residents who do an outstanding job of creating inviting landscapes for all to enjoy. Winner for May was Stephen Vidrine at 4922 Tealwood Court judged by Richard and Mary Nagy, past winners. Jane and David Darensbourg of 10283 Cal won for June, judged by Bruce and Debbie Kuehne and Jerome and Gay Plauche chose 10903 Ridgely, the yard of Pete and Anne Peterson as winners for July. Winners received Clegg’s gift cards and had our special YOM sign in their yards for the month. Gardeners take note; your yard can be nominated next year!
FGBRCA The IEJT Civic Association is a member of the Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Civic Associations which includes more than 40 civic associations in our area. The FGBRCA provides guidance to individual groups and serves as a liaison with city parish and other agencies. Meetings are held monthly on the second Thursday at Independence Park and all are welcome.
Neighborhood History George Morris of The Advocate wrote about our subdivisions in an article April 15, 2012. He interviewed residents including Albert Westall, Brian and Stephanie Peters, Gay and Jerome Plauche and Lois and Stan LeBlanc. Our neighborhood is also featured in Annabelle Armstrong’s book “Historic Neighborhoods of Baton Rouge” by History Press, 2010.
Alison Cascio Gary is our current representative on the Metro Council and she has been very helpful with requests from the board and from individual residents. She has attended our March general membership meetings and has responded to questions and concerns from members there.A four-way stop at Floynell and East Inniswold, assistance with speed limit control on Inniswold Road and guidance for a sidewalk initiative in the Bluebonnet Road area are some of her projects in our area. Alison will not be seeking re-election in November. Ryan Heck is the only candidate for the District 11 at this time.
Park Renovation Work progresses on renewing our park: trees have been removed, the restrooms have been remodeled, a walking path is being built and new playground equipment will be installed. These are just some of updates to our neighborhood park. IEJT was instrumental in updating efforts and we are grateful to BREC for their cooperation.
Yard Sales Neighborhood-wide yard sales will be held on Saturday, October 6 from 8am until 1pm. Please call Margaret Johnson at 293-3284. The civic association will compile a list of addresses of all the sales with a map of the neighborhood, distribute copies of these to each seller to give to customers, place an ad in The Advocate, and publicize the event. Yard signs will be placed around the neighborhood, the message board and a blast email will inform residents about the sale. Call Margaret if you want to have a sale. And remember we always welcome volunteers so if you would like to help us, please call Lois at 293-9587
Jambalaya Lunch The Jefferson Terrace pool is the site of the jambalaya lunch this year since the park is being renovated. Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 30 from noon until 2pm. All residents of paid households are invited to come and enjoy lunch and fellowship at this event. If you haven’t paid your dues for this year now is the time to do it! And we need volunteers especially to help serve. Let Lois know if you can help for a half hour or so, 293-9587.
Entrance Signs and Message Boards We are in the process of getting permits for entrance signs and message boards at Cal and Bluebonnet Boulevard and Gail and Bluebonnet Boulevard. Permits are required for signs on city–parish rights-of-way and this is proving to be challenging task. Our goal is have these signs to define our neighborhood and the message boards will inform residents of neighborhood news. Please check the message board at Cal and the frontage road for news when you drive that way.
School Volunteers Cheryl Lott, area resident, reminds us that in the past three years our neighborhood school has gone from only 38% passing the 4th grade math exam to 75%! A successful school could help to increase our neighborhood home values. Volunteers are needed to read with a child or help with math on a weekly basis. Contact Volunteers in Public Schools if you would like to help a child: 226-4702
Sheriff’s Office Our area is now patrolled by deputies from the Burbank Substation under the direction of Captain Anthony Ponton. Captain Ponton attended our general meeting in March and the civic association is in email contact with him regularly. He stresses calling the Sheriff’s Office if anything suspicious or out-of-the ordinary is observed. If these instances are not reported, then there is no official report and the deputies have no way of knowing what is going on in our neighborhood. The number to call for non-emergencies is 389-5511. Of course, use 911 for emergencies. There have been instances this year of houses being broken into, usually having the back doors kicked in and usually in the morning hours when residents are at work. Autos have also been targets; so remember to lock your vehicles. Some residents have had their mail stolen and checks altered. You might consider using a drop box to mail checks. These and other problems occur in any neighborhood and it is up to us to keep watch for our property and that of our neighbors. Reporting to the 389-511 number is important.
311 Call Center This center is a clearinghouse for citizens’ inquiries about parish government services. Call about animal concerns (stray dogs or cats), zoning violations (our zoning is single family residential), overgrown lots, street repairs, tree hazards, etc. Your call will be directed to the property city parish agency. It’s another way we can keep our neighborhood safe and attractive.
Visible House Numbers Clearly visible house numbers are important to visitors to your home and also vital for police and fire agencies. Make sure your numbers are readable from the street.
FACEBOOK - for members with internet access, IEJT Civic Association is on Facebook. If you are on Facebook and "like" the page, you will see IEJT updates in your Facebook newsfeed when updates are made!
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