The Lower Ninth Ward Village was the vision of Ward "Mack" McClendon. After looking to distract himself from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in his Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, McClendon looked into leasing or buying an old building a few blocks away from his old home to work on old cars. But when the former telephone technician walked into the building at 1001 Charbonnet Street, he envisioned more than just a garage. He began to envision a community center with a gymnasium, job training programs (recording studio, culinary area, computer labs) for youths, free meals for the homeless and more. McClendon put renovating his home on hold. He bought the building in August 2007 and started working with community groups and volunteers to open the Lower 9th Ward Village Community Center. Through the center, McClendon hopes to "bring the community back, make it whole." McClendon healed after the storm by listening to other people's stories, including tales of losing loved ones during Katrina. He realized that his problems - red tape with insurance and the Road Home program - were small compared with those of others he knew. Mack wants to build a full-size basketball court with stands in the building to give children an after-school activity to keep them off the streets and to be able to encourage adults to act as coaches and mentors to the children. He also wants to use the basketball court as part of a summer program.

Who is the sponsoring organization?

Hope for Stanley Foundation. The Hope for Stanley Foundation was created by a group of sport administration students at the University of Central Florida. The mission of Hope for Stanley is to provide people in sports volunteer opportunities in areas affected by natural disasters. The Foundation is named after Stanley Stewart, a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward whose home was rebuilt by the graduate students from the University of Central Florida. Stanley's spirit through the rebuilding process and his resolve inspired the students to begin the Foundation to help others in similar situations. To date, the Foundation has brought 550 volunteers to New Orleans and made 17 trips to New Orleans, the most by any out-of-state group as recognized by the New Orleans City Council. The Foundation has also become involved in the community by donating sports equipment to local public and private schools. In addition, in partnership with Scholastic, Hope for Stanley was able to secure a donation of 10,000 books to an elementary school in the Lower Ninth Ward. Now, it would like to be an advocate for the Lower Ninth Ward Village and its mission to build a community center in the heart of the Lower Ninth. http://www.hopeforstanley.org

Where will the project be located?

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

New Orleans in the Lower Ninth Ward neigborhood. 1001 Charbonnet Street, New Orleans, LA 70043. The Lower Ninth Ward Village is located in the heart of the Lower Ninth Ward. It has been set up to be a multi-purpose center for the community that will include a computer classroom, commercial kitchen, recording studio, basketball court, library, and art room for the purpose of 1) bringing the community together in support of the youth and elderly, 2) provide job training and education for youth, 3) provide resources and information for the community. Recently, The Village was chosen as a site for the Prospect 1. New Orleans art installation, the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States.

Do facilities at the location need to be constructed or upgraded?

Yes. A basketball court and stands need to be constructed. In addition, there may be a need to install a scoreboard at the facility. The roof of the facility is well patched, but there may be a need for insulation to avoid extreme temperatures.

Are any further architectural or design services required?

Yes. It would be to our advantage to have design assistance to determine the best layout of the basketball court and to determine where best to include stands and water fountains and any other designs that would make the basketball court layout as efficient as possible.

Would this project benefit from the assistance of construction professionals?

Yes. Construction professionals will have a great input on how to build a basketball court and stands and making it last as long as possible. They will also have the ability to inform The Village how best to take care of the basketball court and how to take care and operate the basketball stands.