Ninth Ward athletic stadium receives funding
31st July 2023 · 0 Comments
By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer
The final financial piece is in place in the effort to build a multi-sport athletic stadium in the 9th Ward, and organizers are hoping the new facility can open to the public by fall 2025.
The New Orleans City Council in May approved allotting the last $2.5 million the roughly $10-million stadium project needs for architectural and construction contracts to be let.
“The (9th Ward) community is in need of an enthusiastic investment,” said City Councilman Eugene Green, whose district will include the planned stadium. “This puts the community back on the map. It lets people know that (elected leaders) haven’t completely forgotten the neighborhood.”
The primary driver behind the project is a not-for-profit organization called 9th Ward Stadium, Inc., which formed in the years following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the 9th Ward. Arnie Fielkow, president of 9th Ward Stadium, Inc., said the hard work of everyone involved in the effort is finally paying off.
“After more than a decade, this project is going to happen,” he said.
Fielkow added that New Orleans “hasn’t built a stadium of this magnitude in decades. It’ll be a tremendous addition to the community.”
The stadium will be built near to G.W. Carver High School, located in the Desire neighborhood of the city, on land owned by the Orleans Parish School Board. The 60-acre tract of land at 4300 Almonaster Blvd., has been vacant since Hurricane Katrina, making it the perfect place to help continue the revival and development of a neighborhood devastated by the hurricane and decades of neglect by former elected leaders and businesses.
The stadium will be designed, built, owned and operated by the OPSB using the funding accumulated and subsequently donated to the school by 9th Ward Stadium, Inc. While being located next to Carver High School and designed to alleviate the historic school’s long-standing need for first-class athletic facilities, proponents of the new stadium said the new facility will be available to all public schools in New Orleans.
With the City Council’s action in May, the OPSB can now enter the design and construction phases, Fielkow and Green have said. The other $7 million that was needed for the project had already been received through various governmental and private sources.
Most significantly, in September of last year, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter announced that the 2022 Congressional appropriations bill included $3 million toward the 9th Ward stadium project.
“For too long, the 9th Ward hasn’t had their own gathering spot to compete, to watch your children play, and simply share a joyous moment on the field with family and friends,” Carter said at the time. “This is a historic moment for this community and for all of New Orleans.”
Fielkow said hopefully an architectural contract can be advertised, bid and signed by the OPSB relatively quickly, an action that will launch a multi-month design process that Fielkow said will solicit heavy input from the public along the way. Fielkow and Green said several town halls and information sessions will be held during the process to make sure that the stadium is a community effort and can benefit all city residents, but especially residents of Desire and the 9th Ward.
“That’s going to be coming down the pike by the end of the year,” Fielkow said.
Businesses and other interested community members can find more information on the stadium’s website at www.9thwardstadium.com.
This article originally published in the July 31, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
