Dear Councilwoman Palmer, As people who care deeply about the city of New Orleans, we are concerned about the current condition of the Municipal Auditorium, Armstrong Park, and Congo Square. These public facilities are very important to us and we have been discouraged to see them vacant and unusable since Katrina. The neighborhood kids need a park to play in; we miss the concerts, balls and other events that residents used to walk to; we need Congo Square to be open and accessible as a national heritage site. Many of us have voiced our concerns, in the past and again recently, about the sad state of these public spaces and facilities to the members of the Treme Neighborhood Association. Now we respectfully request that the gates to Congo Square be opened immediately. Congo Square is not damaged and everybody should be allowed to use it. We want the gates at St. Peter, Rampart, and St. Ann Streets opened now. We are also requesting that Armstrong Park be reopened. We know that nothing happens overnight, but almost six years is just too long. The residents and voters of Treme want Armstrong Park and Congo Square to be opened this summer, and for the City to begin the restoration of the Municipal Auditorium into the proud performing arts facility it used to be. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. We hope you will take our calls for action seriously and help champion the cause! Sincerely,