Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser has an interesting idea to fix up the French Quarter: turn it into a state park. Under the plan, the Vieux Carre would be designated as state park land, which would allow lawmakers to allocate additional resources to clean its streets, and increase security. Nungesser says if the idea pans out, it could have a lot perks.
“We could create a state park with park rangers on every corner, put a capitol budget together to fix every street with good lighting. Make it safer,” Nungesser said.

Nungesser says the escalating crime problem in New Orleans is dampening enthusiasm for visiting one of Louisiana’s most iconic landmarks, and it’s a problem that goes back decades.

“We’ve been talking about cleaning up the French Quarter crime, fixing the streets, the cleanliness, the lighting, for thirty years and nothing has really changed,” Nungesser said.

The Lt. Governor says he is still bouncing the idea around, and nothing is set in stone, but it’s the kind of creative thinking the state could use.

“And if it works out, it makes good sense for Louisiana and for the city. We want to explore those options and that’s all it is, it’s an idea as we think outside the box to make Louisiana better,” Nungesser said.

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