St. Bernard Parish Resource Workshop hosted by the Community Center of St. Bernard

This is the type of resources that we envision having available to parish residents at this workshop.
• Lenders - Local banks to profile information on their loan products for new and existing homeowners
• Support Services - Non-profits ( i.e., NHS, The Green Project, United Way , etc to profile support services)
• For-profits (Builders, major contractors, inspectors, etc., specifically anyone from the area that you designate as a credible resource. We should also try to get Home Depot and/or Lowes involved)
• Government agencies – please suggest the type of agencies involved in the parish’s rebuilding process (i.e. permit offices, inspection info, etc.)

Over $202 million in federal funds, including $10 million specifically set aside for nonprofit organizations, has been awarded to rental property owners in Round 1. The $202 million in federal funds will be awarded to help restore more than 5,200 rental units in 13 of the most damaged parishes in South Louisiana. Of those, 4,075 will offer affordable rental units to low- to moderate income level working families. The other units will be occupied by owners in small rental properties and market rate tenants in mixed income buildings. The breakdown of award dollars is as follows:

The two parishes that received the most funding were Orleans, receiving approximately 72%, and Jefferson, receiving approximately 13%. Nonprofit organizations received approximately $10 million (5% set-aside of Round 1 funds). 80 nonprofit applications were conditionally awarded incentives to 174 rental units in the most heavily damaged areas. Those nonprofit organizations receiving incentives are most likely to offer housing to people with special needs. This includes people with disabilities, homeless families, the elderly, persons with special needs and/or “at risk” youth. The breakdown for award dollars for nonprofits is as follows:

The Road Home Small Rental Property program received over 6,500 applications at the close of Round 1, and has determined there will be an estimated 2,693 awardees.

Now that the applications have been distributed, the next step for the business owners is to have their applications accepted by Louisiana Economic Development 's(LED). This phase of the Program, classified as the "Intake Center Process," will also be held at the Chalmette Refining Cure/Contractor's Training Building on the following Dates and Time:

The DEADLINE for submitting your application is Friday, February, 16, 2007.

If you have any questions regarding eligibility and also frequently asked questions, please view LED's Website, www.louisianaforward.com

Vermont puppet theater troupe to hold free performance in Nunez College
auditorium at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9.

The Old-World use of papier-mache and cardboard street theater art - in parade and pagentry so common in early New Orleans festive life and in local Carnival celebrations - will be featured in a free
performance by the Bread & Puppet Theater troupe and St . Bernard residents at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 in the Nunez College Auditorium in Chalmette.

Chalmette High School art students, some of whom will participate in the performance and some who may walk in the Knights of Nemesis parade on Sunday in Chalmette, have been making papier-mache art work in class this week with help from members of the the Vermont puppet group.

The puppet troupe, and local artist Luis Colmenares, will perform with residents in a special program presented by the Community Center of St. Bernard in collaboration with the St. Bernard Parish public school system and the St. Bernard Art Guild.

This program is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.

The St. Bernard Economic Development Commission. in conjunction with
Chalmette Refining, LLC, is supporting Louisiana Economic Development
(LED) in launching Governor Blanco's Business Recovery Grant and Loan Program.

The Application Seminar date in St. Bernard Parish is Tuesday, February 6, 2007, from 4:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m., at the Chalmette Refining Cure-Contractor's Training Building. The address of this building is 520 East St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA.

Danny Bourgeois, Acting Director, St. Bernard Economic Development
Commission (EDC) stated, "the primary focus of this Seminar is to conduct an orientation and application workshop to assist business owners to evaluate their eligibility, understand the application process and to submit their application."

"We are pleased to be an active participant in a program that is designed to get cash into the hands of our small businesses who are struggling to regain their footing during this recovery," said Walter Leger, St. Bernard EDC Chairman. Leger also stated, "Rebuilding our small business enterprises is a sound investment that will reap significant benefits for our community."

Information regarding eligibility and frequently asked questions is
available by viewing LED's website, www.louisianaforward.com

Governor Blanco, the Louisiana Recovery Authority and Louisiana Economic Development announced a proposal to reallocate $100 million of the economic development disaster recovery programs to provide much-needed grants to small businesses. The additional funds would provide financial relief to sustain and restart small businesses in the most severely impacted areas of Louisiana. Pending final approval of the proposed amendment, the state will determine eligible amounts and expects to begin accepting applications in early January 2007.

This $100 million grant program comes in addition to a $38 million dollar program for 0% interest loans, a $68 million dollar program for loan guarantees, and a $9.5 million general assistance program for small businesses. Collectively, these programs are intended to provide a range of much-needed assistance to small businesses struggling to rebound from last year’s storms. More information about each program can be found below.

The January meeting of the St. Bernard Parish Chamber of Commerce will be held on Wednesday, January 24 starting at 3:30 PM. The meeting will take place the Associated Terminals, located in St. Bernard Port.

Membership dues for the Chamber are also being collected for the 2007 year. Dues must be paid by February 9 to be included the 2007 membership directory.

Visit LouisianaForward.com for more information on the Louisiana Small Business Retention Program.

Call or email Amy Ybarzabal (504-250-6121) for more information about the St. Bernard Chamber.

St. Bernard Recovery Times

The St. Bernard Economic Development Commission and Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce a Business Economic Incentive Seminar. The seminar will be held on Saturday November 11, 2006, from 9:00 AM to Noon at Nunez Community College’s
Auditorium.

Walter Leger, Chairman, St. Bernard Economic Commission said, "This seminar will provide the business entrepreneurs with valuable information and resources as they rebuild their operations. The agencies and organizations, who are scheduled to make presentations, such as, Internal Revenue Service, Housing Urban Development, Louisiana Economic Development, UNO School of Business Administration, and the Louisiana Insurance Commissioner’s Office- Commercial Division will allow our business leaders, both large and small, to become aware of the many business opportunities and economic incentives that are available as St. Bernard rebuilds and expands our business community."

Claudette Ruether, Chairlady, St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce, is proud that the Chamber is a sponsor of this seminar. Claudette encourages all business owners to attend this seminar where they will have an opportunity to learn more about the Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO ZONE) legislature and other federal and state incentives that can assist businesses as they recover and expand their operations.

To learn more about this seminar you can call the St. Bernard Business Office at (504) 278-4346, or visit the St. Bernard Website, www.sbpg.net
Also to assist the planners, as they prepare for this seminar, please RSVP by calling either (504) 278-4346 or Danny Bourgeois on (504) 376-3701 prior to close of business on Wednesday November 08, 2006.

"We're hoping it will become an annual event,'' said Elizabeth McDougall, tourism director of St. Bernard Parish government.
Trick or Trunk is supported by the parish Office of Tourism, the Parish Council, the Chalmette Vista Neighborhood Association, the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard-Arabi and Nunez Community College. Hot dogs and drinks will be available.

Volunteers, who can obtain a car registration form from the Tourism Office by calling 278-4242 or from Carrie Toores at 247-2523, will set up between noon and 2 p.m. on the 28th in the Nunez parking lot near the Physical Activity Center to pick up their parking assignment.

Trunks will be decorated in Halloween theme but as a family-oriented event.

First, second and third-place prizes will be awarded for best decorated trunks. A DJ will play music and children are encouraged to come in costumes.

The event is non-alcoholic.

The Lexington Place subdivision in Meraux, known for years for its Halloween celebrations, will hold a block party on DeBouchel Boulevard, between Newport and Tracy, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Halloween, Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Children from throughout the parish are invited to come in costumes and participate in the Lexington event, which will include a D.J. playing music, with hot dogs, drinks and snow balls available for children.

Residents of the subdivision will provide tables and decorate them, according to Kenny Desselle, president of the Lexington Place Civic Corp., which is sponsoring the celebration.

"I think people are looking for anything close to normal," Desselle said of the party. Door to door trick-or-treating won't be permitted in the subdivision because some areas are dark and would be dangerous, he said. "We're trying to concentrate (the party) in one area," he said, predicting it will be fun for children.

Donna Gilford of the Civic Corps said residents of the area who plan to participate are asked to call her at 912-0095.

Also, the Jumonville Plantation Homeowners Association will allow door to door trick-or-treating in its subdivision the evening of Oct. 31 because so many residents are back in their homes, said Tony Ortego, president of the civic group. "It's going well (in the subdivision,)'' he said. "We as residents have done a lot of work here.''

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting an informational meeting and open house to solicit community input on plans to deauthorize deep draft navigation on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO).

In 1956, Congress authorized construction of the MRGO to allow for quicker travel between the Gulf of Mexico and the Port of New Orleans. Congress has now directed the Corps to develop a comprehensive plan to deauthorize deep draft navigation on the MRGO, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Saturday, October 28, 2006
University of New Orleans
Lindy C. Boggs International Conference Center
2045 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148

From 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM an Open House is planned
Meet one-on-one with representatives of the Corps and stakeholder groups to discuss the future of the MRGO

At 10:00 AM, the Corps will conduct a Formal Presentation on the MRGO study The Corps will present information about the ongoing study, including alternatives to deep draft navigation on the MRGO that have been received from stakeholders, and the consistency of the alternatives to other environmental restoration opportunities

From 10:30 AM until Noon, a Public comment Period is planned
This will be an opportunity to provide public input regarding the future of the MRGO

Written comments may also be submitted through Saturday, November 4, 2006 to:

E-mail: mrgo@mvn02.usace.army.mil

Web site: http://mrgo.swg.usace.army.mil

Mail:
MRGO Project Manager, PM-C
USACE - New Orleans District
PO Box 60267
New Orleans, LA 70150

Overnight:
MRGO Project Manager, PM-C
USACE - New Orleans District
7400 Leake Ave
New Orleans, LA 70150

For additional information please call 504-862-2587, 8AM - 5PM M_F. For special needs, please call 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

This file can be downloaded from http://www.stbpcrc.com/PDFs/St-Bernard-Parish-Planning-eBook.pdf. A limited supply of printed copies will also be available.

By Howard Kurtz
Sunday, May 7, 2006; B01

NEW ORLEANS I walked down the street next to a failed levee here the other day and saw house after house that had been pulverized by Hurricane Katrina. Eight months after the storm, and nothing, not a single cinder block, had been touched. An exterior wall of one home had been ripped away, revealing, amid the rubble, a sneaker, some batteries and a cardboard box for an NFL football. A thriving family once lived here, and in the next house, and in the house after that.

But it's old news, this tableau of destruction. Even if a reporter could track down the families on this block and recount each tale of woe, the camera lens would still be too close; it simply could not capture the magnitude of what happened to New Orleans last summer. And if you pull back the camera too far, you get those aerial shots we've all seen so many times, which provide a sense of the hurricane's scale but not of the human misery that each ruined home represents.

President Bush, who vowed in that floodlit Jackson Square speech last September that "this great city will rise again," was here again during my visit. But this time, aside from an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, the president's trip drew only modest coverage.

I understand why. Bush made no new proposals. He visited with residents and volunteers, and spent a few minutes helping with the construction of new housing. With no drama and no controversy, it was easy for the media to dismiss the trip as a photo op. The next day, the nation's front pages focused instead on rising gasoline prices, economic growth figures, the movie about United Airlines Flight 93 and a Spanish-language version of the national anthem.

We are in a short-attention-span business, always chasing the Next Big Thing, whether it's the Duke rape case or Patrick Kennedy's car crash. And eight months after wind, rain and floodwaters devastated this city, the media -- and perhaps a good chunk of the country -- are suffering from Katrina Fatigue.

Like many Americans, I've followed the Katrina story closely, but then tuned out for days when other news or the daily strains of life intervened. After eight months you assume they must be making some progress. Downtown and the French Quarter basically look fine; the worst damage by now must be limited to a few of the hardest-hit areas, such as the Lower Ninth Ward.

But then you come here and see the devastation up close, and discover that things are far worse than you imagined. And you realize that, despite the millions of words and pictures devoted to the hurricane's aftermath, the normal rules of writing, photography and broadcasting are just not equal to the task.

When Katrina struck, television thrived on the dramatic footage of attempts to rescue thousands overwhelmed by water and wind or suffering under horrid conditions in such places as the Superdome. But the painfully slow reconstruction of a city taking place today doesn't yield great video; the absence of progress is the story. The 250,000 people who have been unable to return -- more than half the city's population -- are not easily available for interviews. And even if they were, I don't imagine producers getting terribly excited over displaced folks talking about having to stay in motels or trailers or with relatives.

Most of those left behind in the storm were poor and black -- "A National Shame," a Newsweek cover story declared last fall -- and it seemed, briefly, that we were on the verge of a national conversation about race and poverty. But it never materialized. And even though middle-class whites may have had the wherewithal to evacuate, many of the houses I saw in ruins clearly belong to them. But who wants to rebuild in a city with such spotty basic services and so many unanswered questions? And how do you cover this diaspora without bumping up against the limits of journalism?

We all have defense mechanisms to shield ourselves against tragedy overload. From the Asian tsunami to the Pakistani earthquake to the latest Midwestern tornadoes, it can be a bit much. Perhaps I believed that New Orleans must be making modest progress because it was comforting to think so, and besides, if it was still a huge, stinking mess, the media would tell us, right? But then I came here and encountered Ruel Douvillier.

I met the Fire Department captain because he was being interviewed by NBC's Williams, who was making his eighth trip here for a story that has become his cause. Douvillier has perhaps the most unenviable job around: He heads the search-and-rescue teams that, with the aid of sniffer dogs, go house to house, looking for victims of the storm who somehow still have not been discovered.

Two weeks ago, Douvillier found two brothers in the same house, casualties forgotten by time. And he believes there are many more. A dog led one colleague to an attic in the Lower Ninth Ward that contained a large, rotting fish, a sign that some of the remains may simply have washed out to the Gulf.

"We can't just shove somebody's grandmother in an incinerator or landfill," the Army veteran told me. "We're not going to let it happen here. You remind yourself that this is somebody's mother, father, brother, sister, and this person is important to someone."

Ride around the area and you find yourself staring in disbelief. Houses dented and bent and smashed like papier-mâche, many marked with the ubiquitous blue FEMA spray paint, destined for demolition. Massive trees, uprooted and lying in front yards. Cars caked with dirt, trunk lids open, many stripped of tires. And the tires -- piles of old tires everywhere -- and waist-high weeds covering the front yards are silent markers of abandonment.

I met people with varying accents who were desperate to share their misery, frustrated by the lack of progress and feeling ignored by the rest of the country. A spunky lady named Carmen Morial said she had lost her home, her clothes, her car. She is 91.

The day after my visit to Lakeview, the close-in neighborhood near the damaged levee, I went to St. Bernard Parish. The car ride there featured mile after mile of strip malls, their stores rendered useless hulks by the hurricane. You can still see the bright logos: Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Office Depot, laundromats and chicken joints, still standing like archaeological relics. The storm destroyed just enough of these buildings to make them uninhabitable, but not so much that you can't see that they were once busy little places of commerce.

And further out in St. Bernard, a jaw-dropping sight: a large white shrimp boat with blue trim, called the Dolphin, that sits smack in the middle of a suburban street, listing to one side. It is said to be three miles from the waterway where once it sailed, when it had sails. I cannot envision the kind of winds that deposited it among the brick split-levels. It was a vivid backdrop for Williams's newscast, but again, one image, one street, one snapshot, merely begins to hint at the larger picture. It is journalism by metaphor, the haunting shot that must stand for the vast, unseen reality.

Across St. Bernard you see houses that are collapsed like accordions.
You see holes in the roofs, where perhaps the residents escaped by helicopter. You see seaweed clinging to other roofs and no water line along the windows, which tells you that these entire blocks, this entire neighborhood, was utterly submerged.

And then there is the unsettling quiet. There is no one for miles around -- no traffic, no children, no dogs.

The front yards of these upscale houses are now piled high with rubble, from slabs of plywood to mildewed rugs. Wherever you look, normal life has been obliterated. How does journalism convey that? How do you communicate that so many months later, vast swaths of a major American city remain paralyzed?

It is a depressing story, hardly a ratings grabber. It is like Iraq, day after day of numbing sameness: violence and suicide bombs there, a frozen-in-time lack of recovery here. Reporters like to cover tangible issues -- the battle over small-business loans, the race to buttress the levees, the failures of FEMA, the campaign for mayor, the first post-storm Mardi Gras. Everyone knows what happened to New Orleans; it is not new news.

But it is still news, if news is defined as a catastrophic event that alters a community and a country forever. Williams, dismissing some viewer complaints and nasty e-mail saying that he devotes too much air time to this city's struggles, stays on the case, as do a handful of other television and print journalists.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has been here several times, and ABC maintains a bureau for rotating correspondents. Major newspapers have devoted plenty of resources to the region. Since Jan. 1, the New York Times has run more than 110 news stories on New Orleans, the Los Angeles Times about 90, The Washington Post about 75, dissecting the current state of hospitals, schools, housing, even Cajun cooking and jazz.

But can anyone really say that New Orleans remains an urgent, top-of-the-newscast issue, that the recent coverage captures the raw emotion of a crisis that continues unabated? By and large, the plight of this crippled city seems to have become background noise.

Reporters by trade parachute into disaster zones, steeling themselves against sadness. You start out as a young scribe chasing car accidents and then graduate to plane crashes. Later you might find yourself in Oklahoma City or in Lower Manhattan, trying to chronicle the aftermath of a terrorist attack, or in Bosnia or Baghdad, filing dispatches about military conflicts. Then the war ends, the community rebuilds, and you move on. Collectively, we all move on.

That is not possible in New Orleans. Yes, many people are tired of the Katrina saga. In a world filled with problems large and small, in a business that gravitates toward the latest buzz, the up-to-the-minute news flash, that's easy to grasp. If people saw what I saw, however, they would understand why journalism's work here is not done -- not by a long shot.

In the past week, the teams collecting household hazardous waste have seen a 50% increase in the number of pressurized containers (spray paint, hairspray, lubricants) that have ruptured or exploded. We feel this is due to the corrosion/rust factor from these containers sitting in salt water for an extended period of time and in conjunction with the elevated temperatures now that spring is here.

Not only do we need to protect our own personnel from this very serious hazard, but also find ways to alert homeowners returning to clear out houses.

We have taken the following corrective measures to minimize the hazard;
1. Face Shield with Chemical Goggles
2. Long handled (suction cup) tongs to keep the containers away from the body.
3. Implement the use of 30 gallon drums instead of totes to transport suspect containers.
4. Training for all of our responders.

Pressurized Can with severe rust/corrosion found by U.S. EPA ERRS HHW
St. Bernard Collection Crew
NOTE: Can is bulging at both the top and bottom.

EXTREME HAZARD

Get your business answers live and in person at the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce's Back to Business Expo, Wednesday, May 17 from 4-7 PM at the Nunez College Auditorium.

Representatives of the Office of Community Development and the Sheriff's Office will have the latest on permits, zoning, licensing and insurance.

Chamber members open in St. Bernard will be able to display up-to-date information, hours of operation, and more.

Non-members will be able to join the Chamber for free!*

Catch up with valued customers and old friends. Network with other businesses and learn about development in St. Bernard.

Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Call 504-250-6121 to reserve your place in the Back to Business Expo.

*There are no dues to join the Chamber in 2006.