Lafourche reviews possible CDGB projects

Lafourche Parish officials have more than $40 million in state and federal disaster recovery funding to overhaul the parish come 2010.

Parish President Charlotte Randolph said Lafourche was allocated $36 million in Community Development Block Grant funds as part of its Gustav and Ike hurricanes disaster recovery program.

And, $6.4 million in Hazard Mitigation funds that are designated for projects within the parish municipalities, levee districts and Port Fourchon.

Randolph said $33.6 million of CDBG monies will fund infrastructure, coastal restoration and housing and economic development type projects. The other $3 million will be used for affordable rental housing, she said.

Some of the go-ahead projects on the list include the Lockport-to-Larose Levee, the Tiger Drive Bridge improvements, the Cut-Off to Point-aux-Chenes Levee improvements and renovations to the Lafourche Parish Government office in Mathews.

The other projects, Randolph said, come from public input. Lafourche held three public hearings and compiled a list of potential projects that would help improve the parish structurally, according to Grants Director Gretchen Caillouet.

Randolph said all the suggested items will be placed on the lists.

The housing portion of the CDBG funding encompasses a rental rehabilitation assistance program. The parish proposes to procure a non-profit agency to create and implement an affordable rental rehabilitation program.

Caillouet says at minimum the selected agency will be charged with providing a one-stop shop and turn-key process that includes a multitude of services: outreach services, verification of benefits, commitment of funds process, inspections, pre-closing activities, closing commitments, tenant verifications and all reporting requirements for the Housing Urban Development agency and Office of Community Development’s Disaster Recovery Unit.

Lafourche also plans to partner with the Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity to implement an affordable homeownership program in support of its low/moderate income residents.

Jeremy Becker, the Bayou Area Habitat executive director, said the proposed $1.1 million allocation will purchase the needed land area to construct a subdivision similar to The Angel Place Subdivision in Gray.

Habitat is looking to purchase a 100-lot subdivision in northern Lafourche.

“We have hundreds of volunteers from other states that are willing to come down here and help us build houses,” he said. “This will be the largest subdivision in Bayou Area Habitat History.”

Once Louisiana Recovery Authority approves the proposal packet, the parish-hired recovery team Hunt, Guillot & Associates, will begin researching the possible projects to determine which ones meet the specific eligibility guidelines requirements for CDBG funding, Caillouet said.

Then, an application will be filed with the state’s Office of Community Development for final approval.

“Once the projects are all approved,” Caillouet said. “The parish looks to move on them in 2010.”