Officials hear about developments at development meeting

Local officials met Tuesday to talk about progress on a plan for revitalizing Morgan City and Berwick. They may have heard more than they were expecting.

Murphy Exploration & Production Co. is exploring the possibility of moving into Youngs Road property being vacated by Shell Oil, Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said at the St. Mary Excel forum. And a developer has made inquiries about plans for 29 apartments for senior citizens on Victor II Boulevard, he said.

The Murphy move to 39 acres in Morgan City would bring 15 jobs, Grizzaffi said. He isn’t sure when the senior apartments designed for people 62 and older might become reality.

Governments still have to watch spending, Grizzaffi said. But “we can feel the momentum turning.”

Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur said he couldn’t talk much about it, but there are commercial development opportunities on property along U.S. 90. And Atchafalaya River Estates, one of two subdivisions under development in Berwick, is awaiting Corps of Engineers approval.

The ULI study suggested a wide range of local needs and opportunities, structurally and cosmetically.

It found a need for affordable housing and to deal effectively with empty storefronts and blighted property. The study suggested a database of maritime repair work for the local shipbuilding industry.

The planners suggested that Berwick focus on specialty retail to reinvigorate its downtown and make its riverfront a venue for restaurants and entertainment. They said Morgan City should try to create a pedestrian zone connecting Front Street with Lawrence Park.

In all, the study contains 48 pages of findings, recommendations and possible funding sources.

Grizzaffi and Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur could point to some progress toward the study’s recommendations.

The popular monthly Saturday closing of the La. 182 bridge for walking and bicyclists came out of the study, although Arthur said bridge renovations may force the hours to be reduced to a few hours on every third Saturday.

Berwick has also hired a compliance officer and is working on blighted properties, Arthur said.

The two municipalities have been working on connecting biking and walking trails. And Grizzaffi said Lawrence Park has a new $170,000 playground.

Front Street lacks the direct access to the riverfront that Berwick enjoys, but it does have a $2.5 million city wharf renovation, Grizzaffi said.

Better signs are another goal. Carrie Stansbury, director of the Cajun Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, said new give new welcome signs have been placed on U.S. 90, La. 182 and La. 70.

Cajun Coast is also trying to add an April birding event to go along with its popular Eagle Expo each February. The bureau is also working to bring back fishing events like those run by BASS and the Fishing League Worldwide.

Grizzaffi had talked about state law involving private property as a reason big tournaments stay away. But Stansbury said the problem isn’t so much private property as the failure to post private property. Professional anglers who stray into private property during a tournament can be disqualified, she said.

Tammie Moore, campus director at South Louisiana Community College’s Young Memorial Campus, also represented the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce. She pointed to workforce development opportunities such as Young Memorial’s commercial diving and licensed practical nurse programs.

And Cindy Cutrera, economic development manager at the Port of Morgan City, said it’s important for shipping interests to report tonnage and to join in communicating to federal officials the importance for funding the dredging of area waterways to the authorized 20-foot depth.

The offloading of a recent ship plying the import-export trade resulted in an economic impact of $175,000, Cutrera said, citing an analysis by economist James Richardson. Regular import-export traffic could mean 270 jobs here, she said.

The port is paying to dredge away material that other parts of Louisiana need to rebuild their vanishing coastal land, Parish President David Hanagriff said.

“We should be getting paid money to dredge,” Hanagriff said.