St. Mary Excel issue third-quarter report

St. Mary Excel, a 501 c (6) non-profit organization, advances economic diversification for educational and cultural improvement. The group works across political subdivisions and the tenure of elected officials. The group reports progress on implementing recommendations made by the Urban Land Institute panel in its visit to the area in September 2018. St. Mary Excel submits this Quarter 3 of 2020 report.
During this time, most of the work took place via Zoom conferences due to COVID -19 restrictions and hurricane Marco and Laura threats.
During this quarter, the group focused on three recommendations: business support, biking/hiking trails, and a resilience lab.
The group:
—Hosted a local interest group meeting on September 18, 2020,
—Received feedback on shortcomings of a submitted USDA grant application, a relief effort for struggling businesses while collaborating with the St. Mary Parish Chamber, the South Louisiana Community College Young Memorial campus, and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to strengthen in-parish business relief,
—Facilitated discussion among leaders on listing infrastructure priorities and noting progress on the initiatives,
—Facilitated communication with South Central Planning District in seeking Transportation
—Alternative funds to advance the quality of life biking/hiking trails in Morgan City,
—Appeared before the Morgan City council to receive permission to seek a Transportation Alternative grant for identifying Cdangerous intersections that would benefit from signal improvements and striping,
—Reached out to industry leaders to hear input on seeking a resilience lab, and
—Facilitated meetings between local leaders (mayors and parish president) and The Water Institute of the Gulf to detail resilience lab components for advancing the economy on the Atchafalaya River.