St. Mary Excel; offers update on community progress

Seven years ago, St. Mary Excel brought in the Urban Land Institute for a study on ways to build “the economic foundation along and around the Atchafalaya River.”
On Wednesday, St. Mary Excel hosted a community update at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium, where people involved with aspects of the local economy reported on their progress. That progress is happening above ground and below.
Among the speakers:
•St. Mary Levee District Operations Manager Michael Brocato talked about efforts to create a resiliency lab for the area.
Brocato, a homeowner interested in making homes storm-resistant, spoke about the difficulties involved in gathering information a homeowner needs.
Local officials have been meeting to look for a way to bring important information together in one place, and they hope to have a plan in place in late August.
“This hub is going to be for us, the people of this parish,” Brocato said.
He hopes that hub will be located in a building on the river.
Meanwhile, he said, the Corps of Engineers is conducting a study that could result in a change in the amount of water diverted into the Atchafalaya from the Mississippi and Red river systems. Currently, 30% of the Mississippi’s flow is diverted this way by congressional mandate.
Also according to information presented Wednesday, the Mississippi and Red River tributary systems cover 41% of the United States and two Canadian provinces.
“If you don’t think St. Mary Parish is important to this country,” Brocato said, “you better think again.”
•Dr. Brian Roberts gave an update on the creation of the Atchafalaya National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Roberts is executive director and chief scientist for the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, which is overseeing the current phase of the ANERR’s development. The nation’s 30 such reserves — Louisiana is the last coastal state to obtain one — service as living labs for scientists as well as education and tourism resources for the host communities
The process that began in 2019 with a letter from then-Gov. John Bel Edwards to federal officials, and resulted in the Atchafalaya Basin’s designation as Louisiana’s NERR site, isn’t complete yet, Roberts said.
But it’s moving faster than other NERR site selections, some of which required 10 years or more, he said.
Also unlike the other NERR sites, the Basin site will be near a river and will be in an area which has seen other land uses, including energy production.
Roberts said discussions have been underway about which areas will be considered core areas of the research and which will be designated as buffer zones. Those questions must be answered before an environmental impact study and a management plan are developed.
He’s hoping that work can begin by the end of the year.
•Bill Bourgeois, the legal counsel for Hospital Service District No. 2, noted that voters in the district approved a 9-mill property tax in December.
The tax is to raise money for physical improvements at the hospital and to fund scholarships for local people entering health care fields.
Ochsner Health, which operates the publicly owned Ochsner St. Mary under lease, stepped up to pay for repairs without the need to wait for tax proceeds to arrive. Those repairs include sealing the exterior of the building after Hurricane Francine pushed water into the building, Bourgeois said.
He also spoke of looming shortages of physicians, especially primary care physicians and especially in rural areas. The district is working on what sort of scholarships it will offer and to build connections with universities and community colleges offering training in allied health occupations.
“Our ultimate goal is to provide a facility commensurate with our needs,” Bourgeois said.
•St. Mary Chamber President Beth Chiasson talked about efforts to promote the Fortify roof improvement program.
Homeowners who improve homes with roofs built to withstand hazards such as high wind and hail can qualify for state assistance with the cost.
The Chamber hosted a March 12 meeting in Patterson to inform contractors and residents about the program.
Chiasson said the need now is for contractors to qualify as Fortify roofers and inspectors, training for which costs a few hundred dollars.
•Berwick Councilwoman Colleen Askew, Morgan City Main Street Director Vanessa Spinella and Debbie Torline of St. Mary Excel talked about developments in the two cities.
Morgan City recently received a $16.7 million grant for hiking and biking trails connecting the city’s center with the South Louisiana Community College’s Young Memorial Campus.
The overall idea is to connect 17 miles of trails in Morgan City with Berwick’s seven miles, using the La. 182 bridge as a link.
The bridge is currently closed for an extensive rehabilitation. When it opens, plans are to close it again one Saturday each month so it can be used by bicyclists and pedestrians.
Berwick has also received $8.2 million in grants that will be used for street improvements, updating the natural gas system, and drainage infrastructure.