Article Image Alt Text

Quality of Life survey underway

MORGAN CITY — St. Mary Chamber of Commerce wants to know why the Tri-City area remains home for some and deserted by others with the release of the first Morgan City and Berwick Quality of Life Survey.
“We want to know what type of area do you want to live in. Why do people want to live here,” said Frank Fink, economic director for St. Mary Parish.
The 15-minute anonymous Quality of Life survey is open to residents and visitors parish wide with the intent to get feedback and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Morgan City, Berwick, and sur-rounding areas.
Fink said that one of the major intents of the survey is to get the millennial generation’s input about the parish.
“St. Mary Parish has a huge generation gap. After (millennials) graduate college, they leave,” said Fink. “Young people are the future of this community and we want to know what would make them stay.”
Fink said the survey project was presented to him by retired school teacher Monica Mancuso.
Mancuso then recruited Carrie Stansbury, executive director of Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau and Donna Meyer, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce.
“(The survey will) jumpstart conversations among residents about the direction of the community over the next 5-10 years,” said Meyer in a press release.
With upgrades of U.S. 90 to eliminate crossovers as part of the I-49 project, business opportunities may emerge in Berwick and Morgan City as a result of the transportation infra-structure upgrade. The Chamber wants to be ready to make connections and offer business support that will reflect the communities’ priorities and continue to advance the quality of life that the residents enjoy, Meyer said.
The last few years have been uneven ones for St. Mary Parish’s quality of life.
Major infrastructure projects, including the new J-turns, the over-pass at Four Corners and the Morgan City levee improvements, represent a major investment in the parish.
But the three-year decline in energy prices has eliminated hundreds of jobs here. Two elementary schools recently closed in response to a continuing decline in enrollment.
The survey is open on the Chamber’s website at www.stmarychamber.com until Dec. 15. The results from the survey will be summarized, analyzed, and published for public viewing in January.

ST. MARY NOW

Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874

Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255