More than $172M in federal funds bound for St. Mary

At Tuesday’s Patterson City Council meeting, Mayor Rodney Grogan passed along a warning.
Active in the Louisiana Municipal Association, Grogan said the word from the LMA that the federal grant pipeline, which has flowed liberally since the COVID pandemic, will slow to a trickle when the federal fiscal year ends in September.
But for now, the tap is open full blast for St. Mary Parish.
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy have announced in press releases that the Morgan City government, Central Catholic and two leading shipbuilders will receive a total of more than $172 million from recently passed appropriations bill and reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Funding finalization and the associated formal announcement of funding are the result of constant efforts over many months with FEMA and state and local stakeholders,” Higgins, R-Lafayette, said in a press release.
The appropriation bills include:
•$140 million for the YRBM vessels being built by Morgan City-based Conrad Shipyard.
The name stands for yard, repair, berthing and messing. The 151-foot vessel, large enough to house and feed 200 sailors, can be towed to ports to accommodate crews whose ships are being repaired.
Conrad delivered the first YRBM to the U.S. Navy in 2024 based on a $30 million appropriation.
•$30.54 million for Metal Shark, recently acquired by Magnet Defense, to “provide federal support for procurement of additional 40-foot Navy patrol boats,” according to a Cassidy press release.
Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, listed five specific appropriations headed to Louisiana.
“We need better national security and a stronger, safer Louisiana,” Cassidy said. “That’s what a $1.3 billion investment gets you.”
•About $1.2 million in reimbursement to Morgan City government for repairs to electrical substations damaged by Hurricane Francine in September 2024.
•A little over $1 million to be reimbursed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux for emergency protection measures at Central Catholic, also related to hurricane preparedness.
Higgins thanked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for approving the reimbursements, which statewide total $326 million.
“My office will continue to work with her to improve the disaster recovery process and deliver necessary resources,” Higgins said in a press release.