Summer 2015 - St. John the Baptist Parish

St. John the Baptist Parish
Department of Economic Development Newsletter ~ Summer 2015
Andouille Capital of the World!
Administration
Natalie Robottom
Parish President
Michael Coburn
Chief Administrative Officer
Economic Development Dept.
Torri Buckles, Director
Terri Abadie
Pat Easly
EDC Committee
Rodney Nicholas
Chairman
Peggy Joseph
Vice-Chairman
Eliza Eugene
Secretary
Leroy Mitchell
Nora Pierre
Judy Songy
Robert Taylor
Business Representatives
Wayne Aucoin
Jo Banner
Kimmie Carlos
$500M pipeline runs through St. John
Construction of a $500 million pipeline system
to link Motiva refineries in Norco and Convent will
mean construction work and dollars in St. John
the Baptist Parish. According to project specifics
detailed on the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers’
website, the pipes will begin in Norco and run to
Burnside in St. James.
Officials said the pipeline route - which includes
Ascension, St. Charles, St. James and St. John
Parishes — was selected to minimize impacts to the
land, environment and landowners.“Through the
implementation of these projects, we are creating a
world-scale, integrated refining system that leverages
the best aspects of our two Louisiana refineries in
Convent and Norco,” Dan Romasko, President and
CEO of Motiva, said. Officials said the Maurepas
project is expected to be operational in the fourth
quarter of 2016. More information on the project can
be found at maurepaspipelinellc.com.
Governor Jindal and First Bauxite CEO Alan
Roughead Announce Proposed $200 Million
Bauxite Processing Investment in Louisiana
Governor Bobby Jindal and President and CEO
Alan Roughead of First Bauxite Corp. of Canada
announced the company plans to invest $200
million to develop a bauxite processing plant
on the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist
Parish. The project would create 100 new direct
jobs ranging from entry level to skilled trade and
professional management positions at an average
annual salary of $70,000, plus benefits. Louisiana
Economic Development estimates the project
would result in an additional 117 new indirect
jobs, for a total of more than 200 jobs in the River
Parishes and the Southeast Louisiana region. At
peak building activity, the company estimates the
project would generate 150 construction jobs.
First Bauxite plans to build the plant on a 30acre tract at the Globalplex Intermodal Terminal,
which is owned and operated by the Port of South
Louisiana in Reserve.
In the third quarter of 2015, First Bauxite
plans to initiate discussions with third parties to
develop strategic initiatives to finance the project.
If financing for the project is secured, the planned
construction period is 27 months, followed by an
estimated three-year production ramp-up.
Steven Fraker
Penny Freeman
Chris Gilliland
Chassity McComack
Carmen Sunda
This newsletter is brought to you as
a service of St. John the Baptist Parish
Department of Economic Development.
Any comments or questions should be
emailed to [email protected].
Economic
Development
Signed Chief’s Report Received for West Shore
Lake Pontchartrain Levee Project
Parish President Natalie Robottom
received notice from Jeff Varisco, Project
Manager with the United States Army
Corps of Engineers-New Orleans District,
that the Chief’s Report for the West Shore
Lake Pontchartrain Levee Project has been
signed and returned from Headquarters
in Washington DC. The Chief’s Report
is a recommendation to Congress for
authorization and construction funding for
the project based upon the conclusion that
the Washington level review indicates that
the project recommended by the reporting
officers is technically sound, environmentally
and socially acceptable, and economically
justified.
The recommended plan includes
construction of a levee system around the
communities of Montz, LaPlace, Reserve,
and Garyville. The system would consist
of approximately 18 miles of earthen levees
and floodwalls, 4 floodgates, a drainage
canal running parallel to the levee, a floodside ditch to maintain hydraulic connectivity
between wetlands north and south of the
system, 2 drainage structures and 4 pump
stations along the alignment. The estimated
cost of the project based on October 2014
price levels is $718,090,000. The federal
share of the project is 65% and the non-
federal share is 35%. The estimated annual
cost for operation, maintenance, repair,
replacement, and rehabilitation is estimated
to be $5,070,000 annually which will be the
responsibility of non-federal partners. In the
near future, residents, business owners and
parish leaders will be called upon for their
support in securing the necessary funding to
see this project to fruition.
Economic Development and Entergy Team
to Promote Site Selection in St. John Parish
commercial and industrial properties on the
site for free, enabling promotion to prospects
worldwide.
Parish Breaks Ground
on Recreation
Improvements Project
St. John the Baptist Parish held a
groundbreaking ceremony for the
Recreation Improvements Project in July
2015. Based on the Parks Master Plan
developed in 2013, $2.3 million in park
improvements were designed through
extensive discussion with Administrative
staff, Council members, the Recreation
Advisory Board, as well as residents.
Improvements to every Park in the Parish
will be funded through the 2014 Bond
Issue and include two spray parks, a
dog park, new play sets, gazebos, fitness
stations, restroom facilities and other
aesthetic upgrades. The completion of this
project is expected by January 2016.
Free to all users, LouisianaSiteSelection.
com is a statewide Buildings & Site
Database and GIS mapping, application
with detailed demographic and business
data, parish and community profiles, and
a geospatial data download portal to help
economic developers, site selectors, real
estate consultants, business owners/CEOs,
and the national business community with a
way to geographically analyze potential sites.
It also includes interactive maps, coordinate
extraction from high-resolution aerial
photography for precise mapping, automatic
emails to ensure accuracy and web-based
tools that enable real estate professionals and
economic development organizations to post
LouisianaSiteSelection.com is highly
interactive and flexible. For instance, users
can search for a site and select properties
using a variety of criteria—including size,
parish, and distance to interstate highway,
and navigable water based on a host of
criteria or click on locations on an interactive
map. Photographs and maps of the properties
are also available for viewing and printing.
Developed with input from site consultants
with projects around the United States, www.
LouisianaSiteSelection.com is the most
comprehensive and innovative statewide
site selection tool in the nation. Not only
does it contain all the data that site selectors
and businesses could possibly need to make
sound decisions, it has been designed to
enable users to drill down quickly to find the
information they need.
LouisianaSiteSelection.com is just one of
the innovative ways we’re helping our Parish
become more competitive in the contest for
outstanding businesses and great jobs.
Shop Local, Shop St. John Program
Benefits Small Business Owners
The Shop Local Shop St. John Program was
created to recognize that our local businesses
are essential to a vital local economy and
community character. There is no
cost to become a participating Shop
Local Shop St. John business. A few
of the benefits include:
• Group advertising
• A listing on the Shop Local
web site linking to your web site
• Use of the Shop Local Shop St.
John logo for your use on the
web site or other promotions
•
•
promote the program
• Web site listing to promote in store sales, discounts or specials
St. John the Baptist Parish is
also a member of AMIBA, the
American Independent Business
Association, which is the
organization that promotes “Buy
Local” campaigns across the
United States. St. John Parish, was
the first government- municipality
to establish membership in this
organization, which illustrates
that the Economic Development
Department followed best practices
when unveiling this program in 2012. To
register, visit www.sjbparish.com/shoplocal.
SHOP
Roussel’s Fine Jewelry and Gifts
LOCAL
SHOP
ST. JOHN
The opportunity to participate
in a new business campaign
designed to improve the local business climate
Media coverage in local news stories that
Chung’s Cafe
We Are Open For Business In
St. John the Baptist Parish
Welcome New Businesses (May - July 2015)
Anytime Fitness
CWWU Community
Outreach Academy
DDG Lawn Service
DA Beauty Bar
Dunkin Donuts
Goodlife Mobile Detailing
K&N Handyman Service
Kids of Distinction
Christian Academy
Momma Jo’s Kitchen
Pablo’s Painting & Supplies
Dunkin Donuts
River Region Training
& Development
Sirena’s Home Cooking
Snap Fitness
Southern Fixings
Title Stream
SRR Contractors
Sunny Day Lawn Service
LaPlace Treasures
Tobias Family Dentistry
LaPlace Dental Associates
United Auto World
Logos Dunamis Law Firm
Title Stream
Momma Jo’s Kitchen
October 16-18, 2015
Musical line-up includes:
Friday, October 16, 2015
Topcats
Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters
Phunky Monkeys
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Kayla Woodson
The Vettes
New Birth Brass Band
Dee-1
IMAGE
MoJEAUX
The 42nd Annual St. John the Baptist Parish
Andouille Festival will be held October 1618, 2015 at the Thomas F. Daley Park located
at 2900 Hwy 51 in LaPlace. It features music,
good times and of course great food featuring
Andouille, the delectable sausage for which
the festival was named. Every year thousands
of people merge upon the festival grounds for
a fun filled weekend, highlighted by an onsite gumbo cook-off, jazz brunch, the “Dang
Douille” an Andouille eating contest, a silent
auction, and more.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
(Andouille Run) Changing Times
Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys
Category 6
Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Bag of Donuts
DSC Dredge, LLC of
Reserve Receives
Lantern Award
DSC Dredge, LLC of Reserve received the
2015 Lantern Award for the Bayou Region.
The Bayou Region is comprised of six parishes
including St. John the Baptist, Terrebonne,
Lafourche, Ascension, St. James, and St.
Charles. The award was presented by Quentin L.
Messer Jr, Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana
Economic Development to Bob Wetta, President
and CEO of DSC Dredge, LLC.
Lantern Award winners are selected
by Louisiana’s eight Regional Planning
and Development Districts based on the
manufacturer’s
contributions
to
their
communities, including investments in
employment growth and facility expansion.
Excellence in manufacturing, outstanding service
to their communities through involvement of
their business and employees, and operating at
least three years prior to the nomination are all
criterion for the award.
“Into the Bad Lands” New AMC Series Filmed @ the St. John Soundstage
In January 2015, AMC
Series, “Into the Bad Lands”
began filming on location at
the St. John Soundstage and
Evergreen Plantation.
The
show features Daniel Wu as
Sunny, a ruthless, well-trained
warrior who embarks on a quest
across a dangerous land to find
enlightenment. The series, which
takes place in a land controlled by
feudal barons, is loosely adapted
from the classic Chinese tale Journey to
the West.
David Dobkin (The Judge, Wedding
Crashers, Shanghai Knights) will series
direct and executive produce the genrebending martial arts series. Into the
Badlands stars Emily Beecham (28 Weeks
Later, The Village), Sarah Bolger (The
Tudors, In America) and Oliver Stark
(The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas
Box, My Hero). The project was created
by writers/showrunners Al Gough and
Miles Millar (Shanghai Noon, Smallville).
They’ll serve as executive producers along
with Dobkin.
AMC has ordered six, one-hour episodes
for Badlands, with an expected premiere
November 15, 2015.