Construction work continues on the new multi-purpose event center for the Cameron Parish School Board. " />
Construction work continues on the new multi-purpose event center for the Cameron Parish School Board.
Cameron building itself back up
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 03, 2012 11:33 AM
By John Guidroz / American Press
Several economic development projects are under way in Cameron Parish, including a new $12.6 million parish jail and a $5.5 million west annex that will house the Police Jury’s administrative offices.
Parish Administrator Tina Horn said the projects are a long time coming for the parish, which was battered by Hurricanes Rita and Ike.
“I never thought it would’ve taken this long to recover from a disaster,” she said. “It’s unbelievable how much time and effort goes into one of these projects.”
Horn said some of the projects were funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Community Development Block Grant money associated with hurricane recovery.
Crews have spent the past year working on the foundation for the new parish jail, which she said is about “85 percent complete.” After that, work will begin on the facility itself, which is north of the parish courthouse. Charlie Ladner is the structural engineer, Randy Goodloe is the architect and Priola Construction is the contractor for the project.
Horn said work continues on the west annex, which should be finished by August. The east annex holds the district attorney’s and tax assessor’s offices.
Horn said the first phase of renovations to the parish courthouse include flood-proofing the basement, repainting the outside of the courthouse and replacing windows. She said they are planning the second phase of repairs around the west annex project being finished so 38th Judicial District Court Judge Penelope Richard can hold cases in that facility.
“We’ll be able to juggle offices where it is not too inconvenient for anyone,” she said.
Currently, the courthouse is being inspected by environmental officials, which Horn said is required before any federal money can be spent on the project.
Horn said work on the Cameron Multi-Purpose building is nearly finished. The building, east of the Parish Health Unit, will be used for events like fundraisers and wedding receptions. She said the project was paid for with FEMA funds.
The parish’s cooperative extension office is about 75 percent complete, Horn said. She said the facility acts like a county agent’s office and is off Henry Street east of the courthouse.
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