St Bernard Update: Around Our Town

Poll Results

The Council makes $7,200 a year, plus some benefits, how much of a raise do they deserve?
Not a penny,more.......47%
They should make $20,000 a year.....14%
They should make $33,000 a year.....29%
They should make $45,000 a year.....8%
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How is the Parish recovery going?
Better than expected ..........20%
About where it should be ...10%
Behind schedule..70%

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How long till a new hospital is built?
2 years-----20%
3 years-----40%
Never-------40%
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What should the Parish do about the apartment projects?
Just let them build them...........10%
Give them the permits, but keep appealing in court.....16%
Keep fighting, no matter the cost...........73%
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Should the Hospital Committee build on the Meraux Foundation land, or move the hospital elsewhere?
Build somewhere else..........89%

Build on the Meraux land......11%
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How much would you pay for the lot next door to you, if it was vacant and you could not rebuild on it?

$4,000.............22%
$6,000.............51%
$8,000.............21%
$10,000...........6%

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Are you in facor of a $20 / month fee for Fire and Sanitation services?

Yes, I'm in favor of it .........29%
No, I'm against it.................71%

Monday, September 28, 2009

Around Our Town

Staying the Course

When St. Bernard Parish voters decided to tax and save for a larger Public Library, they knew it may take 10 - 15 years, but no one expected the setbacks from a Katrina or a recession.

Like so many residents, our Public Library and dedicated staff will occupy different, temporary locations, until final construction of its permanent home in Meraux. From displacement to trailer, to the next relocation --- in Fall 2010 to the Public High School's 9th Grade Campus --- St. Bernard Parish's Public Library continues to plan and save for the future.

This architectural rendering is the result of a planning grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to envision and develop the future Public Library.

Preliminary site plans are designed for staged expansions of the total 40 to 50 thousand square foot building and include a separate Children's Area and Community Meeting rooms. The land, purchased in 2001, is located north of East Judge Perez Drive between Bartolo and Judy Drives, in Meraux.

Planning and saving are not new for Public Library.

In 1959, the Library was just a room in the Court House. By 1962, it was decided to issue a bond to finance a new 10,000 square foot building. Using dedicated library tax funds, the bond would not be paid in full until 1988.

The resulting Public Library at Palmisano and St. Bernard Highway served the parish's 65,000 residents. Renovated with FEMA funds post-Katrina, this former Public Library now houses the Public Works Department.

Pictured left, our Public Library's current trailer; another project funded by The Gates Foundation in Partnership with Friends of the St Bernard Parish Library and The Joseph and Arlene Meraux Foundation.

Public Libraries serve a multitude of basic and educational needs and are fundamental for civilized societies to grow and prosper. Supporting St Bernard's Public Library is an investment in our future; one we cannot afford not to make.

Friends of the St Bernard Parish Library can be reach at the Library's Trailer Location, 7701 West Judge Perez. The Library Board Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 6pm, at the Library.

2 comments:

Jim FrinkSep 30, 2009 12:53 AM
Ask the current administration where all the FEMA money for the library went. Answer, to the water and sewerage dept. renovation of the Library, including damage to the building, lost fixtures, books,etc.. The drawings look great but there is a lot more to why we don't have a permanent facility. Many believe that a library is an obsolete concept since the internet and the new, hand-picked board is the worst impediment to a new facility.
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AnonymousOct 2, 2009 06:32 AM
Time to become active in The Friends of the Library and begin fund raisers.

according to this July 2006 FEMA press release

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=28382

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that more than $3.6 million in funds have been made available for the library’s destroyed and damaged contents and for building repairs.

A National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim settlement of more than $431,000 will provide additional resources for materials and repairs to the property.

Also, the Public Library at Palmisano was to receive $15,000 from Murphy Oil for the crude oil spill.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20527980/St-Bernard-Parish-Property-Evaluation-Crude-Oil-Spill

every amount helps reach the goal
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