[StBernard] THANKS TO ST. BERNARD CHAMBER

[Westley Annis]

THANK YOU FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION.  The St. Bernard Chamber
has been our ONLY source of funding since September 30, 2005.  I stayed in
Chalmette during the storm to update www.st-bernard.la.us with announcements
made by the Administration and Council to those who had evacuated.  EDC has
been working with the State Dept. of Economic Development and FEMA to secure
and deliver trailers to St. Bernard businesses.  We got FEMA to exempt
businesses from an environmental inspection before delivery of the trailers.
We also got an exemption so businesses can be responsible for hookups
without waiting for a FEMA contractor.  Both of these steps have saved a
tremendous amount of time between application for and delivery of the
trailers. I still can't figure out why some businesses have received
trailers within 5 working days, while others wait 3+ weeks!   I suspect some
delivery contractors are more efficient than others.  My presence in Baton
Rouge allows me to physically bring trailer applications to the office
personnel who enter them into the computer program.  St. Bernard
applications are processed before any other parish!  I receive requests via
Email, cell phone, and by driving to St. Bernard 3 times per week to pick up
applications from the Information Trailer.  So far, EDC has processed 596
trailers for 92 St. Bernard businesses.  Your application has been reduced
to 1 page.  I fill out another 5 pages and generate an official request
letter on your behalf.
Thanks to the St. Bernard Chamber for sponsoring EDC and this successful
program.
Gary Huettmann, EDC Executive Director cell#504-400-7535