[StBernard] Gyms May House Volunteers, and More

[Westley Annis]

Gyms May House Volunteers, and More 

December 26 , 2005

By: Steve Cannizaro


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Gyms could be used to house volunteers; town of Central to host fund-raiser
for St. Bernard schools.


Several Recreation Department gyms could be turned into housing for
volunteers expected to be in St. Bernard Parish the second week of January
to begin, free of charge, removing mold-infested walls and ceilings in
Hurricane Katrina-damaged homes.

Parish Council members announced Dec. 22 a program that will bring an
estimated 2,000 volunteers from across the country to help remove saturated
walls and ceilings, as well as take out furniture and appliances. Homes will
also be sanitized afterward.

Operation Katrina Home Recovery, as the program is being called, will have
volunteers from national groups Habitat for Humanity, AmeriCorps and Helping
Hands, to help clean the parish's 27,000 homes.

Residents who want to have the work done must sign a "consent for hazard
removal" form available in the office of Community Development on the
second-floor of the parish government building at 8201 West Judge Perez
Drive or get a form on the parish's Web site, www.sbpg.net. Valuable should
be removed before the form is signed.

But there is a problem. The Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn't
agreed to pay for the housing or meals for the volunteers, although parish
officials continue to work toward that goal.

To help the situation, "We will convert some of our gyms to housing
structures for volunteers,'' Council member Craig Taffaro Jr. said Monday.

Also, several hundred volunteers may be housed at a tent city on the road to
the Port of St. Bernard in Chalmette, Taffaro said.

"This volunteer effort definitely fills a major need for a lot of our
residents,'' Taffaro said.

Council members have also asked residents to volunteer their time toward
helping remove hazardous debris from homes.


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The town of Central, near Baton Rouge, will host a fund-raiser for the
restoration of St. Bernard Parish's schools.

"Cookin' for Our Neighbors" will take place Jan. 14 and will include
jambalaya, chili, fried turkey and a couchon-du-lait cook-off, a raffle for
$10,000, a live auction and live entertainment. All proceeds from the event
will go to school restoration.

Anyone interested in entering the cook-off, donating items for the auction,
becoming a sponsor or volunteering should call Central's City Hall at (225)
261-0653, the City of Central Chamber of Commerce at (225) 261-5818, or the
ofic of state Sen. Walter Boasso, R-Arabi, at (504) 270-9258. Additional
information can be found at www.centralcityla.com.