[StBernard] LRA Distributes Pattern Books to Louisiana Residents at Home Improvement Stores Statewide

[Westley Annis]

LRA Begins Distributing Pattern Books

Rebuilding Guides will be Available to Louisiana Residents Statewide

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA)'s Louisiana Speaks initiative has partnered with retailers across the state to distribute the Louisiana Pattern Book, a reference guide of building designs and materials that will enable people to rebuild using more storm-resistant materials while maintaining the architectural character of South Louisiana. 

Beginning next week, Pattern Books will be available for free at select home improvement stores throughout Louisiana. A complete list of distribution centers and electronic copies of the Pattern Book will be available online at www.louisianaspeaks.org <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=2103&ID=daiIeii%28nbnB&redirect=http://www.louisianaspeaks.org>  beginning tomorrow. 

"Louisiana residents need the tools to rebuild their homes and their lives," said Donna Fraiche, LRA Board Member and Long Term Community Planning Task Force Chair. "The LRA's Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book will guide Louisianans toward rebuilding their homes safer, stronger and smarter." 

Through technical workshops and community forums led by Ray Gindroz of Urban Design Associates (UDA), the LRA worked with citizens, homebuilders, architects and developers to create the Pattern Book. "The Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book has been designed to provide tools for building new homes and renovating those damaged by the storms," said Ray Gindroz of UDA. "It continues the tradition of Pattern Books which our grandfathers and grandmothers used to build our most loved communities and neighborhoods."

Donna Fraiche, Ray Gindroz and other stakeholders will be available in select home improvement stores to answer questions about the Louisiana Patter Book on Friday, June 7th at the following times and locations:


Slidell 
9 am 
Lowe's Home Improvement 
39184 Natchez Drive
Slidell, LA 


Abbeville
2 pm
Stine Lumber 
2401 Veteran's Memorial Blvd 
Abbeville, LA 


Lake Charles
5 pm
Stine Lumber
4501 Nelson Road
Lake Charles, LA



Publication of the Pattern Book was made possible by a grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation. "The Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book is not only a beautiful tribute to Louisiana's rich and wonderful architecture, but a practical guide to aid in the rebuilding of those Louisiana communities that suffered devastation," said Stacey D. Stewart, president and CEO, Fannie Mae Foundation. "We believe it will be a valuable tool that will help communities rebuild in a time-honored fashion that embraces Louisiana's irreplaceable and unique architectural history." 


"Lowe's is committed to helping residents rebuild safer, stronger homes that can withstand storms without compromising the architectural features unique to Louisiana, said David Vaughn, vice president of merchandising for building materials at Lowe's. "The LRA's Pattern Book is an informative tool that can help the many residents of Louisiana put safety first when rebuilding." 


"We're excited to participate in the LRA's rebuilding efforts and serve as a distribution point where residents can pick up copies of this valuable reference guide. What we've learned from last year's unprecedented hurricane season is that we can probably all benefit from fortifying our homes up to today's newly re-evaluated standards" said David Stine, Vice President Stine Lumber.

Louisiana Speaks is the long-term community planning initiative of the LRA designed to develop a sustainable long-term vision for South Louisiana. In late June, the LRA's Louisiana Speaks initiative launched the long-range regional planning process with regional planner, Calthorpe Associates. In conjunction with the launch of the regional planning process, the first edition of the LRA's newsletter titled, "C! reating a Regional Vision for South Louisiana" will also be available to the public in retail stores and coffee shops across the southern region. The newsletter addresses the results of the 2006 Recovery Survey conducted by Collective Strength and the planning process for rebuilding the hurricane-affected region of South Louisiana. For more information about the LRA's long-term community planning efforts and to read the newsletter, visit www.louisianaspeaks.org. 



Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, destroying more than 200,000 homes, and damaging more than 18,000 businesses. In the aftermath of these storms, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco established the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) to serve as the planning and coordinating body for Louisiana's recovery. This 33-member body is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world.



The LRA is supported by the LRA Support Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization which has raised private funds to secure the current team of world-renowned planners and experts who are responsible for developing plans for rebuilding South Louisiana. 



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