[StBernard] FEMA speeds up funding of some projects

[Westley Annis]

Acknowledging that recovery dollars are on a slow path to local governments,
FEMA officials have offered to expedite a few projects that the parishes
deem high priorities, hoping to begin bricks-and-mortar construction as soon
as possible. 

Parishes that sustained major damage from the 2005 hurricanes were asked to
rank their most pressing needs among the thousands of individual requests
for reimbursement. 

"We want to work together, we want to improve our relationship," spokesman
Ronnie Simpson said, recounting the tone of the recent conversations with
individual parishes. " 'I know you have a lot of issues out there, but give
us your top five. And once we get those done, tell us the next five.' " 

Until now, officials at all levels have spent much of their time working on
project worksheets, detailed requests for federal money that contain a
summary of a specific job that needs to be done and the estimated cost. In
New Orleans alone, 5,059 project worksheets have been submitted to the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, John Connolly, FEMA public assistance
branch chief, told a City Council committee last week. Of those, 905 came
from the city itself. 
Leaders of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes, among others, have
culled their own wish lists and started working with FEMA to speed
reimbursement so they can begin building new government buildings, community
centers and infrastructure. 

"It will prime the pump to get everyone familiar with the process," Connolly
said. 

In New Orleans, city officials selected the Theatre of the Performing Arts
as one of its priorities, bringing a smile to the face of Councilwoman
Shelley Midura, who said the arts community has been eagerly awaiting the
theater's repair. 

Damage to the theater is estimated at $5.8 million, Connolly said. The
repair has been approved and "obligated," meaning the 90 percent federal
share of the renovation has been put into a bank account for draw-down. 

New Orleans city officials did not respond to numerous requests for
information about which projects, apart from the theater, will be
prioritized. 

Jefferson Parish wants quicker federal assistance on two major parks and the
Lakeshore Library in Metairie. The three items are among $54 million in
outstanding requests, about $20 million of which cleared FEMA but stalled
for processing by the state. 

Tim Whitmer, top aide to Parish President Aaron Broussard, said sluggish or
contradictory answers from FEMA have kept the parish from rehabbing the
Wally Pontiff Jr. and Terrytown playgrounds. 

"We're now 15, 16 months after the storm, and the gyms are sitting there
like they were the day after the storm," Whitmer said. 

The conversations with FEMA appear to have paid off, Whitmer said. FEMA
officials told the parish it would have final documentation on the gyms by
Friday, allowing the parish to finally demolish the structures and set to
work building new ones estimated to cost $3.7 million for Pontiff Playground
and $2.9 million for Terrytown Playground. 

Jefferson also submitted as a top priority a conglomeration of $54 million
in emergency expenses incurred immediately after the storm, including
temporary housing, building cleanup, food for essential personnel, sewer and
waterline repairs, debris pickup and pumping water out of flooded
neighborhoods. 

*** St. Bernard Parish wants FEMA to get cracking on requests for assistance
to rehab its government building, consolidate its wastewater-treatment
plants, clean its drainage system, repair a water-treatment plant and
replace heavy equipment drowned by floodwaters. ***

Plaquemines Parish asked the agency to speed processing on its requests to
repair a sewer plant and fire station in Buras, a community center in Davant
and the Port Sulphur government complex. 

FEMA asked St. Tammany Parish for its own wish list more recently, and its
administrators are awaiting clarification on the expedited system. 

"We have lots of projects," spokeswoman Suzanne Parsons Stymiest said. "We
just want to make sure we know what FEMA is asking for." 

Trying to accomplish quickly a handful of projects could have a number of
benefits, Connolly said. For one, it would be a visible sign of recovery,
much like the renovated Superdome. More importantly, though, it should help
the bureaucrats involved to work out kinks in the maze that is the FEMA
public-assistance grant program. 

The agency hopes those lessons speed up subsequent requests. 

"Hopefully it will allow us to improve the process so that the next five go
through smoother," said Jonathan Hoyes, a consultant for FEMA who is helping
to troubleshoot and speed up the public assistance process.

Meghan Gordon can be reached at mgordon at timespicayune.com or (504)826-3785.
Gordon Russell can be reached at grussell at timespicayune.com or (504)
826-3347.