[StBernard] St. Bernard Ready to Raze 400 Properties

[Westley Annis]

Thank you Craig Taffaro for your hard work in getting this accomplished.  I
can only hope we have 4 years of you working hard for our recovery.  If we
can get 8 years of you and your administration I can see a bright future for
St. Bernard.  Imagine 8 years of actual progress and no delaying the
recovery.  We could possibly have 40,000+ 8 years from now with a clean
parish.  Recreation booming, schools thriving.  I am so excited with the
prospects of Craig Taffaro as our Parish President and the hope it brings to
our parish and our recovery.
 
Missy
 
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> St. Bernard Ready To Raze 400 Properties

> 

> POSTED: 7:36 am CDT October 30, 2007

> UPDATED: 7:49 am CDT October 30, 2007

> 

> 

> CHALMETTE, La. -- Although Hurricane Katrina's destruction destroyed or

> damaged nearly every home and business in St. Bernard Parish, the local

> government has taken the biggest step toward managing thousands of

abandoned

> properties that it will inherit from the state's Road Home program.

> 

> The Louisiana Land Trust has completed a process for demolishing the first

> 400 properties bought out through Road Home grants in the parish. The most

> hazardous abandoned structures in the state's newly acquired portfolio of

> flooded property will be razed at the federal government's expense.

> 

> Officials said most of the houses will come down within two months.

> 

> The Land Trust, a quasi-public land-holding entity formerly known as the

> Road Home Corp., said St. Bernard will help show the way for cleaning up

and

> transferring properties in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana's

> hurricane-affected areas.

> 

> Craig Taffaro, chairman of the parish's redevelopment agency, estimated

St.

> Bernard will have more than 5,000 Road Home buyout properties by the time

> the program doles out all its grants.

> 

> He wants the Land Trust to clear the properties before it transfers them

to

> the parish.

> Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material

> may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribute

> 

>