[StBernard] FEMA will fund Hannan high school construction in Goodbee

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Mon Jan 28 23:41:04 EST 2008


FEMA will fund Hannan high school construction in Goodbee



Monday, January 28, 2008 10:03 AM CST



A new Archbishop Phillip M. Hannan High School campus will be constructed in
the Northshore community of Goodbee with funding provided by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.

More than 530 students have been attending classes at a temporary facility
since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the school's Meraux campus in St. Bernard
Parish. Construction is currently under way on a permanent campus, and the
school should be ready for students at the start of the 2008-09 school year.

The school will consist of 22 classrooms and cater to the Catholic
educational needs of those who relocated to the Northshore from St. Bernard
Parish. The previous building in St. Bernard Parish will be demolished, and
the Archdiocese of New Orleans will continue to own the property.

"All in all, it's been a pretty good relationship with FEMA," Archdiocese of
New Orleans Financial Review Officer Jeff Entwisle said. "The money will
allow us to accommodate our educational needs and maintain the functions of
Hannan High School like they were before the hurricane."

FEMA has obligated more than $16.6 million to reconstruct the main building
at Archbishop Phillip M. Hannan High School.

When projects are obligated by FEMA through its supplemental Public
Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a Smartlink account.


This allows the applicant, in this case the Roman Catholic Church of the
Archdiocese of New Orleans, to work with the Governor's Office of Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness as quickly as possible to access the
reimbursement monies. Obligated funds may change over time as the project
worksheet is a living grant that is often adjusted as bids come in and scope
of work is aligned.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund
recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private
nonprofit organizations' buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and
sewer plants.

In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners
coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their
completion.




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