[StBernard] Louisiana Speaks September E-Letter

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Speaks News, Actions & Updates for September 2008 

Smart Growth Scholarships for Elected Officials  
The non-profit Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) will help send 10
Louisiana elected officials to the 8th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth:
Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities Conference, January 22-24,
2009, at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. CPEX
is offering ten $1,000 scholarships to officials interested in supporting
the use of Smart Growth planning principles in their communities. For more
details on the scholarships or information on how to apply, click here 
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/redir.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.planningexce
llence.org%2Fcontent%2Fview%2F157%2F72%2F> . 

La. Speaks Works With Pennington on Children's Health "Report Card"
In a report released September 22nd by the Pennington Biomedical Research
Center, Louisiana received an overall grade of "D" for the level of physical
activity and health of its children and youth.  Louisiana's first Report
Card on Physical Activity and Health for Children and Youth, subtitled "Put
Active Play in Every Child's Day," was released in conjunction with the
conference, "Childhood Obesity and Public Health: A Lifespan Approach to
Prevention," which was held at Pennington. The Report aligned with many
recommendations of the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan, calling for more
walkable communities and alterations in the built environment to encourage
active living by Louisiana's children and youth. The report advanced
specific recommendations, including  increased government investment in
policies and funding to promote healthy community design and create more
walkable and bikeable neighborhoods. Louisiana Speaks staff served on a
panel of state, national and international experts that participated in the
creation of the "Report Card." Click here to see a summary or the complete
Report Card
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/redir.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbrc.edu%2Fr
eport_card%2F> . 

Governor Jindal Taps LRA to Lead Recovery from Gustav and Ike
Governor Bobby Jindal issued an executive order charging the Louisiana
Recovery Authority with leading the state's recovery from hurricanes Gustav
and Ike. LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater will serve as the Governor's
Authorized Representative to FEMA for the Public Assistance program in
Louisiana for Gustav and Ike. "Our commitment to rebuilding safer and
stronger is not limited to one region affected by one storm. We must restore
our communities all across Louisiana and, working together, we will,"
Rainwater said. Find out more
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/redir.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Flra.louisiana.go
v%2Findex.cfm%3Fmd%3Dnewsroom%26amp%3Btmp%3Ddetail%26amp%3BarticleID%3D446>
. 

La. Speaks Champion named Honorary Consul-General of Japan
Donna D. Fraiche, Louisiana Speaks Champion and Board member, was appointed
as the Honorary Consul-General of Japan in New Orleans by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Japan. In this position, Fraiche will represent Japan as
the country works to create "new friendships" and strengthen existing ones
in Louisiana. The Honorary Consul-General's position facilitates economic,
cultural and intellectual ties between Louisiana and Japan by representing
the country at various events. To learn more, visit the Web site of the
Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/redir.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nashville.us
.emb-japan.go.jp%2Fen%2Fculture%2FPress%2520Release%2FHonorary%2520Consul%25
20Fraiche.htm> . 

Public Meeting to Address North Louisiana Concerns Over Haynesville Shale
Senator Mary Landrieu and the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments are
hosting a conference, "Shale Shock : Addressing Community Concerns" on
Thursday, October 9th from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Desoto Parish
Multicultural Center in Mansfield. This public meeting will look at
community development issues facing the parishes of Northwest Louisiana
after the detection of extensive natural gas deposits in the region last
spring. Haynesville Shale, the name for the enormous gas-bearing deposit
thousands of feet below the surface, is quickly transforming the geography
and economy of this region. For more information on the Haynesville Shale,
please see the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources website
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/redir.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdnr.louisiana.go
v%2Fhaynesvilleshale%2F> . For more information on the conference, please
contact Bennett Hilley of the Center for Planning Excellence at
bhilley at c-pex.org or 225-267-6300.

Fire station opening marks progress in St. Bernard
At the end of August, federal and state officials joined St. Bernard Parish
President Craig Tafarro at the grand opening of Fire Station Number 1 in St.
Bernard Parish. Fire Station Number 1 was the first fire station in the
parish to complete renovations and reopen after the destruction caused by
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  FEMA and the state of Louisiana invested more
than $112,000 in Public Assistance funds for the renovations of the fire
station, which received approximately 11 feet of water in the flooding that
followed Katrina. Read more or see photos here
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/redir.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Flra.louisiana.go
v%2Findex.cfm%3Fmd%3Dnewsroom%26amp%3Btmp%3Ddetail%26amp%3BarticleID%3D441>
. 

Did You Know? 
Between 1992 and 1997, the U.S. paved over more than 6 million acres of
farmland, an area approximately the size of Maryland. Americans developed
twice as much farmland in the 1990s as in the 1980s, and we are losing high
quality farmland - the land best suited for growing food - the fastest. *

* Source:  Farming on the Edge: Sprawling Development Threatens America's
Best Farmland, a report by the American Farmland Trust, 2002.  


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Louisiana Speaks is a long-term planning initiative of the Louisiana
Recovery Authority (LRA) that is supported with private funds provided
through the LRA Support Foundation. In the wake of the destruction caused by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Louisiana Speaks initiative works toward
the development of a sustainable, long-term vision for South Louisiana. This
work combines the efforts of local, state and federal partners along with
many experts, stakeholders and citizens into a comprehensive approach that
will guide recovery and growth over the next 50 years.