[StBernard] Rock Throwing Ceremony at the MRGO!

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Tue Mar 31 18:19:07 EDT 2009


Close the GO Rock Throwing Ceremony Draws Many Citizens

Breton Sound Launch gives people ceremonial closure



The Close the GO Rock Throwing Ceremony on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet
drew nearly 100 people who wanted a chance to throw a rock in the closure of
the channel widely blamed for Hurricane Katrina's flooding and devastation.



St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. organized the March 28, 8
a.m. event to give residents a chance to take part in the closing.



"It was a symbolic gesture for the residents of St. Bernard closing the MRGO
themselves," Taffaro said.



Part of the event's success was due to the fervor of locals who wanted to
commemorate the closure of the much-reviled channel. For instance, local
Yscloskey oysterman Brad Robin, on a moment's notice, provided his 65-foot
oyster boat, the Donna Ann, that held 50 people, after officials learned
that the original vessel was unavailable and detained behind the Violet
Locks, due to rising water.



After the flotilla of boats, that included many personal boats, allowed
citizens to throw their rocks marked with their inscriptions on the closure
structure, Taffaro and other officials held a shore-side ceremony back at
the Breton Sound Marina.



"Let's celebrate the work that has been done and the Recovery and Growth in
St. Bernard Parish," Taffaro said. "It's only 27 percent complete, but it is
the start of all of what we have worked for and waited for," Taffaro said.



The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is spending about $25 million to build a
structure that will completely block the channel. The structure will consist
of more than 433,000 tons of stone, 12-feet wide at the top and 450-feet
wide at the bottom stretching nearly 1,000 feet across from bank to bank at
the Bayou La Loutre Ridge as a means to close the channel to saltwater
intrusion. The expectation is that this effort will increase the ecosystem's
viability that will assist in restoring the coastal marshes and local
cypress forests. The work started late February and will be finished July 26
of this year.



After his comments, Taffaro invited officials in the crowd to speak and
invited citizens to another celebration that was scheduled for Friday, April
3 at 3:30 p.m. at the Campo's Marina in Shell Beach sponsored the Lake
Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and the St. Bernard Sportsmen's League.



Other speakers marked the occasion with brief remarks that celebrated the
progress, including Congressman Charlie Melancon, state Rep. Reed Henderson,
St. Bernard Parish Council Chairman Frank Auderer, Parish Councilman Fred
Everhardt, St. Bernard Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Chairman Dan
Arceneaux, Joey Englert of the Sportsmen's League and Pete Savoye, a
long-time advocate for the MRGO closure.



This ceremony was co-sponsored by St. Bernard Parish Government, the US Army
Corps of Engineers, the St. Bernard Sportsmen's League, the St. Bernard
Coastal Advisory Committee, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation.



For more information about Recovery and Growth in St. Bernard Parish, visit
our website at www.sbpg.net
<https://mail.sbpg.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.sbpg.net/> .



###





More information about the StBernard mailing list