[StBernard] Demolition of the St. Bernard Sheriff's Annex

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Thu Apr 16 15:50:21 EDT 2009


Demolition of St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Annex

Started during ceremony Thursday, April 16

St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro takes the first swipe



St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro and St. Bernard Sheriff Jack
Stephens said they believe the start of demolition of the Sheriff's Annex
Building on Thursday, April 16, and its subsequent construction is a major
step in the recovery and growth of St. Bernard.



"It's something that we believe will be the start of something special,"
President Taffaro said. "We recognize the importance of a permanent home for
the Sheriff's Office." Parish government is responsible for overseeing the
demolition and construction of the new building which is being paid for by a
combination of insurance proceeds and FEMA funds.



President Taffaro said he believes the partnerships among the officials from
the parish, Governor's Office and FEMA will speed the construction on the
new and larger sheriff's building, to be located behind St. Bernard
Courthouse in Chalmette. It is projected to open in October 2010.



Sheriff Stephens said, "It's an odd environment we live in when we are
called together to celebrate the demolition of a building that has served
this community so well. If we have learned any lessons from Hurricane
Katrina, we have learned that you have to let go in order to move forward."



"I think it's a positive step, and I hope it helps spur people to make a
commitment to return to the parish and to know we are here to stay and serve
them," Stephens said. "We think we will have a bright future" in the new
building.



President Taffaro climbed into the excavator and took the first swipe at the
building after a ceremony attended by officials including Clerk of Court
Lena Torres, Assessor Marlene Vinsanau, state Sen. A.G. Crowe, and David
Welker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Louisiana. Other attendees
included: Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann, Civil Sheriff JoAnn Lane,
Col. Harold Hughes and Col. Pete Tufaro, all of the Sheriff's Office; Col.
Dave Dysart, Parish Homeland Security Director; Parish Attorney Mike
Gorbaty, Parish Staff Engineer Rick Stierwald, Colin Kelley of FEMA, Amy
Webbeking, FEMA Intergovernmental Affairs; Jeff Amering of the Governor's
Office of Homeland Security; and Amanda Beyeht of Congressman Charlie
Melancon's office.



The $105,000 demolition of the two-story annex that ultimately will be
rebuilt to house the administrative offices of the Sheriff should be
completed in about 45 days, Stierwald said.



Sheriff Stephens said the design is underway on the new building that is
expected to cost $3 million and have 11,000 square feet, which will be about
3,000 square feet larger than the old one.



The Katrina-damaged building, completed around 1963, housed Police Jury
officials until the late 1970s when the Sheriff's Office functions moved
into the two-story office complex connected to the St. Bernard Courthouse.



Currently, the Sheriff's administrative offices operate out of 8301 W. Judge
Perez Drive in Chalmette in the Sidney Torres Plaza/Regions Bank Building.



Clerk of Court Lena Torres, who has worked at the courthouse for more than
six decades, said she had mixed feelings about losing the building, but the
rebuilding "shows St. Bernard is progressing."



Assessor Marlene Vinsanau said, "This is one more step in our recovery."



Sen. A.G. Crowe said he is working to get additional money from the state
for the project, and he praised the efforts of local leaders, saying St.
Bernard "is blessed to have leadership like the Sheriff, President Taffaro
and the Parish Council."



Welker of the FBI congratulated local officials on the milestone, saying,
"The relationship between the FBI, state and local law enforcement officials
is absolutely critical. We want to make sure this relationship exists into
the future."



Sheriff Stephens said the new administrative building will be more
convenient for public and law enforcement because it will bring all the
elements of the parish criminal justice system closer together.



For more information about the Sheriff's Office, visit the website at
www.sbso.org <http://www.sbso.org/> . 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