[StBernard] Ground Breakings held at Public Works Main Yard and Area 4 Yard in St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

Ground Breakings held at Public Works Main Yard and Area 4 Yard in St.
Bernard Parish

$2,140,000 in projects will improve efficiency in Public Works Department

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. and Parish Council members
held two Ground Breakings to mark the beginning of construction of the
Public Works Main Yard in Chalmette and Area 4 Yard in St. Bernard on July
30, two projects that represent more than $2,140,000 in construction once
the facilities are completed. 

 

"It's good to know we are on the back side of ground breakings," President
Taffaro said. "Soon, we'll have no more ground breakings." Since he took
office in January 2008, St. Bernard Parish has led the region in recovery
related activities for two years in a row. Taffaro has said that said that
St. Bernard Parish Government is entering its final leg of Recovery and
remains in the midst of its Growth with almost $1 billion in federal funding
paying for the repairs and improvements to public facilities and
infrastructure throughout the parish.

 

Taffaro said Friday's events are important developments for the Public Works
Department.

 

"These improvements will go a long way in improving the efficiency of
operations for the Public Works department and make it easier for the
department to do its job. These projects are an important part of the Growth
and Recovery in St. Bernard Parish," he said.

 

Construction at the Public Works Main Yard on Agriculture Street in
Chalmette, just off of Paris Road will cost about $2 million in funds from
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and it should be completed by early
2011. The Main Yard facility will be an administrative building to replace
trailers that have housed the department's office since Hurricane Katrina.
The building will be adjacent to the Maintenance Garage and Maintenance
Shed, which recently were renovated from Katrina damage with FEMA funds as
well.

 

Construction at the Area 4 Yard, adjacent to the EJ Gore Pumping Station in
St. Bernard, should cost about $140,000, and it should be completed in the
late fall. Area 4 will be a Public Works maintenance shed, which should
improve the department's efficiency by locating resources in the eastern end
of the parish.

 

Petron is the contractor for the Area 4 Yard, and Boasso Construction is the
contractor for Main Yard building. The two architectural firms that designed
both facilities are Krebs LaSalle Lemieux and Perez. Keith LaGrange of the
Public Works Department is the Resident Inspector for both projects. The
project falls under the Department of Public Works, led by Interim Director
Logan Martin and Assistant Director Louis Pomes. The project is managed and
has been overseen by St. Bernard Recovery Director Michael Dorris, Jr. and
his staff. CDM Main Yard Project Manager is Kirk Wolgamott, and CDM Area 4
Project Manager is Stacey Danner. CDM oversees all of the federally funded
projects in St. Bernard.

 

For more information about the growth and recovery of St. Bernard Parish,
visit www.sbpg.net.

 

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