Iberia Parish—Priority Issues

The following issues were raised during the Iberia Parish Governmental Workshop (December 13, 2005) and at the Louisiana Recovery Planning Day Open House in Iberia Parish (January 21, 2006) and during the stakeholder meetings held in January, February, and March 2006.

Economic and Workforce Development

• Manufacturing anchors the parish economy and is in decline.
• Diversification of the local economy is badly needed.  The parish economy is dependent on revenues produced by metal fabrication and onshore commercial support activities for the offshore oil and gas industry, which is cyclical.
• There is a shortage of skilled tradesman for the existing job market. Local vocational education in the key industrial and service trades, supporting the offshore and onshore marine and oil and gas industries, is needed.
• The parish has been losing professional and white collar jobs as well as essential services workers.
• The community lacks a formal Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which inhibits investment.
• There is a high rate of poverty among parish residents.

Environmental Management

• Long-term solid waste disposal solutions are needed parish-wide
• Recreational fishermen, sport fishing guides, hunters, boaters, and birders need improved and maintained access to near-shore waters and wetland resource areas.
• Coordinated and consistent application of stormwater codes and site development standards are needed.
• Agricultural practices and lack of drainage planning cause high siltation and non-point source pollutants.  The parish has not been able to implement TMDLs. 

Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration

• Shoreline is eroding and was damaged by the Rita surge.
• Marsh Island, the only barrier island protecting Vermilion, St.Mary, and Iberia Parishes, is eroding.
• More than half of the parish is within the floodplain.
• Intracoastal Waterway is causing severe erosion of the coastline and the wetlands/brackish marsh.
• Accurate storm surge and flood elevation monuments need to be located in the field.

Human Services

• Joint use and construction of hurricane evacuation and recovery shelters with the Iberia Parish School Board facilities may be a beneficial partnership

Education

• Katrina- and Rita-impacted parishes brought in an additional 450 to 750 students.

Public Health and Healthcare

• Increased Medicare and Medicaid needs, and other medical services have been taxed.
• Case managers and mental health care givers, particularly for seniors, are needed.  

Public Safety

• Individual and business emergency operations planning and education are needed.
• A summary of the lessons learned and emergency operations improvements is needed.
• Priority road clearing plans and debris collection and management substations need to be planned and established. 

Transportation and Infrastructure

Wastewater/Sanitary Sewer

• The lack of adequate treatment capacity at municipal wastewater plants has prevented both new housing and businesses from locating and developing in the parish.
• The parish has had problems with wastewater pollutants entering bayous, near-shore waters, and groundwater.  It needs a comprehensive plan addressing innovative onsite and small-flow wastewater treatment concepts and funding in rural areas. 
• Elevated generators are needed at critical infrastructure points for flood control, sanitary sewers, and essential services

Transportation

• The I-90/I-49 corridor capacity to safely handle the long term demands of local and regional hurricane evacuation and current economic activities.
• Arcadiana Regional Airport is an underutilized facility that has served many purposes.
• Identified local and regional need for aviation emergency recovery options and the pre- and post-event positioning of recovery assets and disaster relief supplies
• There is a need for a local and regional fuel farm for pre- and post-event emergency operations and recovery efforts to serve aviation, marine, and ground transportation.
• Louisiana Delta and BNSF railroad freight companies provide regional service through the parish.  The L & D was destroyed by Rita.  A $500,000 CDBG grant was awarded.
• There are many at-grade railroad crossings where fatalities have occurred.
• The Port of Iberia is underutilized and in need of improvements.
• The Twin Port is dependent on the Delcambre Canal and needs to be dredged for navigation.  A long term port-town master plan is needed to address the survival of both.
• Iberia and Vermilion Parish have individual concerns and priorities about the location, as well as the types and amounts of maintenance activities on the Intracoastal Canal in relation to the needs of the Port of Iberia.

Housing and Community Development

• Insurable yet affordable housing is needed for all income levels and ages.   
• Demolition authority is needed for buildings on private property.
• There is a need for enforceable building and zoning codes to ensure long term community value and safety. Certified code enforcement staff, licensed building officials, community planners, and community development specialists would enable the community to address risk reduction and long-term community viability.
• The community is concerned about the construction of new manufactured home parks and the condition, safety, and use of existing parks.
• Pre-storm, there was an identified affordable housing need for 4300 units.
• There is an imbalance between jobs and housing in the Parish, with a high population of commuters.  This is due to a lack of quality housing choices as well as fluctuating employment.