Plaquemines Parish - Community Involvement

Executive Summary

Louisiana Speaks established the Plaquemines Parish Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR) Planning Team to help Plaquemines parish with its current and future plans for the community.  Since November 2005, the team has conducted various outreach activities and public involvement components including meetings, open house activities and focus groups with stakeholders such as parish elected officials, parish employees, business owners, and private citizens.  These discussions centered on their visions for Plaquemines Parish of the future, their values, their opinions on the issues, and their judgments about some of the tough choices facing the parish.

Plaquemines Parish does not have planning capacity and has very limited capacity for implementation. They will need assistance throughout their recovery process.

The people Plaquemines Parish believe in this team and the work that we are doing to jump-start the long-term recovery of this community. Each planned event has had increasingly more people attend and there is a growing sense that the work being done through our office will start the journey of meaningful recovery for a parish that was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

Stakeholders

Plaquemines Parish

• Parish President
• Council
• Tax Assessor
• School Board
• Parish Director of Operations
• Director of Public Services
• Parish Coastal Zone Manager
• Parish Chief Engineer
• Parish Engineer
• Office of Family Support
• Fire Department
• Director of Administration
• Government Inspector
• Superintendent of Health
• Parish Libraries
• Director of Emergency Preparedness
• Permit Office
• Port Authority
• Recreation Department
• Office of Tourism
• Regional Planning Commission
• Project Rebuild Plaquemines
  • Local non-profit group established after the storm to collect and disburse donated funds, goods and services to restore services that will not be covered by federal and state funding sources.
• Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry
• Plaquemines Medical Center
• LSU AG Center
• Millennium Port Authority
• Mississippi River Bank
• Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program
• Nunez Community College
• Plaquemines Parish Oyster Association
• Venice Marina
• Louisiana Shrimpers Association
• Commercial and Recreational Fishing Business Leaders
• Shell Pipeline Company
• Port Association of Louisiana
• General Public

Input Events

• At the scoping meeting held on 11/07/05, members of the LRA and FEMA ESF-14 met with over 25 parish officials to assess the high recovery priorities and gain insight into parish capacity.
• A Governmental Workshop was held at the Belle Chasse High School Cafeteria on December 12, 2005.  This workshop was held to initiate a planning process that is looking to the long term future of Plaquemines Parish.  About 40 stakeholders including city and parish departmental administrators, local elected officials, representatives from regional planning agencies, state legislators, congressional representatives, and business leaders participated in this event.  Participants were divided into five groups for discussions on issues, barriers, showstoppers, treasures, and partnerships of the parish.  These participants generated over 400 ideas, comments, and suggestions for all the different categories.
• A LTCR storefront grand opening was held on January 7, 2006 for the public to be informed of the LTCR process, meet the team members, and offer their suggestions and concerns about the long-term recovery of Plaquemines Parish. There were over 130 attendees. 
• Louisiana Planning Day held January 21, 2006, was another opportunity for the community to engage the LTCR team. Over 140 residents participated in the interactive event and were asked to prioritize planning principles, make tough choices on how and where to rebuild and identify what they treasured most in their communities. Participants identified their top recovery issues across five sectors.
• Exactly one week after the grand opening, the LTCR team held a community session on the East bank of the parish. This meeting was held in order to capture comments and information from the residents and stakeholders of the east bank. This session was attended by 27 community members who expressed interest in the planning process for the recovery of Plaquemines Parish but had specific concerns regarding the east bank. These participants generated numerous comments about the challenges and opportunities around the five recovery areas. 

Day-to Day Interaction with Local Decision-Makers, General Public

• The Plaquemines Parish Long-Term Community Recovery Team has had on-going and constant contact with the community through meetings, individual and group interviews and strategy sessions. At least one member of the team has attended each of the weekly parish briefings and Parish Council meetings to provide updates to the long-term community recovery process. The Plaquemines Team has coordinated with Community Relations to reach out to the residents of the parish to encourage participation. Our location within the community provides opportunities for citizens to stop by at their convenience to voice their opinions.

View the Parish Summary Page from Louisiana Planning Day (PDF)