Area parishes funded for local projects

Capitol News Service
Special to The Journal

Winn Parish had 11 Priority 1, or first-year, construction projects totaling $5.54 million in the state capital outlay budget and for appropriations of $1.695 million for two additional fifth-year projects, according to bills contained in HB-2 of the 2010 legislature.

Grant and Natchitoches parishes added another $8.325 in first-year appropriations for four projects, two Priority 2, or second-year projects totaling $590,000 and two Priority 5 projects for $8.325 million in appropriations.
HB-2, the 2010 capital outlay bill, was passed during the regular legislative session just ended. Containing some 850 construction projects totaling $4.5 billion, the bill was signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Jindal vetoed only eight projects totaling $20.1 million. Two of his vetoes were $100,000 in Priority 2 funding and $350,000 in Priority 5 appropriations for the Southern Forest heritage Museum in Rapides Parish.

Priority 1 projects approved for Winn Parish included:

* $1.4 million for water system improvements in Sikes;
* $200,000 for water line replacements at Winn Correctional Center;
* $325,000 for a new well for the Pleasant Hill Crossroads water system;
* $390,000 for upgrades to the water production and distribution system for Tannehill;
* $720,000 for expansions to the potable water system for Winn Correctional Center;
* $660,000 for corrections to sanitation code violations at Winn Correction Center;
* $105,000 for improvements to sewage ponds and wastewater systems at Winn Correctional Center;
* $1.4 million for HVAC replacements at Winn Correctional Center;
* $100,000 for Country Club Road planning and construction.

Winn and five other parishes were also approved for a Priority 1 appropriation of $1.5 million for planning of the El Camino East-West Corridor. The other parishes included in that appropriation are Catahoula, Concordia, LaSalle, Natchitoches, and Sabine.

Priority 5, or fifth-year appropriations for Winn included $875,000 for water system expansions for Calvin and $820,000 for the Country Club Road planning and construction project.

Priority 1 projects for Grant parish included in HB-2 were:

* $1 million for planning and construction for the Central Louisiana Juvenile Detention Center;
* $250,000 for the Camp Windy Wood property, including a multi-purpose educational building for the Louisiana 4-H Foundation’s Youth Educational Development Center;
* $$175,000 for Pollock Area water system improvements.

Priority 2 appropriations for Grant included $500,000 for the Louisiana 4-H Foundation Youth Educational Development Center and $90,000 for a new fire station in Verda. The Verda fire station also had a fifth-year appropriation of $480,000.

Appropriations of $6.9 million (Priority 1) and $800,000 (Priority 5) were approved for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum in Natchitoches.

Capital outlay projects funded by the legislature despite looming deficits included $28 million for a performing arts center and $17 million for a sports complex, all in Jefferson parish, $6.6 for a New Orleans City Park golf complex, $6.1 million for a golf course in Calcasieu Parish, $20 million for Bogue Chitto State Park, $6.9 for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, and millions more on local water and sewer projects, courthouse renovations, community centers, and parish road repair and construction.

The Capital Outlay Bill is in addition to HB-76 that contained $33 million in pet projects that legislators funded by depleting the so-called rainy day fund normally reserved for state emergencies and catastrophes such as hurricanes. Jindal vetoed less than $2 million from HB-76, leaving intact $31 million in pork projects.

Higher education, meanwhile, underwent $300 million in budgetary cuts this year.

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