Caillouet: Great things are happening in Lafourche

Lafourche director of economic development Gretchen Caillouet said the parish is experiencing a boom in retail and residential areas since the 2005 hurricanes.

Caillouet went down her list of economic successes in the parish, while speaking at the Bayou Region Day at the Louisiana Legislature.

According to Caillouet, in 2006 the parish’s council approved 19 Enterprise Zones, which generated an estimated 300 new jobs with a combined project cost of over $27 million. Most were expansions of existing companies.

And in 2007, so far, the council has approved eight more Enterprise Zones, which have created an estimated 40 new jobs with a combined project cost of over $11 million.

The parish, along with Ascension, Assumption parishes and the municipalities of Donaldsonville, Napoleonville, Thibodaux, Lockport and Golden Meadow, received a $500,000 grant from Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., to create a tourism corridor to promote ecotourism, revitalization and waterfront development along Bayou Lafourche.

The Manning Passing Academy will also be returning to Nicholls State University. Last year it brought in 1,200 campers and their families to the region, a nice economic boost.

The La Tour Subdivision is being developed. It will feature an 18-hole golf course designed by pro golfer David Toms and as many as 500 homes.

The Parish Planning Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers has already approved the first phase of the project, 140 lots.

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission completed two large bulkheading projects at Port Fourchon. The completed projects allowed for the expansion of four long-time tenants and brought in six new businesses.

One of the six new businesses is Gulf Offshore Logistics, which is also interested in an Enterprise Zone.

The airport extension project has also been completed. The runway has been extended to 6,500 feet and strengthened to support a 75,000 pound wheel load capacity. A new electrical vault and runway lighting were installed, as well.

The city Thibodeaux is also getting its fair share of projects with two new hotels being built, a five-story Hampton Inn and a two-story Days Inn.

File photo * Tri-Parish Times * Situated along the “Longest Street in the World, ” Lafourche Parish is reaping the rewards economically, said Gretchen Caillouet, the parish’s director of economic development, addressing business leaders at the Bayou Region Day in Baton Rouge.