Willie Francis
November 7, 2013
Gertrude Frances Norris
November 13, 2013
Cloudy skies and a damp mist fell last Wednesday afternoon at the South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport.
But a little water couldn’t dampen the spirits of the politicians and businessmen who were eager to break ground on a multi-million dollar project that officials tout will boost Lafourche Parish’s economy now and into the future.
Chevron announced this week that it will spend $29 million to move its Gulf of Mexico airbase facility from its current home in Leeville to the Galliano-based airport.
Once complete, the oil conglomerate said that close to 6,000 workers will be able to be transported into and out of the Gulf of Mexico each month with the project’s completion. The new facility will also allow the company the ability to bring workers home quicker in the event of special circumstances like a hurricane or other unexpected events.
“As we break ground today, we have to realize that this isn’t just a facility, but it’s really the cornerstone of our business in the Gulf of Mexico and certainly a major part of the future of our company,” said Warner Williams, vice president of exploration and production for Chevron North America. “We are certainly committed at Chevron to fueling not only the social but the economic vitality in the communities from which we live and work. So today, we’re proud to have our new airbase here in Galliano.”
The benefits to the Tri-parish area will be seen – even before the airbase is finished in 2014.
Williams said the facility will provide $15 million in impact before opening its doors.
“And this doesn’t include the more than $29 million in local construction projects that will unfold on this very site,” Williams said. “So we’re looking at $15 million already and more yet to come.”
Williams said the new airbase will be adaptable and scalable, which will allow it to expand as Chevron grows its operation in the future.
Local politicians believe that the facility will provide a shot in the arm to the Tri-parish area.
Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph and State Senator Norby Chabert were among many political leaders and businessmen and businesswomen on hand at the ceremony.
Both Randolph and Chabert agreed with the consensus – the new facility will do great things to the area.
“It would have been impolite to clap every time Warner opened him mouth, but I think it would have been appropriate,” Randolph said, drawing laughter from the audience. “Chevron is such an integral part of this parish and this community. It is exciting to see new development. It is exciting to see that this area is chosen by such a great company as Chevron. It makes you realize that from here, so much can happen.
“And it will affect the whole rest of the country.”
Chabert agreed and said that he wanted to thank Chevron for investing money into both Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes throughout the past several years, adding that the company is one of the many reasons why the Tri-parish area has some of the lowest unemployment figures in the country.
“I just want to echo from a state standpoint what it’s like to have a company of this size and scope with its commitment to not only the state and the Gulf and this community, but also to our country,” Chabert said. “We all are here because we are, in one way or another, tied into domestic energy production. … It’s a proud day.”
In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, Chevron also had two of its new S-92 helicopters on display for people to tour.
Williams said the helicopters seat 19 people and they were purchased by the company for use at the airbase.
Each helicopter comes with a price tag of $34 million – just a small percentage of the $3 billion that Williams said the company would spend in Louisiana in 2014.
Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph (fourth from left) joins a group of local leaders at Chevron’s groundbreaking ceremony for its new airbase facility in Galliano. The facility will move 6,000 workers per month to and from the Gulf of Mexico.
