March 26
March 26, 2008
Howard Edward Green
March 28, 2008
Lawmakers seeking local veterans memorial district
By MIKE BROSSETTE
State Sen. Reggie Dupre and state Rep. Damon Baldone have filed similar bills for the regular session of the state Legislature beginning Monday to create a veterans memorial district in Houma.
The district would be comprised only of the veterans park on Louisiana Highway 311 near Southdown House and the privately-operated Regional Military Museum on Barrow Street, which recently opened its doors to the public.
The district would have a seven-member board of commissioners appointed by the Terrebonne Parish Council from lists submitted by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Terrebonne Parish and the Regional Military Museum Foundation.
The council and parish president would each appoint one member from the general public.
The veterans park is located on parish-owned land.
The district would have no taxing power but would be subject to audit, Dupre said. A taxing power for the district could be created by the Terrebonne Parish Council, Baldone said.
The Regional Military Museum Foundation had hoped to apply to receive state money for museum upgrades but was prevented because the facility is located on private property.
Dupre believes creating the district could change the museum’s status.
“We would like to raise the museum to the level of a public entity so it can apply for (state) grants,” he said.
At a parish council committee meeting in August, museum foundation representative Will Theriot asked the committee to create a district which would have taxing power.
Councilman Peter Rhodes said the district could assess a half-mill property tax.
Lafourche Parish has a veterans memorial district covering Fourchon, Cut Off, Golden Meadow, Galliano and part of Larose.
Dupre, chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, also is sponsoring a bill placing half of annual excess mineral revenues into the Windfall Highway, Infrastructure, and Protection Fund.
Seventy percent of the money in the fund would go to the state Department of Transportation and Development for spending only on roads, bridges and ports.
The remainder would be dedicated to help pay the local match for the federal Water Resources Development Act’s (WRDA) funding of hurricane protection and coastal restoration projects.
State Sen. Reggie Dupre and Rep. Damon Baldone are looking to create a veterans memorial district in Houma. Both have introduced bills that would establish a district comprised only of the veterans park on Louisiana Highway 311 and the privately-owned Regional Military Museum on Barrow Street. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
