Daniel Joseph Becnel
June 20, 2008June 25
June 25, 2008The proposed South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center adjacent to the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center and the Regional Military Museum on Barrow Street in Houma each received official recognition from the state Legislature during the session ending this past Monday.
Houma state Rep. Gordon Dove’s bill establishing the Discovery Center and creating a state-level Discovery Center Commission was signed into law last week by Gov. Bobby Jindal.
The bill by state Sen. Reggie Dupre (D-Houma), also signed into law by Jindal, creates the Terrebonne Parish Veterans’ Memorial District.
The new district, which has no taxing power, includes only the military museum and the veterans park on Louisiana Highway 311 near Southdown Plantatino.
Neither act appropriates any state funds for the privately-run facilities.
“Basically, it sets up an avenue for (the Discovery Center’s foundation) to get funds,” Dove said. “With all the needs in Louisiana, that’s pretty tough to get them (state) funds.”
Dove said Juana Woodard, chairwoman of the Discovery Center’s capital fund drive, requested that Dove introduce the bill, which was sponsored in the state Senate by Dupre and Butch Gautreaux (D-Morgan City).
The $9.5 million facility, located on land leased from the parish, will have interactive exhibits on Louisiana’s wetlands and a laboratory designed for use by kids and visitors.
The foundation, which has raised several hundred thousand dollars, can enter into a long-term lease with the parish for the land if the center can raise one quarter of construction costs in five years.
The nine-member South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center Commission, situated within the Louisiana Department of State, will have three members appointed by the Terrebonne Parish Council, one by the parish president and one appointed by each of the five state legislators representing Terrebonne Parish (Senate districts 20 and 21 and Representative districts 51, 52 and 53, served currently by Dupre, Gautreaux and Reps. Joe Harrison, Dove and Damon Baldone, respectively).
The members must be Terrebonne Parish residents and will not be compensated.
The Regional Military Museum hopes to use its status within the Veterans’ Memorial District to receive state funding, Dupre said.
The museum applied for state Local Government Assistance Program funds last year but was refused because the program’s money is reserved for public bodies.
The funding subsequently went toward paying for the parish’s purchase of the Dulac Indian burial mounds.
Dupre’s bill was sponsored in the House by Harrison and Baldone.
The act creates a nine-member board of commissioners to govern the district. All need to be Terrebonne residents.
At least six of the members have to be honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. armed services.
Four of the members will be selected by the Terrebonne Parish Council from a list of names submitted by veterans’ organizations within the parish.
The Regional Military Museum will submit three other names.
The parish president appoints two members and two will be appointed by Terrebonne’s state legislative delegation.
