| Current Poll |
Are you taking an out-of-state summer vacation?
View Results
|
|
Story Archives: Gov. Jindal awards millions to Franklin Parish
- 2013 - 384 articles
- 2012 - 1160 articles
- 2011 - 1177 articles
- 2010 - 810 articles
- 2009 - 779 articles
- 2008 - 949 articles
|
Gov. Jindal awards millions to Franklin Parish
Governor Bobby Jindal awarded four grants totaling $6,411,707 to Franklin Parish that will go towards hurricane recovery efforts, hazard mitigation, enhancing the criminal justice system and infrastructure improvements. Governor Jindal awarded the funds to local officials in a ceremonial check presentation during a town hall meeting in Winnsboro last week.
About 65 residents and parish government officials were on hand at Winnsboro City Court last Thursday when Gov. Jindal stopped by after an appearance at a civic group function in Monroe.
The governor reminded the audience of his pledge to get hurricane recovery funds for local governments.
"This is your money," he said. "You decide what's right. What's right may differ from parish to parish."
The four grants awarded include a Community Development Block Grant totaling $4,471,702 (CDBG), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding totaling $1,567,164, two Byrne/JAG grants totaling $347,841, and a Community Water Enrichment Fund (CWEF) grant totaling $25,000.
Most parishes eligible for block grants and mitigation grants have known for some time what amounts they would receive. The law enforcement and water grants were not as well known before Thursday. Governor Jindal said, "Many communities across the state are still rebuilding from the damage caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike last year and in order to accelerate the recovery process, we're sending these CDBG dollars directly to parishes so they can get back on their feet again as quickly as possible. "We're also sending HMGP dollars to communities so they can better prepare for future storms. These funds will help communities mitigate future infrastructure problems. Indeed, we saw the effects of past mitigation work when many of our structures remained secure following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike."
Upon awarding the Byrne/JAG and CWEF funding, Governor Jindal said, "Byrne grant funding is a critical investment in our law enforcement and criminal justice systems so that we can help keep our communities safe." "The CWEF grant will help the parish provide access to safe and clean drinking water and go a long way towards improving the quality of life for all residents."
Community Block Grant
The Governor said Franklin Parish received $4,471,702 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to aid the recovery efforts from hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which caused widespread housing and infrastructure damage last year. Damage levels were determined for each parish based on HUD analysis of FEMA damage assessments.
To use federal CDBG funds, states must present action plans for federal approval. HUD already approved Louisiana's first action plan for using these funds.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
Governor Jindal said the parish received $1,567,164 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding to support local hazard mitigation projects to protect Franklin from future damage following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Unlike HMGP funds given to Louisiana after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, this HMGP funding comes with a requirement for local and state governments to pay matching costs, meaning the federal government pays 75 percent of the costs, with local or state government required to pay for 25 percent of the cost of the projects. Louisiana has repeatedly requested that federal government waive or lower the state and local match requirement, given the scope of the destruction wrought by four storms in three years.
Byrne/JAG Funding
The Franklin Parish Sheriff's Office received a $176,385 Byrne/JAG grant for correctional surveillance enhancement and the Town of Wisner received a $171,456 Byrne/JAG grant to be used for their K9 narcotics unit. Byrne/JAG grants are awarded through the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice (LCLE) to programs which enhance law enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, treatment and technology in order to improve the criminal justice system. The LCLE, within the Office of the Governor, is composed of 55 members representing all areas of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement officials, attorneys, judicial officials, corrections officials, victims, government officials and juveniles. The commission manages many varied programs including the administration of multiple federal and state grant programs providing service to law enforcement, prosecution, the judiciary, corrections, juveniles, crime victims, women who are victims of violence and students.
CWEF Funding
The Village of Gilbert was awarded a $25,000 Community Water Enrichment Fund (CWEF) grant to repair water storage tanks. The Community Water Enrichment Fund was established in the 2008 Louisiana regular legislative session to ensure safe and clean drinking water. The CWEF aids units of local government solely for the purpose of rehabilitation, improvement, and construction projects for community water |
|
|
E-mail Story
Print Story
