NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District Commander, Col. Alvin Lee, signed the Individual Environmental Report (IER) 11, Tier 2 Decision Record, which allows the Corps to proceed with its proposed action for the surge barrier project.
The surge barrier will extend from the Michoud floodwall, north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), to the levee on the west side of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) just south of the existing Bayou Bienvenue control structure.This barrier will include a 150-foot-wide surge gate and a 150-foot-wide barge gate to facilitate navigation along the GIWW.
Lee signed the formal Decision Record last week to allow work on the project to move forward.A few days later, the Corps directed its contractor, Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc. of LA., to begin getting equipment and material ready prior to actually beginning work on the surge barrier.
The signed Decision Record meets the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirement for the IHNC Lake Borgne project.The next step is to complete real estate acquisition and issue a notice to proceed for construction, which the Corps anticipates may begin as early as next month.
“The system will also feature a new navigable flood control sector gate at Bayou Bienvenue, a braced concrete wall across the MRGO and a concrete floodwall across the marsh between these waterways,” said Rick Kendrick, the Hurricane Protection Office chief of program execution.
The project’s Tier 1 IER Document was the first step in the effort to build the surge barrier.It identified a broad area within which the Corps could build the barrier.The Tier 2 IER Document discusses alternative alignments and designs within the Tier 1 selected area.It also covers the affects of these alignments, construction materials and methods, and other design details.
Other items addressed in the document include environmental and socioeconomic impacts such as how much the flood risk will be reduced, the amount of risk remaining, the reliability of the risk reduction estimates, constructability, construction schedule, operation and maintenance, real estate requirements, and cost.
A separate Tier 2 Pontchartrain IER will address alternatives and impacts for the Lake Pontchartrain or Seabrook area.The Corps plans to make this IER available for public review in the spring of 2009.
The Corps expects to complete the IHNC Lake Borgne project in 2011, with advance measures implemented by the peak of hurricane season in 2009 to reduce the flood risk for people in the New Orleans area.
“To achieve these project goals, the Corps, the state, our local partners and the local communities must all work together.It’s all about teamwork,” said Kendrick.
Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc. of New Orleans, La., won the contract for the IHNC Lake Borgne project in March for an estimated $695 million.
IER documents are available on www.nolaenvironmental.gov.Address questions or comments concerning proposed hurricane storm damage and risk reduction actions to:
Whitney Bank
Whitney National Bank will celebrate its 125th birthday in New Orleans on Wednesday, with speeches, cake, and a Second Line Parade at its Central Business District headquarters. Customer appreciation events are also planned at Whitney offices throughout the GulfCoast.
Louisiana Women
Save the date for the LouisianaCenter for Women and Government Leadership Conference and Governor's reception.The Reception is Friday, November 14th from 4:30 - 6:30 at Louisiana State Archives and Conference is November 15 at Holiday Inn Select in Baton Rouge. Brochure with details attached.
Speakers include Hoda Kopt from NBC/MSNBC and winner of the Gracie Award for her program about health care issues. Also included is one of the Columbine survivors will discuss a new kind of leadership for our challenging times.
The Governor's reception is Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Louisiana State Archives followed by our statewide meeting at 7:00 PM
Average rates for a private room in a nursing home remained essentially unchanged nationally from 2007, while semi-private rates increased 1.1%, from $189 daily or $68,985 annually in 2007, to $191 daily or $69,715 annually in 2008, according to the 2008 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home & Assisted Living Costs. The MetLife Mature Market Institute reports that average assisted living rates increased by 2.1%, from $2,969 monthly or $35,628 annually in 2007, to $3,031 monthly or $36,372 annually in 2008.
The highest daily rates for nursing homes are in Alaska, $577 for a private room and $566 for a semi-private room. In 2008, the non-metropolitan and non-suburban areas of Louisiana had the lowest daily rates for a private room in a nursing home, averaging $127 per day. The non-metropolitan and non-suburban areas of Minnesota and Oklahoma had the lowest semi-private room nursing home, averaging $121 per day. For assisted living communities, Southern Maine had the highest average monthly base rate at $4,708 and North Dakota had the lowest average monthly base rate at $1,980.
