OFFICIAL STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2013

Official Statement regarding May 4^th toll vote

New Orleans, LA – As a result of the May 4 toll vote, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announces the following information pertaining to toll tag refunds and interim traffic plans.

GeauxPass toll tag account holders may close their accounts and, if applicable, be refunded any remaining toll deposit balance.  Customers must return the actual toll tag (transponder) in order to qualify for a deposit refund. Customers with the newly issued toll tag stickers do not have to return them.

To close an account, customers must do the following.

· Provide a valid driver’s license

· Complete a standard closure form

·Complete a W-9 (Used to validate payee information for auditing purposes and required by law, and the IRS as proof that refund owed and paid to correct individual)

·Provide statement  requesting to close account

·Be prepared to wait if requesting a check the same day

· Or, opt to return later for check pick up or have check mailed

Checks can be cut once all documents are submitted and information verified. Customers should be prepared to wait approximately one hour for processing, if requesting a check the same day.  Customers may also opt to arrange for a later pick up or have their refund check mailed.  We encourage customers to request forms via our customer services center or download them from http://www.dotd.la.gov/operations/cccd/requestrefund.aspx .  Filled-in documents can be emailed to Customer Service atcustomerservice@geauxpass.com and checks can be mailed to verified address or made available for pick-up.

In the interim, DOTD will monitor traffic patterns on the bridge and adjust as needed.  Motorists should be aware that they should maintain at speed of no more than 25 MPH when travelling through the toll plaza. Implementation of a final non-toll plaza traffic configuration is under development.

For more information, please visit www.dotd.la.gov, email dotdcs@la.gov, or call DOTD’s Customer Service Center at (225) 379-1232 or 1-877-4LADOTD (1-877-452-3683). Business hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Motorists can access up-to-date travel information by dialing 511 or by visiting www.511la.org. Out of-state travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511)

Nevertheless, according to the Department of Transportation & Development (“DOTD”), the New Orleans passenger ferry service, which has been in continuous existence in New Orleans since 1827, and which has been run and subsidized by the CCCD, and formerly by the Mississippi River Bridge Authority since 1959, is in jeopardy of shutting down on July 1, 2013 because of the likely ending of the tolls on the CCC.  When the CCC tolls ended on December 31, 2012, the ferry system was immediately put in jeopardy of being shut down.  The Algiers Economic Development Foundation (“AEDF”) urges the Legislature to find a solution to fund continued operation of the New Orleans ferry system.

Read the full statement to see AEDF’s recommendations to provide funding and continued service for a New Orleans Ferry Transportation System.

READ FULL STATEMENT HERE

AEDF in partnership with the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and LifeCity, invites its members and future members, the business community, and friends to attend our premier Business Mixer on Wednesday, May 8, 2013.  The event will be hosted by the Westbank YMCA @ Federal City, 2220 Constitution Street from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Our theme for the mixer is “Building Sustainable Communities”.

Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres & beverages will be served at the event, which is free and open to the public. Door prizes will be provided by local business partners.

Click here to RSVP. For more information, call (504) 362-6436 or email info@algierseconomic.com.

Our Business Spotlight Sponsors are:

http://www.blgsolarsolutions.com/

https://www.richardsdisposal.com/

Special Thanks to Our Door Prize Sponsor

Algiers Economic Development Foundation
Landing at Behrman Place
Sterling Farms

The first casualty would appear to be a $50 million film production campus in Algiers that developer Scott Niemeyer says he will stop pursuing if lawmakers endorse Jindal’s proposal to cap credit-qualifying salaries at $1 million.

Niemeyer, echoing other industry representatives, says this would steer large-budget films to competing states, principally Georgia, and render his project untenable.  Niemeyer said he has spent nearly a year on self-financed pre-construction work and is three to four months from obtaining complete financing and breaking ground.

The first half of Niemeyer’s two-phase project is to include 262,000 square feet of sound stages, office space and other facilities on 17 acres. The business plan depends on productions with budgets large enough for state-of-the-art stages, Niemeyer said.

But the risk of losing such productions in the event of a cap on qualifying salaries would be too great to continue, he added.

“People don’t need me to rent an office,” Niemeyer said. “They come for the stages.”

Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret today acknowledged that Jindal’s proposal would knock Louisiana a rung below Georgia as the most generous film-industry state, and that Louisiana would likely lose out on some large-budget productions. But Moret, addressing the House Ways and Means Committee, said the state’s film industry has matured to the point where producers will consider more than incentives when deciding where to shoot.

“Incentives are a big part of it,” Moret said. “But we also have a great crew base here, we have facilities now, we have lots of great creative talent. At a minimum, they will consider not just the total incentive change but the total cost of producing a film.”

The proposal is meant to balance the program’s fiscal shortcomings with its economic benefits, Moret said, illustrating a sharp contrast between these competing priorities.

State coffers lose 85 cents for every dollar awarded via motion picture tax credits, Moret said, but the film industry pumps six times as much into the state’s economy as the amount of money spent on the credits.

Project at Michoud Assembly Facility will result in 236 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 400 new jobs

NEW ORLEANS — Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Lockheed Martin IS & GS-Defense President Gerry Fasano announced Lockheed Martin will make a $3 million capital investment at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility to manufacture cryogenic tanks for liquefied natural gas. The LNG tanks, which initially will be used for ship propulsion, are part of Lockheed Martin’s increased emphasis on converting defense technology to commercial applications. The project will create 166 new direct jobs with an average salary of $42,000 a year, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in another 236 new indirect jobs for a total of more than 400 new direct and indirect jobs.

Gov. Jindal said, “This announcement is great news for the New Orleans area and our entire state. For years, the Michoud Assembly Facility was thriving, supporting at one time more than 5,000 quality jobs for our people in the space engineering industry. It was one of the largest production facilities in the country and was instrumental in the production of fuel tanks used during NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, as well as prior space programs. But after the federal government stopped the Space Shuttle Program and the Obama administration ended the Constellation space program – production drastically declined here at this facility, resulting in the loss of about 2,000 jobs since 2010.

Click here to read full press release

According to Becker’s Hospital Review, the selected hospitals are on the cutting edge of cancer treatment, prevention and research. They were selected based on clinical accolades, quality care and contributions to the field of oncology. Hospitals do not and cannot pay to be included on this list.

“This award is a testament to our multidisciplinary approach, which includes the collaboration of our medical, surgical and radiation oncology teams as well as numerous ancillary services,” said Richard Guthrie, MD, Ochsner Regional Medical Director – New Orleans.  “I am extremely proud of the effort made by each member of our staff who work together every day to achieve the best outcomes for our patients.

The Ochsner Cancer Institute is the largest system in the Gulf South region to truly provide multidisciplinary care for cancer patients, who benefit from a collaborative approach to cancer care by a highly skilled team of physicians, oncology nurses, social workers, researchers, and other health care professionals. Cancer patients receive their care in the state-of-the-art Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center which provides a relaxing atmosphere overlooking the Mississippi River. In 2011 alone, Ochsner diagnosed and treated nearly 3,200 patients.

Through the Ochsner Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical research trials from multiple collaborative groups. In fact, Ochsner is currently the largest clinical research program in oncology in the New Orleans region, providing access to trials at our Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, Covington and Baptist sites with plans to expand into our other locations in the future.

The Ochsner Cancer Institute is fully accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and, in 2012, was recognized by U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Hospitals” awards. Ochsner’s Lieselotte Tansey Breast Center is fully accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the first and only breast center recognized by NAPBC in the Gulf South region. Additionally, the radiation oncology program at Ochsner is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

For more details, view a full list of the top 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs at www.beckershospitalreview.com.

The event is sponsored jointly by Harvey Canal Industrial Association, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry, and Algiers Economic Development Foundation.

2013 Revised Gov Luncheon Reservation Form AEDF

2013 Gov Luncheon Letter

On Friday, February 1, 2013, NFL players, Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Lowe’s, Community Leaders, and over 250 volunteers participated in the 18th Annual Kick off to Rebuild event that took place at Donsereaux & Harrison playground: 3001 Odeon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.  Kick off to Rebuild is the only NFL sanctioned event that has taken place in our very own community, Algiers (West Bank).

“Rebuilding Together and Lowe’s have invested a significant amount of time and resources into this community.  From providing upgrades to homes to installing brand new recreational equipment at Donsereaux & Harrison playground, the community truly embraces this partnership,” said Leslie Ellison, Orleans Parish School Board VP.

Way to go Algiers, by showing how to Stand Strong and Move Forward!

Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres & beverages will be served throughout the event, which is free and open to the public.

Click here to RSVP. For more information, call (504) 362-6436 or email info@algierseconomic.com.

Business Spotlight Sponsor

901 Terry Parkway • Gretna, LA

www.honeybakedonline.com

Special Thanks to Our Door Prize Sponsors

Burke’s Outlet
Jim Howell Photography
Rosetree Blown Glass Studio
Courtney Kattengell & Tiffany Riddle, Keller Williams Realty
Algiers Economic Development Foundation

On Friday, Orleans Parish School Board Vice President Leslie Ellison called for an increased participation among minority and women-owned businesses following a special meeting that took place early in the week to address the construction and financing of Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School via new market tax credits.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50915557/ns/local_news-new_orleans_la/