On Saturday, March 28, 2009 citizens of St. Bernard Parish and coastal environment supporters joined together to personalize the closure of the MRGO by participating in a rock throwing ceremony to acknowledge the closure of the MRGO at Bayou La Loutre this July. The administration wishes to recognize those individuals and organizations who have been involved in bringing the much needed attention of the destructive forces of the MRGO to a level of public and political awareness. We recognize and thank Mr. Pete Savoie, Mr. Ed Doody and the St. Bernard Voice, Mr. Junior Rodriguez, Mr. Dan Arceneaux, Mr. Carlton Dufrecheu and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, The St. Bernard Sportsmen's League. It is an exciting experience to serve as Parish President during the long awaited closure of the MRGO and hopefully this will serve as motivation to continue to seek the funding for the rest of the restoration and protection projects for St. Bernard Parish and our coastal neighbors.

There has been much discussion of the ongoing demolition progress and with the official extension of FEMA funded demolitions, we have an opportunity to complete most of the remaining residential demolitions and continue to seek as many commercial approvals as possible. The trend continues to be a move toward repair by many homeowners. The demolition process is working to eliminate significant blight from our parish. We encourage any resident who identifies a property not under repair to immediately report it to our Resident Services Office at 278-4224 so that we can investigate its status.

The latest news from Wal-Mart is that we have reengaged their leadership in a review of their opening. The successful relocation of the medical clinic trailers is underway with half of the clinic in operation at the OTB grounds. The completion of the move is scheduled for the first of next week. Additionally, the movement of the Public Health Unit trailers is underway as well and will be relocated here on the government grounds as a temporary home until their building is completed. The mental health services will also temporarily locate to the COA trailers until an alternate site is ready for their operations. Discussions are underway for the permanent construction of the Public/Mental Health and Substance Abuse Complex which will allow the removal of the remainder of the temporary trailers on our grounds.

The Celebrate St. Bernard Campaign is gaining momentum and is tentatively set to kick off at the beginning of May. An official kick-off date will be announced shortly. The cooperative initiative that involves education, business and industry, civic organizations, law enforcement, the Chamber, individual citizen participation, and local government is designed to promote our progress and the positive aspects of St. Bernard Parish. Be on the lookout for signs, announcements, banners, and events that will spur the Celebrate St. Bernard campaign to success.

The All Star Baseball and Softball League is underway with practices beginning this week. The summer league will follow the short All Star League. Participation continues to grow with increases in all age groups.

The next President's Community Forum will be held next Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sebastopol Plantation. For directions or further information, please contact Ms. Karen Bazile at 278-4280.

Finally, we want to thank everyone who participated in the second annual President and First Lady's Easter Egg Hunt this past weekend. Over 400 children participated in the event. A special thank you goes to the many employees who participated in the Easter Basket contest, donation, and giveaway. On behalf of St. Bernard Parish Government, we hope everyone has a Blessed Easter weekend.
Respectfully submitted,

Craig P. Taffaro, Jr.
St. Bernard Parish President