St. Bernard Parish Economic Development

1. St. Bernard Parish Economic Development Rebecca MartinExecutive Director 100 Port Blvd., Suite 10 Chalmette, Louisiana 70043 www.stbernardforward.org r.martin@stbernardforward.org Office:  504-277-4009 Cell:  504-952-2233 Fax:  504-277-4065

2. Overview St. Bernard Parish is located in the Southeastern part of Louisiana just four miles from Downtown New Orleans and borders Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes. Largely surrounded by water and marshland, St. Bernard includes 465 square miles of land and boasts one of the largest and richest wetland ecosystems in North America. Wildlife, fisheries, and agriculture have always influenced the culture of our region, and with the growth and expansion of New Orleans, St. Bernard has come to develop a major industrial and petrochemical industry, as well as increased port, commercial, and retail businesses. St. Bernard Parish’s population is currently estimated at 36,000 and includes the communities of Arabi, Chalmette, Meraux, Violet, Caernarvon, Contreras, Delacroix Island, Hopedale, Kenilworth, Poydras, Reggio, Sebastopol, Shell Beach, Toca, Verret, and Yscloskey.

3. Profile Summary St. Bernard Parish turned in the strongest rate of growth statewide from mid-2008 to mid-2009. Its mid-2009 estimate of 40,655 residents marks a boost of nearly 3,000 people since mid-2008, an 8 percent increase.

4. Profile Summary 2010 Census -- St. Bernard population fell by 47% from 2000 (due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005)

5. St. Bernard Parish School Superintendent, Doris Voitier, 2007 recipient of the JFKProfiles In Courage Award, received at the JFK Presidential Library Universal 4-Year Old Program 11 Primary & Secondary Schools Full Cultural Arts and Athletic Programs at Each School All 2nd Graders Learn to Swim 21st Century Technology in Every Classroom Maumus Center--under design—Katrina Museum, Planetarium, Interactive Science Exhibits focusing on study of storm surge, wetlands, and hurricanes Full Districts Accreditation with Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS) 3 Private Schools Public Education

6. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION St. Bernard Parish Public Schools experienced outstanding academic growth since Hurricane Katrina. St. Bernard was the only school district in Louisiana to see all of its schools meet their state required growth targets. The district was also 1st in the increase of the percentage of schools scoring a performance score of 100 or more and experienced the 3rd highest academic growth rate among all state public school districts.

7. 9th Grade Academy – achieving a 95% graduation rate School Based Health Care Center—named among best in state Nationally Recognized Pre-Engineering Program Comprehensive Cultural Arts and Athletic Programs Honors Classes/Advanced Placement Courses and Dual Enrollment with Nunez Community College (approx 500 students per semester) 2010—Approximately 50% of Graduates Received TOPS Scholarships and Received over $4 million in Academic Scholarships Industry Based Certifications including Pharmacy Tech High School Program aimed at restoring wetlands, storm surge protection Chalmette High School

8. Chalmette High School In 2009 & 2010 U.S. News and World Report CHS was named one of America’s best high schools based on test scores and other factors. CHS earned a bronze medal as one of 39 schools in Louisiana to make the list, and one of only 4 in the state's largest football classification, 5A. State-of-the-Art Physical Fitness Equipment and Programs –synthetic turf installed on playing field 350 Seat Cultural Arts Center Theater 2 Libraries—Chalmette High School and Parish Public Library

9. NUNEZ COMMUNITY College 1 of 7 in the state Approx 2000 students per semester Dual Enrollments with Chalmette High (approx 500 students per semester) Articulation agreements & concurrent enrollment with area four-year institutions

10. Nunez Community College Industrial Tech Program (PTECH) first of its kind accredited by Association of Technical Management & Applied Engineering (ATMAE—formerly NAIT) Conoco Philips—750 applicants—150 interviewed—10 of 15 hired were Nunez PTEC H Graduates State –of-the-Art Labs—Nursing, Biology, Welding, HVAC, Electrical, and Culinary Arts Joint Program with Tulane University—Distillation Towers (PTECH)

11. Medical Services • Public Safety • Housing • Recreation • Tourism and Culture quALITY OF LIFE

12. Medical Services St. Bernard Parish Hospital Services District 40 Bed Hospital and 40,000 sq ft Medical Office Complex (completion early 2012) All funds secured by State & Federal Grants

13. Public Safety St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office St. Bernard Parish boast the safest, low crime, community in the State of Louisiana (according to Neighborhood Scout a national Realtor relocation advisor) St. Bernard Parish Fire Department State of the Art Fire Stations – All stations rebuilt since Hurricane Katrina

14. Housing St. Bernard provides housing opportunities from moderate to upscale development. St. Bernard boasts the most affordable home market in Metropolitan New Orleans Average house cost St. Bernard is $102,000 (1300-1500 sq ft 50’ X 100’ lot) Average Cost of 2500-3500 sqft$250,000

15. Recreation Val-Riess Park All new facilities—bike trails along levees, State of the Art Tournament Fields for soccer, football, baseball Summer Activities for non sport participating children available

16. Tourism and Culture We are 15 minutes from downtown New Orleans! Chalmette Battlefield & National Cemetery St. Bernard State Park – fishing, hiking, swimming, camping Batture over looking the Mississippi River Redfish Cup Los Islenos – Original Settlement of St. Bernard Parish New Farmer’s Market located in Historic Arabi New Tourism Office and Tourist Center

17. St. Bernard Parish Economic Development St. Bernard Port – Home of acres of potential Industrial access to Mississippi River, Rail & Truck. Industrial : Murphy of USA , Chalmette Refining, LLC, Amstar Sugar Refinery