[StBernard] Field of Dreams

[Westley Annis]

Kent, perhaps you're right about use it or lose it.

However, I doubt if anyone truly means that a playground or park should
never be built into a community. It's a wonderful thing. And, it's not so
much an issue at the local level as it would be at a federal level making
beautification decisions. What's disturbing is a few facts:

Firstly, with so many in that community no longer residing, broken
financially by underinsurance or none at all, waiting on insurance or suing
insurances <g>..no Road Home money, no Murphy money, whatever...

Wouldn't it be a priority to get people on their feet financially, (even as
so many are looking for work), before putting up walking paths, flowers,
etc. I doubt if those who  were severely affected by the storm is concerned
about model racetracks and playing football before they can pay their bills,
feel their families or buy $3.00 a gallon gas). Priorities go like this: 

When an ambulance visits your lifeless body after a car crash, they Firstly
check to see if you're bleeding, breathing and out of harm's way. They don't
take you to a movie, ball game or race track. They stop the bleeding, get
your breathing and protect you from further harm. It's quite vital to do so
and since when is everyone back to normal these days? For some of us, it may
take a lifetime even though we're trying to cope and put the misery behind
us. 

Sure, a park is beautiful. So is life itself, and we all intend to get past
the hurdle someday soon and begin living it as God intended us to do so..

--jer--

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Wesley,

The funds are dedicated to a specific project and cannot be used for any
other purpose.  The funds are also "use it or lose it" so if the parish
doesn't use the funds, they would MOST likely go somewhere else (like New
Orleans) or just not be spent at all. 

An example of dedicated funds is the Florida Ave. corridor project which has
$.04 tax on gasoline sales dedicated to certain projects which were listed
at the time the tax was passed.

The recreation facilities in the parish desperately needed to be upgraded
even before the storm and given that someone other than property tax or
sales tax will fund the project, it is a good deal for the parish and
everyone in it.

My only hope would have been that they upgraded Borgmouth park like it was
proposed several years ago instead of Versailles.

But if the parish owns Versailles and only has a lease on the property at
Borgmouth then I would have to agree that Versailles is the better choice.

Hopefully the council can find some more worthwhile project like this one.

Kent Diaz