[StBernard] Commitment to Residents or Political Gift To Murphy Oil

[Westley Annis]

Commitment to Residents or Political Gift to Murphy Oil
<http://concernedcitizensaroundmurphy.blogspot.com/2007/11/lra-properties.ht
ml>  

In keeping with the mission of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, we look for
the LRA's support of "community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity
and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of
Louisiana."

The Louisiana Recovery Authority should designate certain LRA properties in
St Bernard Parish as permanent greenspace and not transfer ownership to the
Murphy Oil USA Refinery, Meraux, Louisiana. We have valid concerns that any
transfers of these LRA properties to the refinery would not only constitute
a gift to the refinery but would also compromise the integrity of our
residential neighborhood, the intent of the Citizen's Recovery Committee -
St Bernard Parish Planning Commission's proposed greenspace around the
refinery, and the federal court ordered "intended" buffer zone (from the
crude oil spill class action law suit). 

Our neighborhood in St Bernard Parish like so many others in our great State
of Louisiana has a unique character and personality of its own; one which
could be entirely and drastically changed with redevelopment decisions.
Nestled between East St Bernard Highway and East Judge Perez Drive, Jacob,
Despaux, Ventura and Lena Drives in Chalmette, LA comprise the James Place,
Despaux and Ventura, Flora Estates and Sandra Park subdivisions. Here, like
elsewhere in St Bernard Parish, residents rebuilt their homes and
revitalized their community despite the devastating losses of 2005 :
Hurricane Katrina and the Murphy Crude Oil Spill. Other homeowners
participated in the voluntary buyout portion of the crude oil spill's class
action lawsuit and a few have already sold their homesites through the LRA
Grant program. These are the properties which should be designated
greenspace, if they are not offered to adjoining homeowners first or to
other future reside ntial uses.

In June of 2007, we became aware of the refinery's plans to use these four
streets for expansion; starting in particular with a land swap / sale of our
Jacob Drive Firestation (http://sbpg.net/councilagenda7-10-07.pdf
<http://sbpg.net/councilagenda7-10-07.pdf>  item #26 SBPC Agenda). From what
little we know of the Jacob Drive Firestation and Murphy Oil Refinery
Expansion
<http://concernedcitizensaroundmurphy.blogspot.com/search/label/Jacob%20Driv
e%20Firestation%20and%20Murphy%20Oil%20Refinery%20Expansion>  plans include
moving facilities, such as a warehouse, maintenance building, laboratory and
the like, into the subdivision to allow processing unit expansion on the
refinery's current campus. Some of these facilities are currently out of
compliance with the new OSHA explosion cone regulations. 

"LRA properties" on these four streets, if not offered to adjoining
residents first or offered for residential redevelopment, should be
permanently designated greenspace or conservation easements and not be
gifted, transferred, sold nor made available in any manner to the refinery
for expansion or for any other use. Effecting our community's resurgence and
not thwarting our renaissance, the government should never push the
homeowners towards the refinery expansion acquisitions and should instead
preserve the integrity of the existing residential zoning. The government's
active participation in the refinery's expansion acquisitions would only
permeate and pervade the decades long encroachment of this heavy industry
into the neighborhood. That action would literally move the refinery
fenceline west onto the next four streets of the subdivision leaving little
or no greenspace protection.

We petition the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the St Bernard Parish
Housing, Redevelopment and Quality of Life Commission to consider first
offering the residential properties to adjoining residents or other
perspective homeowners. If not, they should designate "LRA" properties in
these four street areas as permanent greenspace and not to transfer
ownership to the Murphy Refinery.



SJK