FEMA Grant Gets The Ball Rolling For New Gym In Plaquemines Parish 

Release Date: January 10, 2008
Release Number: 1603-757

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BRAITHWAITE, La. -- A multipurpose athletics facility on the Phoenix High School campus in Plaquemines Parish will be rebuilt with the assistance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

FEMA will pay for the replacement of the old gym building at Phoenix High School in Braithwaite after the building was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Heavy winds, rain and storm surge flooding caused irreparable damages to the gym’s roof, interior, and electrical and plumbing systems. The gym was originally built in 1955.

The gym serves the school in several capacities, including physical education classes, basketball and volleyball events and graduation ceremonies. Construction on the replacement facility, which will be designed to mitigate against future storm-related damages, should begin late 2008 or early 2009.

“The new gym will make the school whole again,” Plaquemines Parish Schools Superintendent Eva Jones said. “It’ll restore the school community.”

FEMA has obligated more than $3.0 million to replace the Phoenix High School old gym building.

When projects are obligated by FEMA through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a Smartlink account. This allows the applicant, in this case the Plaquemines Parish School Board, to work with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness as quickly as possible to access the reimbursement monies. Obligated funds may change over time as the project worksheet is a living grant that is often adjusted as bids come in and scope of work is aligned.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations’ buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Monday, 14-Jan-2008 13:06:15