“Coming Home” is a blog looking at life in New Orleans as we get ready to meet again in the Superdome July 5, 6 and 7 for the Essence Music Festival. One of the major challenges the city has faced as it tries to rebuild has been developing a plan that city leaders and politicians in Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C. can all sign on to. That challenge has led to a recovery that has moved in fits and starts, accompanied by a lot of drama and anxiety.
The city got good news in this area Monday when the city’s plan was approved by the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the agency in Baton Rouge that administers rebuilding money. That approval starts the process of releasing $117 million in federal block grants to help address New Orleans’ needs. That money will go to address school needs, recreational facilities, community facilities, city roads and infrastructure, libraries, economic development and jobs programs, homeownership and neighborhood recovery assistance and soil assessment, remediation and hazard reduction.
As exciting as it is to see the LRA authorize the program and the $117 million, recovery officials estimate that the money represents 10 percent of what the city needs to meet its plans. Still, it’s a good start and a good sign.
Writer Alex Rawls edits OffBeat, Louisiana's music and culture magazine.
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