Daily Archives: March 17, 2017

Scripture Reference

The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven is recorded in Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:36-53, Acts 1:6-12, and 1 Timothy 3:16.

In God's plan of salvation, Jesus Christ had been crucified for the sins of mankind, died, and rose from the dead. Following his resurrection, he appeared many times to his disciples.

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus called his 11 apostles together on the Mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem.

Still not completely understanding that Christ's messianic mission had been spiritual and not political, the disciples asked Jesus if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. They were frustrated with Roman oppression and may have envisioned an overthrow of Rome. Jesus answered them:

"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:7-8, NIV)

Then Jesus was taken up, and a cloud hid him from their sight. As the disciples were watching him ascend, two angels dressed in white robes stood beside them and asked why they were looking into the sky. The angels said:

"This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11, NIV)

At that, the disciples walked back to Jerusalem to the upstairs room where they had been staying and held a prayer meeting.

It is an awesome truth to realize that God himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, lives inside me as a believer. Am I taking full advantage of this gift to learn more about Jesus and to live a God-pleasing life?

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Why Is the Ascension of Jesus Important for You Today?

The leaders of the nation's largest nonprofit health system say the GOP's health care plan "moves us in the wrong direction," according to an editorial in ModernHealthcare, a trade publication.

Tony Tersigni and Bob Henkel, executives with Edmundson-based Ascension, provide pointed criticism of the American Health Care Act that they say fails to ensure coverage for the nation's most vulnerable.

"Almost $900 billion of the net savings come from Medicaid the program designed to provide a safety net for the poor and vulnerable. That is simply untenable," the two executives write.

In the commentary signed by both Tersigni and Henkel, the two provide a few points by which they analyze all proposed health care legislation.

No bill should reduce access or coverage, they said. In fact, it should be expanded.

And any proposal should strengthen the individual market.

Read the editorial in its entirety here.

Ascension Healthcare operates more than 141 hospitals and 2,500 facilities in 24 states and Washington, D.C. Its a subsidiary of Ascension, the nations largest Catholic and largest nonprofit health care system.

Make it your business. Get twice-daily updates on what the St. Louis business community is talking about.

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Ascension executives criticize GOP health plan - STLtoday.com

GONZALES After hearing from residents who for nearly 40 minutes Thursday night expressed divided opinions on the no-confidence vote issue, an equally divided Ascension Parish Council voted 6-4 to declare the body no longer has confidence in Parish President Kenny Matassa's ability to lead in light of his recent indictment and asked him to resign immediately.

During the public comments, Matassas family and supporters, including his son, Nicholas Matassa, who was burned in a plant fire during his dads 2015 campaign for parish president, stressed the presidents tireless and often unseen work to help parish residents.

Those who wanted the Parish Council to call for the parish president to resign argued those good works are not the point because Kenny Matassas indictment brought shame on the parish.

An Ascension Parish grand jury indicted Matassa and Gonzales businessman Olin Berthelot on March 10 over attempted bribery allegations.

The men are each charged with one count of offering something of value to have A. Wayne Lawson, a candidate for Gonzales City Council, withdraw from the Nov. 8 election.

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GONZALES Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa and Gonzales businessman Olin Berthelot

The Parish Council took its vote Thursday without any further commentary and without going into an anticipated closed session to discuss Matassas professional character and competence, as the council agenda had anticipated.

Asked later why the council did that, Councilman Randy Clouatre, who has worked closely with Matassa as a former council chairman, offered this answer:

Figured everything was said, Clouatre said as he began to walk down the Parish Courthouse Annex staircase after the meeting.

Clouatre is among the six who voted for the resolution. Also voting yes were current Council Chairman Bill Dawson and council members Daniel Doc Satterlee, Aaron Lawler, Teri Casso and John Cagnolatti.

Those voting against were Council Vice-Chairman Oliver Joseph and council members Travis Turner, Dempsey Lambert and Todd Lambert.

Councilman Benny Johnson was absent.

What effect the symbolic but nonbinding rebuke of the sitting president, who won office in 2015 in a narrow runoff election, remained unclear Thursday as Matassa has maintained his innocence and has shown no signs of stepping down.

Kyle Gautreau, Matassas chief of staff, said after the vote that he expects his boss will be back at work Friday.

Matassa sat through a lengthy council meeting before the no-confidence resolution came up. He read proclamations of recognition and informed the council about plans for continued debris removal after the flood. He and some council members who would end up voting for him to resign even took pictures with Boy Scouts who led the Pledge of Allegiance to open the meeting and stayed to listen for a citizenship badge.

But Matassa left the chambers as commentary began on the no confidence resolution.

His son, Nicholas Matassa, gave an at times emotional speech in which he said his dad told him he was going to halt his run for president after Nick had been burned in the fall of 2015. But Nicholas Matassa said he told his father to keep going because he knew it was his dads life-long dream.

Nicholas Matassa said his father, Matassa, a former five-term Gonzales City Councilman and parish administrator,now eats and sleeps parish government.

My dad is a Christian. He would give the shirt off his back to anybody. Theres not a better person for this job, and Im very proud to call him my father, Nicholas Matassa said.

Other pro-Kenny Matassa speakers asked critics if they were without fault. Among them was former Parish Councilman Alvin Coach Thomas Jr., who was convicted more than decade ago for taking a bribe and stepped down from office.

"Who is he to judge and to cast the first stone," Thomas asked. "Each of us here tonight has something that had happened that youre not so proud of.

Thomas added: Ive been knowing Kenny for a long time. Hes someone that has taken care of the people.

But critics of Matassa said the issue is not about his good works or criticizing the man himself but how the indictment affects his ability to lead the parish.

It doesnt matter what goes on behind closed doors, said Jean Lavidalie, a lawyer from Gonzales. People in government are to be held to a higher standard because they should be an example. There should be no corruption. There has to be transparency in government.

Brennan Howell, who filed a recall petition against Matassa on Wednesday, told the council that the parish needs someone to lead us, not bribe us.

An indictment is merely a formal charge and is not an indication of guilt. That would be determined at trial.

GONZALES A Galvez man who wants to give Ascension Parish residents a say on whether indict

After Kenny Matassas wife, Selma, took issue with claims that her husband is corrupt, Al Robert, co-chair of the parishs Republican Executive Committee, said the committee voted unanimously to call for Kenny Matassa to resign.

I love Kenny, Selma, his family and his parents," Robert said. "Its about the office of the parish president. Thats what were here about."

Some council members said they had received threats in connection with the vote. Councilman Todd Lambert said he received calls threatening him with a future election opponent if he did not vote to call for Matassa to resign.

Lambert, who had considered voting for the resolution, said those threats and the words from Nicholas Matassa swayed his vote against the resolution.

Satterlee, who has pushed for the no-confidence vote since August, said he was threatened by an unnamed person after the vote and was escorted with his wife to their car after the meeting ended.

Matassa and Berthelot, who are each out on $5,000 bail, face a felony charge that could result in a sentence of two years in state prison and/or a $2,000 fine if convicted. Both men have proclaimed their innocence.

Matassas defense attorney, Lewis Unglesby, has claimed the indictment is part of political prosecution ginned up by Matassas opponents.

Read more:

Ascension Parish Council declares no confidence in indicted ... - The Advocate

Its been about as good of a start to the season as Ascension Episcopals Jeffery Elkins could ask for in his senior year.

Not only are the Blue Gators off to a fast start with momentum heading into District 7-1A play, but Elkins is one of the top power hitters in the state with six home runs through 12 games.

The senior, who will attend UL next season, dedicated himself in the weight room this offseason and has reaped the benefits in the early goings of the season.

Because of his hard work, the power surge has not surprised Ascension Episcopal coach Lonny Landry.

I expected it. He really worked on his swing this season and over the month and a half of practice before games, Landry said. Just based on batting practice and what weve seen, Im not surprised at all with the start hes had so far this season.

He hit the weight room hard and did a lot of speed and agility training in the offseason. He just figured out how to use every ounce of power he had.

Landry said he doesnt expect the hot start to cool off any time soon, either, thanks to Elkins professional demeanor regarding practice.

His hard work has rubbed off on his Blue Gator teammates who have played a large role in Ascension Episcopals 8-4 start this season.

Both Seth Kerstetter and Josh Hebert bat before Elkins in the three-hole and have set the table nicely so far this season.

Sean-Michael Brady and Brennan Lightfoot have provided good protection behind Elkins as well to keep teams honest with their pitching.

For being an amateur athlete, (Elkins) is a true professional in every aspect of the word, Landry said. Seth has been phenomenal and Josh gives us a senior in the two-hole. Weve got two in front and two-behind who are dangerous at the plate.

I think weve surrounded him with some pretty good hitters.

The Blue Gatorshave a tough test against Hanson who occupies the top spot in the power rankings in the first round of district play, but Landry said his team was embracing the challenge.

Hanson is going to be a true test. But I think if we stay consistent were going to have a special season, Landry said. Our pitching has really come on and weve put everyone in the right spot on defense. And were hitting and scoring a lot of runs.

Read more:

Ascension Episcopal's Elkins experiencing power surge for Blue Gators - The Daily Advertiser

Sports show

If you're interested in hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities, you'll want to make your way to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center from Thursday through Sunday for the 38th annual Louisiana Sportsman Show and Festival. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Show highlights include an indoor boat show, fishing tackle and hunting gear vendors, displays of ATVs and off-road vehicles, a tractor and outdoor power equipment area, the Louisiana Sportsman Big Buck Contest, Splash Dogs competitions for retrievers, a Kids Zone, a Yamaha ATV test track, a bass tank with seminars by pros, fishing and hunting outfitters and a food court.

Donaldsonville's Crescent Parks restoration is complete, with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony slated for 10 a.m. Friday. The park honors the memory of deceased Councilman Emile Spano.

The park project was a joint partnership between the State Legislature, the city of Donaldsonville and its residents. SJB Group, LLC and GD Architecture, LLC designed the park, with construction carried out by Acadian Commercial Contractors, LLC.

Tweens in grades four through six can make stamps out of foam, then use ink and paint to create prints at Ascension Parish Library. Sessions are at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Dutchtown Branch, 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Gonzales Branch and 4 p.m. March 24 at the Donaldsonville Branch.

In celebration of the new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie, the Kanji Klub of Ascension Parish Library will make Power Ranger paper crafts when it meets at 6 p.m. Monday at the Gonzales Branch. Members also will learn some Japanese words and watch the anime A Certain Scientific Railgun.

Kanji Klub is for adults ages 18 and older. Cosplay is welcome. Call (225) 647-3955 for details.

Gardening to Attract Pollinators, the next workshop in the Ascension Parish Master Gardeners Associations spring gardening series, is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Dutchtown Branch of Ascension Parish Library.

Mila Berhane, senior research associate at Southern University and proprietor of Greenhand Nursery, will discuss how to create a habitat that attracts pollinators such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and more. Topics include choosing the correct habitat site, methods of pest control, mowing and recognizing beneficial weeds.

Call (225) 673-8699 to register.

St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales is offering a free Arthritis Foundation Walk with Ease program April 11 through May 16. Classes are from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. three times a week for six weeks at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center walking paths by the fishing pond.

The exercise program can help participants reduce pain and improve overall health through walking safely and comfortably by building flexibility, strength and stamina.

Space is limited and registration is required; call (225) 621-2906.

Contact Darlene Denstorff by phone, (225) 336-6952 or (225) 603-1996; fax, (225) 644-5851; or email, ascension@theadvocate.com or ddenstorff@theadvocate.com. Deadline: noon Monday.

Excerpt from:

Around Ascension for March 16, 2017 - The Advocate

Ascension Catholic powerlifting coach Joe Ryan calls it one last journey.

A key question going into the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Powerlifting Championships is this will it be one or two championships for the road for Ryan?

Getting the chance to coach these kids one last time means so much, Ryan said. It is an honor really. These seniors started with me as freshmen my first year, and theyve grown so much, along with the program. Theyve competed well all year, and theyre ready.

Ryan has done more than his share of roadwork to continue working with the Bulldogs. He lives in Donaldsonville, but left ACHS at midterm to teach/coach at his alma mater, Denham Springs, where he is set to start a powerlifting program next year.

Ryan got the blessing of both schools to continue working with the Ascension Catholic boys and girls powerlifters. So each morning he drives to Denham Springs to teach classes and returns to Donaldsonville each afternoon to coach the Bulldogs.

The formula has worked well. ACHS seeks its third straight Division V girls title at the LHSAA meet that begins at 9 a.m. Friday at Louisiana-Monroes Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Competition for girls in Divisions III, IV and V opens the competition. The boys session follows at 3 p.m. The two-day meet concludes Saturday with the Division I and II girls in the morning and boys in the afternoon.

The girls are solid, just like the last couple of years, Ryan said. Weve got some new faces, along with five or six girls who have been with us for a while. This is definitely the strongest boys team weve had since Ive been here.

Seeing those guys have a chance to win a title is special. None of these kids were even born the last time Ascension Catholic won a boys powerlifting title. It was in 1991 and I was a year old, so its been a while.

The ACHS girls have lifters in all but two weight classes and are projected to take first and second at 114 pounds, 123 and 148. Seniors Michalyn Daigle at 123 pounds and Elizabeth Latino at 165 are defending champions. Daigle has the top total lift entry of 665 pounds. Latino has a total lift of 625.

Northwood-Lena and Delhi are two of the teams who are also contenders for the girls, Ryan said. We need to improve on what we did at the regional meet. For the boys, itll be Delhi and Delhi Charter.

Ashton Bourgeois, who won an individual title last year at 198 pounds, is seeded second at 220. The ACHS boys are scheduled to have competitors in all but one weight class.

Bourgeois is second to Catholic-Pointe Coupees Mason Riche in his weight class. Riches total lift is 1,365 pounds, 100 pounds more than Bourgeois' total. The Bulldogs Nick Milano set regional records at 132 pounds and is a top entrant with a total lift of 895 pounds.

Its been a great ride, Ryan said. I cant wait to see how we do.

Follow Robin Fambrough on Twitter, @FambroughAdv

Read more here:

Ascension Catholic powerlifters look to make coach Joe Ryan's final trip a two-title ride - The Advocate

The script was a familiar one, but this time the actors changed roles when East Ascension visited Central High School for a nondistrict Class 5A baseball game.

Three days after the Wildcats blew an early lead in a loss to the Spartans, they were the ones who turned the tables Tuesday night. After falling behind by three runs in the first inning, Central rallied to post a satisfying 5-3 win.

The last game we came out and took the lead, but we gave up six runs in one inning, Central coach Mike Forbes said of his teams 7-6 loss to East Ascension at the Jay Patterson Memorial tournament on Saturday.

Tonight we kind of did that to them. After what happened to us, it was good to see our guys come back from that and show what were capable of.

East Ascension (9-7) took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Jacob Thompsons three-run home run. Central (11-6) put up four runs in the bottom of the second, added another in the fourth, and then held on in the seventh after pitcher MaKhail Hilliard, an LSU commitment, left the game.

Right out the gate, we got a couple of runners on base, EA coach Britt Waguespack said. (Hilliard) grooved in a fastball to Thompson, he hits it out and were up 3-0. But we came out in the (second) inning and we couldnt throw strikes.

It doesnt matter who youre playing, if you cant throw strikes its tough to win in this game.

Spartans starter Blaise Foote struck out the first batter in the bottom of the second, but afterward issued walks to five of the next six batters.

With the Spartans lead trimmed to 3-2, Brant Husser greeted reliever Reese Hebert with a two-run double to right field. Courtesy runner Eddie Pezant was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first, but Central had a 4-3 lead.

The Wildcats tacked on a run in the fourth after Quint Guerin led off with a single and stole second base. He was sacrificed to third and scored on Hussers single through the right side.

Meanwhile, Hilliard began to settle in. He threw 49 pitches in the first two innings, but totaled 55 over the next four. Including four infield singles, he gave up seven hits and three runs. He also struck out 10 and walked two batters.

I had to find (the strike zone) and let the defense work a little bit, Hilliard said of his early struggles. The home run was a pitch he wanted to have back.

I left it up and in, and (Thompson) made sure he used the mistake.

Brady Jones relieved Hilliard in the seventh, but walked the first two batters. Forbes then inserted Connor Heyl, who hit a batter before righting himself to earn the save.

With the bases loaded and one out, Heyl struck out Thompson, and then got Kagan Wheat to hit into a game-ending double play.

Central almost gave the opportunity back to us, Waguespack said. They got the big hit and we didnt.

Link:

Central turns tables on East Ascension with 5-3 win - The Advocate

GONZALES A Galvez man who wants to give Ascension Parish residents a say on whether indicted Parish President Kenny Matassa remains in office filed a petition for a recall election Wednesday with the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office.

The filing, confirmed by the state agency, comes on the eve of a still-planned vote on whether the Parish Council should declare it has no confidence in Matassas ability to do his job and to ask him to resign immediately in light of his indictment Friday over attempted bribery allegations.

Brennan Howell, 24, of Galvez, said he was concerned about the attempted bribery allegation since recordings of Matassa purportedly making the attempted bribe came to light Aug. 1, as well as other actions by Matassa since he took office.

"I want to give them a voice, the people, said Howell, who is chairman of the recall.

Howells effort faces a significant logistical hurdle. Under state law, the recall effort will need to get one-third of the registered voters in Ascension Parish, or about 25,175, to sign the petition. The recall drive has 180 days, roughly six months, to gather signatures, and then they will have to be verified by the parish Registrar of Voters Office before a recall election could be set.

After months of a slow-moving investigation into the bribery allegations, the new recall petition means there are dueling efforts to have the public and parish leaders weigh in on the embattled parish president, though only a successful recall election could force Matassa from office.

Matassas defense attorney, Lewis Unglesby, of Baton Rouge, asked the Parish Council on Tuesday afternoon to delay consideration of the nonbinding resolution because of scheduling conflicts for Unglesby and questions he had about the procedure. The councils discussion is set to be held behind closed doors, but the council vote must be done in public under state law.

Parish Council Chairman Bill Dawson said Wednesday he does not plan to remove the item from the councils Thursday agenda. Dawson, who said he spoke with District Attorney Ricky Babin about Unglesbys request, said it will be up to the full council to decide whether to delay the vote.

Howell said he filed the petition for a recall election on Wednesdaybecause of the recent indictment and news reports this week that the parish president gave his brother David Matassa, director of the parish mosquito control program, a significant raise.

I wouldnt want my parish president to be making these types of choices, putting more money in his familys pocket, while he is fighting to do his job as parish president and fighting this indictment. It doesnt make sense to me. It does make sense to be part of a good-old-boy system, and thats why Im doing (the recall), Howell said.

Parish officials dispute the pay increase claim, however.

Relying on rosters of parish employees with their titles and salaries, the Pelican Post, an online news website, reported this week that David Matassa received an apparent 20.6 percent salary increase some time between July 8 and March 7, while Kenny Matassa was parish president.

The Advocate filed a public records request this week and obtained the same employee lists for February and July 2016 and March 2017. Those lists do show David Matassas annual salary rose from $72,883 on July 8 to $87,921 on March 7, as the Post had reported.

But in a statement Wednesday, Martin McConnell, parish government spokesman, said that despite what the lists say, the parish Human Resources Department actually underreported David Matassas salary as $72,883 on employee rosters for Feb. 10 and July 8.

During 2016, David Matassas salary was actually much higher than the employee lists show, McConnell said, and the bulk of David Matassas prior salary raise came under the previous administration in late 2015.

McConnell said David Matassa actually received a $10,005 pay increase Dec. 7, 2015, while outgoing Parish President Tommy Martinez was still in office. The increase raised David Matassas pay from $72,883 to $82,888. At that time, Kenny Matassa, then a top parish health administrator, was parish president-elect, having narrowly won a November runoff election.

McConnell said subsequent cost-of-living adjustments under Kenny Matassas administration of 4 percent in 2016 and 2 percent in 2017 brought David Matassas salary up to the $87,921 figure that appears in a March 7 roster of parish employees.

David Matassa, through a relative, referred all questions Wednesday to parish government.

Meanwhile, Dawson, council chairman, said he would have no problem with Kenny Matassa bringing witnesses to the planned council discussion on Thursday night, but Unglesbys questions about subpoenaing witnesses and standards of evidence were not things the chairman said he planned to consider.

Dawson said the council is a legislative body that is scheduled to consider a resolution Thursday. While the talks with Matassa are set to be in closed session, Dawson said, public comment will be allowed on the resolution before the council votes.

Howell, who works in a chemical lab, said he has some volunteers who are willing to help with the recall drive but hopes to garner more support and signatures Thursday night at the council meeting. Colin Nicol, of Gonzales, is listed as the recall vice chairman.

More here:

With petition filed, here's how attempt to recall Ascension President ... - The Advocate

Pat Elliott

Pat Elliott will make the jump from Richfield City Councilmember to mayor as long-planned projects in the city are poised to bear fruit, but he knows his predecessors will deserve much of the credit.

The Richfield native prevailed over opponent Dan Oxendale in a special election March 7, taking about 79 percent of the vote, for a count of 851 to Oxendales 207 votes. Elliott will replace Acting Mayor Michael Howard, who took over for Debbie Goettel after she was elected to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners last November.

Elliott might have the honor of presiding over the fruition of highly-anticipated projects such as the Lyndale Gardens redevelopment, the 77th Street underpass at Cedar Avenue and the reconstruction of 66th Street. At the same time, he acknowledged that credit for such transformations can sometimes be just a matter of good timing.

Take the Richfield Municipal Center that was completed in 2011, for instance.

I happened to be walking into the new city hall after not doing anything to get it started and get it completed, but my name ended up on the wall, Elliott said. I have to give credit to the people who really did the hard lifting and the heavy lifting to get it where it is today.

Elliott was two months into his third four-year term as the Ward 1 Richfield City councilmember when he was elected as mayor last week.

He said he will work under the theme that over the last couple years, a lot of the things the citys been working on for a long time are kind of coming to a head.

Elliott is well aware his widening purview as he oversees all the action.

Believe it or not, I actually thought about that quite a bit, he said.

He now has more constituents to consider when making decisions. When he opposed the removal of 18 homes in his ward for the reconstruction of 66th Street, he had his west-side constituents in mind.

But as mayor, he said, youve gotta broaden your perspective to really serve your constituency. Dan Oxendale

A political newcomer

Elliotts opponent for mayor also had his perspective broadened as he joined the race. Having heard from voters during his campaign, Oxendale said what probably surprised him the most was the actual involvement that there is in our city already, as evidenced by how many people contacted him via email or social media.

Hearing their concerns forced Oxendale to take stances on issues he said he had not weighed. In particular, low-income housing came up came up as a particular area of worry.

There were a lot of folks who voiced a lot of concerns about too much low-income housing in Richfield, Oxendale said.

When he filed his candidacy for mayor, he was a largely unknown commodity in Richfield. It was his first time running or public office.

I definitely could see myself in the futurerunning for public office in Richfield, Oxendale said.

That could be as soon as this spring, he added, when Ward 1 voters will decide on a replacement for Elliotts seat on the council. That election will likely occur Tuesday, June 6, according to City Clerk Elizabeth VanHoose.

Following the election, Elliott had encouraging words for his opponent, saying he wants to call him and tell him that it was great that he joined the race. I would certainly welcome his joining in and getting involved.

Elliott planned to only serve out the remainder of Goettels mayoral term when he filed for candidacy.

Conceptually, that was my intent, he said. But he added, Never say never.

Whatever his decision, he wants to make it early, so people can really gear up, and we have a competitive race for mayor the next time around.

Elliott expects to be sworn in as mayor at the March 28 Richfield City Council Meeting.

Contact Andrew Wig at [emailprotected] or follow him on Twitter @RISunCurrent.

Originally posted here:

In ascension to Richfield mayor, Elliott benefits from good timing - The Sun Current

Greg Fischer

The Capital Region Planning Commission (CRPC), on March 9, made a strong effort to gather information from the Ascension community to address traffic and safety issues.

The initiative by the CRPC, which serves as the particular Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Ascension Parish and the Greater Baton Rouge Area, is known as Move 2042. "Move 42" is what the 25-year Metropolitan Transportation Plan is being called.

"Move 42" kicked-off in June 2016, but Thursday served as the first round of the public outreach process. While the issue of safety is top on the agenda, issues of peak-hour traffic congestion, railroads and bike and pedestrian lanes are all being addressed, over the next five months for the five-parish region.

"The purpose of this informational meeting is to solicit input from the citizens on what their issues are," CRPC Executive Director James C. "Jamie" Setze said. "So that as we report this back and start building a 25-year plan it reflects the needs and the wants of the community."

It is important for the public to participate. The CRPC needs public input to figure out how best to spend federally allocated dollars. Of course, there are the obvious congestion spots. Like intersections that get backed up regularly near more heavily populated and industrialized zones.

"We not only want to get input, but we want to show the public that there is a concerted effort to alleviate traffic problems and safety issues," Setze said.

But it is also largely a guessing game. According to Setze, Ascension Parish is projected to grow from a population of roughly 110,000 people to 185,000 people over the next 25 years. How does the CRPC plan for such a boom?

One of the ways to make an educated guess is by plotting different growth scenarios, based on commercial, rural, suburban and industrial projections, according to Sr. Transportation Planner Pong Wu.

"In order to do our long-range plan, the first thing we need to know is about population," Wu said. "Where is the population?"

Setze and the CRPC reportedly have done a much better job this year for public outreach. Many were in attendance, including media and public officials. There was a computerized survey for those in attendance and a "drawing board," where people could draw along a map where problem areas are located.

"This time I asked the DOTD to greatly expand the amount of money for public outreach," Setze said.

The next step comes in August after these open houses are completed in the five-parish region once money is in the picture. A general plan will be made. At that time discussions will be had about specifics on how and when these plans will go into action. It all remains open to the public.

Follow Greg on Twitter @AscensionEditor

Continue reading here:

CRPC visits Ascension for Move 42 open house - Post South