After East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority President and CEO Walter Monsour announced his resignation on Monday, effective Nov. 30, Mayor Kip Holden called on business and civic leaders to “come to the table” and figure out how best to get on with redeveloping Baton Rouge’s blighted neighborhoods.
But Holden made it clear Monsour’s resignation has not changed his mind on whether or not to approve a $3 million request for funding from the RDA.
“Funding the RDA is non-negotiable,” Holden told Daily Report. “We have some major problems in our budget. I’m not going to tell Walter one thing then turn around and give someone else money.”
The point was underscored when Holden unveiled his proposed budget for next year at a special meeting of the Metro Council on Wednesday, and the 502-page document did not include the RDA funding.
Monsour has said the RDA will run out of money by the end of 2015 unless a permanent source of funding can be identified. Following news of Monsour’s resignation, BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp told Daily Report the agency needs to be supported, sustained and funded.
Also this week, Baton Rouge hotels, restaurants and bars were busily preparing for an economic boon this weekend as hundreds of thousands of football fans take to the town to watch the highly anticipated matchup between LSU and Alabama in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night.
Brandon Landry, who co-owns Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, says he expects to see around 10,000 patrons over the weekend at the Burbank Drive location near Tiger Stadium. In a typical weekend, the restaurant and bar serves about 2,000 customers.
“We’re preparing to do two weeks of business during the weekend,” Landry says. —Steve Sanoski Read the complete Daily Report Week in Review.
