New projects: The State Bond Commission approved $91 million in projects today, including $4 million in taxable sewer revenue bonds for sewer upgrades in Donaldsonville and $2.65 million in revenue refunding bonds for fire protection in West Baton Rouge Parish. The bonds will be used in Donaldsonville to build and extend the sanitary sewage collection and disposal system for the town. In West Baton Rouge, the bonds will be used for Fire Protection District 1 and will save taxpayers more than $160,000.
Next step: Construction workers renovating the Baton Rouge Marriott could soon be moving onto the next phase of the $23 million project with work on the guest rooms. According to a building permit issued Monday, workers will enclose 880 square feet of balconies on floors three through 19 to enlarge 16 rooms. Eric Arender, vice president of construction for the Dimension Development Company, which owns and operates the hotel, says he estimates the entire project could be done by March. Once the guest rooms are renovated, the third and final phase will involve renovating the public spaces and meeting rooms with new finishes and furniture.
More layoffs: About 80 employees are expected to be laid off between July 13 and July 27 from the Danos and Curole Marine Contractors’ Fabrication Division in Morgan City, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The Morgan City company issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Notice that it plans to make mass layoffs due to a “significant downturn in business” that makes it hard to keep staffing at its current level. The company lists 91 employees at the yard who will be affected, noting some will be transferred to other locations, the company says in the notice.
