One of biggest projects in parish: One of Terrebonne Parish’s largest economic-development projects in recent years has nearly completed construction on its main facility and hired about 500 full-time employees. LaShip, the new $100 million shipyard from Edison Chouest Offshore, will see its final element, a 320-foot long dry dock, go out to bid March 30. Once started, the $25.6 million project is expected to take about a year to complete. The original completion date was projected to be in 2009 and pushed back several times. And the halt to issuing permits for deepwater drilling, a business serviced by Chouest’s ships, has brought more caution to the hiring process. The company is also looking for skilled labor, including pipe fitters, welders, crane operators and electricians.
Struggling market: Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in January, the latest evidence that the housing market is struggling. The National Association of Realtors says its index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes fell 2.8% last month to a reading of 88.9, the second straight monthly decline. The reading was higher than the 75.9 reading from June, the low point since the housing bust. But it’s below 100, which is considered a healthy level. The last time the index reached that point was in April, the final month people could qualify for a home-buying tax credit. Sales of previously owned homes fell last year to the lowest level in 13 years. Economists say it will be years before the housing market fully recovers.
