Down the road: The 14-parish Atchafalaya Heritage Area—which includes East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension and Iberville parishes—is getting new signs to let people know when they’ve traveled into the specially designated region. Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who oversees tourism efforts in Louisiana, says a total of 264 highway signs are being installed around the Atchafalaya region. The markers, paid with $165,000 in federal funds, define the boundaries of the heritage area, which was designated by Congress as one of 49 national heritage areas in the United States. The sign installation work should be finished in the spring, Dardenne says. Learn more about the region at its website here.
On a golden autumn day: Officials say a $9.1 million expansion of Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever is expected to be finished for the fall semester. Once completed, the 90,000-square-foot building will almost double the college’s current classroom space. Enrollment at Fletcher has grown over the past decade from a few hundred students to more than 2,500 this fall. School officials and Gov. Bobby Jindal broke ground for the expansion project at a ceremony in January 2011. “Already, this is like a dream come true,” says Chancellor Travis Lavigne. “I am just itching with the anticipation of seeing this when it’s done.”
High water rising: A new state report predicts that Louisiana’s coast will see three feet of sea-level rise by 2100 and recommends future designs for levees and roads take the projected rise into account. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority issued the technical report on Monday and opened up a month-long public comment period. The report is based on predictions that include global sea-level rise models, Louisiana’s subsidence rates and other regional factors. The rising sea is causing more saltwater intrusion, flooding and shoreline erosion, the report says, adding there is a “pressing need to integrate up-to-date sea-level rise estimates” into plans for protecting communities and building coastal restoration projects. See the full report here.
