VIOLET, La. (WGNO) — A new school, new park and new jobs seemed beneficial for St. Bernard Parish but homeowners near the proposed land for the cargo port were disappointed by the impact the plans had on their neighborhood.
“This is total destruction,” said Patricia Peltier, who grew up in the parish. “It’s destroying our parish.”
Homeowners and councilmembers expressed concerns at an open house Tuesday night that their way of life could be in jeopardy.
“We may actually lose residents and we were the fastest-growing parish in the state last year, which is something to be proud of,” District C Councilman Howard Luna said. “But it took a lot of work to get there considering where we came from.”
They’re worried about the Port of New Orleans‘ plan to build a facility on the river. That’s something port officials claimed would bring economic growth.
“To maritime-related jobs, to small businesses to support the terminal. The terminal is expected to generate $1.3 million just in year one in local tax dollars,” Port NOLA Director of External Affairs Laura Mellem said. “That grows over time so that by 2050, you’re looking at over $60 million per year.”
According to parish leaders, the plan came with false hope and false promises.
“We’ve got 10,000 signatures saying ‘hey, we don’t want this,’” District E Councilman Fred Everhardt said. “Nobody is taken into consideration with the Port of NOLA. The board just wants to shove this project down our throats. We’re not going to stand for it.”
“Where is the shooting and stuff, the gravesite, the churches? We don’t have a voice,” said Sharon Brown, who lived nearby.
If losing history like the old Violet school building wasn’t homeowners’ top concern, it was infrastructure.
“When you bring that many trucks into this parish, our infrastructure cannot handle that,” Councilman Everhardt said. “We’ll be shaking up all the buildings, the houses are going to be shaking. That’s going to cause structural damage.”
So, the debate over quality of life continued.
“If it’s going to bring jobs, bring better things to the community, I’m not going to fight against something that’s better for my community,” St. Bernard NAACP President Rev. Kevin Gabriel said.
“It’s disgusting that they are being allowed to bully our parish and push this stuff on us without allowing us to have a vote,” Peltier said.