Ascension Parish plans to buy Pelican Point maintenance building

The Ascension Parish Council at its regular meeting Thursday in Gonzales adopted an ordinance authorizing a $700,000 purchase price for the Pelican Point Maintenance building.

The building will be used to upgrade parish fire protection services recommended by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana.

The ordinance authorizes Parish President Tommy Martinez to negotiate for the property which belongs to Doug Diez.

In unrelated business, Ascension Economic Development Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Eades reported the organization has been retained to conduct an incentive study by Taimerica Management Co.

Eades said AEDC will look at what other parishes are doing during the study in terms of economic development, and come back with recommendations for the council to consider.

The study is expected to be completed in April 2011.

Also during his quarterly report to the council, Eades said AEDC had completed an overhaul of the AEDC website.

He reported that AEDC is tracking 28 active projects in the parish, with 13 of them rated as “A”, or those in a grouping with a strong likelihood that the business will follow through with site selection and project development in either Ascension or another selected location.

Eades said the 13 projects represent a potential investment of more $360 million and a possible 675 new jobs.