By Christopher Lenois

LAPLACE – It came as an innocent question asked near the end of a recent meeting of the St. John the Baptist Parish Economic Development Committee.

“What’s up with Wal-Mart?” a committee member asked the chief administrator, Chris Guidry.

Guidry said Parish President Nickie Monica requested a meeting with Wal-Mart officials to find out what exactly what their plans are, if any, for development in the area. The chief administrator then offered some strong words about the impact of the Arkansas-based corporation’s apparent indecision.

“Wal-Mart is hurting St. John the Baptist Parish by playing the 800-pound gorilla in the retail/grocery market,” said Guidry, adding that the company is preventing other businesses who want to develop in St. John from moving forward. “We think that’s bad for our community and we’re prepared to tell them that.”

Guidry had more positive things to say about the Veteran’s Home that will be built in the parish, saying the administration has requested information on the qualifications and descriptions for the 200 jobs the home will create. Guidry suggested the EDC could be proactive in preparing people to obtain the necessary skills to qualify for the jobs by organizing a job fair.

He said Monica is committed to the program, and is prepared to ask the council for funding “if that’s what it takes.”

Parish Council member Duaine Duffy, of Division B, attended the meeting seeking the committee’s endorsement for his plan to ask the parish council’s finance committee for $100,000 in seed money to continue landscape beautification efforts.

Duffy said he hopes the seed money can encourage the private sector to join forces with organizations like the Belle Terre Civic Association, the Reserve Lions’ Club, and Sheriff Wayne L. Jones’ Inmate Clean-up program to continue the “tremendous strides in beautifying our community.”

The location of a Visitor’s Center was the other major item of concern on the agenda. Committee member Judy Songy hoped to look into having a modular home built near the Interstate that could accommodate the office.

Guidry reminded the committee that last year their application for a new building was declined.

He said there was an application pending that will award grant money to refurbish the Godcheuax house in a way that could convert the first floor into a visitor’s center, and the second floor into a museum.

Songy said that ideally they would like to have visitor’s centers in three different locations in and around LaPlace.