By LEONARD GRAY

VACHERIE – A grass-roots momentum, for placing the intermodal airport center proposed by the Louisiana Airport Authority, is building within St. James Parish.

That is according to Blaise Gravois of M&H Builders Inc. of Vacherie, a member of the St. James Parish Economic Development Board for the past two years, who is chairman of the recently-formed Concerned Citizens for Economic Development.

Gravois and the other 11 members of the steering committee have held several meetings and recently met with the LAA at a special meeting at the State Capitol to express their support.

The group is responsible for the half-dozen “St. James Airport – Land It Here!” signs which have appeared in the Vacherie area and the hundreds of similar bumper stickers which have appeared as well.

“The main message we’re trying to get out is economic development,” Gravois said. “We don’t want to displace people, but if anything, we want them to be treated fairly.”

The center would connect air, water, rail and highway transportation facilities in a 25,000-acre warehousing, manufacturing, production and distribution center which could create as many as 20,000 new jobs.

Consultant URS Corp. was awarded the $4.5 million risk analysis study and URS in turn awarded the majority of the subcontracting work to Louisiana residents.

The suitable site would include a 3,000-acre aviation/air cargo facility, 14,000 acres for revenue-producing industry, warehousing, manufacturing, production and distribution centers.

Access to the Mississippi River is a central element to the project, which will possibly locate the project in the River Parishes. The intermodal center would be owned by the LAA, with investors putting up 82 percent of development funds and tenants signing for 30-50-year leases.

The estimated revenue during the coming 25 years is $175-210 billion, with Phase One estimated economic impact at $9 billion with up to 20,000 jobs.

The Concerned Citizens group started meeting twice monthly last summer and immediately latched onto the LAA project as a ready avenue toward economic prosperity for the parish and its people.

The group also tries to address itself to questions from the public, such as where the facility will be located and why should it be placed in St. James Parish.

At the same time, the opportunity for local jobs needs to be met by proper treatment for anyone who is displaced by the project.

Gravois said the organization’s aims have gotten the support of the parish Economic Development Board and the Assumption Parish Council.

The Concerned Citizens will meet next Monday at 7 p.m. at the Public Relations Building in Lutcher, behind the school board office.

The meeting is open to the public.

Guest speaker will be Win Beyea with URS Corp., the company performing the feasibility study. The final results of that LAA study are due in July.

Following that, the Concerned Citizens will make a presentation to the St. James Parish Council on April 17. That meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the courthouse annex in Vacherie.

The next meeting of the LAA is April 18 at 8 a.m. in LaPlace.

Members of the Concerned Citizens group with Gravois include vice-chairman Edward Williams, secretary Betty Love, Lloyd Becnel, Stanley Bazile, Austin Dennis, Paul Mahyo, Alvin Bartholomew, Edwin Gravois, Dale Dennis, Barry Octave and Fred Clark.