Baton Rouge News from Around the Parish

Recycled Art Show to benefit Habitat for Humanity

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge, the East Baton Rouge Recycling Office, and the Arts Council of Baton Rouge are joining forces to host the first annual Recycled Art Show and Silent Auction.

The rules are simple: competing artwork must be constructed from at least one recycling component from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. All items will be on display for a silent auction at the Arts Council Gallery at 427 Laurel Street from Friday, Nov. 6 through Thursday, Nov. 12. A closing reception is scheduled to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, with refreshments provided by BJ�s Restaurant and Brewhouse.

Artwork will include jewelry, wall art d�cor, folk artwork and other items. All proceeds from this event will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge.

Bids may be made in person during gallery hours from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Artwork can be viewed at the Habitat ReStore web site starting November 6 at http://www.habitatbr.org/restore/auction.php.

For more information on the event, Habitat for Humanity or the ReStore, please visit: www.habitatbr.org

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City-Parish Planning Commission Honored by LA APA

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 CST

The City-Parish Planning Commission will receive two prestigious awards from the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association at the Metro Council meeting today.

The Planning Commission will receive the organization�s 2009 Outstanding Planning Award for a Project/Program Tool for the Infill/Mixed Use Small Planned Unit Development Zoning District (ISPUD). The award recognizes a planning tool that has significantly advanced the cause of planning, and that emphasizes implementation and results.

In addition, the Planning Commission will receive the Association�s 2009 Public Education Award for the Land Development Application Search Tool (LDAST). The award recognizes education efforts that increase public understanding and awareness of planning principles and practices, and encourage public participation in the planning process

The ISPUD gives developers of small sites (less than 2.5 acres) within the urban core the flexibility to mix uses within very small spaces which have traditionally been inaccessible to development. Additionally, the ISPUD provides nearby property owners and neighborhood stakeholders with greater certainty of the development by requiring a detailed Site Plan.

The ISPUD tool directly supports the stated growth scenario of the locally adopted comprehensive master plan for the City-Parish, the Horizon Plan. Adopted in 1992, the Horizon Plan focuses development patterns on infill and sustainability.

The Infill/Mixed Use Small Planned Unit Development guidelines provide neighborhoods with security and knowledge of future development, while maintaining flexibility for the developer in their use of the property. This innovative tool provides planners, developers and the public with the ability to implement effective and efficient infill development in Baton Rouge.

The LDAST uses an innovative interactive map to display monthly planning and zoning case information within an easily recognizable �Google Maps� Interface. Using data contained in submitted development applications, the LDAST provides the geographic location of each case, the case number, staff recommendation, Planning Commission agenda, vicinity maps, site plans, and site photographs. This information can be easily accessed through a link on the Planning Commission website.

The LDAST addresses directives in the Horizon Plan, the Comprehensive Land Use and Development Plan for Baton Rouge, that call for the City-Parish to establish a Planning Management Information System for automated mapping and interrelational database management.

The Land Development Application Search Tool has increased access to, and awareness of, development activities throughout the City-Parish. Through technology, it encourages the public to participate in, and thereby influence, land development decisions and the planning process in Baton Rouge.

For more information, contact the City-Parish Planning Commission at 225-389-3144 or visit the LDAST website at http://brgov.com/dept/planning/meetingsagendas.htm.

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Mayor Holden receives small business award

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 CST

Mayor Melvin �Kip� Holden this week received the Partner America Small Business Advocate Crystal Award for his support of the Baton Rouge area�s small business community.

The award was presented by Partner America, a public-private partnership that was created by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Management Services Inc. to assist mayors in providing the resources and information that small businesses need to thrive within their local communities and the global economy.

The award was presented Tuesday night by George Cloutier, founder and CEO of American Management Services and co-chair of Partner America, during a program dedicated to the plight of small businesses. The program focused on practical ways for small businesses to improve sales and their bottom line.

Cloutier is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and has a master�s business administration from Harvard Business School. He is one of the nation�s leading experts on small business, and is the author of the national best-seller, �Profits Aren�t Everything, They�re the Only Thing.�

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League of American Bicyclists Honors Baton Rouge

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 CST

Baton Rouge is the first Louisiana city ever to be recognized as Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The national organization announced last week that Baton Rouge won a bronze award for its commitment to bicycling.

Bill Nesper, director of the League�s Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) Program, said the bronze-level designation was awarded to Baton Rouge after a careful review of the city-parish�s application and consulting with local cyclists.

League President Andy Clarke said the BFC judges were particularly impressed with the bicycle facilities initiated by Mayor-President Melvin L. �Kip� Holden as part of Baton Rouge�s �Healthy Baton Rouge Initiative.�

Clarke said the judges were also favorably impressed with the city�s requirements for bicycle parking; improvements at LSU Lakes including multi-use paths; improvements at Baton Rouge Beach including a new bridge exclusively for bicycle and pedestrian use; and improvements at City Park, including the new multi-use paths and bicycle lanes along Dalrymple Drive.

The application process to become a BFC is rigorous. To date, 318 cities have submitted applications, but only 124 have a received a BFC four-year designation. The renewal process and four levels of the award � platinum, gold, silver and bronze � provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve, Clarke said.

Other cities receiving the program�s bronze award include Auburn, Ala., Oxford, Miss., Tallahassee, Fla., Salem, Ore, and Sacramento, Ca. For a complete list of BFC cities, go to: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/index.php and click on �Current Bicycle Friendly Community Master List.�

Baton Rouge�s bronze-level designation will be up for renewal in October of 2013.

Mayor Holden is slated to accept the BFC award at the Oct. 28 Metro Council meeting.

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Metro 1 Community Meeting To Discuss Bond Issue

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 CST

Councilman Trae Welch will host a Metro 1 Community Meeting on Tuesday, November 3, at the Baker Municipal Center, located at 3325 Groom Road at 6pm. Mike Futrell, Chief Administrative Officer for Mayor Holden will be on hand to discuss the upcoming bond proposal. Citizens are encouraged to attend this community meeting, and will be able to ask questions.

Information on the proposed 2009 Capital Improvements Program outlining a description of each project and budget are available online at www.brgov.com.

Metropolitan Council's ''Baton Rouge Fairshare Taskforce''

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 CST

Metropolitan Council's ''Baton Rouge Fairshare Taskforce''

http://www.ephodnet.com/FairShare/

EBR Litter Court to tackle 19 cases Thursday

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 CST

City-Parish Litter Court is slated to hold its first full docket Thursday, Oct. 1, at 1:30 p.m. in the Metro Council Chambers.

The Court considered an abbreviated agenda of four cases last week, but the Mayor�s assistant chief administrative officer, Irma Plummer, said this will be the first time that Administrative Hearing Officer Doug Olson presides over a full agenda of cases aimed at cleaning up the City-Parish. A total of 19 cases are scheduled to be heard Thursday.

Under the new program that kicked off on August 1st, City-Parish workers take photos of violations and feed them into a computerized system that generates warning letters and hearing notices. Property owners who fail to correct the problems in a timely fashion then go before an administrative hearing officer, who can assess a $117.00 fine for each violation.

The program targets trash and debris, overgrown weeds and grass more than 12 inches in height, swimming pools that are neglected or lack proper security, illegal signs, and garbage bins that are left on the curb for extended periods of time.

Mayor, Baton Rouge host Chinese Business Leaders

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 CST

Mayor Melvin �Kip� Holden�s recent trip to China is already paying dividends.

Officials from China�s largest air-conditioning manufacturer are visiting Baton Rouge today and Thursday to meet with local university and corporate officials about several possible cutting-edge �green� energy projects.

Broad Air Conditioning has emerged as a world leader in developing technology that uses waste to power central air-conditioning instead of electricity. The company has tapped sources like waste steam, waste hot water, landfill gas, waste oil and waste cooking oil to cool buildings. Broad has more than 40,000 projects worldwide, and was involved in more than 300 projects in the U.S. last year.

The group from Broad arrived in Baton Rouge Wednesday from New York, where they participated in the United Nations Global Warming Summit.

During their two-day visit here, the officials from Broad Air Conditioning will meet with the Mayor and representatives from Exxon-Mobil and Entergy to discuss ways to harness Exxon�s waste steam and waste hot water and Entergy�s waste heat to cool the city-parish�s offices and buildings on the Southern University campus.

The Chinese businessmen will also visit LSU and Southern University, and meet with officials from The Shaw Group and Albemarle.

The visit is the result of the 10-day trip to China that Holden took in April, when he visited with the chief executive officer of Broad Air Conditioning in Changsha. Holden used campaign funds to make the trip instead of spending public funds.

Baton Rouge businessman Eugene Ji accompanied Holden on the trip to China, and served as his interpreter.

Ji also helped to arrange trips to China for banker and former Gov. Buddy Roemer and for lobbyist and former U.S. Sen. J. Bennett Johnston.

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Mayor's Neighborhood Expo, Saturday, November 7th

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 CST

Mayor's Neighborhood Expo, Saturday, November 7th

http://brgov.com/dept/mayor/expo/default.asp

3-1-1 Hotline Hits Milestone of 170,000 Resolved Complaints

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 CST

Since the 3-1-1 hotline was established in January of 2006, the city-parish has resolved 170,759 of the 184,794 complaints received through the new system. That translates into a clearance rate of 92.4 percent.

�It�s an amazing statistic, when you consider the volume of calls that we�ve received,� said city-parish Public Works Director Pete Newkirk.

The most common complaint received over the past three and a half years has been toilet overflows or stoppages, which usually occur when excessive rainfall inundates the aging sewer system. A total of 26,401 complaints about sewage overflows have been received since January of 2006, and all but 10 have been resolved, a clearance rate of 99.9 percent. The city-parish is currently involved in a $2-billion revamp of the sewer system aimed at eliminating those types of overflows and other sewer-related problems.

The 3-1-1 system was created to provide a central clearing house for complaints that range from downed trees on roadside right of way to missed garbage pickup, Newkirk said. Medical and emergency-related calls are referred to the 9-1-1 call center.

The hotline system was initially implemented in 2006 to help track garbage pickup problems when Allied Waste began a new contract with East Baton Rouge Parish. The 3-1-1 system was later expanded to include all types of city-parish complaints, including sewer problems, impassable streets, potholes and burned-out streetlights.

Under the system, complaints are usually documented with photographs and then turned over to the appropriate city-parish department or contractor for resolution. Newkirk said that some complaints, such as downed trees on private property, cannot be resolved by the city-parish due to legal restrictions.

Common 3-1-1 complaints include missed garbage/trash pickup service (13,452), requests for garbage carts by new residents (12,336), overgrown weeds ((7,503), tree problems (6,664), and malfunctioning traffic signals (5,108).

Newkirk said city-parish complaint resolution employees are working to take care of the remaining unresolved cases in addition to the approximately 500 new cases that are received each week.

�While 92-percent clearance rate may be great, our goal is to go even higher,� Newkirk said.

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See attachment for breakdown of complaints by category.

Mayor Holden Implements Administrative Regulations on Pandemic Influenza Outbreak

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 CST

Mayor Holden Implements Administrative Regulations on Pandemic Influenza Outbreak

http://www.brgov.com/dept/HR/pdf/FluAdmin.pdf

Live after Five Fall Concert Series

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 CST

Live after Five Fall Concert Series

http://www.downtownbatonrouge.org/playLiveFive.asp

Baton Rouge wins award for telemedicine initiative

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 CST

Baton Rouge was honored by the Louisiana Municipal Association Saturday for becoming the second U.S. city to implement a telemedicine program that allows doctors to treat patients en route to the emergency room.

The telemedicine program, called Baton Rouge Med-Connect, earned the LMA�s 2009 �basic services� award for cities with populations over 25,000.

In a press release issued late Saturday, the LMA noted that the program delivers pre-hospital care for heart-attack victims while they are transported to the hospital.

Mayor Melvin �Kip� Holden said the new system can also help to save accident victims and other trauma cases, especially in cases involving long transports.

The only other American city with a similar ambulance program is Tucson, Ariz., Holden said. But he noted that the technology is widely used overseas in countries with a shortage of physicians and hospitals.

Holden said he first saw a telemedicine ambulance during a 2007 conference in Jerusalem. He was so impressed with the system in Jerusalem that he started work on a Baton Rouge version as soon as he returned home.

The new telemedicine program allows physicians to begin treatment as soon as a patient is loaded into an ambulance, Holden said..

Mississippi Business Journal lauds Baton Rouge

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 CST

Publication: Red Stick is �what Jackson wants to be�

The recent visit to Baton Rouge by 60 leaders from Jackson, Miss. is creating some head-turning headlines in the Mississippi business community. After the two-day visit last month, the Mississippi Business Journal published a special report entitled, �A Tale of Two Cities� that held up Baton Rouge as a model for Jackson.

�Baton Rouge success is a call to action for Jackson,� one headline read. Another headline said: �Jackson leaders learn what Baton Rouge has done right.�

In his story, staff writer Ed Darling - who was imbedded in the Jackson contingent during the trip - described Baton Rouge as �an urban highlight reel. �It is a city on the move, one that sensed trouble and reversed its course, one that saw potential and attacked, one that recognized obstacles and overcame, one that identified fragments and unified, one that totally proudly shares its story of success and hard work,� Darling wrote of Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin �Kip� Holden pointed out the positive press at Tuesday�s meeting of the Downtown Development District. .Holden noted that for the last several years, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber has sponsored similar canvas trips to other cities to learn lessons from their successes. �Isn�t it great that people are now coming to Baton Rouge to see what we are doing as well?� Holden said, triggering a round of applause.

The Mississippi Business Journal special report also noted that Holden�s proposed $867-million bond proposal is �critical to continued Baton Rouge progress.� At Tuesday�s DDD meeting, Holden agreed with that assessment, noting that one of the keys to Baton Rouge�s success stories is that �none of us are satisfied with the status quo.� Baton Rouge�s first major bond issue in 50 years would tackle neglected problems of the past, like drainage and overcrowded parish prison, while promoting economic development by expanding the River Center and building a new world-class riverfront attraction.

�The bond issue sets us a part from any city in the nation,� the Mayor said. Most American cities are busy just trying to keep their heads above water due to the national recession, Holden said.

Most American cities are busy just trying to keep their heads above water due to the national recession, Holden said.

By contrast, Baton Rouge still has a surplus this year, Holden said.

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Mid-City Youth Rally & Back to School Family Fun Day

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CST

Join Councilwoman Tara Wicker, State Representative Michael Jackson, and School Board member W. T. Winnfield for the Mid-City Youth Rally & Back to School Family Fun Day Saturday, August 15, 2009 at the Kernan Street Park located at 333 Kernan Street from 2pm-6pm. �This is an opportunity to bring families together to enjoy quality time with each other before the school year begins. Strong families help build strong communities. On this day we will join with families throughout District 10 as they celebrate playing and working together to make our neighborhoods better, says Councilwoman Wicker.�

Parents and children will have the opportunity to compete against each other in �old school� games such as Lemon Twist, Around the World, Double Dutch, Tether Ball, Front-Yard Football, Jacks, Marbles, Hop-Scotch, and many more. There will also be free food, drinks, and give-a-ways, including chances to win complete school supply kits.

Donations of school supplies, uniforms, games, as well as ideas for old school games and activities for the event are being accepted. Please send donations and ideas to:

District 10 Mid-City Youth and Family Day 222 St. Louis St. 3rd Floor, Ste. 321 Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Attn. Councilwoman Tara Wicker

District 6 Back to School Extravaganza

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CST

Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis in partnership with Pastor Raymond A. Jetson and Star Hill Church will be hosting a �Back to School Extravaganza� on Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at BREC Saia Park located at 855 N. Donmoor Drive. �This event will provide safety and health information for children and their parents as they prepare to return to school. The supplies provided will get students in District 6 off to a good start for the beginning of the school year, says Councilwoman Collins-Lewis.� District 6 is roughly bounded by North Foster Drive to the west, North Flannery Road to the east, Choctaw Drive, Greenwell Springs Road to the north and Florida Boulevard and Old Hammond Highway.

The Baton Rouge Police Department, I CARE, DARE Officers, Emergency Medical Service, The Central Fire Department and The Baton Rouge Fire Department will be in attendance. This event is being sponsored by Academy Sports & Outdoors, Alfred Buckley, CH2MHill, Clerk of Court, Coca-Cola, Cox Communications, D. Honore� Construction, Inc., Entergy, Felder�s Collision Parts, Inc., Georgia Pacific Co., Holsom Baking Co., JPS Security, Lindsay, Abadie & Wehbe, Starmount Life Insurance Co., and The Entertainment Complex. Join Councilwoman Collins-Lewis for a day of fun, including school supply give-aways for District 6 students, I.D. Badges for children, and tips on education and safety. For more information please contact Pamela Smith, Legislative Assistant for Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis at 389-5165 or via email pamelasmith@brgov.com

Southeast Area Group Project Awarded to Low Bidder

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CST

Baton Rouge, LA � The City-Parish Department of Public Works and the Green Light Plan announce the awarding of the Southeast Area Group Project to Louisiana-based Barber Brothers Contracting Company, LLC with an approved low bid of $28.4 million.

The awarded bid was selected through the city-parish public bid process and will result in a $3.1 million savings based on the previous project estimate for construction cost with the resulting savings applied to other projects within the Green Light Plan. Other bidders on the project included James Construction Group, LLC, Gilchrist Construction Company, LLC, Gilmore & Son�s Construction Corporation, and J.B. James Construction, LLC.

�The Southeast Area Group Project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in East Baton Rouge Parish history to reach the bid process,� said Mayor-President Melvin �Kip� Holden. �This proven process continues to result in savings for our crucial infrastructure projects within the Green Light Plan while providing contract opportunities to local firms and employment opportunities to the citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish.�

The Southeast Area Group Project consists of the three separate projects located in southeast Baton Rouge: South Harrell�s Ferry Road � Segment 2, O�Neal Lane (LA 3245) Improvements � Segment 1, and O�Neal Lane Improvements � Earthwork Phase.

The South Harrell�s Ferry Road � Segment 2 project will add two additional through lanes, sidewalks, and a raised median from a point west of the Millerville Intersection to a point east of the O�Neal Lane Intersection, including a new intersection with Jones Creek Road. The project will require a new drainage crossing and raised roadway at the Knox Branch crossing (between Jones Creek Road and O'Neal Lane). When combined with other projects included in the Green Light Plan, it will provide an improved east-west connection for the area, as well as an improved north-south connection between Jones Creek Road and Interstate 12.

The O�Neal Lane � Segment 1 project will add two additional through lanes, sidewalks and a raised median from a point south of the S. Harrell's Ferry Road Intersection to 1,250 feet south of Interstate 12. When combined with other projects included in the Green Light Plan, this project will provide the city-parish with an improved north-south connection extending from Nicholson Drive to Hooper Road.

The O�Neal Lane Improvements � Earthwork Phase project consists of the clearing and grubbing and placement of embankment for the Jones Creek and Knox Branch crossings in preparation for roadway and bridge construction on the O�Neal Lane project. The final design for the O�Neal Lane project is underway and is scheduled to receive construction bids in early 2010.

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MAY SALES TAX REVENUES SHOW STABILITY

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CST

Mayor Melvin �Kip� Holden on Tuesday released sales tax revenues for the month of May that indicate the Baton Rouge economy continues to be relatively stable at a time when many American cities are reeling from the national recession.

For the five-month period ending in May 2009, the 2-percent sales tax collected for general operations of the city-parish were slightly down by 1.79 percent, compared to the same 5-month period last year.

City-Parish Finance Director Marsha Hanlon attributed a portion of the decrease to the impact of taxes paid on start-up equipment and expansion expenses last year by several manufacturing firms under the enterprise zone program.

Without these 2008 remittances, the 2009 sales tax growth rate would actually reflect an increase of 1.36 percent, Hanlon said.

Hanlon said sales tax growth in many sectors continues to remain strong, and in some areas such as the restaurant industry, sales-tax collections are actually up by more than 3 for the month.

For the month of May, East Baton Rouge Parish total sales tax collections which includes taxes collected on vehicle sales totaled $13,160,870, a 7.72 percent drop from the $14,261,880 collected in May of 2008.

In addition to the one-time manufacturing remittances in 2008, continued sluggish vehicle sales that are being seen in our area as well as the rest of the country contributed to the decline for the month.

Because of prudent financial management, the anticipated collections are still within city-parish budget, Hanlon said.

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Mayor Holden and Columbia Pictures Announce the Return of Studio Film Production to Baton Rouge

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CST

Mayor Melvin "Kip" Holden and Columbia Pictures, a subsidiary of Sony and one of the world�s leading film companies, today announced that its upcoming film, �Battle: Los Angeles,� is currently in pre-production in Baton Rouge, with filming set to begin this fall.

The production is expected to result in direct spending in Baton Rouge of approximately $25 million, and will be based at Raleigh Studios at the Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge.

�Battle: Los Angeles� is a sci-fi action film about a marine platoon facing off against an alien attack on the City of Los Angeles. The film will star Aaron Eckhart and will be produced by Original Film�s Neil Moritz.

"This is a tremendous boost to our local film industry and our city," said Mayor Holden. "I have been working closely with the Baton Rouge Film Commission to secure this deal and am proud that our city will host such an exciting blockbuster production.�

Chris Stelly, director of Film and Television for Louisiana�s Office of Entertainment Industry Development, said �Battle: Los Angeles� will have a statewide impact.

�With its base of operations in Baton Rouge and filming scheduled throughout the entire state, this production further exemplifies how this industry creates economic benefits for all of Louisiana," Stelly said.

�Battle: Los Angeles� will be one of the first major studio films to benefit from the recently passed legislation in Louisiana that provides a 30-percent tax credit on in-state spending, plus an additional 5-percent tax credit on local labor expenditures.

Mayor Holden said he will ask the East Baton Rouge Metro Council to approve an additional incentive of $175,000 based on the film's commitment to Baton Rouge and the significant direct spending that will result. The Council is slated to consider the incentive at its Aug. 12 meeting.

The production will also utilize the Baton Rouge Preferred Entertainment Industry Vendor Discount Program, which offers film crews at least 15-percent savings at participating local businesses. Baton Rouge is also providing a supply of eco-friendly water bottles and a recycling plan for the production in order to minimize their environmental impact.

Attached please find comments from The Celtic Group.

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Bob Bayham - Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, The Celtic Group

�We welcome Executive Producer Jeffrey Chernov, Production Manager Tommy Harper, and all of the

cast and crew of �Battle: Los Angeles� to Baton Rouge and to Raleigh Studios at The Celtic Media

Centre. We thank Battle Productions for their confidence in the Studio in bringing the first major

motion picture to our new facility. We are honored to host this wonderful feature film project.

We are excited about the future opportunities that the film, television and digital media industries hold

for Raleigh Studios, The Celtic Media Centre, the people of the State of Louisiana and the City of Baton

Rouge. We have been working toward this day for over three years, and we hope this is the first of

many projects to be produced at the Studio in the years to come.

On behalf of The Celtic Group, we also wish to thank our many friends and colleagues in State and

Local Governments for their cooperation and effort in making this possible.�

Michael O'Connor - Chairman & CEO, The Celtic Group

�Along with hosting �Battle: Los Angeles,� The Celtic Media Centre is pleased to announce the

completion of Phase 1 construction as of June 8, 2009. Celtic Media Centre represents the first purposebuilt

complex to service the movie industry in the State of Louisiana, with 4 operating sound stages,

production offices and post-production facilities. In addition we currently have twelve permanent

tenants located within the Studio to support and serve the needs of the growing film and television

industry.

We are proud to complete Phase 1 within budget. The project has been challenging, but with the help of

Raleigh Studios and dedicated employees, the vision has become reality.

With the passage of the State�s new production incentive program and resolution of industry labor

disputes, we are confident that production activity will continue to increase, and that Baton Rouge will

make its mark as a true production center.

We are currently reviewing the need for additional facilities as proposed under Phase 2, based on future

business opportunities and market conditions.�

For

New Litter Court To Streamline Clean-up Process

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CST

Training began this week for the City-Parish workers who will enforce Mayor-President Melvin �Kip� Holden�s new program to crack down on litter and blight.

The 15 workers are learning how to handle new special cameras to document blighted property, and how to input the images into a new computer system that will generate warning letters and hearing notices for the responsible property owners.

As part of the training process, City-Parish officials plan to hold a mock litter court on Tuesday, July 22 beginning at 1 p.m. in the Metro Council Chambers on the third floor of the Governmental Building. Inspectors will present photos of alleged litter- and blight-related violations to a hearing officer as sort of a dry run. The new enforcement program officially kicks off on August 1, and the first "real" Litter Court session is slated for September 17th.

Litter and blight were some of the biggest concerns that East Baton Rouge residents registered during the Mayor's listening tour earlier this year. As a result, the Mayor's office has put together a new enforcement program with a tough new ordinance and the high-tech services of American Traffic Solutions, the company under contract to operate the City-Parish�s red-light monitoring system.

ATS already uses video from cameras posted at key intersections to generate violation notices for the owners of vehicles that illegally run red lights. Under the new program, ATS will use photos taken by City-Parish workers to create violation letters and administrative hearing notices. The photos will be taken by special cameras that will display the GPS coordinates to verify the location of the violation and a time-stamp to show when the photo was taken.