One Acadiana makes its case to St. Landry officials

OPELOUSAS — The newly-formed One Acadiana was greeted as another development path for St. Landry Parish at a meeting of the St. Landry Parish Economic Development District Tuesday.
Bill Rodier, the district’s executive director, said, “This is a collaborative effort. This isn’t an adversarial type of situation.”
Jim Bourgeois, recently named executive director of business development at One Acadiana, and Rebecca Shirley, director of the Acadiana Economic Development Council, spoke during the district’s board meeting in Opelousas.
One Acadiana will support local economic developers such as Rodier, Bourgeois said.
“It is going to work with Bill to identify what is it that we can add more resources to,” he said.
“The business community in Acadiana has come together to recognize the importance of all the regions being able to get their fair share of the pie,” Bourgeois said.
“We are really going to get together with them to identify the assets, identify the opportunities, identify the weaknesses and see what we can to improve the situations. We are going to continue the great work that AEDC has done marketing the region on the national and international level.”
One Acadiana was formed from the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and announced in February as an umbrella agency to lead economic development in nine parishes.
Outside the meeting, Bourgeois said completion of Interstate 49 is One Acadiana’s top transportation priority.
Shirley said, “We can make it all day, but we have to take it where it is going to be sold. That’s what is key for us.”
One of the U.S. 90 choke points is the Lafayette area.
“The competition we have to deal with nationally may not have a Highway 90 going through Lafayette with multiple traffic lights,” she said.
Patterson to Morgan City on U.S. 90 also needs to be upgraded, she said.
Other business included announcing a March 31 deadline for applications and nominees to the Crowne Parc Joint Commission, a development off I-49 at the Harry Guilbeau exit. There are seven commission seats open. Three are to be appointed by the mayor of Opelouas, two by the St. Landry Parish president and two by the St. Landry Parish Council.
“No matter what happens in this district it is going to affect all of St. Landry Parish and north Acadiana,” Rodier said.
Applications are available at www.opportunitystlandry.com.

This story was written by Harlan Kirgan of the Eunice News. Reach him at hkirgan@eunicenews.com.