The $14-million Behrman Sports Complex rehab project in Algiers,which includes a new soccer stadium, is on schedule after beingsidelined following Hurricane Katrina, city officials say.
But there has been little movement on the six-year project.
The Behrman Complex revitalization, which includes renovation ofthe track, rebuilding the football field and field house andbuilding a new soccer stadium, has been a concept since 2002.
Several cooperative endeavor agreements for design work and a taxincrement financing district to fund the project have been signed.
Councilwoman Jackie Brechtel Clarkson said Hurricane Katrina isthe primary reason for the holdup. The Behrman overhaul is includedin the $200-million Federal City development, a public-privateventure for the development of a federal office park for governmentand non-government tenants, but the Complex is last on the prioritylist, said Clarkson.
'We included (Behrman) with infrastructure improvements for KabelDrive and (with) Federal City in one package as a huge economicdevelopment boost for Algiers,' said Clarkson. '(Behrman) hadn'tstarted yet but it wasn't supposed to until Kabel Drive was finishedand Federal City was into its next phase. In case there was notenough money for Federal City, then it would be last on the list.'
Kabel Drive renovations are complete, and last week the AlgiersEconomic Development District filed an application for preliminaryapproval or a notice of intent for the issuance of $150 millionworth of bonds to build facilities within the Federal City Complexand the city expected to break ground in the fall.
'Behrman is all on track except for Katrina,' said Clarkson.'It's not like it has been neglected. It was a third priority.'
Cynthia Sylvain-Lear, deputy chief administrative officer for NewOrleans, said Billy Sizeler of New Orleans-based Sizeler ThompsonBrown Architects has begun designing the project.
'Sizeler has done some preliminary design work,' said Sylvain-Lear. 'We are in the process of amending the contract with Sizeler... about how payments are made and the amount. This is going to bea massive contract and (the project) will take a significant amountof time.'
Sylvain-Lear did not have a timeline for construction to begin.
The Behrman project has traveled a slow road since Katrina.Clarkson, then a state representative for District 102, and formerstate Sen. Francis Heitmeier spearheaded the idea for Behrman'srehab in 2002.
In 2004, Clarkson and state Sen. Jim Tucker helped create theTIF.
In December 2004, the Algiers Economic Development District No. 1entered into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the LouisianaDepartment of Revenue and the city through the Friends of NewOrleans Recreation Department for development of the AlgiersEconomic Development Fund. The AEDF is funded through a 1.25-centportion on all city sales tax and state sales tax collections. Thestate would then match AEDF funds for Federal City and the Behrmanimprovements.
The status of the project still looks as it did in 2004 exceptfor additional funding supplements 'numerous times' since 2003,which now puts the price tag at $14 million, said John Davis, budgetadministrator for the Louisiana Office of Facility and Planning,which oversees capital outlay projects.
'We have made no (funding) disbursements (to the city) for theproject,' said Davis.
The city's capital outlay department was struggling with staffingfollowing Katrina and put Behrman on the back-burner, said Sylvain-Lear.
'It doesn't mean it's not an important project,' she said. 'Nowwe have city contractors to help us and you're going to see a numberof projects moving faster.'
