Oct 12, 2009
Governor Jindal Announces $2.7 Million in Funding for L.E. Fletcher, Allows for Completion of Land Buy for New Campus

HOUMA – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced the state is committing $2.7 million in Community and Development Block Grants (CDBG funding) for the purchase of the remaining property needed for the new Fletcher Community College campus. The Governor made the announcement at a press conference at L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College in Houma, where he was joined by Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) President Dr. Joe D. May and Fletcher Technical Community College Chancellor Travis Lavigne.

Governor Bobby Jindal said, “Today is a tremendous victory for not only L.E. Fletcher, but all of our community and technical colleges and for all the students and businesses in our state. Our continued investment in training and educating our workers helps attract more business investment and create more jobs for our people. By investing this $2.7 million to complete the purchase of land for the new campus, we are ensuring the remaining more than $18 million in available funding can be used for construction of the new campus, so the work can begin without delay.”

Site selection for the new campus has already been approved and $21.3 million in financing for construction and development has been dedicated to the new facility. The 74.2-acre site for the new campus has been selected and around $3 million of the $21.3 million bond sale was used to purchase the first 32.2 acres of the site. Another 3.4 acres of land is being donated for a road, leaving 38.6 acres remaining to be purchased, which will be bought with the $2.7 million in CDBG funds the Governor announced today.

The new site is located less than ten miles from Nicholls State University and will be supported by Fletcher and Nicholls facilities, providing cross enrollment opportunities for students between the two institutions.

A separate investment in L.E. Fletcher of $5.1 million of state surplus funds for the Louisiana Marine and Petroleum Institute Marine Construction Transportation facility was announced in March this year. These funds will allow for the expansion of the Marine Operations, Diesel Marine, and Welding programs at Fletcher. In addition to this funding, another $50,000 in recent bond sales for the Marine Construction Transportation facility brings the total state investment in the facility to $5.47 million.

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