The high winds and heavy rains of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent widespread flooding damaged many buildings in Orleans Parish including public school facilities owned by OPSB. In the aftermath of the hurricanes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State of Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of Community Development (OCD) are issuing this public notice as a part of their separate responsibilities under 36 CFR Part 800, the regulations implementing Section 106of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended.
This notice applies to activities carried out by the Public Assistance (PA) program implemented under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5152-5206.
It also applies to any activities carried out by OCD to provide Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding under the authority of Fiscal Year 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act HR 2863, Pub. L. No. 109-148, 119 Stat. 2680 (2005) and Fiscal Year 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, HR 4939, Pub. L. No. 109-234, 120 Stat. 418 (2006).
OPSB and RSD intend to request that FEMA and OCD provide funds for the repair, replacement, demolition, or land banking of damaged school facilities through Red's and OPSB's implementation of the School Facilities Master Plan. The Master Plan was approved by the Orleans Parish School Board on November 6, 2008 and the State of Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) on November 12, 2008.At this time OPSB and RSD propose to use FEMA and CDBG funds to implement the first, five-year phase of the Master Plan. The regulations at 36 CFR Part 800 require FEMA and OCD, if they will providing funding or other assistance, to identify if properties that may be affected by the implementation of the School Facilities Master Plan are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and to assess the effect that the implementation of the Master Plan may have on these historic properties.
FEMA has initiated consultation to identify historic properties and seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse effects to historic properties that may result from the implementation of the Master Plan. OCD is participating in this consultation. Any member of the public is encouraged to provide views on how the implementation of the Master Plan may affect historic properties and ways that these effects may be avoided, minimized, or mitigated. Comments can be submitted to FEMA for a 15-day period beginning on December 2, 2008 at www.crt.state.la.us/culturalassets/fema106 or by regular mail.
Information on the School Facilities Master Plan is available at: http://www.sfmpop.org/
Mailed comments should be sent to:
FEMA LA TRO
Historic Preservation
1250 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70113
If mailed, comments and requests must be physically received at this address by December 16, 2008.
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