Delta Parish Vision 20/20 Strategic Program Outreach Incentive

Presented By:The Shaw Group and Southern University

July 7, 2003

Introduction:

Goal: To support and initiate the strategic development of Madison Parish by forming a

concurrent alliance creating an effective tie to the Madison Parish School System, the port and the city of Tallulah which is similar to the existing strategic plan that the State of Louisiana is enacting.

“ When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees,

When planning for life, train, and educate people.”-Chinese proverb

Quick Facts: Madison Parish

• Location: northeast Louisiana, along the Mississippi River. To its north is East Carroll Parish, Tensas Parish is to its South, and Franklin and Richland Parishes surround the west.

Quick Facts: Madison Parish

Pictured left to right: East Carroll Parish and Tensas Parish

Quick Facts: Madison Parish

• Population:• 1990 Census 12,465• 2000 Census 13,728

– These population figures yield a population increase of approximately 5%. Based on this information it is anticipated that Madison Parish will have a population of 14,425 in the year of 2005 and a population of 15,121 by the year 2010 (Source: U.S. Census Bureau).

• Incorporated Municipalities:– Delta 239– Mound 12– Richmond 499– Tallulah 9,189

Quick Facts: Madison Parish

• Major Industries by Employment:– Services 37.82%– Public Admin. 18.37%– Retail Trade 17.46%– Manufacturing 13.38%

• Largest Private Employers:– Madison Parish School Board– Correctional Services Corporation– API Outdoors

Market Accessibility

• Madsion Parish has access to Interstate 20, US Highways 80 &65, and LA Highways 577 & 579.

Market Accessibility:

• Madison Parish has mainline access to Delta Southern Railroad and branch line access to Midsouth Rail Corporation.

Market Accessibility:

• Madison Parish has access to the Madison Parish Port located in Tallulah and the Port of Grater Baton Rouge.

Market Accessibility:

• Madison Parish has access to Monroe Regional Airport, Scott Airport, and Vicksburg/Tallulah Airport.

Quick Facts: Madison Parish

• Transportation (Inter and Intrastate):• Interstate 20• US Highways 80 & 65• LA Highways 577 & 579

• Freight Railway (Inter and Intrastate):• Delta Southern Railroad

• Navigable Ports (The World):• Madison Parish Port- accessible within the parish, with a channel depth of

9 feet. • Port of Greater Baton Rouge- distance of 175 miles, with a channel depth

of 45 feet, and apart of the foreign trade zone.

Quick Facts: Madison Parish

• Airports (Inter and Intrastate):• Monroe Regional Airport- commercial airport with a distance of 56 miles

and a runway length of 7,500 feet.• Scott Airport- used for general aviation with accessibility within the parish,

has a runway length of 3,000 feet.• Vicksburg/ Tallulah Airport- used for general aviation with accessibility

within the parish, has a runway length of 5,002 feet.

• The navigable port at Tallulah is your key to economic growth.

Socio-Economic Conditions:

• Parish-Populated Ethnicity:• Black persons 60.3%• White persons 37.9%• Other persons 37.1%

• Persons below poverty (determined by a reported median household income of $20,509/ yr. & a poverty percentage average rate of 36.7% as in comparison to the state’s average of 19.6%):

– Madison Parish 36.7%– LOUISIANA LOUISIANA 19.6%19.6%

– Source: US Census Bureau 2000

Socio-Economic Conditions:

• Employment Statistics:(Civilian Labor)• Unemployment:

– Madison Parish 11.4%– East Carroll 15.8%– Tensas 8.1%– LOUISIANA 6.2%LOUISIANA 6.2%

• ( Source: Louisiana Dept. of Labor, May 30, 2003).• Per Capita Personal Income:

– Madison Parish $15,929– LOUISIANA $24,454LOUISIANA $24,454– Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

• Median Household Income:– Madison Parish $20,509– LOUISIANA $32,566LOUISIANA $32,566

Educational Climate

• LA School Accountability Ranking (LEAP 21 and IOWA tests)2002: 66th overall with an average percentage of 44.8%2001: 64th overall with an average percentage of 51.3%

• District Snapshot:• Black Students 87.9%• White Students 10.8%• Free Lunch Students 88.0%Source: Louisiana Dept. of Education

• Educational Attainment:• 9thto 12th grade (no diploma) 22.9%• High school graduate 33.7%• Some college 16.5% • Bachelor’s Degree 7.7%Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Educational Climate:

• Education Institutions:• 4-Year Universities: There are a total of 7, all within a 150 mile radius of Madison Parish.• 2-Year Universities: There are a total of 3, all within a 150 mile radius of Madison Parish.• Technical Institutes: Tallulah Tech, which is located in the city of Tallulah.• Training:

– To assure that new and expanding businesses have a continuing pool of workers with the level of education and expertise necessary for their operations, area vocational-technical schools and high schools graduate trained and entry level persons year round. Community colleges are increasing their industry-specific training and colleges are developing partnerships with industry that involve human as well as technological development. This is important being that the labor force in this sector of the state is mainly comprised of a blue –collar manufacturing and industrial job base.

Opportunities:

• 1) Mentor-Protégé Agreement- this would form a strategic alliance between the Delta Parishes, Southern University, and Shaw.

• 2) Education• a) Madison Parish School System Consolidation Plan.

– 1) Develop $15-20 million Plan to Support Education Reform for Economic Development Concept

– 2) Bond issue request (October 23, 2003)– Apple Computers (as per Mike Stubblefield) has proposed Regional

Teacher Center for the Northeast LA Delta in support of Education Reform.

– 3) Proposal result of Madison Parish School Accountability Rankings in Louisiana for 2002 (66th). They have ranked last for two years in a row and in the bottom five for the past five years. Teacher accountability (certification) has received unsatisfactory ratings for the past two years as well.

Opportunities:

– Proposed Curriculum Redesign: incorporate modern engineering technology throughout K-12.

• 3)      Quality of Life• City/ Parish School Board to develop:

– 1) Teacher Recruitment Incentives: sign-on bonus, housing assistance, and educational upgrade incentive training.

• 4)      Economic Benefits• Industry

– 1) Will receive tax incentives (10 year tax exemption from the city, Madison Parish, and the state).

– 2) Has an advantage because Madison Parish along with East Carroll and Tensas Parishes are designated Hub Zones (designated by the reported median household income and an unemployment rate that is 1.4 times the statewide average).

– 3) Enterprise Community- Madison Parish, East Carroll– 4) Renewal Community- Tensas Parish

Opportunities:

• 1) The port that is in Tallulah is the only port on I-20/ Mississippi River in LA.• 2) Major incentive for us is the port and the railroad that exists in the same proximity.• 3) Northeast Louisiana--- Regional Manufacturing/ Distribution Center in Louisiana due to its

accessibility to the ports, airports, railways and roadways.• 4) Consolidation of Operation Facilities (1,000 jobs)- this would decrease the drastically high

unemployment rate in the three surrounding parishes (Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas).• 5) Partnership between the port and industry.

• City/ School Partnership to support housing for teachers.• City/ Parish Partnership for supporting business- (HUD, DOC) which is contingent on the

joint venture established between Shaw and Small Businesses of the city.

Executive Summary:

• Overview:• As stated before, Madison Parish is located in Northeast Louisiana, along the

Mississippi River and borders the state of Mississippi.It’s bordering parishes are East Carroll (north), Tensas (south), Franklin and Richland (west).

• Economy:– Has a hard working labor force, excellent transportation network, abundant

raw materials, land for commercial and industrial development that make Madison Parish an ideal prospect for a business investment. According to the 2000 Census, the economic base of Madison Parish consists of companies in the product services, manufacturing, and retail trade industries with an additional amount of of industrial activity that focuses mainly around the port located in Tallulah.

Executive Summary:

• Market Access:• Madison Parish’s strategic location along the Mississippi River provides direct

access to all regional markets. The major transportation arteries through Madison Parish are Interstate I-20, which runs east-west through many of of the southern states, US-80 which roughly parallels I-20 and US-65, the main north-south route through the parish and the region.

• Labor Market:• Madison Parish has access to a labor force of 5,590, not to mention to access to

the labor force in the surrounding parishes which is approximated at 12,780. Louisiana is a right-to-work state with some of the most highly productive worker in the country. According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the manufacturing output greatly exceeds that of the national average. Louisiana ranks 1st nationally for having the least number of man-hours lost.

Executive Summary:

• Education:• There are a total of 10 colleges and universities within a few hours drive of

Madison Parish and one technical college within commuting distance. The public system has an enrollment of approximately 2,800 and there is one private school.

• Quality of Life:• Madison Parish enjoys a temperate climate throughout the year. There is an

abundance of recreational activities available to residents. Also, there are several parks and wildlife reserves along with the museums and historic homes of the parish to help preserve the unique cultural heritage of the area.

• Infrastructure:• Entergy provides electric power to all of Madison Parish, with ready transmission

access and ample availability. Natural gas, sewerage treatment, and solid waste disposal are also available.

Path Forward:

• Assist school-system to develop a bond issue request for school construction at an approximate $15-20 MM by September 15, 2003 (Shaw/SU).

• City and Parish will need to assist in bond issue and request grants and/or loans from the Federal government (i.e. USDA, Dept. of Commerce, HUD).

• City/Parish- ongoing ($5 MM for roads,sewer, and infrastructure)• City/ Parish/ State will need to go through HUD Program to secure grants for housing.

This needs to be tied in with new educator recruitment. (City/Parish- December 31,2003).

• State has “LOULEASE”, whereby the state owns homes and will lease it to the buyer (City/Parish-December 31, 2003).

• City/Parish have to come up with tax incentives for industry to recruit business(City/Parish-December 31, 2003).

• Port has to come up with incentives to recruit business( economic benefit tool; City/Parish-December 31, 2003).