Young and Parish Council Chairman Elton Lagasse delivered the State of the Parish presentation Wednesday at a Jefferson Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Watch video
Parish President John Young, ever so briefly, confronted Jefferson's demographic shift during an upbeat State of the Parish address Wednesday. After riding a post-World War II wave of suburban population and economic expansion, Jefferson stagnated in the mid-1980s and only recently has begun to recognize new opportunities.
"People are coming back toward the inner city," Young told an estimated 325 people at the luncheon, organized by the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. "We need to capture the young entrepreneurial class."
The target audience, he said, wants more green space, bike paths, dog parks and recreation. For residences and nightlife, he said, they seek a setting like the one parish officials hope to develop in Fat City -- "our version of the Warehouse District" -- and on the West Bank.
To be sure, Jefferson has recorded some promising demographic changes just since 2000. Owner-occupied housing values rose 66 percent, far outpacing inflation, and the percentages of high school and college graduates both increased, according to the 2010 census. At the same time, overall population declined, household income growth lagged behind the cost of living, a larger percentage of people were living in poverty and the housing stock was aging, according to the census.
In hopes of reversing the worrisome trends, Young and Parish Council Chairman Elton Lagasse ticked off reams of numbers about Jefferson's accomplishments in recent years. Among their points: wages were up in the first quarter of 2012, the Huey P. Long Bridge widening project is almost finished, Elmwood is thriving, flood and hurricane protection have improved, the film industry is injecting new money into the economy, casual and organized recreation are booming and the combination of the John A. Alario Sr. Event Center, its festival grounds and Segnette Field make for "the premier sports and entertainment complex in the greater New Orleans area."
It was left to Lagasse to address two of the more troublesome projects on the local landscape.
He said officials have been talking for a decade about extending Interstate 49 across the West Bank, yet design work has not begun. "I don't think I have to worry about riding on this," said Lagasse, 73.
As for the Jefferson Performing Arts Center, the overdue, over-budget behemoth in LaSalle Park in Metairie, he acknowledged it as a "hot issue, hot issue," but added: "This is going to be a great facility once it's finished."
The State of the Parish address has for years a staple of Jefferson's parish president and council chairman, regardless who holds the offices. It's less a statement of vision than a recitation of statistics. (Read the advance copy of Wednesday's text.)
Still, the audience applauded Young and Lagasse warmly.
Doreen Parnell, customer relations manager at Bergeron Motors Inc., called the presentation "very informative" and concluded that Jefferson is "in a very positive growth mode."
"There's a lot here that I wasn't aware of," she said.