Southeastern provides training in planning for area officials
Contact: Rene Abadie
11/14/07
HAMMOND – Area elected officials and other professionals received a crash course recently in community planning through a workshop sponsored by the Southeast Louisiana Business Center and the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association.
William Joubert, director of the center, a unit of Southeastern Louisiana University, said the half-day program last Saturday (Nov. 10) provided more than 40 volunteer planning officials who sit on parish and municipal planning and zoning commissions with information they need to fulfill their obligations to their communities.
The program, Joubert said, covered issues regarding historical and legal roles of planning commissions, as well as the development of master plans, zoning and ethics. The program, which featured professional planners Steven Villavaso and Tim Jackson, also looked at issues surrounding smart growth, comprehensive planning and implementation of plans.
The workshop qualified as fulfillment for State Act 859, which requires all newly appointed planning and zoning commissioners, including individuals serving on boards of adjustments, to receive at least four hours of professional training regarding the responsibilities of the positions hey hold.
The business center recently added community planning to its array of services offered for area businesses, economic development and government agencies. The center also offers the services of the Southeastern Small Business Development Center, the Business Research Center, and a business incubator designed to assist in launching small businesses with space and other related needs.
More News...
