New Orleans CityBusiness articles from September 2006

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from September 2006

Fledgling boutique finds niche in Gretna.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet Hurricane Katrina did not curb Melody Traina's dream to own a women's clothing boutique. To the contrary, the storm inspired her and her fiancee, Jason Schieffler, to expedite their dream as soon as possible. "After...

Adult Services Center opens Thursday in Metairie.
September 1, 2006... Byline: The Journal Staff Report Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority will open the doors of its new Adult Services Center Thursday. It's the first facility offering services to adults with mental illness, addictive disorders and...

Commentary: Mayor Nagin's 100-day plan would help N.O. recovery.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor A slick 16-page four-color glossy report from the mayor hit my desk Aug. 29 just as promised. Hey, that's the very day Mayor C. Ray Nagin promised to release his 100-day plan. This impressive publication outlined the...

Jefferson Parish Adult Services Center to open in September.
September 1, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority will open its new Adult Services Center in mid-September. The new facility at 2400 Edenborn Ave. will offer screening and assessment, individual, group and family...

Xavier University of Louisiana returns to regular school schedule.
September 1, 2006... Xavier University of Louisiana returns to its regular school schedule when students return Tuesday for registration. About 2,700 students are expected to return for the fall semester or about 70 percent of Xavier's pre-Katrina enrollment....

$28.5M research project presented to Joint Education Committee of LA Legislature.
September 1, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A $28.5-million plan to invest in the research at universities hit by hurricanes Rita and Katrina is being presented today to the Joint Education Committee of the Louisiana Legislature. Officials from...

Commentary: Recovery czar would clarify city's uncertain future.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary We need a czar. As the recovery of New Orleans moves into its second year, it's painfully obvious no one is in charge. A lot of people want to be in charge, and there are a few who should be in charge, but the...

Louisiana's 'Road Home' program begins with $1.5M in deals.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports "The Road Home" pilot program began in earnest as 42 applicants qualified to receive financial assistance for losses from Hurricane Katrina totaling almost $1.5 million. Ten Housing Assistance Centers...

New Orleans-based Energy Partners Ltd. dealing with hostile takeover bid by Aussie firm.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Australia's No. 1 oil and gas company, made an unsolicited offer Aug. 28 to buy New Orleans-based Energy Partners Ltd. for $933 million, a move that would break up a proposed...

Louisiana exports set record-smashing pace.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Louisiana's worldwide merchandise exports, temporarily slowed in late 2005 by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, resumed strong growth in the first half of 2006 and are headed toward a record-breaking year,...

Three prominent New Orleans restaurateurs say industry's slowly recovering.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Three prominent New Orleans restaurateurs said light is visible at the end of the industry's tunnel of recovery at an Aug. 24 press conference. Chef John Besh of Restaurant August and the Besh Steakhouse...

New Orleanian creates NOLA Bungalow as sturdier temporary home.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports A New Orleans businessman hopes to replace feeble FEMA trailers with what he calls a stronger, more attractive option -- the "NOLA Bungalow." Troy Von Otnott -- CEO of NOLA Homebuilder, a New Orleans...

Katrina rescuer sued for using neighbor's boat without permission.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports In the days following Hurricane Katrina, Uptown resident Mark Morice rescued more than 200 stranded people using a boat his neighbor left behind. Now he's being sued for it. John M. Lyons is suing Morice...

Katrina film spotlights Franklin High School students' plight.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports At 10:17 a.m. last Monday, the time when all of the clocks stopped at Benjamin Franklin High School during Hurricane Katrina, four Northeast men launched "Yearbook 2006," a Web-based documentary...

Commentary: Shula's steaks score high but prices do, too.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Tom Fitzmorris $$$$$$$ Shula's Steak House Ratings: B 614 Canal St., Central Business District Breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days. Brunch Sun. Here's a good dissertation subject for a doctoral candidate in human biology:...

Commentary: Insurance crisis on Gulf Coast requires legal remedy.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Editorial The real estate industry in Louisiana and surrounding coastal states is facing a property insurance crisis. Insurance prices for commercial and residential property have become much more expensive...

Commentary: Embattled Broussard faces uphill '07 re-election battle.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Jeff Crouere A few weeks ago, the nation watched the four-part Spike Lee documentary "When the Levees Broke" on HBO. Later this year, two more documentaries will focus on the last New Orleans mayor's race. One documentary is the...

Commentary: GNO Inc. works to address No. 1 recovery woe: housing.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Mark Drennen Greater New Orleans Inc., in partnership with the Federal Reserve and Fannie Mae, recently surveyed 36 companies to determine housing needs for their employees. Half of the business owners said they have job openings...

Louisiana banking industry no longer on the periphery of state emergency operations.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose Several bank employees returned to Jefferson Parish immediately after Hurricane Katrina to staff makeshift operations in the storm-stricken region. Tellers and administrators arrived in charter buses with a state...

Villere and Co. returns to its New Orleans roots.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose New Orleans has been home to Villere and Co. since 1911. The fourth-generation family owned investment advisory business took shelter from Katrina in Houston but the firm is back in the community. The four-partner,...

Interview with John Ducrest, commissioner of Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose Banks scrambled to reopen after Hurricane Katrina, knowing their return was a key to bringing people back to start the recovery. John Ducrest, commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions, used his...

Sept. 6 - Sept. 10.
September 4, 2006... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports Sept. 6 Encounter in Louisiana: Conflict and Confluence in Literary Currents, readings on Louisiana's cultural diversity, East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie; 7 p.m. Program...

Commentary: Mayor report on city progress would help fuel N.O. recovery.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor A slick 16-page four-color glossy report from the mayor hit my desk Aug. 29 just as promised. Hey, that's the very day Mayor C. Ray Nagin promised to release his 100-day plan. This impressive publication outlined the...

New chef over sees Galatoire's New Orleans kitchen and establishment in Baton Rouge post-Katrina.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton A new chef has taken the helm in the legendarily busy kitchens at Galatoire's. At 29 years old, Brian Landry is putting his youthful energy to work overseeing the New Orleans kitchen and the outpost established...

Plaza Tower condos in downtown New Orleans push peak prices.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts The proposed conversion of the moldy, asbestos-laden Plaza Tower in downtown New Orleans into upscale condos has been a much talked about project. The ideas is to sell condos in a former office building, vacant since a...

Why Stay?: Co-owner of flooded Gentilly business returns and opens restaurant in Harahan.
September 4, 2006... Byline: April Capochino After Hurricane Katrina, Gary "Koz" Gruenig was airlifted from his flooded Gentilly business, dropped off at the University of New Orleans and then shipped out to Interstate 10 at Causeway Boulevard to spend the...

Outline of New Orleans Ninth Ward's progress and challenges.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster Editor's note: Today, CityBusiness begins a tour of all the New Orleans neighborhoods we know and love. The tour begins in the Ninth Ward for the occasional series titled "Faubourg Rebirth." Faubourg, to the...

Entergy N.O. could turn lights out.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix How long can Entergy New Orleans keep the lights on? That's the big question for the hurricane-battered gas utility as it fights bankruptcy, backlash from customers and for its share of a federal bailout. Entergy New...

Katrina merchandise floods New Orleans market.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet Books, films and merchandise dealing with the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina have flooded the Gulf States in the 12 months following the storm. Many projects were in the works before Katrina and had to be tweaked...

Louisiana Department of Revenue postpones corporate tax deadline to Oct. 16.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Louisiana Department of Revenue has once again postponed tax filing and payment deadlines for individuals and businesses to Oct. 16, which is the same deadline established earlier for certain...

Corps OKs $37.8M floodwall work in Jefferson and St. Charles Parishes.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Hurricane protection construction will be accelerated by an agreement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Jefferson Parish authorities for the federal government to pay 100 percent of the costs,...

Orleans Parish School Board approves $192-million budget.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Orleans Parish School Board passed a $192-million budget to fund 18 schools, reduce debt and create a "fiscally responsible plan" for a school district infamous for financial strife. The Orleans Parish...

Louisiana-based IberiaBank's expansion nets mixed reviews.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report IberiaBank turned heads last month when it announced its second Arkansas acquisition within two weeks and industry opinions vary on the moves. IberiaBank's $76-million deal for Jonesboro-based First...

FEMA warned to go slow in cutting off benefits for hurricane evacuees.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Public Citizen, a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., asked a federal judge Thursday to issue a court order to prevent the Federal Emergency Management Agency from...

Commentary: Faith helps New Orleans recover as authorities falter.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Dan Juneau The mainstream media were loaded with stories about the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It almost seems insensitive for me to admit I felt pain again while watching the replays of the nation's worst natural...

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation to hold its annual "Save Our Lake" party and auction.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will hold its 14th Annual Save Our Lake "Let's Make Waves" Party and Silent Auction from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum &...

Commentary: LSU chancellor denounces Confederacy symbolism.
September 4, 2006... Byline: Sean O'Keefe The fall is an exciting time at Louisiana State University. As we welcome our students for the new semester and gear up for football season, the campus buzzes with people from all walks of life -- students from every...

3 New Orleans projects gain $5.3M from state.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness issued 104 payments to Public Assistance applicants totaling more than $5.3 million dollars for the week of Aug. 22-29 -- all to New...

New Orleans Early College High School to open Wednesday under UNO tutelage.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Pierre A. Capdau-University of New Orleans Early College High School will begin its first week of classes with an opening assembly at 9 a.m. Wednesday for orientation of the school's first class of...

CityBusiness Question of the Week: Only 15% optimistic about New Orleans recovery.
September 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Concern over the progress of the post-Katrina recovery was evident in the latest New Orleans CityBusiness Question of the Week results. Of the 227 respondents, only 18 (8 percent) believe next year will be...

Common Ground celebrates year of achievement in providing hurricane relief to survivors.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Woodland Apartment Complex in Algiers will be the site beginning at 4 p.m. today of the Common Ground Relief Festival of Hope celebrating its year anniversary of providing relief and support to...

Commentary: Insurance crisis requires legal remedy.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Editorial The real estate industry in Louisiana and surrounding coastal states is facing a property insurance crisis. Insurance prices for commercial and residential property have become much more expensive...

Touro Infirmary delivers post-Katrina baby No. 1,000.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Exactly one year after Touro Infirmary had to shut down and evacuate because of hurricane Katrina, Touro welcomed the 1,000th post-K baby born in Orleans Parish. The baby, born at 2:39 a.m. Friday, and...

New Orleans 'drainage advocate' at odds with Corps.
September 5, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts More than a year after Hurricane Katrina, 23 pump stations in New Orleans are in various states of disrepair, putting the city's drainage system at risk. That's the message Matt McBride, a Broadmoor resident, will...

Recall petition for New Orleans mayor generates little response.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report An Internet-based petition seeking to recall Mayor C. Ray Nagin has generated only 146 signatures since its creation July 26. The petition at www.gopetition.com simply reads, "We, the undersigned electors,...

Realty investors coming to New Orleans in October.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association board members voted unanimously to play host to and co-sponsor the "Gulf Coast Real Estate Investors' Summit" in October along with MyPropertyLeads.com....

University of New Orleans report: Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and FQF all scored at home.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Observers believed the Mardi Gras, New Orleans Heritage and Jazz Festival and the French Quarter Festival will all smaller this year albeit vibrant. Janet Speyrer, associate dean for research in the...

Combined Credit Manager's Index shows economic softening.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The seasonally adjusted Combined Credit Manager's Index fell in August from 57.6 to 57.3, which continues to indicate an economy with good momentum and some pockets of weakness. While the manufacturing,...

Storm victims honored by Heaven's Pets at Lake Lawn Metairie.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Officials with Heaven's Pets at Lake Lawn Metairie will unveil a Hurricane Katrina Memorial at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. to honor all pets lost during the storm. "This service will be...

New Orleans airport gains 8 percent in August ridership.
September 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Five airlines have added seats coming in and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport for a post-Hurricane Katrina high of 12,573 seats. The 8 percent increase from 11,666 seats in August...

Construction delays in N.O. blamed for slow school openings.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Five New Orleans Recovery School District charter schools will open Monday or later because of construction delays, state officials said Tuesday. Lafayette Academy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....

Fortune names Energy Partners Ltd. LA's second fastest growing company.
September 6, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix On the verge a potential takeover that would leave a failed merger in its wake, Energy Partners Ltd. is still the second fastest growing company in Louisiana, according to Fortune Magazine. EPL, a New Orleans-based...

Hammond Emergency Services Drive to close for 2 weeks.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Emergency Services Drive on the North Oaks Medical Center campus in Hammond will close temporarily Tuesday for road construction. The closure will be in effect for about two weeks, weather permitting....

N.O. investment group buys Florida mall for $87M.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff New Orleans-based PMAT Real Estate Investments LLC has acquired CocoWalk, a 200,000-squarer-foot outdoor shopping mall at 3015 Grand Ave. in Coconut Grove, Fla., for $87 million. The seller was Thor...

Thomas to commemorate 9-11 disasters in Harvey with Youthanasia.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff A Youthanasia Foundation Inc. gala will be "Remembering Our Heroes to Create Future Heroes" at La Maison Creole, 1605 8th St. in Harvey from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sept. 11. Tickets are $30 and sponsor a...

Jefferson Island Storage sues state of LA over project halt.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Jefferson Island Storage & Hub LLC., a subsidiary of AGL Resources Inc., is suing the state of Louisiana to maintain its lease at Lake Peigneur to complete a natural gas storage expansion project. The...

Lake Charles wildcatter to drill on own front yard.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff As gas prices hit record highs, one Louisiana businessman decided to drill for oil right at home - literally. Steve Jordan, president of Jordan Oil Company Inc., will operate a roughly 35-foot-tall...

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to open camp in N.O. Oct. 3.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced today they will begin training camp Oct. 3 in New Orleans. "I'm thrilled to be able to officially begin the 2006-07 season by holding the first week of...

New Orleans Zephyrs attendance jumps 9 percent post-Katrina.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff A smallish crowd of 3,915 at the New Orleans Zephyrs final game Monday pushed total attendance to 361,493 - a 9 percent increase over 2005. "It was a great year, and finishing with a higher attendance...

One typo can crash a job chance.
September 6, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Reports Eighty-four percent of executives polled said it takes just one or two typographical errors in a resume to remove a candidate from consideration for a job opening; 47 percent said a single typo can be...

Hancock financial adviser ranked No. 68 in nation by Barron's.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Barron's, a business and financial weekly magazine, has recognized David Lundgren Jr., director of equities and research for Hancock Bank's Institutional Investment Management Group, as one of the...

Baton Rouge law firm of Phelps Dunbar deal adds BR ability.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Phelps Dunbar's Baton Rouge law firm office strengthened its public utitilies practice by adding four attorneys and two staff members in acquiring Baton Rouge-based Shirley, Ezell, Guarisco &...

Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, straightens out Corps confusion.
September 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, today reaffirmed his position on Mississippi River Gulf Outlet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After the conference call, Vitter made the following statement: "I...

Jefferson Parish takes delivery of final safe house.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Journal Staff Report The last of 10 safe houses for Jefferson Parish was delivered today to the West Bank Water Treatment Facility. The shelters will allow parish personnel to stay behind during a Category 5 hurricane to operate...

Louisiana's Recovery School District registers 8,500 students.
September 7, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Today marked the first day of school for thousands of New Orleans children registered at the state's Recovery School District and charter schools. According to Siona LaFrance, spokeswoman for the RSD, there were...

University of New Orleans' new disaster plan ready for public eye.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The University of New Orleans has completed the final draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan and posted it for public review. Monica Farris, Center for Hazards Assessment and Response Technology assistant...

Entergy New Orleans faces Oct. 18 court date over $2.5B IRS claim.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Entergy New Orleans is scheduled to defend itself in bankruptcy court Oct. 18 from claims the hurricane-shattered utility owes the Internal Revenue Service roughly $2.5 billion in back taxes. The IRS contends ENO owes...

Tax workshops offer hurricane relief insight for Louisiana residents.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The IRS, the Louisiana Department of Revenue and the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants are partnering with community agencies to conduct workshops on the latest tax laws affecting...

Circuit City cardholder information mistakenly lost in trash.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Chase Card Services is notifying 2.6 million current and former Circuit City credit card account holders that computer tapes containing their personal information were mistakenly identified as trash and...

Brocato's reopen famed New Orleans gelato shop.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton Angelo Brocato's, the 101-year-old Italian bakery and gelato shop on North Carrollton Avenue, will reopen the weekend of Sept. 23-24 after being closed nearly 13 months by hurricane damage estimated to total...

Louisiana oyster harvest estimated down to $200M.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton Although oysters are available year round, their popularity usually spikes at the end of summer and continues through fall and winter. But Sal Sunseri of seafood supplier P&J Oysters in New Orleans said this...

New Orleans CityBusiness' Women of the Year deadline nears.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans CityBusiness nomination deadline for its eighth annual Women of the Year awards is Friday. CityBusiness will honor 50 women for success in business and contributions to the New Orleans...

Another business reopens in eastern New Orleans.
September 7, 2006... Byline: City Business Staff Report O'Reilly Auto Parts reopened at 10 a.m. today at 9601 Chef Menteur Highway. "The business community in eastern New Orleans and its resident organizations have been aggressively pursuing key businesses to...

West Jefferson Medical Center tests new emergency care shelters.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report West Jefferson Medical Center is giving its new temporary emergency care shelters a test run today on its campus. WJMC paid $90,000 for two shelters similar to those the Federal Disaster Management team...

Louisiana to have 'Zero Tolerance' for Road Home fraud.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Attorney General Charles Foti Jr., joined federal and state officials today to introduce the U.S. Department of Justice "Zero Tolerance" program regarding The Road Home program. The "Zero Tolerance"...

Jefferson Chamber of Commerce named best in Louisiana.
September 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Jefferson Chamber of Commerce has been named Chamber of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. "I am not surprised the Chamber has been formally honored," said Gary...

Commentary: Katrina rends moral fabric a year later.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose Office workers at Metairie Office Tower stared down from their windows last Thursday afternoon as police cordoned off a portion of the parking lot. The yellow tape and flashing blue lights were out of place among the...

Lt. Gov. Landrieu report presents strong tourism sector progress.
September 8, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu has issued a one-year report on the "Louisiana Rebirth: Restoring the Soul of America" strategic tourism plan unveiled a year ago. "Restoring tourism, arts and culture is crucial...

Rebar Express Shop to aid N.O. rebuild.
September 8, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report North America's second-largest minimill steel producer, Gerdau Ameristeel Corp., is expanding its operations to New Orleans. The Tampa, Fla.-based manufacturer of finished steel products is adding a...

$10.2M Destrahan Avenue widening begins Tuesday.
September 8, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A $10.2-million project to rebuild and widen a portion of Destrehan Avenue will kick off at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Plans are to reconstruct two existing lanes and add two lanes in the section of Destrehan Avenue...

Commentary: Road Home program should work to pick up payout pace.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor Since gaining full funding in July, The Road Home program has barely dribbled $1 million of $10.4 billion in allocations out to deserving home, apartment and infrastructure owners. At this rate, the Road Home funds...

'All the King's Men' to open at Tulane.
September 8, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Movie stars Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and New Orleanian Patricia Clarkson will attend the world premiere of Columbia Pictures' "All the King's Men" at Tulane...

Tulane health care gains $5M Qatar boost.
September 8, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Tulane University's Community Health Center at Covenant House, founded last year when Tulane physician Anjali Niyogi set up a card table in the street to serve Hurricane Katrina's first responders,...

Negotiations still snag Harvey Canal floodwall work.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Federal, state and local officials are at odds over terms of a project cooperation agreement that must be signed before work can begin work on the long-stalled Harvey Canal floodwall project. If the issue is not...