Volume 19
June 2010
UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE…. WALTERS FUNERAL HOME OPENS IN UPPER LAFAYETTE!
Upcoming Events Meetings for 2010 July 21, 11:30 a.m. Oakbourne Country Club Senator Mike Michot September 15, 11:30 a.m. November 17, 11:30 a.m.
UPPER LAFAYETTE BOUNDARIES
Upper Lafayette welcomed Walters Funeral Home at its ribbon cutting ceremony on May 21, 2010 at 2424 N. University Ave. Located near Greenlawn Memorial Park, the funeral home is the first new funeral business to open in Lafayette in ten years. Fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning his own funeral home, local industry expert Gene Walters will serve as owner/manager of the facility, imparting his vast knowledge of the business to his two children, Ross and Cecile. Says Walters, "With the growth in the economy and population of this region, I felt certain Lafayette could support another funeral home," a sentiment echoed by City Parish President Joey Durel and Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce President Rob Guidry at the ribbon cutting. Spacious corridors flooded in pleasing natural light, parlors with sound proof walls, and a chapel equipped with a state of the art sound system that seats 222 people are just a few of the features of Walters Funeral Home. "We focused on making our place feel more spacious and airy- more like a person's home than a funeral parlor- so that during our families' most critical time of need they feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible." Complementing this vision are technological trends in the industry such as mounted flat screen televisions for memorialization DVDs and funeral merchandise selections including caskets, urns and other keepsakes completed through a "virtual showplace. . For more information, please visit www.waltersfh.com or call Walters Funeral Home at (337)706-8941. Pictured from left above are B. Ross Walters, Gene Walters, Phyllis Walters, Cecile Walters Hebert and Matt Hebert.
ULEDF RECEIVES $9,000.00 GRANT FROM LCVC FOR THIRD MURAL! ULEDF has been awarded a $9,000 grant from the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission to enable a third University of Louisiana—Lafayette mural to be painted by mural artist Robert Dafford at the University Exit at I-10. As part of Upper Lafayette’s ongoing effort to revitalize this highly traveled gateway into Lafayette, we want to acknowledge that our efforts would not be possible without Gerald Breaux and the staff at LCVC, as well as Mr. Dafford. Thank you all for your generosity of spirit and support of ULEDF!
Letter from the President: Dr. Ross Judice, Acadian Ambulance ULEDF Board of Directors & Staff Dr. Ross Judice, President Ed Krampe, V. President Adrian Baudoin, Sec/Treas. Todd Citron, Past Pres. Don Dupuis Andre Moreau Beau Phares Dwight Prudhomme Dwight “Bo” Ramsay Herbert Schilling Monty Warren Jan Swift, Director
I remember getting the emergency voice mail from our dispatch center notifying our senior management team that there was a ―mass casualty incident‖ or MCI in the Gulf of Mexico. That was April 20 th. I learned that our helicopters and flight medics were heading out to triage, treat, and transport many of the victims of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. With most of these MCI notifications that I get in the middle of the night, whether it’s a chemical spill or multi-vehicle car crash on I-10, there’s usually a termination of the event. It’s a defined moment in time, tragic as it may be. As we all know, the Deepwater Horizon event is quite different. Back on April 20th none of us would have imagined that this event would go on and on and on. It is so disheartening to watch the evening news and see the oil continue to flow, watch the tragic human stories, witness the devastation to our beautiful wetlands, and observe the blow to our economy. It all seems like a bad dream – so surreal. What are we to do? At this moment…this very moment in time, I’m at a loss. My wife has registered as a volunteer. I’m just trying be mindful of all the great things we have in this state – the hardworking people that value community, culture, family, and God over all else. Together, we’ll muddle through this mess and do our best to celebrate life along the way.
UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE…. DELTA MEDIA LAUNCHES SNAP 103.7 FEATURING CLASSIC HITS ! Upper Lafayette is the home of Acadiana’s only locally-owned broadcasting company and Acadiana’s newest radio station – SNAP 103.7 – Delta Media’s latest addition to their family of broadcast properties. The station, which began broadcasting on May 11 th, is Delta’s third radio station – joining 105.3 FM and 87.7 FM. SNAP 103.7 carries a ―Classic Hits‖ format, focusing on hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and features an on-air staff of veteran broadcasters – Kenny Hazelet, Dave Pierce, Charlie Roberts and Lou Cowan – who bring over 150 years of combined broadcast experience to the station. On June 21 st, 87.7 FM and 105.3 FM will begin simulcasting as ―The Mustang,‖ carrying Golden Oldies with a Louisiana flavor and will be the new home of Carencro High School Football beginning this fall. Delta is developing their television properties to provide more local, business-oriented programming. KLWB-TV is now an affiliate of MGM’s ―This Network‖, on COX channel 23, and KXKW-TV will be an affiliate of the ―Untamed Sports‖ Network. Delta Media also owns KBCA-TV, the CW Affiliate in Alexandria.
SENATOR MIKE MICHOT TO ADDRESS ULEDF AT JULY MEETING Please plan to attend our July 21, 2010 meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Oakbourne Country Club where we will have the opportunity to hear Senator Mike Michot present and update of the 2010 Legislative Session highlights, as well as other news of interest in our community. Guests are welcome and encouraged. The cost for lunch is $10.00. RSVP to jan@upperlafayette.com or call (337)572-9877 Ext. 108. Senator Michot is a life long resident of Lafayette and a friend to us all. He serves Senate District 23 and chairs the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and is a member of numerous other standing and statutory committees. He owns Premier Medical Equipment and is President of Louis J. Michot & Associates, a real estate development company. Senator Michot has been instrumental in assisting Upper Lafayette in obtaining funding for our ongoing project to revitalize the University Ave. Exit. Please make plans to join us at this upcoming event.
SLEMCO AWARDS 20 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS! SLEMCO recently awarded $40,000 in college scholarships to 20 students who will attend college this fall. SLEMCO has been awarding college scholarships since 1992 after the Louisiana Legislature voted to allow unclaimed capital credit funds to be used to set up a scholarship fund for SLEMCO members and their children. Through the scholarship program, SLEMCO is able to keep those funds here in the Acadiana area to help local students. Thank you SLEMCO for this continuing gift to local well deserving students! Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation is an association of proactive individuals and business leaders, joined together to be a catalyst for change. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance and direct the positive, planned growth of Upper Lafayette, focusing on quality of life, while participating in the overall development of the Greater Lafayette Metropolitan Area. Contact jan@upperlafayette.com for more information.
Special Thanks To Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation Members! PLATINUM Acadian Ambulance Service Acadiana Computer Systems, Inc. Acadiana Rubber & Gasket Aries Marine Corporation ASH/Badger Oil Company Delta Media Home Furniture Hub City Ford, Inc. IberiaBank McDonald’s of Acadiana MidSouth Bank Our Lady of Lourdes Republic National Distributing Company Schilling Distributing Company The Southwest Group Stevens RV Center Whitney Bank
Volume 19 Page 2
BRONZE
GOLD Atmos Energy Home Bank Honda of Lafayette VALOR Commercial Real Estate
SILVER Accel Protection & Technologies Allstates Building Systems Anytime Fitness—Moss Street Aspen Clinic Associated Travel Group BBR Creative Edward Jones/Bob Crist Hallmark Jewelers Master Builders & Specialists, Inc. Mello Joy Coffee Company Steven Santillo, APLC Stirling Properties Terry J. Rogers, LTD Walters Funeral Home
Acadiana C.A.R.E.S Acadian Hills Country Club Crawdaddy’s On Site Catering Joey Durel ECGC Women’s Business Center Horace Guidry Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic LeBlanc’s Auto Wholesale/Richard LeBlanc Lee Verret/State Farm Insurance Agency Lynn Guidry Architect The Lolley Group Lowry’s Printing and Copying Flo Meadows Melancon I-49 Storage Center Northwood United Methodist Church Ron J. Gaubert Realtors Ken Simeral SLEMCO Buddy Webb/Rayne State Bank
Printed by Lafayette Economic Development Authority