World War II veterans assemble before the LRA to petition for federal stimulus funding
New Orleans, LA – August 19, 2009 – Council Vice President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson will travel to Baton Rouge today with leaders from around the state to lobby the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) for funds for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
“The Museum has proved to be one of our region’s greatest economic development engines,” Clarkson said. “We need the LRA to give the Museum the full funds it is requesting for its shovel-ready projects.”
The Museum is undergoing a $300 million expansion that will quadruple the size of the existing facility, including exhibit pavilions, a theater, a themed restaurant, a public parade ground, and much more.
Once this expansion is completed, the Museum will spur a $102 million annual economic impact, bring in $12 million each year in annual net tax revenue to Louisiana, draw 650,000 visitors annually, and create 430 permanent Louisiana jobs.
Today the Museum is requesting $10 million from the LRA to fund the construction of its “Campaigns Pavilion.” The LRA is responsible for awarding federal stimulus funds in the form of Community Development Block Grants to shovel-ready projects around the state. The Museum has already raised millions in private funds toward this project. Once it begins, it will lead to the creation of 554 jobs and have an economic impact of $69 million.
“I have a twenty-year affiliation with the World War II Museum – as a Museum Trustee, a State Legislator, a New Orleans District City Councilmember, and now as a Councilmember-at-Large,” Clarkson said. “From these varied perspectives, I have witnessed firsthand the economic benefit the Museum has continued to bring to our city, region, and state.”
She continued, “The Museum is a vital component of the Greater New Orleans region’s continued recovery. In addition to its significant economic impact, it has put the region on an international stage in a manner unparalleled by any other project in the region.”
The National World War II Museum has had more than two million visitors, 80 percent of whom travel from out state. The Museum has 130,000 members nationwide.
