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Council advances $5 million CDBG‑DR amendment to fund Fletcher Aviation workforce program; FAA approval expected in October 2025
Summary
A $5 million budget amendment to support an aviation workforce training program at Fletcher Technical Community College was introduced and approved for public hearing; staff said the FAA is scheduled to approve the program in October 2025 and the first cohort could start in early 2026.
The Budget and Finance committee introduced a budget amendment to add $5,000,000 from CDBG‑DR funds for an aviation workforce development project in partnership with Fletcher Technical Community College and set a public hearing for April 16, 2025.
Councilmember Kim Chauvin, who moved the budget amendment, asked staff for a timeline for the program’s facilities and coursework. A parish staff presenter said environmental review and program approvals have been underway and that the FAA is scheduled to approve the program in October 2025; staff said the first students could begin coursework in early 2026. “It looks like…in October of 2025 we’ll have FAA come in to approve the program, and the first set of students should be early 2026,” the presenter said.
Staff described three primary components supported by the $5,000,000 allocation: a general maintenance lab facility, an airframe lab facility and a power plant lab facility. The presenter said Fletcher has the potential to offer dual‑enrollment options with local high schools and that related CDBG‑DR projects could create an educational pipeline starting at younger grades and leading through postsecondary training.
Chauvin asked whether the project would include younger students; staff said some complementary CDBG‑DR projects and district magnet programs are intended to provide preparatory skills earlier in the pipeline, while the Fletcher project would support post‑secondary workforce training.
The committee voted to call a public hearing on the budget amendment for April 16, 2025. The vote on the overall set of budget amendments (which included the $5,000,000 Fletcher item among several other capital items) was recorded as 9–0.
What comes next: staff will complete environmental reviews and FAA coordination, refine the project portal/dashboard for public tracking, and present the amendment at the scheduled public hearing.
