Community Foundation outlines 'Just Imagine SWLA' resilience plan, highlights coastal flood risk reduction and resilience hubs

Jill Galmarini, director of civic initiatives for the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, briefed the Cameron Parish Police Jury on the foundation’s role in facilitating the Just Imagine SWLA 50-year resilience master plan for Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. She said the effort began in the wake of hurricanes Laura and Delta and has involved three rounds of in-person meetings across the region plus robust online engagement that produced roughly 2,500 participants and more than 7,000 comments.

Galmarini said the foundation helped raise about $7,000,000 for post-hurricane relief and longer-term recovery and noted a $2.5 million gift from David Filo that funded the master-plan effort. The plan identifies 11 “catalytic projects,” with coastal flood risk reduction listed as the top priority because it requires coordinated, large-scale engineering and regional partnership between Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.

The foundation described partnerships developed during implementation, including coordination with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), FEMA and the National Park Service. Galmarini said CPRA has increased regional representation in its next five‑year coastal master plan and that the National Park Service’s river-trails and community engagement arm selected projects in the region as examples of best practices.

Galmarini also updated jurors on the community resilience hubs initiative. She said the North Cameron emergency operations center is nearly complete and framed resilience hubs as hurricane‑resistant, year-round community facilities that can double as parks, community centers or EOCs and serve as part of a backup network across the region. The foundation plans outreach during an upcoming “Imagine Month” to promote hubs, host tours and publicize the project through media partners and student engagement programs.

The jury asked about school partnerships and programmatic uses; Galmarini said the foundation has engaged with leadership programs and LSU’s architecture and landscape architecture programs to bring students to the site for tours and studio projects. The presentation concluded with an offer to assist with media, tours and donor outreach to support implementation.

The police jury took no formal vote on the plan during the meeting; Galmarini’s presentation functioned as an informational update and a request for continued cooperation and parish participation.