Council votes to remove Finding Our Roots museum funding from parish CDBG‑DR allocation

The council spent more than an hour on the status of the Finding Our Roots African American Museum project and whether to keep or cancel the CDBG‑DR funding associated with it. Tanner McGee and other public commenters criticized the process and said the museum had been held to a different standard from other recovery projects. McGee said community expectations had been raised by earlier approvals and argued the project risked being displaced by other priorities.

Administration, staff and consultants responded that the museum project had been through multiple iterations and that certain proposed revenue activities (for example, apartment rentals or renting kitchen space) would create program income that CDBG‑DR rules treat as restricted and, in many cases, returnable to the state. Westwood and CSRS representatives explained the difference between a museum application and the resilience‑center application and urged consistent enforcement of program rules. After a substitute motion to hold the item over failed, Councilman Clyde Hamner moved to cancel the Finding Our Roots CDBG‑DR application and reallocate the funds; the motion passed (vote recorded as 5 yays, 1 nay). The council directed administration and consultants to return with recommendations for reallocation and to involve consultants from CSRS and Wagner & Ball in that analysis.

The discussion highlighted tensions between community advocates seeking cultural investment and council members concerned about compliance with federal grant rules and the readiness of a subrecipient agreement. Several speakers urged more outreach and clearer expectations for operators before the parish files its October 15 allocations.