The Lafayette Parish School Board has been presented the final report on a Master Facilities Master Plan. Your Chamber is tracking the process and our Board of Directors will be given a special presentation this week by representatives of CSRS, the planning group that conducted the study.

The Lafayette Public Education System Coalition met last week for its monthly session. The Chamber has three representatives on LaPESC; additionally, I attend as an observer. The group has scheduled a special meeting on June 1st to hear from Lafayette Parish Schools Superintendent Burnell Lemoine. The School System withdrew from LaPESC during the early stages of organization and the Chamber is part of an effort to reconcile differences.

Your Chamber also has a seat on the Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transfer Technical Committee. I am the person designated as our representative. While the MPO process does not get much public recognition, it is an integral component of community planning. The committee met last week and, this week, the Lafayette City-Parish which serves as the MPO, will review and act on a number of committee recommendations.

Forty applications have been received from those who wish to serve on the Lafayette Charter Commission, which will review the political structure which governs the City and Parish of Lafayette. I have submitted my name. The Chamber intends to serve as a resource for this process.

Last week, the Charter was the topic of the monthly meeting of the Upper Lafayette group, which I attended on behalf of the Chamber.

Annexation issues remain a topic of conversation at various levels of government. The Lafayette Parish Council of Governments last week focused on efforts to bring the various parties to the table.

On a more regional scale, I also represent the Chamber on the executive committee for the Acadiana Regional Alliance. Formation of the organization was initiated by the Chamber to bring together Chambers from the immediate region to address issues of common interest. The executive committee meets monthly and the general membership quarterly. The next membership gathering is scheduled for June 17th.

The Chamber attended commencement ceremonies for South Louisiana Community College. SLCC Chancellor Dr. Jan Brobst is a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors.

Finally, I participated in the Lafayette leg of the Austin to Boston Tour. The Chamber has been working with the Apache Corporation in promoting the use of Compressed Natural Gas for powering vehicles.

Welcome this week's new members:
Diane's Merle Norman Cosmetics
Mattress Gallery
Nice Curbs LLC