CITY OF BAKER DECLAARED A "READY CITY"
(Left to Right)
Tom Ed McHugh,
LMA Executive Director
Mayor Hilda Curry . LMA
President -New Iberia, LA
Mayor Harold Rideau -
Baker, LA
(Left to Right)
Mayor Harold
Rideau - Baker, LA
Mary Landrieu - U. S. Senator
for LA
Mayor Joe Cornelius - Minden, LA
At the 76th Annual Louisiana
Municipal Association convention held on August 1 - 4,
2013, Mayor Harold M. Rideau was presented a
certificate on behalf of the Baker Ready City
Committee for successfully completing the Louisiana
Economic Development Ready Communities Program. Baker
was congratulated for "their dedicated efforts to
excel in economic and community development."
Committee chairs include: LaTania Anderson, Steve
Stein (Whitney Bank), Gary Mitchell (Ozark Insurance),
Jean Byers (Heritage Museum), Carl Stages (BREC
Foundation), Julie McCullough(City of Baker Public
Works Department), Doris Alexander (Baker School
Board) and Darryl Rainwater (Baker Police Department).
The Louisiana Development Ready Communities (LDRC)
Program encourages and supports selected Louisiana
communities to become development ready, competitive
and “open for business” by creating and implementing a
strategic community and economic development plan.
The Louisiana Development Ready Community program
was officially launched in 2011 with eight
communities. In 2012-13 two communities were selected
for the program--one of the two was Baker.
All
municipalities that have participated in the program
are all more competitive because they have a written
plan describing how they are going to leverage assets
and address challenges. Additionally, they can show
progress from year to year because of developed
measurements identified in their plans; much like
mile-markers on a road-map. Each community’s plan
includes strategies to address education, workforce
development, infrastructure, leadership, and
marketing/communications.
“The real success of
this project lies in the communities’ implementation
of the plan,” said Pat Witty, LED Director of
Community Outreach Services. Each community must
implement six elements of their plan by the end of the
first year. A copy of the City of Baker's strategic
plan can be reviewed at the Baker Mayor's office.