The Ouachita Business Alliance on Thursday unveiled a master plan to form a coalition of progress for Ouachita Parish.
The plan is designed to help the community to grow and improve, and provide a rallying point for citizens and businesses to participate.
CenturyLink CEO Glenn Post expressed his enthusiasm for the collaborative project. "It's gratifying to see so many different groups coming together with a real objective of improving lives of the people of north Louisiana," he said.
In May 2014, exploratory meetings between CenturyLink's Public Policy and community leaders were conducted to discuss projected growth and the impact on resources. From those meetings, a comprehensive, strategic plan began to develop.
The plan focuses on five core issues: education, infrastructure, housing, quality of life, and beautification. Community and business representatives serve on leadership teams for each of the core areas.
Joe Holyfield serves as Housing Chair, he says local builders and contractors are ready for progress. "I think you'll find in the housing part, we're aggressively going after that. Today, in fact, we'll have a meeting with developers, businessmen, and local officials to roll out that plan," he said.
The alliance poses a new mindset of cooperation for major stakeholders, as well as public-private partnerships to achieve outcomes. More discussion is expected to address that approach as recommendations move towards being implemented in core areas.
