Jefferson Parish and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a media event on July 31, 2008 to announce the successful completion of the construction and automation of safe rooms at five West Bank drainage pump stations and to turn the project over to Jefferson Parish.
The $18.1 million project involved the physical construction of the safe room structures and the remote automation of the pump stations. The project was completed by Cycle Construction Co., LLC of Kenner, LA and was administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Attending the event from Jefferson Parish was Parish President Aaron Broussard, Councilman Tom Capella, and Councilman John Young, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Director of Task Force Hope, Karen Durham-Aguilera and Commander of the Hurricane Protection Office, Colonel Jeffrey Bedey, and President Jonathan Kernion of Cycle Construction Co. They were joined by numerous other Jefferson Parish, Corps, and Contractor personnel.