Oil & gas downturn sparing parish from deep impact

St. Landry Parish is being spared the worst of the impact from the downturn in the oil and gas industry, Bill Rodier, St. Landry Parish Economic Development executive director, said.
“If you look, and everywhere you turn now, there is a talk of the downturn in the oil field,” Rodier said at Tuesday’s meeting of the St. Landry Parish Economic Industrial Development District board.
“The bottom line is it not effecting us ...” he said.
“I don’t know how to attribute this. I like to say it is all in attitude, but I don’t think it is all in attitude,” Rodier said.
Rodier cited parish sales tax collections, which have not dropped from the 2015. The parish’s workforce has declined since 2015, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
But on Tuesday, Rodier painted a picture of a St. Landry Parish economy with bright spots.
“I think this oil downturn is going to restructure the flow of some things,” he said.
Some companies are fighting with rising insurance premiums, land costs and other issues, he said.
“Maybe some of these companies are taking this opportunity to make shifts in their business models,” he said.
Rodier sais a 500 acre heavy industrial site between Opelousas and Krotz Springs is due to be announced in the next 30 to 45 days.
“This will be very similar to a lot things we’ve seen in the greater Lake Charles area with some of those big projects coming in over there,” he said. “That is a huge step forward to have that kind of heavy industrial site with those types of infrastructure over there. It makes it very very marketable.”
The site is being developed win conjunction with One Acadiana and Louisiana Economic Development, he said.
In other business, the economic board agreed to make two $10,000 payments to South Louisiana Community College to develop a registered nursing training program.
The college is forming the program at the T.H. Harris campus in Opelousas in partnership with Opelousas General Hospital, St. Landry Parish Government, St. Landry Economic Development and the city of Opelousas.
Willie Smith, vice chancellor for economic and workforce development at the college, said the first class would be 20 students. The program will cost about $500,000 to launch, he said.
The average starting salary for a registered nurse is $57,000 a year, he said.