CPSB receives $2.9 million reimbursement for hurricane repairs

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) – It’s been a long road to recovery for the Calcasieu Parish School Board.

“We’re on the phone with FEMA almost every day, or we’re on the phone about projects or with FEMA, right now we’re on 3 phone calls a week with FEMA and it’s been like this for a while now just because it was so urgent right now because we have exhausted all available funds and therefore intend to proceed with the funding,” said Wilfred Bourne, CPSB’s Chief Financial Officer.

Last week, it was announced that the school board would receive more than $2 million in public support reimbursements from FEMA. And that money is exactly what it’s listed for: a refund.

The $2.92 million will be paid to 14 schools in the community, with DeQuincy receiving the most funding, totaling more than $600,000.

“The funding that we’ve received is just about how much of the total demand we have with the federal government they can validate, basically they can show that we spent that money. So there’s no magic in the numbers, just what they can validate,” Bourne said.

With more than 130 projects to work on, each project must go through an 86-step process to receive funding. However, the amount granted by FEMA reimburses 15 of those projects.

Bourne says the money paid out will go toward architect fees and money borrowed for repairs done so far.

We have a breakdown of funds HERE.

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