Airport expansion, First Solar and Delta Biofuel top parish infrastructure and industrial priorities

Parish officials devoted much of the State of the Parish address to transportation and industrial infrastructure, saying recent and planned projects will open land for businesses and support hiring.

At the Acadiana Regional Airport, the parish reported completed work on Hangar 88 and described a tri-unit hangar and a larger corporate bulk hangar now in design. The administration said it is pursuing a multi-agency funding package (DOTD Aviation, the FAA, airport authority) for a $2.6 million design and a multi-year construction plan expected to finish around 2026 for some hangar projects.

The parish cited a $16 million capital award secured after testimony to a joint legislative committee to build a Hangar Drive extension connecting airport frontage to LA 3212 (now called Corporate Drive). Officials said a turn-lane project on LA 3212 would begin the next day and that hangar-drive work is a multi-phase effort expected to cost about $28 million in total for the West Airport roadway project.

Private-sector investments were described as transformational: First Solar’s site was described as roughly a $1.1 billion project expected to employ 700–1,000 workers with an average wage the administration cited near $80,000 and an annual payroll estimated at $50 million. Delta Biofuel was described as a $100 million private investment converting sugarcane residue, with a claimed capacity near 340,000 metric tons and about 100 new jobs (average salary cited at ~$60,000).

Officials said they are coordinating road, drainage and utility upgrades (including fiber) to ensure sites are shovel-ready and that the parish will continue seeking state capital outlay and federal assistance for larger roadway and flood-control projects. No formal procurement decisions were announced during the address; the remarks outlined completed milestones, ongoing design work and funding strategies.

"We got $16,000,000 cash coming to build this road," the president said when recounting legislative testimony that secured the award. The administration encouraged residents to follow project updates on the parish website as engineering and bidding proceed.