By Rita Shirley LeBleu

The Cameron Parish Police Jury voted to accept the North Cameron Emergency Operations Center as substantially complete at the Monday, Mar. 9, Voting meeting. “That means that after a 45-day period, the project can be closed, the parish can take ownership of the building and make it available to the public,” Parish Administrator Katie Armentor said.

A grand opening is in the works for the 4,490 square-foot facility designed to withstand CAT 5 winds, serve as a multi-purpose center for North Cameron and as emergency operations and distribution staging area for staff and officials. Before this building was complete, Cameron emergency personnel had to work from Calcasieu Parish.

“The problem after Laura was that the only room standing in that location was the room with our server in it,” Armentor said.

In a telephone interview, Armentor told the Pilot that the $3,000,000 project at 963 Hwy. 384 in Grand Lake was funded with State Capital Outlay over time with the help of State Rep. Ryan Bourriaque. The parish match was 3 percent. The first tranche of money was allocated in 2021, after Hurricane Laura. Construction began in 2024.

“It took us that long to get it designed,” Armentor said, adding that the prevailing thinking was, “How do we want to move the community forward and make it something we’re proud of?”

“The strength of a parish is measured not when the storm arrives but by how prepared it was before and how united it is after,” Cameron Parish Police Juror President Michael Fewell told the Pilot.
Armentor said the new center is more than a “one-stop recovery hub”.

It will function as a “true community center for Cameron Parish,” Fewell said.

Meetings for local groups and nonprofits will be hosted there, as well as educational workshops, preparedness training, health and resource fairs, youth and senior activities and community events.

The parish owned the property for years, Government buildings multiplied without a cohesive, long-term strategy. The property was the site for the Senior Center, the Cameron Council on Aging building, fire and ambulance stations. There was also an abandoned library on the premises. Site prep involved managing many moving parts – all important to the community and to make sure emergency services were never hampered by traffic or parking.

Derek Porche, Porsche May Architects was the architect. Pat Williams Construction was the contractor.