The Town of Jean Lafitte took home the top honor of the night, the “Best of Show”
award, at the 85 th Annual Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA) Convention held July 30, 2022, in
Lafayette.
The LMA awarded the Town of Jean Lafitte the Outstanding Community Improvement “Best of Show"
award for the town's Louisiana Wetlands Educational Center. The LMA has over three hundred
members across the state, and the “Best of Show” award is the highest honor a municipality can
receive.
“Receiving the ‘Best of Show’ award is a major achievement for the town, and we couldn’t be happier
that it was for our Wetlands Educational Center,” said Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner Jr. “Louisiana’s
wetlands play a vital role in our state’s existence, and our Wetlands Center will help teach future
generations about the area’s importance. This project would not have been possible without countless
contributions from the following individuals and organizations: the Jean Lafitte Council, Jean Lafitte
staff, Representative Tim Kerner, Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, Councilman Ricky Templet,
Councilman Marion Edwards and the rest of the Parish Council, the State Legislature, Speaker Clay
Schexnayder, Representative Stuart Bishop, Representative Jerome Zeringue, Governor John Bel
Edwards, and CPRA [Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority] Chairman Chip Kline.”
The Louisiana Wetlands Educational Center will tell the story of Louisiana’s wetlands, including its
importance as one of the nation’s richest and most biodiverse environments, the enormous land loss
and the frontline battle to rebuild our coast and what it will take to save south Louisiana’s wetlands
and way of life. The facility will play a major role in educating people about the ecology of the wetlands
and the importance of rebuilding coastal Louisiana.
Construction of the town’s Wetlands Center began in early 2021 and is expected to be complete in
early 2023. The 3,500-square-foot facility will have direct access to the town’s Wetland Trace and
Boardwalk. It will also be located next to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve,
Barataria Unit.