Contractor gets go-ahead for Bayou Chene work

One of the major pieces of the Bayou Chene flood control project is officially under way.
St. Mary Parish Levee District Director Tim Matte told the district board Thursday that the staff gave contractor Sealevel Construction Inc. notice to proceed on Phase 3 of the eagerly awaited work.
The district accepted the $22 million bid from Sealevel, a Thibodaux company, for Phase 3 at a special meeting last month.
The heart of the $80 million project is a flood wall and a barge that can be swung into place on pivots to block the back-flooding that occurs along the bayou when the Atchafalaya River is high. Locally, the flooding affects Lake Palourde and lower St. Martin, but surrounding parishes stand to benefit from the work, too.
Phase 3 includes the placement of the barge, which will be constructed at the Bollinger facility in Amelia, Matte said.
Phase 2 is construction of the flood wall itself. Sealevel also holds the contract for Phase 2.
Phases 1 and 4 are about clearing the way for and building a levee along the Tabor Canal.
The permanent Bayou Chene flood control structure is designed to eliminate the back-flooding remedy employed three times since 2011: sinking a barge in Bayou Chene at a cost of millions each time.
Funding for the project came through via the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in March 2019.
Also Thursday, Matte told the district board that property tax collections from 2019 are running about $15,000 less than budgeted. The budget for 2020 anticipated $100,000 less in revenue.
Matte said the early word is that assessed valuation will fall this year. The district may be able to raise its 5-mill tax rate to keep property taxes revenue neutral.