Back in action, drainage board elects officers

The new board for Consolidated Gravity District No. 2A elected officers at a special meeting Monday, returning to action 2-1/2 months after the Parish Council voted to remove the previous board members.
The members elected include Paul T. Rappmundt as chair, Matt Patureau as vice chairman and Don Hicks, who had resigned from the previous board before being reappointed by the Parish Council, as secretary-treasurer.
Also serving on the new board are Shannon Boykin and Nelda Dural.
Rappmundt pledged transparency and to make monthly reports to the Parish Council.
“We’ll follow the overall agenda so people will know what’s going on,” Rappmundt said Monday.
Transparency was an issue in the Parish Council’s decision to remove the previous board May 14.
After Hurricane Francine, deficiencies in the district’s flood-control pump stations were linked to flooding in hundreds of Morgan City homes. Councilman Patrick Hebert of Berwick later expressed frustration with the previous board’s response to his request for information about the district’s operations.
Hebert proposed removing the previous board on the May 14 agenda. The council voted 8-3 to remove the previous board members.
Hebert attended Monday’s meeting along with Parish Council Chairwoman Gwendolyn Hidalgo, Councilman James Davis of Morgan City and Councilman Mark Duhon of Amelia.
The new board begins work as a $14 million upgrade of four pump stations is underway.
After the Francine flooding, Parish President Sam Jones sought funding from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority for improvements at the pump stations.
The St. Mary Levee District is overseeing the upgrades.
So far, a contract has been awarded for new pumps at the station serving the Cypress Gardens and Marquis Manor neighborhoods.
Design work continues for Pump Station No. 9 near Lake Palourde.
The pump station serving the Siracusa area and another near the Central Fire Station are also due for work.