St. Mary Levee District officials are getting close to receiving the final permit for the Bayou Chene Flood Control Project, which could start construction as soon as the end of 2019. The levee district commission met Thursday at the Parish Courthouse. Commissioners authorized Commission President Bill Hidalgo to proceed with purchasing $425,000 in mitigation costs for the Bayou Chene project pending approval of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. Governmental entities are required to purchase mitigation to offset a project’s impact to wetlands. Officials hope to get the Corps permit for the project within the next 30 to 45 ...