Patterson City Council hears about lawsuit, plans for new business

PATTERSON — The City Council on Tuesday signed on to a lawsuit over water contamination and heard a proposal for leasing a small piece of city property to a young entrepreneur.
The lawsuit involves a class of chemicals called PDAs, which have been used in foam used in firefighting, fabric protection and nonstick cookware.
Now PDAs are showing up in municipal water supplies, including Patterson’s, Public Works Director Steve Bierhorst said Tuesday.
Bierhorst said trace amounts have been found in Patterson water at parts-per-trillion levels, which he compared to two drops in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
But PDAs have been linked to health risks. The 3M chemical company recently agreed to a $10.3 billion settlement with attorneys representing clients in a series of lawsuits. That amount was expected to grow, and Bierhorst quoted a $12.5 billion figure Tuesday.
Patterson could receive an undetermined share of that settlement at no cost to the city government. The Morgan City Council last week also voted to become part of the lawsuit.
Also Tuesday, the council heard about Jameson Sennette’s request to lease city-owned property on Church Street near the old Patterson Junior High, which is now the Patterson Community Center.
Sennette plans to remodel a building on the site and open a laundromat.
The council took no action because no proposed vote was on the agenda.
Mayor Rodney Grogan described the old junior high property as a business incubator.
“Be open-minded about it,” Grogan urged the council.
Members seemed to heed the mayor’s advice. They applauded at the end of Sennette’s presentation.
“This is what we’re looking for,” Mayor Pro Tem Lee Condolle said.
In other action:
—Members of the Patterson Housing Authority board agreed to remain in their positions for three months while the authority looks for a new executive director.
Veronica Johnson had announced her desire to resign from the board.
But it will be up to the board to choose a successor for Susan Mendoza, who has also announced her resignation.
—The council approved plans for a Roots & Ribbons Foundation 5K walk and run Oct. 7 starting at Morey Park.
The foundation was formed to raise money for and support for breast cancer patients in St. Mary Parish.
The two women who made the presentation, Dee Hymel and Colleen Hammonds, are both breast cancer survivors.
—The city is launching a Shop Patterson promotion, “the City of Patterson’s own customer rewards system. …”
Participants can download a smart phone app and register for the Shop Patterson Rewards Program. With the app, customers who buy from a participating business can scan a QR code.
The customer will receive a stamp. The more stamps customers collect, they more access they’ll have to “discounts, swag, vouchers and more.”