Center of Hope director gives overview to PC

Kristal Hebert, Executive Director of the Arch of St. Mary Center of Hope in Centerville, explained to the St. Mary Parish Council the work the center does.
She was accompanied by Billy Duhon Jr., a participant in the center’s employment program. Duhon, for example, is diagnosed with a developmental and physical disability, and works in the center’s newspaper recycling department. He said he likes his job at the center. As of now, there are 19 individuals participating.
“(Participants) have to be in the right program to be able to come to us,” Hebert said. “They have to be funded the proper way, we do have to get paid, we have to keep the facility open and that sort of thing…we have mobile work crews that go out and clean five work sites across the parish.”
Hebert said center’s thrift store employs participants who are paid “just like we are. We work. We’re not there to have fun, but we do have fun days here and there. Everybody needs that, but the primary thing is employment. Most of them are registered voters.”
There is a pecan cracking and peeling program that has so far processed 9,000 pounds this year, by participating employees in the program.
“We try to fashion each job to everybody’s ability, we don’t consider them a disability,” Hebert said. “Billy’s good with newspapers, that’s what he does. The people on the janitorial crew, they’re good at that, they’re a little more independent. The ones that work in the thrift store are friendly, they’re welcoming, they know how to sell the products, they keep up with fashion.”
Age qualification is 18, and the oldest person in the program is 64, Hebert said. “We have people who have been there over 20 years,” she said.
She invited the parish council to visit the center.
Also Wednesday, Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange, on a question by Councilman Dale Rogers, said issues of dust on Prairie Road in Verdunville from vehicles working from a dirt pit in the area have been addressed. LaGrange said he spoke with the Louisiana DOTD to ask the contractor to wet the road to control the problem.
Councilman Gabriel Beadle asked for an update on attempts to bring Internet service to areas in rural west St. Mary, close to the parish line west.
LaGrange said the last discussion between the parish and Cox Cable indicated that the company was reluctant to provide service based on the number of potential companies, but that commercial entities in the area might further entice the company to reconsider.
Councilman Craig Mathews said he’d like to see the parish reach out to federal agencies in search of grant opportunities to help provide service in those areas lacking Internet.
Mathews said AT&T also declined to provide service. “I think we should drag them up here, too,” he said.
In other business:
—Ordinances were introduced for renewal of the parish library system property tax of 5.72 mills, excluding Morgan City, and 0.31 mills, also excluding Morgan City; a 7.24 mills property tax “for local and parochial purposes” and a 3.62 mills property tax within the municipalities for the parish criminal justice system; and an ordinance on zoning map amendments.
—Resolutions were passed congratulating the Morgan City Fancy Dancers for capturing the National High Kick Championship; holding an election in Gravity District No. 6 to authorize renewal of a special tax; authorizing the parish president to execute an agreement with Amerigroup Louisiana Inc. in regards to Fairview Treatment Center; authorizing the parish president to execute a change order on the Morgan City levee improvement project; supporting the TECHE Projects in a grant application from the FHWA Recreational Trails Program; and authorizing the parish president to execute a land owner agreement regarding the Bayou Teche National Paddle Trail trailheads.