Parish council hears several updates, speakers

St. Mary Parish Council members entered into an executive session Wednesday to discuss “prospective litigation involving work on the Bayou Vista Pump Station.”
The 26-minute session ended with the council approving hiring of attorney Bill Bourgeois of Morgan City to represent the parish to resolve “problems” with the project, which weren’t detailed.
Also Wednesday, Billy Hidalgo Jr., chairman of the Wax Lake East Drainage District, updated the council on the Hedgerow Subdivision drainage project in Patterson.
Hidalgo said there was a March meeting in 2018 with “the farmer who farms the Joseph P. Duhe’ property and the homeowners from the subdivision.”
Under discussion was a ditch on the west side of the subdivision, and the farmer has been cleaning that ditch for years, but the residents did not want him to.
“The homeowners expressed that the drainage ditch is on their property and they did not feel that there is a need for it,” Hidalgo said.
After that meeting, the attorney who represents the Duhe’ family wrote to parish government stating that that the family and farmers have been tending to the property for as much as 50 years.
Attorney Bill Bourgeois looked at plats of the location, and found drainage servitudes and a dedication to public use.
The drainage district then hired Miller Engineers & Associates to survey the ditch to find the centerline, verify the state of the ditch compared to “what it should be” and prepare a scope of work. A letter was sent to homeowners to that effect.
The original bid of up to $49,000, that has been reduced to $28,000 after negotiations, Hidalgo said.
The matter will be discussed at the February meeting, and the work should commence thereafter. The work should take about a month, Hidalgo said. “All the work will be done from the headland, from the Duhe’ property, a minimal footprint on the homeowners’ property,” he noted.
Terri Foulcard and Meg A. Morgan also addressed the council regarding Claire House for Women and Children’s food drive.
Foulcard is the executive director of Claire House, a residential facility for women and children that provides services “who have fallen along the wayside” by domestic abuse or alcohol and drug usage. There are in-house counselors, a nurse, a child development specialist, a dietetic manager and a nutritionist.
Morgan, senior clerk for Claire House, said is a non-profit organization. Its clients receive “state of the art care to restructure their lives to live successfully and drug free.” Children receive age-appropriate programs as well.
They are conducting a food drive Jan. 26, and donations can be made at the facility on 1101 Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. then, but they will accept contributions at any time.
Morgan said hunger is often a problem for mothers and children, as well as shelter and nutritional food. Food costs are often prohibitive for some families. She said 59 percent of children from low-income families go to school hungry. “Imagine what $50 in canned good donations to do for these children,” she said. “Even $20 in non-perishable items could help make a difference between a child going hungry or not.”
Also Wednesday, Councilman Craig Mathews said there had been a discussion about fire hydrants in Fire Dist. 11, Sorrell-Glencoe area.
There was some discussion about parish authority to erect hydrants, but Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said there is a process to eventually clear the way.
Late in the meeting, Councilman Sterling Fryou announced that he would not be pursuing re-election for another term on the parish council.
The council’s February meeting will be held on the 12th.
In further business:
—Ellis Schouest III was reappointed to the Fire Protection Dist. 1 board, Cypremort Point.
—Dickey Arnold was reappointed to the Mosquito Control Dist. 1 board, Cypremort Point.
—Franklin Police Chief Morris Beverly was appointed to the 911 District board.
—Thomas Philbook, Donald C. Lantz and John Paul Trevino Sr. were reappointed to the Water and Sewer Dist. 2 commission.
—Stephanie Lee-Burney, Anthony Darden and Julius M. Hebert were reappointed the the Water and Sewer Dist. 4 commission.
—Dr. Tim Tregle was appointed to the Consolidated Gravity Drainage Dist. 2 board.
—Harris J. Soileau Sr. was appointed to the Sub-drainage Dist. 1 of Gravity Drainage Dist. 2 board.