Farmer's market gets the green light, with conditions

Parish council members gave the all-clear for a farmer’s market to utilize space on the St. Mary Parish Courthouse square in the future.
By a resolution introduced by Councilman Dale Rogers, the market can begin, but under conditions.
The council and administration worried over liability issues at previous meetings. Those issues were addressed in the resolution’s rules and regulations section.
In addition to general guidelines regarding qualified products, vendors and other details, vendors must file application with St. Mary Parish Government to be reviewed by the Chief Administrative Officer or a designee. Vendors must renew annually.
All participating vendors must be individually responsible for any loss, personal injury, deaths and/or any other damages that may occur as a result of the vendor’s negligence or that of its servants, agents and employees; they must also indemnify and save the market from any loss, cost, damages and other expenses, including attorney’s fees, suffered or incurred.
Specifically, the resolution stipulates, “Because no insurance is provided to vendors, participants in the farmer’s market must carry their own product liability insurance. All vendors must have vehicle liability insurance to cover any incidents related to damage cause to persons or property by their vehicle.”
A complete list of rules and regulations will be available at the parish council office in the courthouse.
Also Wednesday, Councilman Gabriel Beadle queried the administration about complaints he’s received regarding trash on the Atchafalaya River Bridge spanning Berwick to Morgan City.
Parish President David Hanagriff and Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange explained that not only is bridge upkeep the purview of the Louisiana State Department of Transportation and Development, it is also a dangerous job requiring certain training. The administration offered to contact DOTD regarding the issue.
Hanagriff also said that a liquid released from a railroad car between Centerville and nearly to the Iberia Parish line was “really not oil, it’s more of a biodegradable material” when a tank cap loosened. The incident was late Sunday evening and into Monday morning.
Also, an ordinance was introduced by Councilman Glenn Hidalgo amending the Atchafalaya Golf Course Commission language designating the responsibilities, powers and selection of the commission. It adds a section that reads:
“Notwithstanding any other provisions of this ordinance, the St. Mary Parish Council, by a majority vote, may authorize the administrative branch of St. Mary Parish government to hire a golf management company to manage and run Atchafalaya Idlewild Golf Course.”
In other business:
—$8,000 was allocated to the east end Recreation Dist. 4 to defray expenses for All-Star teams to participate in the Dixie Youth World Series in Lumberton, North Carolina. That allocation came from the Wards 5 and 8 3/10ths sales tax fund.
—$5,800 was allocated to the City of Franklin for west end All-Star teams to participate in the Dixie Youth World Series in Lumberton, North Carolina, from the Wards 1, 2, 3, 4 7 and 10 3/10ths sales tax fund.
—David Bourdier was reappointed to the Kemper Williams Park Advisory Committee; Edward R. Austin and Vinnie Byrd were reappointed to the Recreation Dist. 4 board.