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No wake zone ordered in lower St. Martin

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 3:15pm

Effective immediately, there will be a no wake zone in effect for Lower St. Martin Parish (Stephensville and Belle River) until further notice under an executive order by Parish President, Chester Cedars.

The water level is high, and boaters traveling at a high rate of speed have the potential to throw additional water into the yards and homes along the bayou.

The parish government thanked residents for cooperating with the order.

Developers clash over Berwick subdivision

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 11:13am

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

BERWICK — The Berwick Town Council unanimously approved engineering and final subdivision recommendations for the proposed Atchafalaya River Estates Subdivision during a special meeting Tuesday, despite objections from an adjacent land owner.
The council approved engineering and final approval of the proposed subdivision, which is expected to include 41 single family residential lots. The recommendations had been made by the town’s Planning Commission earlier this month.
The moves were made despite objections by New Orleans attorney Justin B. Schmidt. Schmidt represented adjacent land owner Cajun Sunrise LLC, which is owned by Morgan City resident David H. Webster. Schmidt said that Atchafalaya River Estates developer Dr. Natchez “Trey” Morice has encroached upon his client’s land with excavating and a new ditch.
Public hearings for the engineering and final approval of the subdivision lasted nearly a combined 40 minutes. Much of the time was dominated by Schmidt making allegations against the town, citing documents and previous minutes, and town attorney Allen McElroy offering rebuttals.
Before the council even voted on the measures, Schmidt said he would take the town to 16th Judicial District Court to appeal if the measures were approved. He also accused McElroy of withholding public records that McElroy said had been made public anyway in a March 3 meeting of the town’s Planning Commission.
“That’s the second lawsuit that this town’s going to get hit with for violation of public records law,” Schmidt told the council. “I have really had enough, Mayor. This has gone on too much.”
Cajun Sunrise’s complaints are about a ditch in which barriers were installed and approved by the town via a maintenance agreement signed by Morice, Schmidt said. The barriers were to make sure no boat traffic was permitted from the Lower Atchafalaya River into two canals.
“The borrow ditches are on their property,” Schmidt said. “This has meandered over to our property without consent of the property owner. Your town attorney said put these pilings into the ground. Now you’re asking us to remove them at our costs.”
Schmidt said the wood piles were installed on Webster’s property and work was completed excavating dirt. That totaled an estimated $250,000, the attorney said.
Schmidt said that Webster agreed to a canal to “straddle” his property line.
“Why isn’t the city worried about ARE staying within the bounds of its building permit?” Schmidt asked the council.
Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur said the ditch that Schmidt talked about was not the one that the town’s planning commission approved.
“That’s where I say it’s your responsibility to make sure that he built what was supposed to be built before you give him a certificate of occupancy, before you accept this engineering proposal, and that’s the point of our objection,” Schmidt said.
McElroy said the maintenance agreement Schmidt is referencing is for plans that show the waterways in four areas Atchafalaya River Estates owns.
“That maintenance agreement only addressed that,” McElroy said. “There was never any reference, never any consideration, never any mention that there was ever going to be any diversion away from the property of ARE. …. Yes, there was supposed to be pilings, but the pilings were to be on the property of Atchafalaya River Estates. The town has never done anything.”
In fact, McElroy said two years ago he was presented a plan in which Atchafalaya River Estates encroached on Cajun Sunrise’s property, and he requested a written agreement from Schmidt and Morice allowing for the encroachment.
“No written agreement was ever provided,” he said.
Therefore, McElroy said, he told the planning commission that night it couldn’t vote on the plan that had received preliminary town approval because the plans now before them “completely altered” what had been approved by the town.
“So the maintenance agreement doesn’t address any of the encroachment,” he argued.
Morice said that there was an email with Cajun Sunrise LLC with an agreement for the work to be done, but Schmidt said the emails only discussed “a working agreement” Atchafalaya River Estates would send them. Schmidt said nothing was ever sent.
“I would just like to say that there are obviously some issues that involve the Websters and their corporations and our corporation, Atchafalaya River Estates. … I disagree with most of what Mr. Justin has said,” Morice told the council.
Councilwoman Colleen Askew asked Morice if his corporation “has refused to make it good” with Webster.
“There’s a lot more to this. It’s not a simple answer,” Morice said, explaining there are a lot of civil issues.
Schmidt told the council he couldn’t dictate their action’s and he would “deal with you in court” if the measure was approved.
“But as representatives of this body of this town, you owe an obligation to Mr. Webster just like you owe an obligation to Dr. Morice and his partners, and it’s atrocious that Mr. Webster’s had to spend the money that he has to fight something so fundamental,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt left the meeting as the resolution granting subdivision approval was read before the council voted.
The two measures passed on 4-0 votes, with councilmen Raymond Price, James Richard and Lud Henry as well as Askew voting for the measures. Councilman Kevin Hebert abstained from voting or any discussion because he owns a company that does business with Webster’s company. Hebert said Webster also owns adjacent property to him.

Morgan City mayor pledges to keep Lakeside gate closed

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 11:09am

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

FRANKLIN — Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna didn’t get to say his piece about the Walnut Street flood-control barge and Tuesday’s flooding in Lakeside Subdivision.
But as he left the St. Mary Courthouse during Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting, Dragna pledged to use an executive order to keep the Walnut Street barge from being opened. The mayor blames the newly consolidated Amelia-Morgan City drainage district for not closing the flood-control structure in time for Tuesday’s 8- to 10-inch downpour.
The gate was closed by the consolidated district Wednesday.
“I’ll put them in jail if they try to open that gate,” Dragna said as he walked from the courthouse.
Dragna came to Wednesday’s meeting armed with a 2015 report by T. Baker Smith engineering firm called “Walnut Canal Barge Gate Operational Analysis & Future Improvements.”
The report was developed for what was then St. Mary Parish Gravity Drainage No. 2, which served the Morgan City area. Last year, the Parish Council merged the district with the district serving Amelia.
The Morgan City district handles the opening and closing of the barge gate. The report recommends closing the gate when the Lake Palourde stage at Lake End Park reaches 1.75 feet of elevation. Basing its recommendations on average minimums and maximums over a five-year period, Smith also recommended close monitoring of the stage when it reaches 1.5 feet.
The gauge was at 1.7 feet early Tuesday morning and rose to 2.6 feet by the end of the day.
The National Weather Service online graph, which measures the lake level on a different scale, says the level was above 4 feet, which the service labels the "action" level, March 18. The level dipped below 4 feet and stayed there, except for two brief rises, until Tuesday morning. With the rain falling, the lake level rose from 3.81 to 4.79 feet in 16 hours Tuesday. The minor flood stage is 5 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
The gate should have been closed for some time before Tuesday’s downpour, Dragna said.
“That’s why those houses flooded,” he said.
Dragna didn’t get the chance to make his case to the Parish Council. He was not on the agenda, which was published Friday.
Councilman James Bennett of Morgan City made a motion to put Dragna on the agenda.
But Councilman Craig Mathews cast a no vote on the motion, which needed a unanimous vote to pass. So Dragna was denied the chance to speak.
“I believe the issue he wanted to bring forward,” Mathews said after the meeting, “in addition to being against our protocols, should be handled by the local (drainage) board.
“I don’t like the idea of bending the rules for some people and not for others.”
Coincidentally, Coun-cilman J Ina had asked for an agenda item calling for discussion of the rules governing public comments at Parish Council meetings. Ina withdrew the item Wednesday, saying he wanted to talk with legal counsel Eric Duplantis before taking up the public comment rules.
After Wednesday’s meeting, Parish President David Hanagriff said he wonders what an order from Dragna would accomplish because the barge gate had been closed earlier in the day.
Hanagriff used his spot on the agenda to praise public employees who had worked during the high-water event.
Tuesday’s storm brought “more rain than we got in any hurricane for a long time,” Hanagriff said. “More rain than I can remember.”
The storm pointed out some areas where the parish needs improvement, he said, and work on those areas will continue.
Hanagriff was the chief proponent of the merger of the Amelia and Morgan City drainage districts, saying consolidation will save on administrative costs. Dragna, who had chaired the board of the Morgan City district, challenged the legality of the merger on procedural grounds.
He said discussion on the consolidation was improperly cut off by a call for the question as the council considered the merger.

This story has been edited to clarify the Lake Palourde gauge readings.

Parish Council member: Connect water systems for mutual aid

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 11:05am

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

FRANKLIN — A parish councilman thinks St. Mary can be better prepared for a potentially catastrophic loss of water service. And the council has agreed to examine his idea for a solution.
Councilman Scott Ramsey of Bayou Vista suggested at Wednesday’s council meeting that municipalities and water districts should put themselves in position to offer mutual aid.
The move would require connections between water systems, as well as valves and meters.
It would also require agreement among those entities. Ramsey said his conversations with mayors in Berwick, Patterson and Morgan City indicate a willingness to look into the idea.
The mid-February freeze offered a glimpse at what might happen if a disaster interrupted water service. The 18-degree weather led to leaks and a loss of water pressure in some St. Mary communities. Thousands of residents were asked to boil water intended for consumption until the state government could perform safety tests.
“What would happen here if we had a hurricane or a spill? …” Ramsey said. “What if we had one or two water plants go down?
“Parts of the parish would be without water for an extended period of time.”
The council approved a motion to look into the possibility of making it possible for systems to render mutual aid. It’s not yet clear how much Ramsey’s suggestion would cost.
Also Wednesday:
—The National Association of Counties estimates that St. Mary Parish government will receive about $9.6 million in aid under the recently passed federal coronavirus assistance legislation, Chief Administrative Office Henry C. “Bo” LaGrange reported.
Governments are still waiting to learn exactly how much they’ll get or what limits might be imposed on the use of the money.
Councilman Craig Mathews suggested that the parish government should dedicate a portion of the money to direct rental assistance for parish residents. He considers previous rent relief programs for people who lost income because of COVID-19, programs administered by the Louisiana Housing Corp., to be failures.
—Parish President David Hanagriff said he’s glad St. Mary School Board teachers and support staff members will get a raise after a school sales tax passed in Saturday’s election.
But he said he’s sad for the School Board, which Hanagriff has said was unwilling to cut administrative costs or compromise on the proposal before asking voters for more money.
Hanagriff had been the most vocal opponent of the tax proposal.
The 0.45% sales tax was approved by St. Mary voters by a 62%-38% margin. The tax will raise $3.9 million a year to offer a $3,000 annual raise to certified employees and a $1,500 raise to noncertified employees.
—The council will send three names to the Governor’s Office as potential appointees to fill a vacant seat on the St. Mary Levee District. They are Andrew V. Mancuso, Dan J. Duplantis and Adam J. Blanchard.
The governor will choose one of them to fill the post left vacant when board member Barry Broussard died Jan. 11.
The council also approved the appointment of Raymond R. Beadle Jr. to the Gravity Sub-District No. 1 board serving Bayou Vista. Sheriff Blaise Smith and Edward Smith were reappointed to the 911 board, and Gerald Ohmer was appointed to the Drainage District No. 2 board serving the area from the Atchafalaya to Bayou Ramos-Morgan City.

Porchfest gets council OK

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 11:03am

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

The fifth annual Lawrence Park Porchfest will be April 17 in Morgan City.
The City Council gave approval for the event at Tuesday’s meeting.
The event is free, but food and drinks will be sold.
“We want everyone to get out of the house, bring their lawn chair and come out to the park and have a great time listening to live music,” Chairman Ryan Yager said in a letter to the city requesting permission to hold the event. “There is plenty of room in the park, so everyone will be able to social distance from others and still enjoy the music and the outdoors.”
Plans are for the first band to begin playing at 11 a.m. and the last band to finish about 7:30 p.m.
The council granted permission to block off Third Street from Everett to Freret streets and block the roadway on Everett Street from Third to Second streets. Houses on Third and Everett streets will be used.
If the state allows it, the Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary will sell alcohol, city Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Solar Jr. said.
Event proceeds will be used to help with the Lawrence Park playground equipment and the park’s beautification.
In another matter Tuesday, the council awarded a bid for construction for its Maple Street sewer lift station to its lowest bidder, Volute of Houma. It includes a $387,000 base bid with an “additive alternate” totaling $30,000. The alternate will pay for two 50 horsepower pumps.
“For an extra $30,000 we get brand new pumps,” according to Jacob Guillory of Pan American Engineers in Alexandria, who is handling the project.
Guillory told the mayor and council the project includes tearing down the current lift station and rebuilding it. The only thing that will be left during demolition is the wet well.
“There will be no interruption to the sewer service during the replacement,” he said. “We have bypassing operations in the project to handle the sewer during the construction.”
Work could begin as soon as June, Guillory said. It will take about five months to complete.
The project’s cost will be paid for evenly through the city’s Pollution Abate-ment and Beautification funds.
In other action, the council:
—Introduced an ordinance for the creation of the Morgan City Development District. The commission under the district will be used to develop the Hellenic property for a subdivision, Mayor Lee Dragna said.
—Accepted the monthly financial statements. They include a favorable variance of $102,834 compared to budget in the General and Ancillary Funds, an unfavorable variance of $38,609 in the Utility Fund and a favorable variance of $46,194 in the Sanitation and Sewer Fund. Despite the unfavorable variance in the Utility Fund, Finance Director Deborah Garber said the variance is a lot better than a month ago when it was down $154,000 from what was budgeted.
—Approved a resolution authorizing the signature for the Lake End Rentals LLC contract. The company is owned by Jonathan Scully. Dragna said Scully will invest $50,000 to $60,000 in equipment for citizens to rent at the lake. That includes golf carts, paddle boats and beach chairs. Recreation and Culture Director Dwayne Barbier said Scully wants to start bringing equipment to the lake in May. Plans are for him to be at the lake Fridays through Sundays to rent equipment, but it also will be available other days upon request, Barbier said.
—Approved the execution of a lease purchase agreement for a new street sweeper.
“Our street sweeper is technically, 100% dead,” Dragna said.
The lease includes a three-year warranty with the city paying nearly $4,300 per month. They can buy it for $80,000 at the lease’s conclusion. Dragna said the street sweeper only has about 2,000 miles of usage. It already has been tested around the city.
—Authorized a signature for a cooperative endeavor agreement with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office for a patrol boat the department does not use. It’s an aluminum, 20-foot boat with an engine that is just a few years old, Dragna said. He recognized Sheriff Blaise Smith for offering to donate the boat, rather than sell it.
“It’s a really, really nice boat,” Dragna said.
—Adopted an ordinance for the creation of an Economic Development Commission and the issuance of $2 million in revenue anticipation notes.
—Approved a resolution authorizing a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Town of Grand Isle for a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria police car.
—Approved resolutions authorizing the recreation trails grant application and declaring items surplus.

Berwick mayor: No homes flooded during storm

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 11:00am

Staff Report

BERWICK — Mayor Duval Arthur told the town council 9.9 inches of rain was recorded at the rain gauge at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Berwick Locks from 8 a.m. Tuesday until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
“That’s tremendous,” he said.
The good news is Arthur reported no homes were flooded.
“We had a lot of street flooding in Golden Farms area,” he said. “We don’t have the pumps hooked up just yet on the new pumping station, but we did have the old pumping station that was working. It just couldn’t keep up” due to the rain.
Arthur credited the Bayou Vista drainage district’s pumping down of the borrow pit “that gave us room for water.”
He also commended the public works and police departments.
Work on ditches and work the drainage district has completed helped move rainwater out of Country Club Estates, the mayor said.
The mayor also reported that he received a letter from the Louisiana Department of Trans-portation and Devel-opment that it appears the state is approving $1.6 million in drainage improvements for the Country Club Estates area.
He has to testify during legislative hearing on the money April 7.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the council approved a resolution to limit public comments to 10 minutes by each individual that would be utilized in the discussion to follow about the proposed Atchafalaya River Estates Subdivision.
Councilman Kevin Hebert abstained from the vote because his business does work with David H. Webster’s business, and Webster owns property adjacent to his. Webster’s company, Cajun Sunrise LLC, was objecting to approval of the Atchafalaya River Estates subdivision.
The change resolution passed unanimously with Councilmen James Richard, Lud Henry and Raymond Price along with Councilwoman Colleen Askew voting for it.

Wheel House for March 25

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 10:54am

BERWICK
Housing Authority taking applications online 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 1, for only two and three bedroom units. Applications at www.pha-web.com/portal/applicant/berwick/ or BHA Facebook page and click on the link, or its website www.berwickhousingauthority.com. For info call 985-385-1546. After completing an online application, applicants will be contacted for an appointment to provide all documents.

EASTER EGG HUNT
Sponsored by Friends of Patterson from 2-4 p.m. April 4, at Park Street Park, Patterson. Free games, jump house, food, music, and toy and bike give-a-ways.

Conrad delivers barge for service on Great Lakes

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 10:47am

Conrad Shipyard delivered an ABS deck barge to Ashton Marine LLC, a marine transportation company based in Muskegon, Michigan.
Named the AM 3600, the 240-foot by 60-foot by 14-foot ABS deck barge will carry 3,600 tons of bulk materials and project cargo throughout the Great Lakes area.
The deck barge is equipped with two 50-foot spud well pockets for an easy conversion into a spud barge. Delivery of the barge took place in early March.
Ashton Marine has one of the newest fleets on the Great Lakes, with two ocean-going tugs, and two ABS hopper barges rated for a combined capacity of 3,800 tons.
“We are continuing to build new vessels to meet the expectations of our clients," said Vice President Seth Andrie. "Our team was extremely happy to partner with Conrad Shipyard on this project for the AM 3600. Their reputation in the industry speaks for itself/”
“We appreciated the opportunity to work with Ashton on this project,” said Conrad CEO Johnny Conrad. “We are two customer-driven companies with dedicated workforces, delivering first class services and equipment to our customers. We appreciate this opportunity, and we look forward to many more with Ashton.”
Conrad Shipyard, established in 1948 and headquartered in Morgan City, designs, builds and overhauls tugboats, ferries, dredgers, barges, offshore supply vessels, and other steel and aluminum products for both the commercial and government markets.
The company provides both repair and new construction services at its five shipyards located in south Louisiana and Texas.
Ashton Marine, of Muskegon, Michigan, services the Great Lakes and adjoining waterways providing marine transportation services to the energy, agriculture, aggregates and marine industries of the Northeast.

Heroin, methamphetamine seized in arrest by deputies

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 10:44am

Staff Report

(Editor’s Note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

A traffic stop led St. Mary deputies to an arrest for heroin and methamphetamine possession Tuesday, the same day Berwick police searched a home and found marijuana they believe was destined for sale, arrest reports said.

St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 38 complaints and made these arrests:
—Martin Scelfo, 28, Franklin, was arrested at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday on charges of brake lights required, improper lane usage, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine and no driver’s license.
No bail has been set.
—Jeanna Domangue, 27, Baton Rouge, was arrested at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. Domangue was released on a summons to appear in court June 28.
—Aaron Melancon, 43, Gonzales, was arrested at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of possession of less than 2 grams of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia (first offense). No bail has been set.
—Quinton Robinson, 35, Franklin, was arrested at 2:35 p.m. Tuesday on charges of duty of offender to notify of change of address, failure to register as a sex offender and failure to pay annual fee.
No bail has been set.
—Shane Granger, 33, Morgan City, was arrested at 7 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of accessory after the fact to unauthorized entry of a place of business and theft over $25,000. No bail has been set.
—Blake Picard, 22, Franklin, was arrested at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday on the charges of two headlamps required and possession of marijuana. Picard was released on a summons to appear in court June 28.
—Brenden Jenkins, 29, Franklin, was arrested at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of possession of marijuana. Jenkins was released on a summons to appear in court June 28.

Berwick
Police Chief David Leonard reported this arrest:
—Conner Wells, 20, Parro Lane, Berwick was arrested at 9:40 a.m. Tuesday on charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, prohibited acts (drug paraphernalia), violation of the controlled dangerous substance law (drug-free zone), illegal use of a controlled substance in the presence of a minor and keeping a disorderly place.
About 7:28 a.m. Tuesday, officers with the Berwick Police Department conducted a narcotics investigation at a residence on Parro Lane in Berwick, the subject of numerous complaints about illegal narcotics activity.
Officers made contact with Wells and made him aware of the complaints.
During the course of the investigation, a search warrant was obtained, and marijuana and items of drug paraphernalia were located.
Through interviews, it was learned that the drugs were destined to be sold.
Wells was placed under arrest and later transported to Berwick Jail, where he was booked on the charges. Wells remained incarcerated with no bond set at this time.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that over the last 24-hour period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 42 calls for service and made these arrests:
—Dezzie Jane Booty, 41, Maple Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for contempt of court (terms of probation) in 6th Ward Court.
—Ronald Dewayne Williams Jr., 28, Scott, was arrested at 9 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for three counts of failure to appear for arraignment in 6th Ward Court.
—Fank James Rock Jr., 33, Andrew Street, Patterson, was arrested at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear to pay fine in 6th Ward Court.
—Bryan P. Scully, 58, Pecan Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 5:14 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of domestic abuse battery.

Man gets 90-month sentence in heroin case

Thu, 03/25/2021 - 10:42am

Blandon Richard, a/k/a Blandon Todd Bessard, 45, of Kaplan,was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Juneau to 90 months (in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.
Richard was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2019 on the charge, and he pleaded guilty Nov. 4. The charges in the indictment stemmed from an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Richard and his co-defendants in the Lafayette area beginning in January 2019. Law enforcement agents obtained authority to intercept calls between Richard and a co-defendant.
During the course of their investigation, agents overheard Richard on phone calls on multiple occasions between Richard and his co-defendant in which Richard discussed obtaining heroin to redistribute to other people for profit.
In February 2019, law enforcement agents intercepted phone calls from Richard to his co-defendant making arrangements to obtain heroin from him. Agents conducting physical surveillance observed Richard go to the co-defendant’s house and come out a short time later.
Surveillance of Richard’s vehicle continued and after committing a traffic violation, officers with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office stopped the vehicle.
Officers observed in plain view in the ashtray of the vehicle a bag that contained what appeared to be a controlled substance. At that time, officers retrieved the controlled substance and put Richard in handcuffs and advised him of his Miranda rights.
The FBI and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.