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Meeting set on expanded use of bear-proof trash cans

St. Mary Parish is expanding the use of bear-proof garbage cans. In an effort to help these residents understand bear proofing measures, a 6 p.m. meeting Thursday will address any questions and concerns associated with this process and other general concerns with black bears.

To answer these questions the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will be on hand as well as St. Mary Parish officials in the fifth floor meeting room at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse in Franklin.

The topics for discussion will be:

--Bear proofing your home and neighborhood

--LDWF abatement efforts

--Ordinance for the proper us of wildlife-resistant refuse containers

--Ordinance outlining refuse container’s placement for service

ELODIE 'DEE' AUCOIN LANDRY

Elodie "Dee" Aucoin Landry, 94, of Berwick, Louisiana, passed away on September 1, 2019, at her residence in Luling, Louisiana, of natural causes.

Funeral services will be on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, at 11 a.m. at Hargrave Funeral Home in Morgan City. Visitation will be take place on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, from 6 .pm. to 9 p.m. with a rosary being prayed at 7 p.m. and again on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, at 9 a.m. until time of services at Hargrave Funeral Home. Following services, Dee will be laid to rest in the Berwick Mausoleum.

Dee was born in Berwick on April 24, 1925, and was the second eldest of twelve children. She moved to Luling from Berwick in 2018 and became a resident of Ashton Manor Assisted Living where she made new friends, enjoyed good food, exercised, listening to music, playing bingo and staying busy talking and hanging out with others in the community.

Dee was married to Earl Joseph Landry Sr., of Berwick on April 22, 1945, and they raised five children together, Earl Joseph Landry, Jr., Drena Ann Hinkle, Sherwin Jude Landry, Rose Marie Picou and Tab Anthony Landry. Earl Landry, Sr. was a veteran of World War II and passed away in 2007, Earl Jr. passed away in 2008 and Drena passed away in 1999.

Dee is survived by her daughter, Rose Picou, and her husband, David 'Doc'; her sons, Sherwin Landry and his wife, Ramona, and Tab Landry and his wife, Terrie; grandchildren; Tracy McCleary, Terra Lipari, Patrick Hinkle, Curt Landry, Joey Domangue, David Domangue, Jennifer Harvey and Jessica Favaloro as well as 19 great grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren.

Dee is also preceded in death by her first grandson Troy Landry.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dee's memory to the American Cancer Society - https://donate3.cancer.org/

UPDATED: Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas with Category 4 assault

FREEPORT, Bahamas (AP) — Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 4 assault that shredded roofs, hurled cars and forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passes.
The storm's top sustained winds fell slightly to 155 mph (250 kph), and its westward movement slowed almost to a standstill. The system crawled along Grand Bahama Island at just 1 mph (2 kph) and was expected to generate a storm surge of 18 to 23 feet (6 to 7 meters).
"We need you to bunker down," Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, warned people. "It's going to be another 10-12 hours that we're going to be bombarded with this."
Thompson and other officials said they received distress calls about rising floodwaters, but rescuers could not go out in the violent conditions.
"They are ready to get into those areas as soon as the weather subsides," he said.
Meanwhile in the United States, the National Hurricane Center extended watches and warnings across the Florida and Georgia coasts. Forecasters expected Dorian to stay just off shore, but meteorologist Daniel Brown cautioned that "only a small deviation" could draw the storm's dangerous core toward land.
By late Monday morning, the water had already reached roofs and the tops of palm trees in Grand Bahama. One woman filmed floodwaters lapping at the stairs of her home's second floor.
In Freeport, Dave Mackey recorded video showing water and floating debris surging around his house as the wind shrieked outside.
"Our house is 15 feet up, and right now where that water is is about 8 feet. So we're pretty concerned right now because we're not at high tide," said Mackey, who shared the video with The Associated Press. "Our garage door has already come off. ... Once we come out of it with our lives, we're happy."
On Sunday, Dorian churned over Abaco Island with battering winds and surf and unleashed heavy flooding as people called radio stations and sent desperate messages on social media to find loved ones.
"We received catastrophic damage here in Abaco," Parliament member Darren Henfield told reporters. He said officials did not have information yet on what happened in nearby cays. "We are in search-and-recovery mode. ... Continue to pray for us."
Information began emerging from other affected islands, with Bahamas Power and Light spokesman Quincy Parker telling radio station ZNS that there was a total blackout in New Providence, the archipelago's most populous island. He also said the company's office in Abaco island was flattened by the storm.
"The reports out of Abaco as everyone knows," Parker said as he paused for a deep sigh, "were not good."
Most people went to shelters as the storm neared. Tourist hotels shut down, and residents boarded up their homes. But many people were expected to be left homeless.
On Sunday, Dorian's maximum sustained winds reached 185 mph (297 kph), with gusts up to 220 mph (354 kph), tying the record for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall. That equaled the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, before storms were named. The only recorded storm that was more powerful was Hurricane Allen in 1980, with 190 mph (305 kph) winds, though it did not make landfall at that strength.
Forecasters said Dorian was likely to begin pulling away from the Bahamas early Tuesday and curving to the northeast parallel to the U.S. Southeast seaboard.
An advisory from the hurricane center warned that Florida's east-central coast could see a brief tornado sometime Monday afternoon or evening.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an order Sunday for the mandatory evacuation of his state's entire coast. The order, which covers about 830,000 people, was to take effect at noon Monday, at which point state troopers were to make all lanes on major coastal highways one-way heading inland.
"We can't make everybody happy, but we believe we can keep everyone alive," McMaster said.
A few hours later, Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, ordered mandatory evacuations for that state's Atlantic coast, also starting at midday Monday.
Authorities in Florida ordered mandatory evacuations in some vulnerable coastal areas. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned his state that it could see heavy rain, winds and floods later in the week.
Dorian first came ashore Sunday at Elbow Cay in Abaco Island, then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour. A storm surge was reported at 18 to 23 feet (5.5-7 meters).
The Bahamas archipelago is no stranger to hurricanes. Homes are required to have metal reinforcements for roof beams to withstand winds into the upper limits of a Category 4 hurricane, and compliance is generally tight for those who can afford it. Risks are higher in poorer neighborhoods, with wooden homes in low-lying areas.
After leaving the Bahamas, Dorian is forecast to drift north, spinning 40 to 50 miles (64 to 80 kilometers) off Florida, with hurricane-force wind speeds extending about 35 miles (56 kilometers) to the west.
The hurricane center issued a hurricane watch for Florida's East Coast from Deerfield Beach north to Altamaha Sound in Georgia. A storm surge watch was extended northward along the Georgia coast to the Savannah River. Lake Okeechobee was under a tropical storm watch.
Weekend traffic was light in Florida despite the many evacuation orders, unlike during the chaotic run-up to Hurricane Irma in 2017, when the unusually broad storm menaced the entire state.

Golf course continues to curb expenses

Rudy Sparks, chairman of the Atchafalaya Golf Course Commission, gave the St. Mary Parish Council an annual overview of the facility’s current status Wednesday.
“It looks like we have bottomed out from 2018,” Sparks said. “Our total income from all activity related to the course including the restaurant, is up slightly to $1,593,00, up from $1,161,000 from the prior year.”
He said that green fee and AdLink—an advertising system installed on carts—continue to trend downward a bit. “Not making excuses, but we all recognize at least the past couple months have been terrible weather conditions and that has affected play,” Sparks said.
That amounted to green fee revenue this year of $229,000, down from $243,000 last year. Annual pass holder income has dropped, “I think in part due to a downturn in the economy and the fact that we just unfortunately don’t have quite as many people in St. Mary Parish as we had just a few years ago.”
AdLink revenue has fallen from $129,000 to $125,000.
“We expect that to pick up as the economy picks up,” Sparks said.
Tournament revenue is down $2,000, but “about where we were in 2016…we’re holding our own on that. We’ve lost a couple of good tournaments, just competition from other courses, but we’ve also picked up several nice tournaments this past year and have a few scheduled for this year coming.”
Play packages have been instituted that have helped play numbers, and have not changed. Food and beverage sales at the restaurant have increased from $860,000 to $926,000.
The clubhouse and restaurant continues to host events such as weddings throughout the year, Sparks said.
Sales tax remitted to the parish from the course totaled $67,000.
Total operating expenses are being controlled, with a reduction from $1,103,000 to $1,044,000, including all expenses at the facility.
“I don’t think we can take it much lower without some negative impact,” Sparks said.
He said 52% of players were from the parish, 37% were regional and 11% out-of-state play.
High school golf programs are continuing, including the Terrebonne Parish area and others. The course also hosted a new Women’s All Pro Tour, a semi-pro tour and others. There were nine fundraiser tournaments that generated $140,000.
Economic impact of the course on St. Mary Parish is a plus of $340,000 from tournament play, and from all activities, $440,000.
Sparks said the course is searching for an individual to help market the facility, and is interviewing applicants. A consultant on course maintenance is being paid through donations.
Councilman Glen Hidalgo, a proponent of hiring a management company for the course, said, “Not much has changed in about 11 years. Are you not thinking any more about a management company?” He noted that some companies previously submitting proposals claimed they could have the course “in the black in three years.”
Sparks said he respected Hidalgo’s comment, but that the commission has also reached out to other golf courses that have brought in outside firms and “some were successful, some turned out to be a nightmare, depending on the circumstances. In some instances management companies were hired and fired within a year, costing the owner lots and lots of money.”
He said he believes the commission has done a good job managing the course. “It’s our opinion that we can do a better job of managing this golf course through this seven-member commission that costs the parish council nothing more than it would be to bring in a management company that’s going to cost you $100,000 a year, up front, before he does anything. He’d have to make you an additional $100,000 to get you back where you were, and we just don’t think that’s possible.”
He said there is more competition, and that golf is “falling out of vogue”, having contracted by 10-15%.
Hidalgo said, “Without trying we don’t know. That’s what’s so frustrating, you’re not even giving them a chance to come in here and see if they can turn it around. I’ve talked to mayors, recreation department heads that have had management companies come in, and they’ve turned them around within five years when they were millions of dollars a year in debt. Without this commission not every trying it in 11 years, I don’t get it.”
Sparks replied that he knew of many courses that have had the opposite results.
Chairman Gabriel Beadle said in proposals he’s seen, “Every single one of those assume they’re going to make money. Not one of them give you a plan if they don’t make money. If they don’t, then what happens? Do we shut down the golf course and pay back all the money that we got from the state, that we got for the grant? Because that’s what happens.”
Councilman Kevin Voisin complained that getting the budget proposal 10 minutes before the meeting isn’t enough time to study it.
The council referred the golf course’s budget proposal to its next meeting.

District governor visits the Franklin Rotary Club

Franklin Rotary Club was visited Tuesday by its district governor and assistant district governor, Harold Domingue and Danny Cavell.
Domingue gave the luncheon address which was a mixture of advice, notifications and instruction.
He began with a citation of Rotary International’s membership numbers.
“For years, I have heard that Rotary is a great international organization, Domingue said. “We boast 1.2 million members around the globe in 200 countries in over 530 districts of 35,000 clubs.
“I have listened to Rotary say that for the past 10 years, and what I have finally realized is that Rotary has not grown in 10 years. Our membership has been stagnant at that 1.2 million (members) level worldwide for quite some time.”
Domingue added that he didn’t think Rotary’s frozen membership statistics are due to any fault of Rotary itself, but is symptomatic of a wider phenomenon experienced by many civic organizations these days.
He went on to say, “Our Rotary International President this year is Mark Maloney. He hails from Decatur, Alabama… his emphasis on Rotary? Two words: Grow Rotary.”
According to Domingue, Maloney’s push to “Grow Rotary,” is multi-faceted with a singular goal: Increase the potential for Rotary’s effect by increasing Rotary’s service, impact and membership.
He urged attendees to donate to the Rotary Foundation, saying, “It is how Rotary does all of its humanitarian projects around the world.”
He expressed that one of his favorite RF-funded causes is Polio Plus, Rotary’s polio eradication initiative.
“To date, Rotary has given $2 billion to the polio eradication effort,” Domingue said. “We have immunized 2.5 billion children around the globe.”
He also reported that the global list of polio-effected countries is now down to three countries, one of which, Nigeria, will be off the list by October, having gone without a polio case for the requisite three years necessary to be considered polio-free.
The other two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Domingue admitted are the two most troublesome countries to help due to political unrest and terrorism.
“Rotary’s goal: By 2023, to be a polio-free world,” he said. “Rotary announced last year that there will not be another large-scale project launched until we live in a polio-free world.”
Domingue closed with the news that Rotary had adopted a new mission statement as of last year.
He said, “That mission statement is: Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

Parish council boots members of 2 boards

Members of two parish boards were removed by the St. Mary Parish Council in Wednesday’s meeting.
Councilman James Bennett made a motion, read by Clerk of the Council Lisa Morgan into the record: “In accordance with Ordinance 2151, Article 7, Section 7.1, declaring the removal of Mr. T.J. Aucoin, commissioner of Recreation District No. 1; Mr. Leroy L. Trim, Mr. Oscar L. Toups, Mr. Roland Verret, Mr. Kenneth Mire and Mr. Ray Mayon Sr., commissioners of St. Mary Water and Sewer Commission No. 1; and each respective position will be vacated immediately and that applications to fulfill the unexpired terms of the members of the respective vacated positions shall be advertised immediately in accordance with the laws of this parish and that Henry C. LaGrange, chief administrative officer, be authorized to assume the responsibilities of operating…Water and Sewer Commission No. 1, including signing checks, contracts and other documents related to its proper operations until new members to the board of commissioners are sworn.”
Bennett’s motion was seconded by Councilman Paul Naquin.
“Why aren’t these being done separate?” Councilman Kevin Voisin asked. “If you’re going to take one member off of a (recreation) board to me that should be a different board…then you should deal with the other.”
“It’s under the same article, which is non-compliance,” Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said.
Voisin asked legal counsel Eric Duplantis, “Can you state what the non-compliance is?”
But LaGrange said, “Non-compliance is related to Article 2, of the ordinance which is part of human resources, which says that all political subdivisions shall adhere to the parish personnel policy manual, and that political subdivisions shall adopt the manual within 90 days after the effective date of this ordinance.”
He explained that if a board member or board isn’t in compliance, the CAO should be notified, and that was done on Feb. 22 and given 60 days to comply. “They failed to comply within 60 days so on July 15 the ordinance provides that you send another letter (of final notice) giving them 15 days to comply.”
After that, if there is no compliance, the CAO by majority vote of the parish council would enact the procedures.
The recreation board held a special meeting Tuesday and voted 2-1 to adopt the procedures, but Aucoin voted against.

Historical Society seeks funds for Brown House

Lud Henry, representing the Berwick Historical Society, along with six other members, asked the St. Mary Parish Council for support with continuing renovations of its historic home.
It is an effort that started about six years ago, Henry said, to record the history of the town. “The Brown family donated the Brown House to the Town of Berwick several years ago and it became a meeting place for several different meetings,” he said. “Now the Berwick Historical Society has turned it into the Berwick Heritage Museum, and we’re on the hunt for funds.”
The volunteer organization consists of all unpaid members and admission is free to the museum. There has not been an official opening yet, but Henry said, “We have been taking visitors every Monday from 10 to 3, and all these people along with several others man and archive the artifacts, documents and things that come across our desk.”
There are several exhibits currently, and several fundraisers have been held throughout the year, and Berwick government contributes as well, Henry said.
An air-conditioning system is being installed to help host guest exhibits, an alarm system is needed, “Especially with paper documents we have to be able to store those things in a proper way,” Henry said. “Berwick is the oldest settlement in St. Mary Parish. We want to encourage tourism…Berwick has never had a place and now we do. We want to have a place that’s first class.”
Renovations to the top floor are pending, Henry said. They have been seeking grant opportunities.
The council referred the $20,000 request to the finance committee.

Boil water advisory lifted in Berwick

The boil water advisory for Berwick has been lifted, the town government posted on its Facebook page Saturday morning.

The advisory had been in place since Wednesday, when utility workers discovered a leak in a main line.

The leak was quickly fixed, but the repair required lowering water pressure below the level the state requires to keep water safe for drinking. Samples were sent to the state for testing.

Residents had been advised the tap water was safe for bathing and cooking. But they were asked to drink bottled water as a precaution.

The latest on Dorian from the National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Dorian Discussion Number 28
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL052019
500 AM EDT Sat Aug 31 2019

Dorian continues to look impressive in satellite imagery this
morning, with a fairly symmetric area of cold cloud tops surrounding
a 10-15 n mi wide eye. There have been no new aircraft data from
the storm since the last advisory. However, the satellite
appearance has changed little since the aircraft were last in the
storm, and the various subjective and objective satellite intensity
estimates have changed little over the past several hours. Based on
this, the initial intensity remains 120 kt.

The initial motion is now 290/10. A low- to mid-level subtropical
ridge to the north of the hurricane should steer it west-
northwestward to westward for the next 48 h or so, with the forward
speed becoming very slow as the center passes near or over the
Abacos and Grand Bahama. The track guidance for this part of the
track is tightly clustered, and the new forecast track is near the
ECMWF, UKMET, and HCCA corrected consensus models. The track
forecast becomes much more problematic after 48 h. The global
models the NHC normally uses, along with the regional HWRF and HMON
models, have made another shift to the east to the point where none
of them forecast Dorian to make landfall in Florida. However, the
UKMET ensemble mean still brings the hurricane over the Florida
peninsula, as do several GFS and ECMWF ensemble members. The new
track forecast for 72-120 h will be moved eastward to stay east of
the coast of Florida, and it lies between the old forecast and the
various consensus models. Additional adjustments to the forecast
track may be necessary later today if current model trends continue.
It should be noted that the new forecast track does not preclude
Dorian making landfall on the Florida coast, as large portions of
the coast remain in the track cone of uncertainty. Also,
significant impacts could occur even if the center stays offshore.

Dorian should remain in a generally favorable environment for the
next 3-4 days, and the intensity guidance indicates it will remain
a powerful hurricane during this time. The new intensity forecast
calls for a little more strengthening today, then it shows a slow
weakening that follows the trend of the intensity guidance. During
this time, the biggest intensity changes may come from hard-to-
forecast eyewall replacement cycles. Late in the forecast period,
increased vertical shear and proximity to land is expected to
cause some weakening.

Key Messages:

1. A prolonged period of life-threatening storm surge and
devastating hurricane-force winds are likely in portions of the
northwestern Bahamas, particularly on the Abaco Islands and Grand
Bahama Island. A hurricane warning is in effect for these areas,
and residents should listen to advice given by local emergency
officials and have their hurricane preparations completed today.

2. Life-threatening storm surge and devastating hurricane-force
winds are still possible along portions of the Florida east coast
by the early to middle part of next week, but since Dorian is
forecast to slow down and turn northward near the coast, it is too
soon to determine when or where the highest surge and winds will
occur. Residents should have their hurricane plan in place, know
if they are in a hurricane evacuation zone, and listen to advice
given by local emergency officials.

3. The risk of strong winds and life-threatening storm surge is
increasing along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina during
the middle of next week. Residents in those areas should continue
to monitor the progress of Dorian.

4. Heavy rains, capable of life-threatening flash floods, are
expected over portions of the Bahamas and coastal sections of the
southeastern United States this weekend through much of next week.

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