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By BILL DECKER
bdecker@daily-review.com
BERWICK — The agenda for Tuesday’s Town Council meeting was printed beneath a logo showing the iconic lighthouse and the words “City of Berwick Louisiana.”
Legally, that designation continues to be an exaggeration. But the council hopes that a new LSU estimate will push the population above 5,000, persuading the governor to turn Berwick from a town into a city.
The council passed a resolution Tuesday formally asking an LSU professor to conduct “a census on behalf of the Town of Berwick.” A positive result could be used as ammunition in a request to have the governor give Berwick the promotion in municipal status.
Mayor Duval Arthur challenged the town population as determined by the 2020 Census almost as soon as the results were released in 2021.
The 2010 Census had put Berwick’s population at 4,946, just 54 people short of the 5,000 threshold at which a town becomes a city in Louisiana. State law sets out how governments are constituted for villages (municipalities with a population of 1,000 or fewer), towns (1,001-5,000) and cities.
But, although Berwick has a home-rule charter that basically defines its own rights and responsibilities, there is still a matter of municipal pride.
That pride took a hit when the 2020 Census, which was hindered by the COVID pandemic, showed a Berwick population decline to 4,768. Arthur has appealed the result to the U.S. Census Bureau, but the bureau hasn’t responded, he said Tuesday.
The annual estimates produced by the Census Bureau, based on “births, deaths, and migration,” according to the bureau website, show Berwick’s population dropping to 4,602 by July 2022, the latest available estimate.
The source from whom Berwick is seeking its own census tells a different story.
Louisiana’s population estimate program, operated by LSU’s AgCenter and the university’s Sociology Department, estimated Berwick’s July 2022 population at exactly 400 more than the Census Bureau said: 5,002.
Dr. J. Matthew Fannin is an assistant professor in LSU’s Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Department. He’s the man whom the Berwick resolution asks to conduct the town’s census.
Fannin said the state program conducts yearly population estimates for parishes and municipalities anyway, providing numbers that the Louisiana Treasurer’s Office uses to disburse money from the Parish Transportation Trust Fund and the Fire Insurance Fund for cities.
The state program bases its estimates on a different data set than the Census Bureau uses, including utility hook-ups and building permits.
“The reality is the type of data they have to submit is going to vary because of their resources,” Fannin said.
The state population estimates for July in any particular year are generally released in April the following year.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting:
—The council passed two resolutions asking for a total of about $2.9 million in state capital outlay funding for infrastructure projects.
One resolution seeks $2.3 million for upgraded water lines on James, Hebert, Palmer, Hogan, Trevino, Nicklaus, Jacobs, Canton, Fourth, Pacific, Oregon, Watkins, Russo, Young, Todd, Erlich and Versen streets.
The other resolution asks for $540,000 for sewer system rehabilitation on Fourth, Sixth, Texas, Francis and Utah streets.
—The council heard that the Berwick and Patterson governments have agreed to connect their natural gas systems so that Patterson gas could be used when pressure in west Berwick is low. The main gas line into Berwick enters from the east.

It’s satsuma time in Louisiana. Some plants began ripening in late September while other varieties will continue to mature through late November on into early December. As one of the best cold-hardy citrus types we can grow in the South, satsumas are a great option for home growers in Louisiana. And boy are they delicious!
Sadly, some of our established citrus trees are not producing well this year after last year’s Christmas freeze followed by drought this summer. But if you’re looking to start growing citrus for the first time, don’t be discouraged by this. Try growing in containers, which makes it easier to protect the trees from weather extremes.
Let’s go over some basics and history of satsumas and other types of citrus first.
Originally known as the satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu), we have shortened the name to satsumas. The fruit is native to China and Japan, and they are grown in cool, subtropical regions around the world. Satsumas are heavily cultivated in Japan, with production concentrated in the southern part of the country.
According to Peter Anderson at the University of Florida, the first record of satsumas in the United States was in Florida in 1876. The tree was named satsuma by the wife of General Van Valkenberg, a United States minister to Japan who sent the trees from Satsuma province on Japan’s Kyushu Island.
In the early 1900s, a million Owari satsuma trees were imported from Japan and planted throughout the southern Gulf Coast states from northern Florida to Texas. It has become the major commercial citrus type grown in the south.
Satsumas are small-to-medium-sized, evergreen trees with low-hanging, drooping branches. The branches commonly spread with an open growth habit, and the low-lying limbs should be supported or pruned to prevent fruit from touching the ground. Leaves are dark green and glossy, and the gorgeous white blossoms are fragrant when they appear in early spring from March to April. The fruit are small and globe-shaped at a size of 3 to 4 inches. They turn from green in August to a bright orange in late September through early December, depending on the cultivar.
There are roughly 100 cultivars that vary slightly in their maturity dates, color, shape, size and quality. It is good to have satsumas that mature at different times; this allows you to harvest and eat the fruit for a longer period. Some of the most popular cultivars for Louisiana are Owari, Armstrong, Brown’s Select, Kimbrough, Louisiana Early and Early St. Ann.
Owari is the most widely grown satsuma, and it is a vigorous grower. The trees grow best in well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral, loamy soils with lots of organic matter and lots of sun. The more sun, the more flowers and fruit. Flowers have both male and female parts and will pollinate themselves to produce fruit. And they smell great!
The use of citrus and citrus flower extracts in perfumes and essential oils has a long and rich history. The scents were valued in ancient civilizations for their pleasant aroma and perceived therapeutic properties. The use of citrus and floral extracts in perfumes can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Rome.
Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit along with their blossoms contribute unique and lively scents to fragrances. The blossoms of the bitter orange tree are used to produce neroli essential oil. This oil has a sweet, floral, citrusy scent. Neroli has been a cherished ingredient in perfumery for centuries and is known for its calming properties.
Petitgrain is another essential oil used for its fragrance. It is extracted from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree. Petitgrain has a woody, fresh, slightly floral aroma. It has been used both in perfumes and as a flavoring agent.
Essential oils extracted from lemon and orange peels have been used for their bright and refreshing fragrance. The process often involves cold pressing the outer peel to capture the oil.
Bergamot is another common fragrance used. It is derived from the peel of the bergamot orange. Bergamot essential oil has a distinctive, sweet, slightly spicy aroma. It gained popularity in the fragrance industry, especially in the production of colognes and perfumes. It also is used to provide the unique flavor in Earl Gray tea.
Citrus blossoms smell amazing. The fragrance is divine. Surely someone smelled this and thought to themselves, “I must find a way to bottle this scent so I can smell it year-round.”
Citrus and citrus flower notes remain popular in modern perfumery. They are often used to provide freshness, lightness and a hint of zest to a wide range of fragrances from colognes to floral perfumes.
The use of citrus and its blossoms in perfumery and essential oils continue with these scents appreciated for their versatility and ability to evoke a sense of freshness and vitality. I have an essential oil I use in my diffuser at home called “Cheerful” that is a mixture of citrus essential oils. It really does raise my spirits.
Back to the subject of citrus trees — container-grown citrus can be very productive, and because you can move containers, these trees can be protected from cold temperatures. Citrus grown on dwarfed rootstocks is a standard practice these days, making container growing an attractive option. Local retail garden centers carry many different species and varieties.
A great resource for home growers is the Louisiana Home Citrus Production Guide, publication No. 1234, which can be found at www.lsuagcenter.com.

August 13, 1952 — November 11, 2023

Gayle Daigle Chase, a lifelong resident of Morgan City, passed away peacefully at the age of 71 on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at her home. Gayle was born on August 13, 1952 to Eunice Percle Daigle and Jerome “Bill” Daigle.

Gayle was welcomed home by her mother and father and her loving husband of 41 years, Leonard “LJ” Chase, Jr.

Those left to cherish her memory are her sister, Pam Mayon and husband, Steve, of Morgan City; son, Christopher Chase and wife, Margaret, of Illinois; daughter, Amanda Chase of Morgan City; bonus daughters, Tammie Brown of Mississippi and Renee Chase of Baton Rouge; grandchildren, Heather Crowder of Mississippi, and Parker, Bishop, and Larkin Chase of Illinois. She is also survived by loving in-laws, great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Lighthouse Community Church on Thursday, November 16 from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service at 12:00 p.m. Her family will lay her to rest with her husband in a private ceremony.

BERWICK — A hospital district board member on Tuesday asked the Berwick Town Council to support the effort to bring labor and delivery services back to Ochsner St. Mary.
The lack of those services endangers mothers, babies and St. Mary’s prospects for growth, said Angelena Brocato, a member of the Hospital Service District No. 2 board.
“If we don’t keep this as a hot-button item, it will be swept away,” Brocato told the council.
The district owns the Morgan City hospital operated under lease by Ochsner Health. An agreement brokered by Gov. John Bel Edwards brought Ochsner in as the new operator and is widely credited with keeping the hospital open after LifePoint of Tennessee announced its intention to pull out of its lease in 2019.
“When [Ochsner] came into the picture, it was absolutely necessary,” Brocato said.
But the relationship changed last March, when Ochsner announced its decision to end nonemergency labor and delivery services at Ochsner St. Mary as of April 1. The company said its Bayou Region obstetrical services were being consolidated at Ochsner St. Anne in Raceland.
The hospital had only one obstetrician on staff, and Ochsner cited patient safety concerns as well as demographic trends toward an older population and a smaller number of women of child-bearing age.
The cutback led to public concern about the availability of emergency labor and delivery services, the 22- to 68-mile trips needed to reach other hospitals, and a lack of available transportation for some expectant mothers.
The district and Ochsner agreed to continue talking about ways to bring labor and delivery services back to the hospital. But when no firm arrangement emerged by July, the district board pulled from the Oct. 14 ballot two tax measures proposed to provide money for physician recruitment and related purposes.
The work of recruiting physicians “for any department in a hospital in a rural area is not an easy task,” Brocato said Tuesday.
But a survey conducted by New Orleans pollster Dr. Silas Lee in June put labor and delivery services among the six services respondents want at Ochsner St. Mary, along with emergency services, pediatric, primary care, orthopedics and general surgery.
The hospital lost pediatric in-patient services when obstetrics went away in April. Pediatric care was restored in July, Brocato said.
“Prior to labor and delivery closing April 1, I had no idea how closely linked labor and delivery and pediatrics are,” she said.
Louisiana already has high rates of maternal deaths and infant mortality, she said.
The lack of obstetrics at the hospital will discourage young families from moving or staying in St. Mary, she said.
“We can’t grow as a community unless we take care of the needs of our hospital,” Brocato said.
She encouraged the council members to talk to others about the issue, to support efforts to bring labor and delivery back to Ochsner St. Mary, and to use the providers and services at the hospital.
“It’s not a women’s issue,” Brocato said. “It’s a parenting issue. It’s a community issue.”