This might be a risk-free endeavor for Lafayette Parish, but it is not a risk-free endeavor for St. Martin Parish, Cedars said. Box 9. Negotiations stall for public access to Lake Martin boat landing, St. Martin council to seek Supreme Court review of Lake Martin lawsuit, Acadiana Regional Airport fuels up F-18's, Homicide suspect wanted after car crashes with person dead inside, Winning back-to-back Opens starts with OBriens bass-zilla, Big man, big moment: Randall-Bashay's bucket seals win for Yellow Jackets, Jordan brings experience, discipline to Athletic Director role, Louviere finds a slow approach key to nailing big bass for big W, New Iberia police searching for felon in Friday shooting incident, BERRY TALES: Stein's means another 'good-bye'. (AP) An off-duty St. Gabriel, Louisiana, police officer was arrested Thursday for the alleged murder of a 26-year-old man, authorities say. " Cedars said he asked. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, who has disputed the merits and risks of removing the spoil banks, said Thursday he was given no advance notice of LCG's plans to "surreptitiously" remove the spoil banks. President Russel C. Foti ; Vice President Mark Hebert ; District I Steve Fuselier 1059 Sonny Dr. St. Martinville, LA 70582 Tel: 337.394.4436. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, who has disputed the merits and risks of removing the spoil banks, said Thursday he was given no advance notice of LCG's plans to "surreptitiously . Contact information. St. Martin Parish's objection the spoil bank removal could cause legal trouble for LCG, as Lafayette's local government did not get a necessary permit to remove the spoil banks from St. Martin Parish, according to Cedars. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. Individuals interested in applying for positions may stop by the agency during those times. Rigids quote for the St. Martin work also tacked on $1.2 million for Barges/Temporary Barges, Cranes, and Rigging, $30,000 for patrol boats and $117,000 to have a mechanic on standby for the 24-hour job. Parish President Chester Cedars speaks during a meeting of the St. Martin Parish Council on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 15th JDC Judge (Div. St. Martin Hospital (SMH), located at 210 Champagne Blvd. St. Martin Parish Operations, Maintenance & Transportation 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337-909-2990. The spoil banks, left behind from the last time the Vermilion River was dredged decades ago, run along the rivers southern bank around the swamp in St. Martin Parish, just east of the border with Lafayette Parish. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said Thursday his government is aiming to have LCG restore the spoil banks as an immediate remedy and said it may seek other remedies as the case progresses. The high water mark is at Rookery Road, where the levee used to be, Cedars said. ft. skate park in Lafayette, Downtown Lafayette will soon see a new residential, Contentious California nuclear plant can keep operating,, Lafayette woman attempts to fight off purse snatcher, Ragin Cajuns Fall to App State in SBC Tournament, Spanish Moss was almost called French Moss, Prep Basketball: #1 NISH advances in thriller of, Meghan Schorman Claims Sun Belt Softball Pitcher, Ella Goodies family searching for another family, Carencro Fire Department responds to fire on Braquet, Jury convicts Louisiana man of trafficking fentanyl,, Ville Platte woman arrested for felony theft, Abbeville woman thankful to be alive after shot in, Carencro man re-arrested on child pornography charges, La. In recent months, private landowners around the lake have tried to block access for the public, either out of a fear of liability should an accident occur or, as in the case of the litigation the parish is engaged in, for commercial purposes. The operation was done just weeks after Lafayette's City Council voted on Feb. 2 to offer $500,000 as a match to $1.5 million in state funds to get the spoil banks removed. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars listens to a discussion at Tuesday's parish council meeting. St. Martin Parish School Board. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Site Map; Accessibility; Facebook (opens in new window/tab) Bid law exists to protect against cost overruns and to keep negotiations honest. All 10th & 11th graders must bring their fully charged Chromebooks to school on Tuesday for testing. Let us know what's going on! It is likely a court would find, based on the facts specific to this project, how it was bid, and the quick resulting change order which appears to have changed the scope of work that LCG did not comply with Louisianas public bid law, says David Vicknair, an experienced public bid law attorney with the firm Scott Vicknair LLC in New Orleans. St. Martin Parish residents who live near the area where the spoil bank once stood agree this may not benefit them. Cameron P. O. The Corps added it would determine whether a permit for this work was required or not. Flood fight:Lafayette, St. Martin parishes are arguing about a strip of dirt by the river. Rather, our communitys own behavior will account for any sort of lockdown,' wrote Cedars. residents cited for shooting geese from moving, 30 Iberia Parish jail inmates baptized behind bars, Wanted Louisiana fugitive arrested by U.S. The St. Martin Parish Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to authorize Parish President Chester Cedars to pursue litigation against Lafayette Consolidated Government for removal of spoil banks along the Vermilion River St. Martin leaders said happened without permission. Patrol boats, barges, cranes, ramps and an on-call mechanic were among the charges billed to Lafayette Consolidated Government for a February operation to dig up spoil bank levees on the Vermilion River. It was a very short call, Cedars said. St. Martin Parish is a parish in Louisiana.The parish population is 51,767, according to the United States Census Bureau. document.write(year) Cormier: "Starting in, I guess, 1990, the parish Police Jury had tried in three attempts to at least bring it to a study. As for rural communities dealing with water issues in the rest of the parish, there is no word from the parish government yet as to when improvement efforts will be underway. Copy and paste this code into your website. Corps of Engineers, leaving a third owner out of the transaction, On Feb. 23 Rigid invoiced LCGs Public Works Department $3.7 million for the work. . But even against that backdrop, the spoil banks project stands out. 337-909-2990, REPORT CHILD ABUSE: 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) Created in 1811, St. Mary Parish was originally part of the Attakapas District and St. Martin Parish. Do I look like an idiot? Yvonne Romero said. His reasoning for writing to the community about his concerns for the parish during this COVID surge sparked after reading a local newspaper article online describing the pressure local hospitals are feeling at this time. Both local and state officials have been in support of St. Martin Hospital and its expansion efforts since . Tel: 318.906.0582, District V St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has promised to hold responsible Lafayette officials and anyone connected to the secretive spoil levee removal, which he fears may send more flood water . Login & subscribe to unlock. It is also my understanding that the USCOE recommended removing the spoil banks, back in 1994?, after the 1993 flood. Moreover, I believe that under the current circumstances, there is no reason why adults should not take the vaccine except for those with medical issues which prevent them from doing so, said Cedars. The maximum price of the projects first phase was negotiated at $30.6 million, but grew to $38 million when Rigid was forced to mobilize to another drainage project during litigation with the landowners. Durand said the value of the individual properties was low, about $1,000 apiece. Turnarounds of days, rather than weeks, is atypical, according to sources. Whether the amended contract was awarded illegally hinges on if the work on the spoil banks falls within the scope of the original contract. Even if it tries to maintain that the work was an extension of the existing contract, LCG has so far not produced a single record to suggest that it did anything more than accept what Rigid put in front of it. 1005 Big Apple Lane P. O. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. City-Parish Attorney Greg Logan confirmed in a phone interview that work on the St. Martin project started soon after the as-needed contract was awarded in December. The spoil banks removal is the latest in a series of fast-paced measures taken by Mayor-President Josh Guillory's administration to address drainage in Lafayette. The suit aimed to stop LCGs clampdown on panhandling which district and appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have repeatedly found to be protected speech under the First Amendment. Nevertheless, I cannot sit idly by and not articulate about a critical situation.. Im not frustrated as much as Im appalled, Cedars said. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars gave a blistering rebuttal to the claims of a local businessman who said a new ordinance was targeting his business, citing more than a year's worth of meetings, correspondence and inspections with the owner as the parish sought to get the owner to comply with its zoning ordinance. The contract was awarded for one year, with options to renew for two additional one-year terms. The auditors office places the facts out there. Our parish extends a very cordial invitation to visit us. Normal processes for getting the project done would not have made that possible. Cedars said he continued with a second question: 'Why didnt you tell me?' Photo by Travis Gauthier In all likelihood, St. Martin Parish would have gone to court to stop the work, and indeed Cedars has since threatened to sue everyone involved. Cedars eventually asked council members to adopt three measures. Make a Donation . All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. (KLFY) An investigation has begun in the firings of many former employees in St. Landry Parish [] UPDATE, 3/3/2023: Milton-Fontenot said that Bellard gave her job back . St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said he is excited about the project, which will bring broadband connectivity to the St. Martin Economic Development Authority's SMEDA Industrial Park, which is located on the Lafayette/St. I guess I should have, Guillory reportedly told him. St. Martin Parish Federal Programs &Technology Annex, St. Martin Parish Operations,Maintenance &Transportation. Although there are concerns from high water that has moved south from Cairo, Illinois, and through Jackson, Mississippi, Guidry said it is expected most of those floodwaters will remain north instead of cycling through the Teche. St. Martin Parish turned the tables on Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory's administration Wednesday with a new lawsuit asking a local judge to order Lafayette to rebuild the Cypress Island Swamp spoil banks. It is my understanding that the overflow of the Vermilion R to Cypress Island swamp is the natural flow of flooding relief. Apply for the Job in Project Coordinator at Saint Martinville, LA. St. Martin Parish President has posted updates about the expected impacts for the parish from Hurricane Ida. Some members of the St. Landry Parish School Board say they are in favor of changes to the student dress code. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Many of these communities do not have the necessary funding to repair or maintain the water systems. It leaves a lot of questions, especially with the $1.8 million mobilization charge., A founding editor of both The Independent and ABiz and senior editor at The Times of Acadiana in the 1990s, Leslie Turk is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked in the newspaper business in Lafayette for more than three decades. Lafayette Consolidated Government may be drawing itself into a lawsuit with St. Martin Parish after quietly removingspoil banks, or makeshift levees,along the Vermilion River without St. Martin Parish's approval. var year = today.getFullYear() In the midst of French culture, exploration, and settlement during the late eighteenth century, St. Mary bears the distinction of being a primarily Anglo-Protestant settlement in the midst of French-Catholic Acadiana. B) 15th JDC Judge (Div. ST. MARTINVILLE Parish President Chester Cedars said that he expects the parish should be getting an appellate ruling soon on its lawsuit against a business owner on Lake Martin. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. The removal will allow the river to flow into the swamp during storms. Edna M. Johnson STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Lafayette Parish residents deserve to know and understand this issue. Parish President I am personally pleased that you have devoted time to view this website. St. Martinville, LA 70582 LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. But I did get an email response Sunday night thanking me for the proposal and saying they hope to speak again soon.. Vice President Lorem ipsum dolor consecteture adiciping. Cedars says he believes, however, more research on how it would impact their region should have been done before LCG moved forward with the project. Thats our job, Cedars said. There was hesitation. 500 Henry C. 'Bo' LaGrange Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. 'Bo' LaGrange, is currently the Chief Administrative Officer of St. Mary Parish Government, a position he has held since 1996. As of Tuesday afternoon, Jamie Angelle, Guillorys spokesperson, did not respond to questions regarding the removal of the spoil banks and didnt provide any comment about the alleged phone call. So it sounds to me like theyre in violation of the bid law.. 'Did you remove them?' It is also is my understanding that the USCOE 50+ years ago, by putting spoils on the St Martin banks of the Vermilion, inadvertently obstructed that natural flow to Cypress island swamp. I do not need Lafayette Parish Government telling St. Martin Parish whats best for us. (KLFY) St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has signed new guidelines for COVID-19 for parish-owned and operated facilities, effective immediately. But the contract terms require Rigid to document and justify those overages. There were some models that were given to us, and we looked at it and weren't satisfied with the conclusions of those 'models,'" Cedars said Thursday. of our parish leaders are excited about the decision of Ochsner and Trax Development to locate this PPE facility in our parish," said St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars. Public Works Director Chad Nepveaux said Thursday that LCG bought part of the land where the banks are located and removed the dirt over the course of a couple of days in February. St. Martin Parish turned the tables on Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory 's administration Wednesday with a new lawsuit asking a local judge to order Lafayette to rebuild the Cypress. He was joined at a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday (Nov. 30) in Broussard by state and local elected officials and economic development leaders as well as SafeSource Direct President Justin Hollingsworth. In May, Cedars wrote in another memorandum that he prepared and submitted a position paper in response to LCG application for a permit from the Corps of Engineers. ST. MARTINVILLE, La. On Feb. 18 LCG filed with the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Amendment #1 to the as-needed contract, saying the parties desire to amend the agreement to add line items for additional services. The amendment was signed by Mayor-President Josh Guillory and Rigids Fortier. Over the last 25+ years various government agencies have spent many hundreds of millions of dollars on flooded homes, many of which could have been avoided by simply restoring the spoil banks to its original level, along with spot dredging and maintaining the required natural depth of the river. Steve Fuselier Guillory has made clear hell do whatever it takes to push projects through faster. "The perception is this is just talk [], it's not just talk," he tells KATC. There are about two dozen of these properties, and they are causing an expense to the city because they have to keep them up.. and last updated 8:09 PM, Feb 27, 2023. LAFAYETTE, La. "When they were telling me about the project, I said, 'Wait a minute! The property around the lake is privately owned. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars says St. Martin Parish is no longer going to be one of them. And experts agree there is good reason to question the scope, in large part because it increased the value of the original contract tenfold. Rigid played a limited role in the Lake Farm Road detention project that first landed LCG in court over property rights, having been paid $61,000 to clear and burn trees on the Randol family land near Costco in May 2021. "Let me just say this, St. Martin Parish is not gonna sit on their ass and allow this to go unremediated.". Vital . To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE. When asked if the project would harm residents of St. Martin Parish, Guillory said, We surely wouldnt bless off on a project that would hurt anybody, but the science is clear. The $3.7 million project, now the subject of a barbed lawsuit with St. Martin Parish in federal court, was top secret and never competitively bid. The landings are privately owned. The current modeling of the spoil bank removal project shows that there is no threat of harm to St. Martin Parish.. The "surreptitious" move enraged St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, and led the St. Martin Parish Council to unanimously back Cedars' request to sue LCG over the removal this week.. "With so much of our daily life revolving around internet connectivity, we are making fiber infrastructure modernization a priority for our parish. Im pretty sure all of this was done with her permission or her approval.. "Many residents and local business in our parish struggle to access reliable internet service," St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said. 1.2k. {0} important information hidden . Wanda B. The idea was proposed, however, long before. Both Homewood and the St. Martin spoil banks are part of the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project, the centerpiece of a $106 million capital program to stop homes and businesses from flooding. Theres a process to this, and the process was definitely not followed, resident Chad Boyer said. Lafayette-based Rigid Constructors has been paid handsomely for its role in the blitz of detention projects. 120 East Refinery Street Nobody is going to block Rookery Road without a visit to the courthouse, Cedars said. According to St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars October 19, 2021, President's report, Josh Guillory was no longer pursuing the spoil bank removal project. St. Martin Parish Government (SMPG) District 6 Councilman Brook Champagne, speaking at the August 3, 2021, SMPG Council meeting, makes the emphatic statement that farmer and constituent Billy Broussard is "violating the zoning ordinance, and there's no doubt about it!" Cedars spent most of his parish presidents report explaining exactly how the issues with access to Lake Martin came into being. Cedars also mentions questions he frequently receives about the local government imposing crowd limitations or a potential lockdown. 2023 St. Martin Parish Government. Army Corps inspection finds no permit was needed for Lafayette spoil banks removal, removed a March lawsuit by LCG against St. Martin Parish, St. Martin Parish wants Lafayettes lawsuit thrown out for being in Lafayette, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. http://dss.louisiana.gov/page/109. four other contractors sent bids that ranged from $568,000 to $1.1 million. The St. Martin Parish facility will employ 976 direct employees with an annual salary of $38,000, plus benefits, and will result in 793 new indirect jobs. Mayor-President Josh Guillory and I also last conferred on April 13, 2021, at which time he assured me that there would be no formal action relative to this proposal until and unless St. Martin Parish can fully and completely vet the proposition and conclude that it presents no threat to our Parish, Cedars wrote. Now, they might win it back, Despite judges ruling, LCG uses identical quick take to seize land for detention pond, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. [2] St. Martin Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan area in the region of Acadiana, along . The Army Corps of Engineers did not require a permit for this, Guillory told News Ten. Log In / Sign Up. The Guillory administration did not respond to requests for comment on this timeline. A no-trespassing sign is displayed near a blocked off area of the parking lot near the boat launch at Lake Martin Monday, November 23, 2020, in St. Martin Parish. St. Martin Parish Library Board of Control Tommy Romero, President,Appointment 1992, Expiration July 2027 Freda Harrison, Vice-President,Appointment 1980, Expiration July 2025 Charlene LeBlanc,Appointment 1989, Expiration July 2023 Georgie Blanchard,Appointment 1998, Expiration January 2027 In the days and weeks before the contract was signed, Rigid CEO Cody Fortier, Rigid itself and Fortiers CF LLC each made $2,500 donations to the mayor-presidents campaign, as did another company associated with Fortier, Sunshine Homes LLC, for a total of $10,000, according to campaign finance records. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers. Dozens of projects have been OKd by the councils with scant scrutiny, even as the administration lost expropriation cases in court. Follow Andrew Capps on Twitter or send an email to acapps@theadvertiser.com. Waiting for a judge to be assigned to the suit, according to public records at last check on Friday. Lafayette Consolidated Government quietly removed the spoil banks from the southern shore of the Vermilion River in St. Martin Parish in February despite previous objections from the St. Martin Parish Government, which was not informed when the work was done. The update, which was posted at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, says that "as stated in. Lafayette Consolidated Government beat St. Martin Parish to the punch Wednesday by suing over the removal of the Vermilion River spoil banks at the center of the two parishes' recent feud . (KLFY) A feud over spoil banks, levees of dirt and debris formed on either side of a river is reaching new heights and creating a major controversy between two Acadiana parishes. If LCG was to successfully pull off its plan to go into the Cypress Island Swamp area without St. Martins knowledge or cooperation, it needed to move quickly and quietly. TOLL-FREE,24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK He has been Departments Read More Vice President: Kevin Martin. At this point in time, there is absolutely no articulable, cogent reason most of our community should continue to refuse to wear masks in indoor setting or refuse to even consider receiving a vaccine. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Lafayette, St. Martin parishes are arguing about a strip of dirt by the river, Five years later, Lafayette is still defined by the catastrophic 2016 flood, LCG took their land and razed it in a week. Martin Parish line. Records from LCG and Open Book reveal that Rigids invoices are typically paid within days, with one for $9.3 million for the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project paid via wire transfer to Rigid on May 9, one working day after it was submitted. Dwayne Fatherree / The Daily Iberian Buy Now Bruce Emley, division vice president for Waste Connections Bayou LLC, speaks at Tuesday's St. Martin Parish Council meeting. Third, an investigation by the congressional delegation on what happened, in order, Cedars said, that we are not going to let it happen again..