In an intense special council meeting attended by more than 100 angry St. Martin Parish residents, Cedars vehemently expressed his dismay toward LCG Mayor-President Josh Guillory. As the spoil banks are already gone, Cedars says theyre trying to fix this. 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. Joyce Haynes is the president of the school . How a St. Martin Parish agency connects seniors to vital services Many of these communities do not have the necessary funding to repair or maintain the water systems. 1005 Big Apple Lane Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. The parish has no jurisdiction. 120 East Refinery Street Instead, the caper was appended to a $390,000 contract awarded in December to Rigid Constructors LLC, the lowest bidder for as-needed excavation work. St. Martin Parish Operations, Maintenance & Transportation 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337-909-2990. St. Martin sues Lafayette to rebuild spoil banks along Vermilion River In our last feature, we exposed the fact that St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars barely let the ink get dry from him going on a 19-minute masterful performance to convince the St. Martin Parish Council (SMPC) to approve an ordinance to ban the importing of vegetative debris from other parishes into St. Martin Parish before he sued . 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. Employee Application for Summer Learning 2021, St. Martin Parish Head Start Academy Program, St. Martin Parish Early Head Start & Head Start Academy Program, St Martin Parish Type III Child Care Centers, School Based-Health Centers and School Nurse Program, St Martin Parish Virtual Learning Program, Virtual Learning Family Technology Survey, Cameras in SPED Self-Contained Classrooms - St. Martin Adopted Policy, SMPSB 2022-23 Ready to Achieve: School Reopening Plan, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), Behavioral Health Services for Students (Act 696), Parental Access to Instructional Materials (Revised Statue 17:355). Lafayette City-Parish Attorney Greg Logan responded to the new lawsuit Thursday by saying he believes there are inconsistencies in St. Martin Parish's arguments and that LCG will make its response in due time. Cedars said LCG removed the spoil banks without the appropriate regulatory licenses or permits required by law. In other reports, the council heard from Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Executive Director Lt. Col. Billy Guidry about the projected water flow along the Bayou Teche this coming spring. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Cedars spent most of his parish presidents report explaining exactly how the issues with access to Lake Martin came into being. Jimmy "Coach" Durio 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!" St. Martin Parish wants Lafayette's spoil banks lawsuit thrown out for Fiber installed in public-private broadband project | St. Mary Now The investigation could force changes to the project to blunt its impact on the Black and low-income neighborhoods that will house it. Of course, I fully recognize that my remarks will ignite a flurry of criticism and comments. var year = today.getFullYear() 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. One former public official is willing to give LCG the benefit of the doubt on the contract amendment. Meet Our Board of Control | St. Martin Parish Library D. Kaplovitz Louisiana Parish Attorneys Association ("LPAA"): Group Parish Attorneys Association ("LPAA") j. touzet; Otherwise, St. Martin Parish will most assuredly oppose any attempt to remove the spoil banks.. I know it took a month, and equipment came from all over the country. This document is available in PDF format. Pending the governors signature, both the spoil banks project and the catchall Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project are set to receive more state dollars in the 2022 capital outlay budget. You can experience nature at its finest and tour the Parishs natural gifts such as Bayou Teche, Lake Martin, and the Atchafalaya Basin. You had a 12 feet levee, and youre reducing it to 6 feet. If you are a St. Martin Parish resident, take a moment to enjoy our many recreational sites and renew your valued acquaintances. The Louisiana attorney general has opined that any additional public work outside of the scope of the existing contract should be negotiated or let out for public bid rather than by change order to the existing contract.. LCG has been in a tiff with the St. Martin Parish Government for months over removing the spoil banks, which LCG believes will lower water levels on the Vermilion River during storms. According to state law, change orders within the scope of the contract can be negotiated in the publics best interest or let out for bid, but change orders outside of the scope of the contract that exceed the contract limit must be let for bid., The law also suggests that it is a best use of public funds to put out for bid change orders within the scope that are more than the contract limit. (BRPROUD) - St. Martin Parish President Chester R. Cedars wrote a message addressing the community on the "stark reality" of this fourth surge of COVID-19. According to Cedars, LCG had initiated a study for a potential project that entailed the removal of the spoil banks in April 2021. What's a spoil bank, and why is St. Martin Parish mad at Lafayette? First, to authorize Cedars to "pursue litigation against every single person, farm and entity that may be complicit in the removal of the banks," including LCG officials. Broussard's attorney accuses St. Martin Parish Government & President "I have memories growing up, we'd drink out of the hose outside, could never do that anymore, and neither can our kids," 52-year-old Boudreaux says. And its connected to all three stormwater projects mired in lawsuits. All 10th & 11th graders must bring their fully charged Chromebooks to school on Tuesday for testing. $11.2 million Expansion Coming To St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers. The contract was awarded for one year, with options to renew for two additional one-year terms. 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 LCG did not turn over any evidence that the costs were negotiated within the percentages allowed by the contract, that a 5 percent retainage was withheld or that a new performance bond was posted by Rigid. All rights reserved. This parish is not afraid to fight in the courts to protect the publics rights.. P. O. St. Martin Parish Government | St. Martin Clerk 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. 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 [1] At the 2020 census, the population was 51,767. St. Martin Parish president expecting appellate ruling on lawsuit soon, Parish suing business owner on Lake Martin over blocking access for public, DWAYNE FATHERREE I guess I should have, Guillory reportedly told him. Bid law exists to protect against cost overruns and to keep negotiations honest. We don't want anyone to be harmed, and therefore we believe that the way to mitigate that is to restore the property to its state before the removal of the spoil banks," he added. St. Martin Parish Operations, Maintenance & Transportation 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337-909-2990. St. Martin Hospital (SMH), located at 210 Champagne Blvd. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Bid law trumps.. St. Martin Parish School Board hiring Head Start/ Early Head Start For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact the Council on Aging at 337-332-3063. You cant sign a contract or pass an ordinance that allows you to ignore public bid law, says one former LCG official. The current modeling of the spoil bank removal project shows that there is no threat of harm to St. Martin Parish.. St. Martin Parish President has posted updates about the expected impacts for the parish from Hurricane Ida. The Daily Iberian 124 E Main St, New Iberia, LA 70560 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | The DAILY IBERIAN & ACADIANA LIFESTYLE are owned by Wick Communications. Cedars would not say exactly what St. Martin Parish's plan is to address LCG's removal of the spoil banks but did say that he plans to give a full report on the situation at the St. Martin Parish Council's next meeting on Tuesday, March 15. The losses could substantially burden both city and parish finances. LAFAYETTE, La. St. Martin Parish Federal Programs & Technology Annex 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337.332.3388. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. And the peculiar vehicle for awarding such a large contract, in effect side-stepping the transparency and cost controls required of public contracting, may itself have violated public bid law, according to interviews with a dozen contractors, engineers, lawyers and former LCG employees. Ochsner Health Announces PPE Production Facilities in Lafayette, St "This is the most incredible, unprofessional thing that I think one governmental jurisdiction can do to the other. Second, a public investigation on the regulations allegedly violated during the removal, including those ruled by FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency. Lafayettes spoil banks project in St. Martin Parish avoided public bid law and netted a contractor millions. var today = new Date() As for the spoil banks, theyve stood by the merits of the project and accused St. Martin Parish of trying to obstruct it. St. Martin council passes ordinance restricting dumping, burning St Martin parish, is the unreasonable neighbor here, not MP Guillory. Nothing was given to us to review. The engineering is clear.. Flooding:Five years later, Lafayette is still defined by the catastrophic 2016 flood, "We bought the property, took the dirt off the spoil banks and put it on the Chappuis (Dentention Pond project) side," he said. Whether LCG devised the as-needed contract to slip the spoil banks project through unnoticed is unclear. Something that is now possible thanks to a $14.3 million grant. School Board - St. Martin Parish - saintmartinschools.org Lafayette, St. Martin Parish levee feud escalates, lawsuit possible St. Martin Parish Police Jury - KPLC "That doesn't preclude any other type of actions which may occur.". He makes it clear that hes always promoted the use of masks while indoors and touches on the subject of the lack of vaccinations among adults. The high water mark is at Rookery Road, where the levee used to be, Cedars said. Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. :And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? Want to see more results ? . U.S. President; U.S. Chester Cedars has been working as a Parish President at St Martin Parish Government for 21 years. "I want to give a full report to the council to the public at one time," he said. in Breaux Bridge, will host a groundbreaking ceremony today, Tuesday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m. to celebrate the start of an $11.2 million expansion and renovation project. Martin Parish line. The same cant be said for us, said Yvonne Romero, a St. Martin Parish resident who attended the meeting. LCG letter:Army Corps inspection finds no permit was needed for Lafayette spoil banks removal. St. Martin P. O. The Parish President is the chief administrative officer of parish government and is assisted by the administrative staff and the parish's operating departments. Jeremiah, I see that you failed to read the story. Very little of what Rigid charged on the spoil banks project is related to excavation. Im not frustrated as much as Im disappointed. It's uncalled for and unwarranted," Cedars said Thursday. His statement reads, In order to successfully sue for damages in a plaintiffs case, you must show that there was harm created. And surreptitiously LCG went out and removed those spoil banks and, in our opinion, has put our citizens at peril, contrary to what they may postulate.". Guy Cormier is the president of St. Martin Parish, and was a Police Juror back in 1999 when the change was adopted for good. Aside from the limestone used for a parking lot at the lake, which is viewed as an extension of Rookery Road, the parish cannot use resources to repair or expand improvements on private property. 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'. Whether the amended contract was awarded illegally hinges on if the work on the spoil banks falls within the scope of the original contract. (BRPROUD) St. Martin Parish President Chester R. Cedars wrote a message addressing the community on the stark reality of this fourth surge of COVID-19. Senator (Class II) U.S. Representative (District 3) 15TH JDC District ATTORNEY; 15th JDC Judge (Div. 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. 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. Research salary, company info, career paths, and top skills for Project Coordinator LCG officials have said they believe removal of the banks, which risse several feet above the river, will lower river levels in Lafayette Parish. Contact her at (337) 207-4312 or [emailprotected]. Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Valerie Gotch-Garrett is presiding over the case and St. Martin Parish's request to have it dismissed on the grounds that it should have been filed in the 16th Judicial District, which covers . I did not get a formal response, Cedars said. "With so much of our daily life revolving around internet connectivity, we are making fiber infrastructure modernization a priority for our parish. 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. C) Multi-Parish Races. 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. St. Martin Parish Parish President. Teacher Salary Schedule - St. Martin Parish - saintmartinschools.org Census facilitator Tomika Scott gave council members a briefing on plans for the 2020 Census in St. Martin Parish and went into depth on the importance of getting an accurate count of the parishs population. After the shooting, Reddit drove to a Baton Rouge hospital for a stab wound he said he sustained during the incident. 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. "Let me just say this, St. Martin Parish is not gonna sit on their ass and allow this to go unremediated.". DENHAM SPRINGS, La. LCG sued again on St. Martin spoil banks project - The Current Follow Andrew Capps on Twitter or send an email to acapps@theadvertiser.com. (KLFY) St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has signed new guidelines for COVID-19 for parish-owned and operated facilities, effective immediately. Russel C. Foti The spoil banks are makeshift dirt levees, nearly 4,000 feet long, that follow the river's southern bank around the Cypress Island Swamp in St. Martin Parish, isolating the river from the low-lying swampland and preventing floodwaters from dumping out of the river and into the swamp during storms. Corps of Engineers to remove the spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St. Martinville, but that request was ultimately withdrawn, according to Cedars. St. Martin Parish President writes message to community about 'stark All Rights Reserved, Opening/Purchasing a Bar/Nigh Club/Lounge, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan-Amendment #1. St. Martinville, LA 70582 St. Martin Parish, Louisiana - Wikipedia He also said that there could be a legal argument made that the states area of control extends to the lakes high water mark which could be construed as Rookery Road. Log In / Sign Up. The Corps of Engineers in New Orleans said through a spokesperson that it opened an investigation into the spoil banks' removal. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. "When I learned about this late Tuesday afternoon, we did certain things and had certain meetings, and we're developing what our course of action will be from this point forward," he said. This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. St Martin Parish Government Location 301 W Port St, Saint Martinville, Louisiana, 70582, United States Description Industry Government 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. I trust the significant engineering that has gone into this project. Thats our job, Cedars said. St. Gabriel police officer accused of murder booked in Livingston Parish This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. District II Wanda B. Vicknair, who says by law the project should have been re-bid, believes the losing bidders could have standing for damages if they sued, with the runner-up bidder in the best position to succeed. Dozens of projects have been OKd by the councils with scant scrutiny, even as the administration lost expropriation cases in court. Lake Martin boat launch reopened, at least temporarily, because of new 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. Payment records show at least three other projects were billed to the as-needed contract, including excavation work for detention ponds on Coulee Ile Des Cannes. Three days later, on Feb. 21, before obtaining permits from either St. Martin Parish or the U.S. And if LCG intended the arrangement to avoid bid law, thats a problem, experts say. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Cedars did say he had productive conversations with members of one family about their concerns and proposed a possible compromise. Lawsuit:Despite judges ruling, LCG uses identical quick take to seize land for detention pond. Wanda B. St. Martin Parish President brushes off 30-year-old lifeguarding skills during NACo Annual Conference Like any good executive, Parish President Guy Cormier has to delegate to get things done, day in and day out, in St. Martin's Parish, La. LANDRY PARISH, La. About Us. You have to go out and re-bid it, says former Louisiana Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera. "We tried to be civil, we did, we tried to go over there and ask them good questions to try to get the solutions rolling voluntarily, but they didn't listen, so what's the next step?". Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The makeshift levees isolate the river from low-lying land east of the Lafayette Regional Airport and rise several feet over the river in most areas, preventing the rivers flood waters from flowing into the low-lying land and out of the riverand adjoining coulees, during storms. ONLY10th&11th graders will report to their respective high schools on Tuesdayto take their required ACT exam. Tel: 337.394.4436, District II Morgan City Mayor; Vermilion Parish. Theyre speaking with regulatory agencies about imposing penalties on LCG if they find they did violate the law. On Aug. 30, according to Cedars reports, the Corps advised that LCG had requested the proposed project be divided into two parts. Guillory's administration already faces two lawsuits over a novel type of quick-take land grab used to secure properties to build major detention ponds, one of which was overturned by a local judge and is now on appeal.