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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. When you did not have a permit, Romero added. "We will review the allegations and respond accordingly," Logan wrote in a message to the Daily Advertiser. 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. But I did get an email response Sunday night thanking me for the proposal and saying they hope to speak again soon.. 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. Recognizing the best in local architecture, planning and design, we are pleased to announce 12 winning projects for The Current In Design Awards 2023. He can be reached at dwayne.fatherree@daily-iberian.com. 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. 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. Removing the spoil banks could help drainage throughout Lafayette by lowering water levels on the Vermilion by almost 8 inches in a 2- to 10-year storm, similar to the one in May 2014, and by a little over 2 inches in a storm similar to the August 2016 floods, according to a study by the University of Louisiana at Lafayettes Watershed Flood Center. 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. Edna M. Johnson 600 Corporate Blvd Louisiana, 70517 Breaux Bridge - USA. With multiple boil advisories in the recent past, Cedars says it's no secret the parish and others with outdated equipment and infrastructure like it have issues with the systems, especially in rural areas. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Local Workforce Development Board #40 is certified by Louisiana's Governor as a local workforce development board, as required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Public Law 113-128. Im pretty sure all of this was done with her permission or her approval.. Third, an investigation by the congressional delegation on what happened, in order, Cedars said, that we are not going to let it happen again.. 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. 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. 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. The spoil banks as they appear now, after LCG moved dirt from the St. Martin side of the river to the Lafayette side (above) in February during a 24-hour secret operation that landed it in federal court and facing potential public bid law violations. 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. Both local and state officials have been in support of St. Martin Hospital and its expansion efforts since . Well, guess what? Logan confirmed that it was his idea for LCG to do more as-needed contracts, which arent that unusual in public works departments. Bid law exists to protect against cost overruns and to keep negotiations honest. His response was, 'Yes I did,' Cedars said. It is also my understanding, as Ms Turk mentioned, St Martin has been an obstacle to the removal of the spoil banks and restoring the natural floodway. Wick Communications. B) 15th JDC Judge (Div. (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. 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. 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 You can experience nature at its finest and tour the Parishs natural gifts such as Bayou Teche, Lake Martin, and the Atchafalaya Basin. Cedars also mentions questions he frequently receives about the local government imposing crowd limitations or a potential lockdown. St. Martin Parish Government. But rather than bid the markedly different contract, LCG accepted a single quote from Rigid valued at $3.7 million, the sole documentation for which appears to be a half-sheet of letter-sized paper with seven line items Rigid refers to as Bid Item(s) with an eighth line it calls Total Base Bid. To be clear, there was no advertised bid. Some members of the St. Landry Parish School Board say they are in favor of changes to the student dress code. 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!" Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. 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. Lafayette Consolidated Government removed spoil banks along the Vermilion River last week. Call 337-828-4100 ext. Normal processes for getting the project done would not have made that possible. Rather, it seems we are more interested in protecting and advocating our individual ideologue rather than adhering to the advice of medical science and thus protecting our fellow citizens, our businesses, our employers/employees, our healthcare system, and our children.. The Army Corps of Engineers did not require a permit for this, Guillory told News Ten. 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.". Why would you do that to neighbors when you don't have a permit?. No records of such documentation have been produced in our records requests, besides the half-page bid table pricing the rush-ordered work. Vicknair also notes the original December bidders could go to court to enjoin the remainder of the as-needed contract, which has options to be extended another two years, if any of that work is out of scope of the original bid work. {0} important information hidden . Tel: 337.394.4436, District II Dwayne Fatherree is the community editor for The Daily Iberian. 1005 Big Apple Lane Vice President: Kevin Martin. D) He was eventually taken into custody by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff . St. Martin Parish School Board Breaux Bridge, LA 2 weeks ago Be among the first 25 applicants See who St. Martin Parish School Board has hired for this role Chester Cedars, the St. Martin Parish President, speaks at a Parish Council meeting, at which the council voted to pursue litigation against Lafayette Parish for the removal of a spoil bank. (KLFY) St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has signed new guidelines for COVID-19 for parish-owned and operated facilities, effective immediately. 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. Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. Tel: 337.441.0393, District IV 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. Parish Council Meetings held @ 5:00 on the 1st Tuesday of each month. Sign up for our free newsletter. My office and the St. Martin Parish Council recognize that business is the bulwark of our local economy, and we stand ready and willing to assist you in your ventures. . A public records request for electronic communication between Fortier and LCG officials is pending. The engineering is clear.. He has also served as the Director of Planning and Zoning of St. Mary Parish. 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. Thats our job, Cedars said. Nobody is going to block Rookery Road without a visit to the courthouse, Cedars said. Many of these communities do not have the necessary funding to repair or maintain the water systems. firefighter Brent Haynes recovering, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, First look at new 13,000 sq. 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. 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. After rain storms in May 2021, Guillory advocated using an emergency ordinance to appropriate $20 million for city drainage projects, cutting red tape in part by bypassing bid requirements for a raft a projects. The council also discussed the potential sale of property within the city of St. Martinville that had been adjudicated as being co-owned by the city and the parish. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars listens to a discussion at Tuesday's parish council meeting. "Our interest is to ensure that the citizens of St. Martin Parish are protected from enhanced flooding risks that we believe the removal of the spoil banks creates," he told the Daily Advertiser. Commenting is reserved for donors. Not only could the millions spent digging ponds and removing spoil banks be money down the drain, but the city and/or parish could be on the hook for property owners legal fees and millions in penalties to restore lands to their original conditions. St Martin parish, is the unreasonable neighbor here, not MP Guillory. St. Martin Parish president expecting appellate ruling on lawsuit soon, Parish suing business owner on Lake Martin over blocking access for public, DWAYNE FATHERREE Public Works Committee @ 4:30 on the 3rd Tuesday; Administrative Committee Meeting follows Parish President. 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. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. This might be a risk-free endeavor for Lafayette Parish, but it is not a risk-free endeavor for St. Martin Parish, Cedars said. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Workday sued on suspicion of discriminatory hiring, 86-year-old woman honored for years of community, Attic Trash and Treasure organization hosts three-day, Scary video: North Carolina kids nearly hit at bus, Southern University experiences power outage across, No. ------------------------------------------------------------Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere. LAFAYETTE, La. Durand said the value of the individual properties was low, about $1,000 apiece. Let us know what's going on! Why would you do that? Cedars accused the parish government of removing spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St.. 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. dwayne.fatherree@daily-iberian.com. 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. Its not all that appears on its face.. LCGs drainage projects are already costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in city-parish legal fees, plus millions in re-mobilization costs.