Now, they might win it back. President Russel C. Foti ; Vice President Mark Hebert ; District I Steve Fuselier 1059 Sonny Dr. St. Martinville, LA 70582 Tel: 337.394.4436. Why would you do that to your neighbors? I do not need Lafayette Parish Government telling St. Martin Parish whats best for us. 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. Cedars said studies have differed on the impact and risks of removing the makeshift levees and that he found out about LCG's quiet removal of the spoil banks Tuesday afternoon, weeks after the work had been done. . 314 Elmer St All 10th & 11th graders must bring their fully charged Chromebooks to school on Tuesday for testing. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Whether the amended contract was awarded illegally hinges on if the work on the spoil banks falls within the scope of the original contract. Vice President: Kevin Martin. Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. "Let me just say this, St. Martin Parish is not gonna sit on their ass and allow this to go unremediated.". Share this page on your favorite Social network. 15th JDC Judge (Div. St. Martin Parish president expecting appellate ruling on lawsuit soon, Parish suing business owner on Lake Martin over blocking access for public, DWAYNE FATHERREE It was paid only $1.6 million in all of the previous fiscal year, according to online records. 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. The Guillory administration did not respond to requests for comment on this timeline. Bid law exists to protect against cost overruns and to keep negotiations honest. There can be a myriad of violations, says Shaye, who declined to comment on whether her office has been alerted to LCGs contracts. 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. Mike Clay Anytime we can be good neighbors and we can help out folks and help anybody in the region and defnitely not hurt anybody, were going to do that, Guillory said. We won't share it with anyone else. Our restaurants offer authentic, renowned, and award winning Cajun cuisine. St. Martin sues Lafayette to rebuild dirt levee in Cypress Island Swamp Why didnt you tell me? St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said he asked Guillory when the two spoke after the operation was completed. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. . var year = today.getFullYear() 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. St. Martin Council on Aging, Inc. accepts applications from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Chester Cedars - Parish.. - St Martin Parish Government | ZoomInfo LANDRY PARISH, La. Tel: 337.441.0229, District III Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population.This encompasses all city, county, and special district elections appearing on the ballot within those cities. Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. How a St. Martin Parish agency connects seniors to vital services Cedars eventually asked council members to adopt three measures. "We had requested, and were told, that we would get a chance to review all of LCG's models upon which this proposed project was going to be based. District I 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. Departments - St. Mary Parish Government Call 337-828-4100 ext. The auditors office places the facts out there. Still, this only covers three of several water systems throughout the parish and they are not the only ones with a cry for help. 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. Research salary, company info, career paths, and top skills for Project Coordinator This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK All rights reserved. ONLY10th&11th graders will report to their respective high schools on Tuesdayto take their required ACT exam. 1005 Judy Street 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. In February it was chosen over The Lemoine Company to negotiate pricing with LCG on the $60 million Homewood Detention Ponds project, the largest drainage undertaking in the parishs history. Meet Our Board of Control | St. Martin Parish Library 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. Wick Communications. 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. One contractor interviewed by The Current defended the pricing in the contract, noting its what he would charge for the work. 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. Copy and paste this code into your website. It's not about whether the removal of the spoil banks will benefit Lafayette, as there is little to no argument there. Copyright "That doesn't preclude any other type of actions which may occur.". But I did get an email response Sunday night thanking me for the proposal and saying they hope to speak again soon.. 15 LSU Softball shuts out Minnesota, 3-0, Tigers hit four homers in 26-4 win over Central Connecticut, LSU Advances to Semifinals in SEC Tourney, Skenes tallies career-high 13 Ks in 12-2 victory, Geaux Nation Wrap: LSU advances to SEC Semifinals, 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, Black seniors invited to health fair in Baton Rouge, Marianne Williamson officially launches 2024 bid, Southern University celebrates 143 years of institutional, Fire at substation in St. James Parish forces road, Police up charges for man allegedly tied to deadly, Coincidence prompted Powerball winner to buy ticket, Driver dead after MD tanker explosion, fire, Ja Morant investigated by NBA over Instagram post, Mortgage rates have little reason to fall in March, Destination Louisiane: Antiques Roadshow; deadline, LSU Womens Basketball signees named Naismith All-Americans, $200K winning ticket sold at BR convenience store, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Romero said that she saw the first equipment coming to St. Martinville in February, but she thought LCG had permission to do the work. St. Martin Parish reimposes COVID-19 mask mandate - KLFY.com ARPA plans for St. Martin Parish leave people smiling 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. St. Martinville, LA 70582 LAFAYETTE, La. ------------------------------------------------------------Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere. The latest lawsuit, filed by SMPG Wednesday in St. Martin Parish, comes a day after a federal judge removed a March lawsuit by LCG against St. Martin Parish from federal court, freeing the two to resume their fight in front of a local judge instead. St. Martin Parish Government 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. 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. Cedars accused the parish government of removing spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St.. 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. 'I guess I should have,' he said to me.. What are spoil banks? 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. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. Why? Billy Broussard sues Daily Iberian for "nothing short of journalistic St. Martin Parish, Louisiana - Wikipedia Lake Martin boat launch reopened, at least temporarily, because of new Site Map; Accessibility; Facebook (opens in new window/tab) Do I look like an idiot? Yvonne Romero said. St. Martin Parish wants Lafayette's spoil banks lawsuit thrown out for He also addressed rumors that some landowners might try to block Rookery Road around the lake. "The perception is this is just talk [], it's not just talk," he tells KATC. At issue is the removal of half of a 12-feet levee structure left behind from the last time the Vermilion was dredged that has for decades protected St. Martinville from flooding. Bid law trumps.. 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. The three measures were approved by all nine council members. Lawsuit:Despite judges ruling, LCG uses identical quick take to seize land for detention pond.