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. This parish is not afraid to fight in the courts to protect the publics rights.. And certainly going from $300,000 or $400,000 to $3 [million] or $4 million would be a material change in the contract. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars told News 10, "It just disrupts the ability of the public to feel comfortable utilizing our facilities." Close Thanks for signing up! Parish Council Meetings held @ 5:00 on the 1st Tuesday of each month. B) 15th JDC Judge (Div. Theyre speaking with regulatory agencies about imposing penalties on LCG if they find they did violate the law. You cant sign a contract or pass an ordinance that allows you to ignore public bid law, says one former LCG official. St. Martin Parish has made a commitment to develop and maintain this medium so that the residents of our great parish can have full, open, and up-to-date access to the affairs of Parish Government. I asked. and last updated 8:09 PM, Feb 27, 2023. 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. 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. 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. 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. "I can give you 14.3 million additional reasons it's not just talk, and that's the $14.3 million we've committed to making this consolidation work. 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. Create a password that only you will remember. Over the past several months, The Current has reviewed hundreds of of pages of court documents and records obtained from LCG related to its immense capital program for drainage. 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.". I dont see anything else MP Guillory could have done more reasonable to finally get something accomplished to protect the interest of Lafayette residents at risk of flooding, due to changes in the landscape, beyond their control. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Corps of Engineers to remove the spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St. Martinville, but that request was ultimately withdrawn, according to Cedars. 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. Jimmy "Coach" Durio 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. Marshals,, Hooded man wearing sagging pants steals $9K in purses, Acadiana foster dad fighting to get children back, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. This would have saved many hundreds of millions of dollars of property damage, reduction in property values and tax base, not to mention the risk to public safety. Public Works Committee @ 4:30 on the 3rd Tuesday; Administrative Committee Meeting follows Parish President. 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. Open Books 10-digit check numbers, which seem to indicate wire transfers, show Rigid as the sole contractor paid by wire transfer this fiscal year, with LCG paying via wire transfer only 11 times out of 35,000 payments made so far this year. St. Martin Parish Tourist Commission | Louisiana Travel St. Martin Parish Tourist Commission Lake Martin at sunset Location 110 N. Main Street Breaux Bridge LA 70517 Get Directions Where Cajun Began..Breaux Bridge, Crawfish Capital of the World; Henderson, the Gateway to the Atchafalaya Basin; St. Martinville, Home of Evangeline. 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. (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. DENHAM SPRINGS, La. The contract also requires LCG to give written instructions to the contractor increasing the quantity of work and/or change orders. 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. 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. Neither Rigids Fortier nor LCG Public Works Director Chad Nepveaux responded to requests for comment. Thats our job, Cedars said. A public records request for electronic communication between Fortier and LCG officials is pending. Lafayette-based Rigid Constructors has been paid handsomely for its role in the blitz of detention projects. 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. 337.332.2105, St. Martin Parish Federal Programs &Technology Annex LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. Follow Andrew Capps on Twitter or send an email to acapps@theadvertiser.com. Copyright 1997- This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I also trust in the science and all of the engineers who have spent years analyzing the benefits of restoring the natural hydraulic flow in this area. Cedars eventually asked council members to adopt three measures. The same cant be said for us, said Yvonne Romero, a St. Martin Parish resident who attended the meeting. 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. Box 993 Senator (Class II) U.S. Representative (District 3) 15TH JDC District ATTORNEY; 15th JDC Judge (Div. D) Residents and parish leaders say theyre now also concerned over the legality of removing them. Bayou Vermilion Flood Control alone was allocated $22 million from the states windfall of one-time money. 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. This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. Dozens of projects have been OKd by the councils with scant scrutiny, even as the administration lost expropriation cases in court. And if LCG intended the arrangement to avoid bid law, thats a problem, experts say. Vital district5@intmartinschools.org, District VI document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This story has been edited to include Fortier's $10,000 in donations to Mayor-President Josh Guillory's campaign and to note that the original as-needed contract was limited to work "throughout the Lafayette City-Parish." LCGs drainage program is itself unusually massive in scope and speed. 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 His response was, 'Yes I did,' Cedars said. ST. MARTINVILLE The St. Martin Parish government is seeking a new solid waste collection provider after a tumultuous experience over the last two years with Pelican Waste, the current "We believe that we need to proceed as quickly as possible to protect the citizens from being harmed. "Aquaspersions is delighted to be investing in Broussard and with the welcome we have received," Bewsher said. Tel: 337.342.2993 According to Cedars, LCG had initiated a study for a potential project that entailed the removal of the spoil banks in April 2021. 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. "This is the most incredible, unprofessional thing that I think one governmental jurisdiction can do to the other. Let us know what's going on! Individuals interested in applying for positions may stop by the agency during those times. Steve Fuselier 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. St. Martin Parish Government officials and community members are now angry, as they say LCG removed the spoil banks without any warning and without permits. 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. 1059 Sonny Dr. As the spoil banks are already gone, Cedars says theyre trying to fix this. Why would you do that? "When they were telling me about the project, I said, 'Wait a minute! I guess I should have, Guillory reportedly told him. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said, however, it will not help their region and called it an act of misconduct.. Site Map; Accessibility; Facebook (opens in new window/tab) If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. The Parish President is the chief administrative officer of parish government and is assisted by the administrative staff and the parish's operating departments. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. St. Martin Parish to sue, investigate removal of spoil banks by Lafayette Consolidated Government. Tel: 337.441.0393, District IV Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is investigating LCG's decision to do the St. Martin Parish work without a federal permit, and the Corps has also asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate "flagrant, willful violations" associated with the project.Shortly after being made aware of the levee removal, the Corps told LCG to stop all activity on the project (with the . 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. "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. The current modeling of the spoil bank removal project shows that there is no threat of harm to St. Martin Parish.. Tel: 318.906.0582, District V Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. All rights reserved. And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? "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?". Waiting for a judge to be assigned to the suit, according to public records at last check on Friday. Rigid CEO Cody Fortier, Rigid itself and Fortiers CF LLC each made $2,500 donations to the mayor-presidents campaign, The contract was awarded for one year, with options to renew for two additional one-year terms, soon after the as-needed contract was awarded in December, one for $9.3 million for the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project paid via wire transfer to Rigid on May 9, with LCG paying via wire transfer only 11 times out of 35,000 payments, Rigid-half-page-quote-for-spoil-banks-removal.pdf, On Feb. 18 LCG filed with the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Amendment #1, before obtaining permits from either St. Martin Parish or the U.S. Contact information. Martin Parish line. 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. 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. All 10th & 11th graders must bring their fully charged Chromebooks to school on Tuesday for testing. So it sounds to me like theyre in violation of the bid law.. "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. St. Martin Council on Aging, Inc. accepts applications from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. "They didn't listen and unfortunately unless you take someone's money out of their pocket, they won't listen," Boudreaux says. Having already lost two major expropriation suits related to stormwater projects at the district court level, the Guillory administrations speed has potentially sunk tens of millions of dollars into projects that may never be completed. 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.. Parish President Chester Cedars speaks during a meeting of the St. Martin Parish Council on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. [2] St. Martin Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan area in the region of Acadiana, along . Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Cedars did say he had productive conversations with members of one family about their concerns and proposed a possible compromise. 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. Tel: 337.409.9518, February 18, 2022 - Special Board Meeting, September 7, 2022 - Regular Board Meeting, September 1, 2021 - Regular Board Meeting, September 2, 2020 - Regular Board Meeting, December 10, 2020 - Special Board Meeting, September 4, 2019 - Regular Board Meeting, February 22, 2018 - Special Board Meeting, September 5, 2018 - Regular Board Meeting, September 6, 2018 - Special Board Meeting, September 11, 2018 - Special Board Meeting, December 19, 2018 - Special Board Meeting, September 6, 2017 - Regular Board Meeting, November 18, 2017 - Special Board Meeting, December 19, 2017 - Special Board Meeting, September 7, 2016 - Regular Board Meeting, November 16, 2016 - Special Board Meeting, February 19, 2015 - Special Board Meeting, September 2, 2015 - Regular Board Meeting, February 19, 2014 - Special Board Meeting, September 3, 2014 - Regular Board Meeting, September 10, 2014 - Special Board Meeting, September 04, 2013 - Regular Board Meeting, September 25, 2013 - Special Board Meeting, November 20, 2013 - Special Board Meeting, February 01, 2012 - Regular Board Meeting, February 08, 2012 - Special Board Meeting, February 29, 2012 - Special Board Meeting, September 05, 2012 - Regular Board Meeting, November 07, 2012 - Regular Board Meeting, December 05, 2012 - Regular Board Meeting, December 19, 2012 - Special Board Meeting, February 02, 2011 - Regular Board Meeting, February 23, 2011 - Special Board Meeting, September 7, 2011 - Regular Board Meeting, September 21, 2011 - Special Board Meeting, December 21, 2011 - Special Board Meeting, February 03, 2010 - Regular Board Meeting, February 24, 2010 - Special Board Meeting, September 1, 2010 - Regular Board Meeting, September 15, 2010 - Special Board Meeting, February 4, 2009 - Finance Committee Meeting, February 18, 2009 - Special Board Meeting, April 22, 2009 - Finance Committee Meeting, September 02, 2009 - Regular Board Meeting, September 16, 2009 - Special Board Meeting, November 04, 2009 - Regular Board Meeting, December 02, 2009 - Regular Board Meeting, February 13, 2008 - Regular Board Meeting, February 20, 2008 - Special Board Meeting, June 18, 2008 - Finance Committee Meeting, August 13, 2008 - Finance Committee Meeting, September 10, 2008 - Regular Board Meeting, September 24, 2008 - Special Board Meeting, October 29, 2008 - Finance Committee Meeting, November 05, 2008 - Regular Board Meeting, November 19, 2008 - Finance Committee Meeting, December 03, 2008 - Regular Board Meeting, December 17, 2008 - Special Board Meeting, St. Martin Parish SchoolBoard Office 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. I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the businesses who have chosen to invest in St. Martin Parish. Corps of Engineers, LCG quietly purchased an undivided interest in a 41-acre tract from both the Guilliot family and Blanchet Land Company for $42,000 each (leaving a third owner out of the transaction), and it had to be only hours before Rigid was working the site (the sale was not recorded with the St. Martin Parish Clerk of Court until March 9). 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. He says it will benefit the entire region. St. Martin Parish Government. 600 Corporate Boulevard / PO Box 1000,Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 We won't share it with anyone else. The landings are privately owned. One contractor interviewed by The Current defended the pricing in the contract, noting its what he would charge for the work. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars listens to a discussion at Tuesday's parish council meeting. This document is available in PDF format. The losses could substantially burden both city and parish finances. I look forward to continuing our work with all of our neighbors, including St. Martin Parish, to combat flooding on a regional scale. 1.2k. Call 337-828-4100 ext. 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. 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. LAFAYETTE, La. Rigids $390,000 bid last year for the 2021 LCG as-needed excavation and disposal contract for work throughout the Lafayette City-Parish (the contract does not allow for work outside of the parish) was the lowest among five bids; four other contractors sent bids that ranged from $568,000 to $1.1 million. 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 The three measures were approved by all nine council members. There was a problem saving your notification. Many of these communities do not have the necessary funding to repair or maintain the water systems. Still, this only covers three of several water systems throughout the parish and they are not the only ones with a cry for help. Serious allegations from St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, against LCG over flood control. 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. Romero said that she saw the first equipment coming to St. Martinville in February, but she thought LCG had permission to do the work. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Now, they might win it back. Guillory, says, however, a permit was not necessary. Local experts say they are, however, typically for more focused projects, like ditch cleaning, small drainage projects, water line maintenance, asphalt overlays those with set costs and typically make changes in the thousands of dollars, not millions. 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. The property around the lake is privately owned. 301 West Port Street. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. 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. 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. LWDB #40 is one of 15 local workforce development boards in the State of Louisiana and services . 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 is a parish in Louisiana.The parish population is 51,767, according to the United States Census Bureau. 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. :And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? The Corps added it would determine whether a permit for this work was required or not. 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 parish seat is Saint Martinville. St. Martinville, LA 70582 Cedars spent most of his parish presidents report explaining exactly how the issues with access to Lake Martin came into being. . 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. You could argue with some validity that it is state controlled to that point.. LCG removed about 1,200 feet of the dirt levees without St. Martin Parish's knowledge in a bid to reduce flooding in Lafayette. ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. Well, guess what? Box 9 St. Martinville, LA 70582 (337) 394-2200 EMAIL . 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. All Rights Reserved, Opening/Purchasing a Bar/Nigh Club/Lounge, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan-Amendment #1. "Not . St. Martinville, LA 70582 Im pretty sure all of this was done with her permission or her approval.. 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.

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