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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. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. 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. If you are a St. Martin Parish resident, take a moment to enjoy our many recreational sites and renew your valued acquaintances. Logan confirmed that it was his idea for LCG to do more as-needed contracts, which arent that unusual in public works departments. 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. 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. 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. Now, they might win it back. 1844-1852: Principal, Adelphian Academy, North Bridgewater, MA: 1854-1855: Teacher, Dunbarton Academy, Washington, DC: 1855-1859: Principal, Western Academy . And experts agree there is good reason to question the scope, in large part because it increased the value of the original contract tenfold. What is clear is that advertising the operation would have put LCGs furtive plans in the public eye, something it had an interest in avoiding. At 3 oclock as of today, a week ago, we discovered that Lafayette Consolidated Government decided to remove the spoil banks, Cedars said, describing a phone call with Guillory that he said took place two hours after the discovery. Parish Council Meetings held @ 5:00 on the 1st Tuesday of each month. LANDRY PARISH, La. One former public official is willing to give LCG the benefit of the doubt on the contract amendment. Well, guess what? The Corps added it would determine whether a permit for this work was required or not. ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. var today = new Date() P.O. Since November, Rigid has been paid a total of $37 million from LCG for various projects, $3.7 million of that coming for the spoil banks project that took less than two days to complete. 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. The parish has no jurisdiction. 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. 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. Whether LCG devised the as-needed contract to slip the spoil banks project through unnoticed is unclear. 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. "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. Individuals interested in applying for positions may stop by the agency during those times. "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. 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. 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. Cedars eventually asked council members to adopt three measures. four other contractors sent bids that ranged from $568,000 to $1.1 million. Lawsuit:Despite judges ruling, LCG uses identical quick take to seize land for detention pond. Cedars accused the parish government of removing spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St.. ALLother St. MartinParishSchoolswill beopen on Tuesday, March 7th,for IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION. Many of these communities do not have the necessary funding to repair or maintain the water systems. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. residents cited for shooting geese from moving, 30 Iberia Parish jail inmates baptized behind bars, Wanted Louisiana fugitive arrested by U.S. 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 TOLL-FREE,24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK He also addressed rumors that some landowners might try to block Rookery Road around the lake. "That doesn't preclude any other type of actions which may occur.". Apply for the Job in Project Coordinator at Saint Martinville, LA. Contact information. Russel C. Foti 15th JDC Judge (Div. And certainly going from $300,000 or $400,000 to $3 [million] or $4 million would be a material change in the contract. (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. ST. MARTINVILLE St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said that efforts to negotiate a deal with landowners to allow public access to a. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. I did not get a formal response, Cedars said. Make a Donation . 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. All Rights Reserved, Opening/Purchasing a Bar/Nigh Club/Lounge, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan-Amendment #1. Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Both local and state officials have been in support of St. Martin Hospital and its expansion efforts since . LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. No records of such documentation have been produced in our records requests, besides the half-page bid table pricing the rush-ordered work. Turnarounds of days, rather than weeks, is atypical, according to sources. 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. Most of the professionals contacted for this story reviewed documents The Current received from LCG and spoke on the condition of anonymity, so as not to jeopardize ongoing relationships with local government. 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. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. [citation needed] From 2000 to 2004, Angelle was the first parish president of St. Martin Parish and the vice president from 1998 to 2000 of the Huval Companies in Lafayette, Louisiana. LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. As for the spoil banks, theyve stood by the merits of the project and accused St. Martin Parish of trying to obstruct it. Let us know what's going on! {0} important information hidden . Login & subscribe to unlock. Cormier: "Starting in, I guess, 1990, the parish Police Jury had tried in three attempts to at least bring it to a study. 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. 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. That's your idea of heroes? St. Martin Council on Aging, Inc. accepts applications from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Nothing was given to us to review. Interim St. Martin Parish Chester Cedars won the president seat with 73 percent of the vote tonight. He says removing the spoil banks makes flooding much more likely for their residents. Should the Louisiana legislative auditor look into a municipalitys contracting practices, its role would only be to flag potential problems with contracts in an audit report, says Jenifer Schaye, general counsel for the legislative auditors office; violations can lead to restitution or, more rarely, criminal prosecution. Tel: 318.906.0582, District V 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. There was a problem saving your notification. Guillory, says, however, a permit was not necessary. The investigation could force changes to the project to blunt its impact on the Black and low-income neighborhoods that will house it. St. Martin Parish Federal Programs &Technology Annex, St. Martin Parish Operations,Maintenance &Transportation. "We believe that we need to proceed as quickly as possible to protect the citizens from being harmed. Still, this only covers three of several water systems throughout the parish and they are not the only ones with a cry for help. 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 Joyce Haynes is the president of the school . 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. district5@intmartinschools.org, District VI Box 9. It is my understanding that the overflow of the Vermilion R to Cypress Island swamp is the natural flow of flooding relief. Over in Arnaudville, Paul Boudreaux shares his issues with United Water System, a service he's been a customer of since 2019 when he moved back home. The Parish President is the chief administrative officer of parish government and is assisted by the administrative staff and the parish's operating departments. Nobody is going to block Rookery Road without a visit to the courthouse, Cedars said. It's not about whether the removal of the spoil banks will benefit Lafayette, as there is little to no argument there. Chester Cedars has been working as a Parish President at St Martin Parish Government for 21 years. Whether the amended contract was awarded illegally hinges on if the work on the spoil banks falls within the scope of the original contract. 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). With multiple boil advisories in the recent past, Cedars says it's no secret the. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 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. I trust that my fellow elected officials in St. Martin Parish want for their constituents the same thing that I want for mine, which is to do all we can to protect life and property. 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 along the Vermilion River in St. Martin Parish. When you did not have a permit, Romero added. Three days later, on Feb. 21, before obtaining permits from either St. Martin Parish or the U.S. St. Martinville, LA 70582 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 . 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.. "Not . 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. 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. The contract was awarded for one year, with options to renew for two additional one-year terms. But the contract terms require Rigid to document and justify those overages, Cedars said he asked Guillory when the two spoke after the operation was completed, Cedars has since threatened to sue everyone involved. 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. Jimmy "Coach" Durio Their clandestine removal has led to a firestorm of accusations between Lafayette and St. Martin parishes. 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. Phone number 337 332 2105. 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. Its not all that appears on its face.. 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. The idea was proposed, however, long before. 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. 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. 2023 www.theadvertiser.com. Since then, nothing has been done. The losses could substantially burden both city and parish finances. Years ago, when there was a tax sale in the city, the property was adjudicated to the city and the parish, Parish Legal Counsel Allan Durand said. On Feb. 23 Rigid invoiced LCGs Public Works Department $3.7 million for the work, billed as a change order, and was paid five days later out of the city general fund, according to LCGs Open Book, an online financial transparency tool debuted by the Guillory administration in 2020. 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. 337-909-2990, REPORT CHILD ABUSE: 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) St. Martin Parish Government. Cedars did say he had productive conversations with members of one family about their concerns and proposed a possible compromise. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Acadiana Advocate, The Daily Advertiser, Baton Rouge Business Report, Louisiana Illuminator and Gambit. 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 . Log In / Sign Up. 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. "We were told that additional modeling had been done and that we would get a chance to review it. Box 1280 Cameron, LA 70631 (337) 775-5718 EMAIL www.cameronpj.org. Very little of what Rigid charged on the spoil banks project is related to excavation. If you materially change the original scope of the contract, then you cant just amend it like that and be in compliance with the bid law. 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 . 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. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact the Council on Aging at 337-332-3063. 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 Spoil banks:St. Martin Parish wants Lafayettes lawsuit thrown out for being in Lafayette. 'Did you remove them?' 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. 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. And its connected to all three stormwater projects mired in lawsuits. The three measures were approved by all nine council members. Cedars cites the latest COVID hospitalization data in the Acadiana Region 4 and positivity rates within the parish. Theres a process to this, and the process was definitely not followed, resident Chad Boyer said. document.write(year) U.S. President; U.S. President Russel C. Foti ; Vice President Mark Hebert ; District I Steve Fuselier 1059 Sonny Dr. St. Martinville, LA 70582 Tel: 337.394.4436. Logan and Guillory have defended the approach and use of quick take expropriation, characterizing the suits as negotiating tactics on the part of landowners looking for a better price in the case of Homewood and Lake Farm. A public records request for electronic communication between Fortier and LCG officials is pending. Our restaurants offer authentic, renowned, and award winning Cajun cuisine. Bayou Vermilion Flood Control alone was allocated $22 million from the states windfall of one-time money. Something that is now possible thanks to a $14.3 million grant. 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. Coupons are available only to seniors who reside in St. Martin Parish. Fax N/A. 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. STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK and last updated 8:09 PM, Feb 27, 2023. 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. Lafayette-based Rigid Constructors has been paid handsomely for its role in the blitz of detention projects. var today = new Date() But I did get an email response Sunday night thanking me for the proposal and saying they hope to speak again soon.. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 Its unclear how much information the bidders were given about potential projects to come and whether they knew of LCGs plans for St. Martin Parish. St. Martin Parish president expecting appellate ruling on lawsuit soon, Parish suing business owner on Lake Martin over blocking access for public, DWAYNE FATHERREE One for the removal of the spoil banks in Lafayette Parish and the other for the spoil banks in St. Martin Parish, according to Cedars' reports. St. Martin P. O. 1005 Judy Street Cedars said it is the parishs stance that it has rights to the road because it has maintained it for decades. Thats our job, Cedars said. On Friday, St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars levied the allegations against LCG. The attorney general can pursue that violation. Normal processes for getting the project done would not have made that possible. Tel: 337.394.4436, District II The engineering is clear.. St. Martinville, LA 70582 "Not . 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 do not need Lafayette Parish Government telling St. Martin Parish whats best for us. 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. 301 West Port Street. St. Martinville, LA 70582 . 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. (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 . "This is the most incredible, unprofessional thing that I think one governmental jurisdiction can do to the other. 1.2k. 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. tony fernandes traits, what happened to jason bose smith, nordstrom benefits center contact,