One contractor interviewed by The Current defended the pricing in the contract, noting its what he would charge for the work. Stay up to date with the latest news by downloading the BRProud App from the App Store or Google Play. The district attorney can pursue that violation. District II Wanda B. TOLL-FREE,24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK Our restaurants offer authentic, renowned, and award winning Cajun cuisine. President Russel C. Foti ; Vice President Mark Hebert ; District I Steve Fuselier 1059 Sonny Dr. St. Martinville, LA 70582 Tel: 337.394.4436. "This is the most incredible, unprofessional thing that I think one governmental jurisdiction can do to the other. "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. 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. But even against that backdrop, the spoil banks project stands out. "Not . We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. 600 Corporate Blvd Louisiana, 70517 Breaux Bridge - USA. Whether LCG devised the as-needed contract to slip the spoil banks project through unnoticed is unclear. Why would you do that to neighbors when you don't have a permit?. St. Martinville, LA 70582 D) Cedars said LCG removed the spoil banks without the appropriate regulatory licenses or permits required by law. 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. 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. Lafayette Consolidated Government beat St. Martin Parish to the punch Wednesday by suing over the removal of the Vermilion River spoil banks at the center of the two parishes' recent feud . St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has vowed to sue everyone involved in the clandestine removal of spoil banks in his parish. There was hesitation. Residents and parish leaders say theyre now also concerned over the legality of removing them. He was eventually taken into custody by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff . 1059 Sonny Dr. Public Works Director Chad Nepveaux said Thursday that LCG bought part of the land where the banks are located and removed the dirt over the course of a couple of days in February. Second, a public investigation on the regulations allegedly violated during the removal, including those ruled by FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency. No records of such documentation have been produced in our records requests, besides the half-page bid table pricing the rush-ordered 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. Cormier: "Starting in, I guess, 1990, the parish Police Jury had tried in three attempts to at least bring it to a study. 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. Follow Andrew Capps on Twitter or send an email to acapps@theadvertiser.com. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. LCGs drainage projects are already costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in city-parish legal fees, plus millions in re-mobilization costs. The high water mark is at Rookery Road, where the levee used to be, Cedars said. But the contract terms require Rigid to document and justify those overages. 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. 314 Elmer St The current modeling of the spoil bank removal project shows that there is no threat of harm to St. Martin Parish.. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. He says removing the spoil banks makes flooding much more likely for their residents. A combination of state dollars and ARPA funds, Cedars says even with the funding, it will take two to three months to get these consolidation efforts off the ground for three water systems in the parish so far: One in Catahoula, one in St. Martinville, and the St. Martin Parish water system. 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. 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. 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.. Cedars accused the parish government of removing spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St.. 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. Many of these communities do not have the necessary funding to repair or maintain the water systems. St. Martin Parish School Board. 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. We won't share it with anyone else. 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. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, who has disputed the merits and risks of removing the spoil banks, said Thursday he was given no advance notice of LCG's plans to "surreptitiously . St. Martin Parish Federal Programs &Technology Annex, St. Martin Parish Operations,Maintenance &Transportation. 2023 www.theadvertiser.com. Cedars cites the latest COVID hospitalization data in the Acadiana Region 4 and positivity rates within the parish. Angelle was elected at the age of twenty-five to the St. Martin Parish Police Jury, the local governing body known as the county commission in most other states. {0} important information hidden . Copyright Well, guess what? and last updated 8:09 PM, Feb 27, 2023. Tel: 337.394.4436, District II 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. var today = new Date() "When they were telling me about the project, I said, 'Wait a minute! 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. Romero said that she saw the first equipment coming to St. Martinville in February, but she thought LCG had permission to do the work. This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. 0:36. It's not about whether the removal of the spoil banks will benefit Lafayette, as there is little to no argument there. The Guillory administration did not respond to requests for comment on this timeline. LCG officials have said they believe removal of the banks, which risse several feet above the river, will lower river levels in Lafayette Parish. 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. As for the spoil banks, theyve stood by the merits of the project and accused St. Martin Parish of trying to obstruct it. :And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? Frustrated with spending excessive time and money buying and installing water filters only for them to get clogged or stop working, he tells KATC he and his neighbors have filed a class-action lawsuit against United Water in a last-ditch effort to get assistance. 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. Cameron P. O. 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. 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. Mike Clay St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars says St. Martin Parish is no longer going to be one of them. Let us know what's going on! "We've got to do more to assist if we're gonna keep this structure in place, we've got to do more to assist those rural systems.". 1005 Judy Street 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. 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. 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. 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 the parish is expecting an appeal courts ruling on a lawsuit regarding the zoning enforcement in the Lake Martin area. Morgan City Mayor; Vermilion Parish. Wick Communications. 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. document.write(year) "With so much of our daily life revolving around internet connectivity, we are making fiber infrastructure modernization a priority for our parish. He has also served as the Director of Planning and Zoning of St. Mary Parish. 1.2k. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Phone number 337 332 2105. In all, the as-needed contracts value alone has ballooned to approximately $5.2 million in a few short months. 120 East Refinery Street 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. 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!" The property around the lake is privately owned. 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. 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. 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.. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 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 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 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. district5@intmartinschools.org, District VI The problem a challenging bidder is going to have in a damages claim, which LCG may have assumed when they structured the contract this way, is that theres a lot of case law from various appellate courts and the Louisiana Supreme Court requiring a losing bidder in a damages claim to show good cause on why they did not seek injunctive relief to stop the work before making a claim for damages, Vicknair continues, so the question really is could they have known within the very short period of time from when that change order was publicly recorded until the work was performed to file for injunctive relief?. Executed and paid for in days, the spoil banks operation is emblematic of the quick pace of government the Guillory administration has bragged about but has nonetheless landed it in legal trouble. This might be a risk-free endeavor for Lafayette Parish, but it is not a risk-free endeavor for St. Martin Parish, Cedars said. Copyright 1997- The attorney general can pursue that violation. Fax N/A. Contact her at (337) 207-4312 or [emailprotected]. The suit aimed to stop LCGs clampdown on panhandling which district and appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have repeatedly found to be protected speech under the First Amendment. View the job description, responsibilities and qualifications for this position. Redditt, who was first hired by the St. I look forward to continuing our work with all of our neighbors, including St. Martin Parish, to combat flooding on a regional scale. 1005 Big Apple Lane Tel: 318.906.0582, District V St. Martin Sheriff's Office 400 St. Martin Street, St. Martinville (337) 394-2532 Approved by: St. Martin Parish Government Planning & Zoning Coordinator License issued by: St. Martin Sheriff's Office Parish Zoning Ordinance Click below to access the Zoning Ordinance for St. Martin Parish in its entirety. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Invalid password or account does not exist. Cedars has been serving as the interim parish president since former President Guy. Create a password that only you will remember. The Parish President is the chief administrative officer of parish government and is assisted by the administrative staff and the parish's operating departments. 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 You have permission to edit this article. 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. After St. Martin Parish government held a special meeting Tuesday, Guillory said its come to his attention that the St. Martin Parish Council has given authorization to take legal action. Edna M. Johnson St. Martin Parish. [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. Individuals interested in applying for positions may stop by the agency during those times. All 9th and 12th graders will remain home on Tuesday and participate in their courses virtuallythrough Google Classroom using their Chromebooks. B) 15th JDC Judge (Div. In conclusion, I welcome all, and I look forward to sharing the very special and unique resources which St. Martin Parish has to offer. Theres a process to this, and the process was definitely not followed, resident Chad Boyer said. St. Martin Parish Government. Interim St. Martin Parish Chester Cedars won the president seat with 73 percent of the vote tonight. Serious allegations from St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, against LCG over flood control. The lake and lake bed are under control of the state through the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Cedars said. The auditors office places the facts out there. 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. A public records request for electronic communication between Fortier and LCG officials is pending. When asked if the project would harm residents of St. Martin Parish, Guillory said, We surely wouldnt bless off on a project that would hurt anybody, but the science is clear. Guillory, says, however, a permit was not necessary. 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. It leaves a lot of questions, especially with the $1.8 million mobilization charge., A founding editor of both The Independent and ABiz and senior editor at The Times of Acadiana in the 1990s, Leslie Turk is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked in the newspaper business in Lafayette for more than three decades. Nothing was given to us to review. You had a 12 feet levee, and youre reducing it to 6 feet. 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. He also addressed rumors that some landowners might try to block Rookery Road around the lake. Get it first. Parish Council Meetings held @ 5:00 on the 1st Tuesday of each month. Lafayette Parish residents deserve to know and understand this issue. You can experience nature at its finest and tour the Parishs natural gifts such as Bayou Teche, Lake Martin, and the Atchafalaya Basin. When you did not have a permit, Romero added. LWDB #40 is one of 15 local workforce development boards in the State of Louisiana and services . Nobody is going to block Rookery Road without a visit to the courthouse, Cedars said. Site Map; Accessibility; Facebook (opens in new window/tab) All Rights Reserved, Opening/Purchasing a Bar/Nigh Club/Lounge, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan-Amendment #1. I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the businesses who have chosen to invest in St. Martin Parish. Nevertheless, I cannot sit idly by and not articulate about a critical situation.. Otherwise, St. Martin Parish will most assuredly oppose any attempt to remove the spoil banks.. 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 do not need Lafayette Parish Government telling St. Martin Parish whats best for us. 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 . It is my understanding that the overflow of the Vermilion R to Cypress Island swamp is the natural flow of flooding relief. Jimmy "Coach" Durio Departments Have a question? 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. Neither Rigids Fortier nor LCG Public Works Director Chad Nepveaux responded to requests for comment. The Army Corps of Engineers did not require a permit for this, Guillory told News Ten. St. Martin Parish Federal Programs & Technology Annex 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337.332.3388. The wire transfer to Rigid came five days after LCG lost the Homewood ruling and is for work on that project. I did see something that it was done in two days, but the equipment that was brought in from as far as Idaho, and a lot of that Rigid had to pre-pay I remember was going on. (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 . 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. The three measures were approved by all nine council members. "They didn't listen and unfortunately unless you take someone's money out of their pocket, they won't listen," Boudreaux says. (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. 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. St. Martinville, LA 70582 Very little of what Rigid charged on the spoil banks project is related to excavation. Thats our job, Cedars said. If you are a St. Martin Parish resident, take a moment to enjoy our many recreational sites and renew your valued acquaintances. The spoil banks have been a point of contention between LCG and the St. Martin Parish Government for months as the two have debated the drainage merits and risks of removal. On Friday, St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars levied the allegations against LCG. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Flood fight:Lafayette, St. Martin parishes are arguing about a strip of dirt by the river. dwayne.fatherree@daily-iberian.com. 600 Corporate Boulevard / PO Box 1000,Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 All rights reserved. 2023 St. Martin Parish Government. 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. Parish President I am personally pleased that you have devoted time to view this website. St. Martin Hospital (SMH), located at 210 Champagne Blvd. 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. Guillory has made clear hell do whatever it takes to push projects through faster. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. The parish seat is Saint Martinville. 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. 15th JDC Judge (Div. Their clandestine removal has led to a firestorm of accusations between Lafayette and St. Martin parishes. Guy Cormier is the president of St. Martin Parish, and was a Police Juror back in 1999 when the change was adopted for good. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers.