This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. The St. Martin Parish Council unanimously voted to give parish president Chester Cedars the authority to seek any and all legal remedies against Lafayette Consolidated Government and other parties found to be responsible for the removal of spoil banks along the Vermilion River. 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. Fax N/A. var today = new Date() Fiber installed in public-private broadband project | St. Mary Now As the spoil banks are already gone, Cedars says theyre trying to fix this. LCG officials have said they believe removal of the banks, which risse several feet above the river, will lower river levels in Lafayette Parish. 337.332.3388, St. Martin Parish Operations,Maintenance &Transportation Their clandestine removal has led to a firestorm of accusations between Lafayette and St. Martin parishes. Rather, our communitys own behavior will account for any sort of lockdown,' wrote Cedars. Welcome to St. Martin Parish Government $11.2 million Expansion Coming To St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge St Martin Parish Government is part of the Government industry, and located in Louisiana, United States. Recognizing the best in local architecture, planning and design, we are pleased to announce 12 winning projects for The Current In Design Awards 2023. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. In other reports, the council heard from Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Executive Director Lt. Col. Billy Guidry about the projected water flow along the Bayou Teche this coming spring. Salary Schedules - St. Martin Parish - saintmartinschools.org Cedars said it is the parishs stance that it has rights to the road because it has maintained it for decades. [2] St. Martin Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan area in the region of Acadiana, along . 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. 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 parish has no jurisdiction. {0} important information hidden . I trust the significant engineering that has gone into this project. 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 . Now, they might win it back. 500 Henry C. 'Bo' LaGrange Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. 'Bo' LaGrange, is currently the Chief Administrative Officer of St. Mary Parish Government, a position he has held since 1996. Lafayette-based Rigid Constructors has been paid handsomely for its role in the blitz of detention projects. 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 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. Durand said the value of the individual properties was low, about $1,000 apiece. LUS Fiber expanding to Iberia, St. Martin parishes Cedars is accusing Lafayette Consolidated Government of removing spoil banks along the. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. ALLother St. MartinParishSchoolswill beopen on Tuesday, March 7th,for IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION. 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. 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. "That doesn't preclude any other type of actions which may occur.". 337-909-2990, REPORT CHILD ABUSE: 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) After the shooting, Reddit drove to a Baton Rouge hospital for a stab wound he said he sustained during the incident. 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. The investigation could force changes to the project to blunt its impact on the Black and low-income neighborhoods that will house it. residents cited for shooting geese from moving, 30 Iberia Parish jail inmates baptized behind bars, Wanted Louisiana fugitive arrested by U.S. Created in 1811, St. Mary Parish was originally part of the Attakapas District and St. Martin Parish. LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. Senior Advocacy | St. Martin Council on Aging, Inc "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. 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. Senator (Class II) U.S. Representative (District 3) 15TH JDC District ATTORNEY; 15th JDC Judge (Div. Attorneys for St. Martin Parish Government wrote that the spoil banks were removed without a parish permit and asked a local judge for an order requiring LCG "to restore, replace and reconstruct (at [LCG]'s sole expense), the spoil bank Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government illegally removed in St. Martin Parish.". Let us know what's going on! Do I look like an idiot? Yvonne Romero said. LANDRY PARISH, La. 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 only jurisdiction the parish has is through zoning, and the right to legislate the use of the land around the lake.. Why didnt you tell me? St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said he asked Guillory when the two spoke after the operation was completed. 120 East Refinery Street Nobody is going to block Rookery Road without a visit to the courthouse, Cedars said. Cedars has been serving as the interim parish president since former President Guy. St. Martin Parish Federal Programs & Technology Annex 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337.332.3388. 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. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said it seems to him that "There is a large number of our citizens who are not participating in the mandatory waste program." Lafayette organization. And certainly going from $300,000 or $400,000 to $3 [million] or $4 million would be a material change in the contract. The property around the lake is privately owned. And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? LCG sued again on St. Martin spoil banks project - The Current 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. Still, this only covers three of several water systems throughout the parish and they are not the only ones with a cry for help. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 2023 St. Martin Parish Government. Whether the amended contract was awarded illegally hinges on if the work on the spoil banks falls within the scope of the original contract. 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. The engineering is clear.. 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. "Aquaspersions is delighted to be investing in Broussard and with the welcome we have received," Bewsher said. Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. 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. 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. "Not . 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?. 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. It has also been corrected to reflect additional reporting confirming that LCG purchased land for the project from two property owners, intentionally leaving a third landowner out of the transaction. We won't share it with anyone else. 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. 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. I guess I should have, Guillory reportedly told him. Cameron P. O. Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Valerie Gotch-Garrett is presiding over the case and St. Martin Parish's request to have it dismissed on the grounds that it should have been filed in the 16th Judicial District, which covers . LAFAYETTE, La. 1059 Sonny Dr. "This is the most incredible, unprofessional thing that I think one governmental jurisdiction can do to the other. C) Multi-Parish Races. Why would you do that to your neighbors? 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The update, which was posted at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, says that "as stated in. 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. :And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? 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. 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. St. Martin Parish - Acadiana Work Force Development There are about two dozen of these properties, and they are causing an expense to the city because they have to keep them up.. St. Gabriel police officer accused of murder booked in Livingston Parish Wanda B. Parish President Chester Cedars speaks during a meeting of the St. Martin Parish Council on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. He says removing the spoil banks makes flooding much more likely for their residents. St. Martin Parish's objection the spoil bank removal could cause legal trouble for LCG, as Lafayette's local government did not get a necessary permit to remove the spoil banks from St. Martin Parish, according to Cedars. Im just so happy were able to help both Lafayette Parish and St. Martin Parish, Guillory added. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. St. Martin Parish reimposes COVID-19 mask mandate - KLFY.com St. Martin Parish Federal Programs & Technology Annex 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337.332.3388. This might be a risk-free endeavor for Lafayette Parish, but it is not a risk-free endeavor for St. Martin Parish, Cedars said. Pending the governors signature, both the spoil banks project and the catchall Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project are set to receive more state dollars in the 2022 capital outlay budget. Well, guess what? 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! Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. St. Martin Parish president expecting appellate ruling on lawsuit soon St. Martin P. O. You had a 12 feet levee, and youre reducing it to 6 feet. district5@intmartinschools.org, District VI