Mary Tassin
June 24, 2010D-Day Museum (New Orleans)
June 28, 2010
As oil spill clean-up workers are filing into Terrebonne Parish by the thousands, BP has limited space to house and bus these workers to their clean-up destinations.
According to a recommendation made by the Education and Policy Committee of Terrebonne Parish, Superintendent Philip Martin will negotiate a six-month rental/usage agreement with BP for available facilities – in this case, Upper Little Caillou Elementary School in Chauvin. BP plans on leasing the property for six months, and would pay up front for the location at an approximate price of $15,000 per month. No documents have been drafted as of yet.
BP also assumes all liability while leasing the property, and exceeds all insurance requirements set by Terrebonne Parish School Board.
“It’s a vacant school, so there are no children there now,” Martin said. “It’s a viable and attractive facility actually, and the interest to BP is the large open yard area behind the school that they can use to park cars and transport workers back and forth to Cocodrie.”
School board members expressed concerns at last Wednesday’s regular school board meeting that the district, not BP, would be saddled with various repairs that need to be done, like removing broken glass in the front of the building.
“BP will be responsible for any repairs that may be needed through their course of utilizing that facility; it’s leased as is where it is,” Martin said.
“All the repairs that will be done on the facility,” said a BP spokesperson that attended the meeting. “We will make sure we use contractors that you have in this area.”
Residents around Little Caillou Elementary won’t have to worry about being disturbed, either.
“At no charge to the board, BP will also put a privacy fence around the school, and it will be something that looks nice, because they want to be good neighbors to the residents,” Martin said.
BP also plans on leasing six of Terrebonne Parish’s school buses.
“We would compensate the driver but they would pay a rental fee on the buses, and would provide the diesel,” Martin said.
Martin noted if the school board has free buses and drivers once school starts, it will continue to rent to BP.
“It was kind of a win-win for BP and the school district,” Martin said. “The school is now gaining revenue, so I love it.”
Little Caillou was mothballed and has not been in use for the last 2-3 years, but the building and the grounds are still maintained, according to Martin. “The outside of the building actually looks like a park,” he said.
Chief Petty Officer Steven Durdan speaks with Todd Dufrene, a fisherman employed by the Vessels of Opportunity program, about booming operations in the Timbalier Bay in Port Fourchon. * Photo by U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class ANN MARIE GORDEN
