Bertha Walker
January 14, 2008James Akins
January 16, 2008Four Terrebonne Parish Council members who are leaving the local lawmaking body – Kim Elfert, Christa Duplantis, Harold Lapeyre and Peter Rhodes – conducted their final meeting last Wednesday night before the new council was seated Monday.
The council bid farewell to outgoing, one-term Parish President Don Schwab. Councilwoman Teri Cavalier praised Schwab for running a controversy-free administration, comparing Terrebonne Parish favorably to the frequently scandal-ridden city of New Orleans.
Despite being occupied with the transition, the council dealt with several issues during its first week in session following the holiday break.
At the Public Services Committee meeting on Jan. 7, the committee passed a resolution approving the Houma engineering firm Milford & Associates as the contractor to build a bridge over Little Bayou Black on Louisiana Highway 311 at Equity Boulevard.
The bridge will connect Enterprise Drive, which currently runs between West Main Street and Corporate Drive, with LA 311 at Equity Boulevard, said parish engineer Joan Schexnayder.
Enterprise Drive will be extended from Corporate Drive to the new bridge at Equity Boulevard, paralleling South Hollywood Road.
The Enterprise Drive extension will ease congestion on South Hollywood Road, Lapeyre said.
From February 2006 to January 2007, the portion of the two-lane South Hollywood Road between Corporate Drive and Louisiana Highway 311 was used by 15,637 to 17,973 vehicles daily, according to figures compiled by the South Central Planning and Develop-ment District.
Although South Hollywood is a parish road, Lapeyre said the state is paying to widen the highway. Work on the $7.34 million project will begin in 2008 or 2009.
“The construction of this bridge will take pressure off of Hollywood Road,” Lapeyre said. “We need to create another artery to relieve Hollywood Road. Hollywood Road is only 11 years behind.”
He said Terrebonne Parish is paying the cost to build the Enterprise Drive extension to La. 311.
The Houma firm Matherne Realty is also contributing to the cost. Matherne will benefit from the construction of the new stretch of roadway because it owns property nearby, Lapeyre said.
Also at last Monday’s meetings, the Policy, Procedure and Legal Committee passed a motion lowering to zero the percentage of ownership parish board and committee members can maintain in businesses the members can influence through their participation in government.
Terrebonne Parish had permitted board members to have up to a 25 percent interest in such private transactions. However, at the recommendation of parish attorney Courtney Alcock, the committee decided to follow state guidelines, which prohibits all ownership interest.
The motion does not apply to elected officials. Alcock said the rationale is “a board member can easily step down. The (state) Ethics Board has ruled you can’t recuse yourself if you’re on a board (and have a conflict).”
At the council’s regular meeting last Wednesday, the council passed an ordinance putting $30,000 of parish funds toward improving the South Houma Boat Launch and the Texas Gulf Boat Launch in Bourg.
The parish was awarded $140,741 in federal Wallop-Breaux Act funds in 2006 to upgrade the launches, but needs $185,000 in local money to complete the project.
Former Councilman Harold Lapeyre spearheaded efforts to secure local funding. Lapeyre stated he wanted the improvement of the parish’s public boat launches to be one of his legacies. Passing the ordinance was one of his last public acts.
New Parish President Michel Claudet has also made upgrading the launches one of his priorities.
The ordinance transferred $30,000 from the parish’s Road and Bridge Fund to the Capital Projects Control Fund.
