Lafourche council to pay part of Pointe-aux-Chenes levee repair

The Terrebonne Levee District found a proponent to help build the Pointe-aux-Chenes levee: the Lafourche Parish Council.

Terrebonne Levee District Director Reggie Dupre appeared before the council last Tuesday asking for its support in repairing and elevating the Pointe-aux-Chenes levee that protects Terrebonne and parts of Lafourche.

Dupre said the levee district is constructing a forced drainage system at the Pointe-aux-Chenes levee to alleviate flooding because storm surges from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008 inundated hundreds of homes in that area causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

The Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government is paying the bulk of the cost – $675,000. Terrebonne’s levee district is putting up $100,000 and the state is paying $175,000.

Dupre is asking Lafourche to pay $60,000, a small portion of the project cost. Councilman L. Philip Gouaux authored a resolution for the parish to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Terrebonne Levee District to pay a portion of the funds.

The money will come from the parish’s Pointe-aux-Chenes pump station project. The parish allocated $375,000 for the pump station project in the 2009 capital outlay budget.

“What good is improving the pump station without improving the levee that protects it,” Gouaux said. “The first line of defense is the levee. If it’s breached then that’s too much water for the pump station to handle. Hence flooding.”

In other business, Councilman Daniel Lorraine endorsed a resolution calling on the DOTD to exempt tolls for all Lafourche Parish residents on the Tommy Doucet Bridge.

The bridge opened on July 7 and started collecting tolls on Monday. However, Lafourche councilmen feel that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should be paying the toll for Lafourche residents.

Lorraine said the pricing on the bridge is too much, compared to surrounding toll bridges like the Crescent City Connection that only costs $1 to cross.

“At the Tommy Doucet Bridge, cars, trucks and 18-wheelers pay by axles,” he said, “and that’s not fair. Most of the people that use that bridge are working class people from Lafourche Parish. It’s not going to be too many tourists that travel along that bridge. Those workers pay taxes every year and should not have to pay to cross the bridge to go make a living.”

Lorraine said that the federal government is paying 100 percent of the cost of the twin span project from Slidell to New Orleans, and should pay for the La. 1 bridge too since Lafourche Parish supplies the nation with 20 percent of its oil and gas.

The council sent a certified copy of the resolution to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, U.S. senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter and state representatives Jerry “Truck” Gisclair, Jerome “Dee” Richard, Damon Baldone, Gordon Dove and Joe Harrison asking for their support.

The council also approved a resolution supporting the Louisiana Wildlife Federation Caminada Headlands State Seashore project.

South Lafourche Beachfront Commission Vice President Ricky Cheramie presented the council with a resolution stating that the project will increase recreation opportunities for Lafourche Parish residents.

The Caminada Headlands State Seashore project will offer approximately 14 miles of beach fronting the Gulf of Mexico for public recreational use and wildlife preservation between Caminada Pass on the east and Belle Pass on the west.

Beach activities will include fishing, crabbing, hiking and birdwatching. Primitive camping includes trucks, cars and campers that would be allowed in designated areas.