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Lafourche Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle made updating and improving the parish’s pump stations a major platform plank when he ran for office.
Upon entering office, Cantrelle said almost all of the parish’s pump stations were in need of work. The parish president warned decreasing sales tax revenues and state capital outlay dollars could hamstring pump station improvements but stressed it was a priority.
The Lafourche Parish Council, many times at odds with each other and Cantrelle during council meetings, was universal in its praise of Cantrelle and the parish’s Public Works Department for their pump station improvement efforts almost two years through Cantrelle’s tenure. The council commended Cantrelle for his hiring of James Barnes to head the DPW and the department’s ability to continue implementing and completing improvements of the Lafourche Parish Government’s 79 pump stations containing 157 total pumps. Barnes’s department has been doing much of the pump station improvement in-house, saving the parish $3.5 million on repairs, according to an estimation included in the DPW’s report on pump improvements at last week’s council meeting.
Since the start of 2016, Lafourche has completed 20 in-house projects. It has two pump stations, both in District 7, currently under construction. The Parr Larose pump station, being built by contractor Sealevel Construction, has pumps and engines installed and ready to be tested. The parish has also contracted out work on the Coastal pump station, with Circle, LLC handling construction. According to the DPW report, pumps and engines for the Coastal pump station are almost complete for shipment, and the project has a scheduled completion date of Dec. 5.
Lafourche has six pump projects currently in the design phase. Two projects will renovate or add pumps to existing stations, and three others will create brand new pump stations. The Alidore pump station in District 2 will create a new station with three 36-inch pumps, the Timberland pump station in District 5 will be a new facility with one 16-inch pump and the Cyprien pump station, also in District 5, will bring three 48[inch pump packages to a new station. The final in-design pump project is a series of parish-wide improvements to perform maintenance and renovations on seven pump stations. The parish-wide project’s construction drawings are being finalized for bids, according to the DPW report.
Lafourche Parish also has 15 pending in-house projects, mainly consisting of refurbishing or upgrading equipment at existing stations. District 7 features five of the 15 pending in-house projects.
The parish also has plans to convert 10 pumps at stations across the parish to automatic float pumps this year and next. Lafourche has 17 portable pumps, with many being used at different stations. According to the report, Cantrelle’s goal is to replace all portable pumps with refurbished pumps, and for portable tools to be backups to permanent pumps.
Barnes credited the DPW employees who work on pumps and the parish’s small equipment for Lafourche’s ability to lead a concerted renovation effort. He also highlighted Plan and Permits Director Tony Breaux with streamlining the permitting process, ensuring work will not be delayed by bureaucracy. Barnes said mechanics like Wayne Breaux and Dwayne Chaisson, among others, welders Dennis Hebert and Dean Fournier and electricians Darrell Ledet and Barry Stogner are behind Lafourche’s pump improvements.
“This has been a team effort. I have some good employees,” Barnes said.
Council Member Jerry LaFont highlighted the DPW staff, who attended the council meeting. LaFont said the parish’s work has helped keep Lafourche citizens dry.
“I just want to thank the team back there. I tell you what, we’ve been getting rain like I’ve never seen rain before,” LaFont said. “I get calls and calls and calls, and I know you guys are out there busting your butt every day. I just want to thank y’all for doing what y’all do to keep water out of people’s houses.” •
