Covid-19 in K-12 schools: Terrebonne and Lafourche total case numbers since January 3
January 26, 2022
Edward Reynold Moore, Sr.
January 26, 2022
The Lafourche Parish Council met last night in council chambers as leaders of the Lafourche Parish Recreation District 8, the Lafourche Council on Aging, the Lafourche Parish Water District No. 1, and Picciola & Associates delivered their 2021 annual reports and plans for 2022.
The Council meeting began with Robert Landry, Director of the Lafourche Parish Recreation District 8., addressing the council with the District 8 annual report. Landry said in 2021, that District 8 spent a total of $91,505 on walking track repairs, electrical lighting, parking hour signs, and a brand-new lawnmower. Following the financial report, Landry told the council the recreation center renewed the Gheens community center lease contract to host a 6-week summer program for children in the community. Due to Hurricane Ida, the park’s annual Monster Match event was canceled, however, Landry and his team hosted a Christmas in the Park event in its place.
Landry said the recreation center received a significant amount of tree damage due to Hurricane Ida, adding an expense to the center’s 2021 budget. “Everybody knows about Hurricane Ida, we had a lot of trees, approximately 15 trees that we either uprooted or damaged,” said Landry. “Believe it or not, we only spent $1,700 on tree removal. The reason why is because residents of Gheens came to volunteer and do the work, and within three weekends, we got it done.”
Landry plans to continue to make fencing, ground, and tree repairs caused by Hurricane Ida a priority in 2022. He also plans to host all of the recreation center’s annual events including an Easter egg hunt, a summer program, Monster Match, and Christmas in the Park.
Following Landry’s report, Charlene Rodriguez, Executive Director for Lafourche Council on Aging delivered the LCOA annual report, sharing the progression the organization had in 2021 and the center’s plans for 2022. “Senior centers are doing well with the drive-by meals. The Larose Center used to serve five people, now they serve 25,” Rodriguez said. She also announced that LCOA will be ending its contract with Bayou Blue Senior Center because they have not completed the necessary paperwork. “We can’t do any business there because we count our services by their paperwork and participation.”
Rodriguez concluded the report by discussing plans for the center with the council due to Hurricane Ida and a recent surge in coronavirus cases. “We thought we would open up our senior centers in January, but because of Covid again, we didn’t open them up. We’re still doing drive-throughs. We’re trying to make it work as much as possible because we’re here to help the people.”
Wayne Gautreaux, General Manager of Water District No. 1 presented the company’s 2021 annual report. Gautreaux said Water District No. 1 produced approximately 3.6 billion gallons of water, at 9.9 million gallons a day, a slight increase from the previous year. Gautreaux said although the water company was forced to shut down for 3 months due to Hurricane Ida, District No. 1 managed to accomplish waterline improvements. “We installed about 14,000 ft. of new and upgraded water lines that cost $1.1 million, we did another $900,000 of non-waterline projects in our plants, and currently we have almost $4 million worth of new and upgraded water lines that are under construction,” said Gautreaux.
When discussing Hurricane Ida, Gautreaux said the magnitude of the storm is something the Water District has never experienced before. “Everybody always worries about electricity, but when you don’t have water, you’ve got problems. So we set out that we’d provide water to be able to flush toilets and shower, we had a plan and we stuck to it,” he said. Gautreaux went on to say, “We did lose one of our booster stations in Leesville, the roof of one of our chemical buildings at a plant in Lockport and our administration building is a total loss.” He explained that the company purchased a building in Lockport and plans to be up and running within the next two weeks.
Joe Picciola presented the final annual report of the evening sharing Picciola & Associates Inc.’s 2021 Engineers and Architects Report. Picciola discussed the Choctaw levee including a presentation illustrating the purpose of the levee. “We did put in a plan to the state and the Corps. The state has accepted our plan and the Corps is in the process of accepting our plan,” said Picciola.
In addition to the Choctaw levee, Picciola discussed a joint project between Picciola & Associates, Lafourche Parish, the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, and the state, to complete an airport connector road and bridge. The targeted completion date of the project is September 2024. Picciola also said the company plans to continue working on road improvements this year by installing drainage, and widening roads.
Following annual report presentations, the council opened for discussion. The meeting concluded with the council’s decision to place two stop signs at Park Avenue and Easy Dr. in Thibodaux.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 8.
