Richard handed two-year deal, $5,000 raise
April 10, 2007
Rose Dell Smith
April 13, 2007In an effort to kick-start the lock project south of Golden Meadow, the South Lafourche Levee District will seek state capital outlay budget dollars in the upcoming legislative session.
The lock project, which will be located just north of the current floodgates, will allow vessels to move in and out of the hurricane protection system during severe weather. Currently, the floodgates must close when water levels in Bayou Lafourche reach a certain height, sometimes leaving mariners out of the protection system when tropical storms approach.
Levee officials initially expected the now-completed gates and lock foundation to cost approximately $7 million to install; however, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, costs have ballooned to $15-20 million.
“There is simply more work out there than contractors, so their skills are at a premium,” said Windell Curole, general manager of the levee district.
In response, the levee district will seek the $13 million shortfall via the state’s capital construction budget to finish the stalled project, he said.
Should the money be approved during the upcoming session, Curole said he is confident work to place the lock in Bayou Lafourche could begin around Nov. 1, and would be completed before the 2008 hurricane season.
The project has received money from other sources, namely the Greater Lafourche Port Commission and the Lafourche Parish Council.
“It’s an important project for the entire parish because so much of the economy of the parish is tied to Bayou Lafourche,” said Curole.
Levee district officials have been meeting with Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s administration in recent weeks to lobby for the project’s completion. “We have had some good, solid discussions in Baton Rouge and it appears that the willingness to assist in this project is there,” said Curole.
The district is also seeking funds in the state’s capital outlay bill to help pay for ongoing levee improvements, Curole said.
Several projects are under way to raise sections of the parish’s 44-mile ring levee in south Lafourche to its original design level. According to engineers, natural earth subsidence over the last 25 years has left some portions of the system as much as three feet shorter.
In a separate capital funding request to state lawmakers, the levee district is seeking $5 million a year for five years to ensure the improvements continue.
