Ernest Deroche Sr.
December 16, 2008
Whitney Nicole "Black" Jones
December 18, 2008
Residents living close to Submar in Houma, which manufactures concrete erosion-control mats, complained to Terrebonne Parish officials about cement dust in the air and large trucks delivering cargo to the facility at a special meeting held last week in Houma.
The company moved to Dunn Street next to the Intracoastal Waterway in 1983 from its former location in Houston.
The meeting, attended by three Terrebonne Parish councilmen and other officials, was called by Councilman Alvin Tillman after several residents complained about the facility to the parish council at its regular meeting two weeks ago. Tillman’s district contains Submar.
The company has begun batching concrete at the site, Submar President Kenneth McAllester told the parish council.
The area is zoned light industrial, but several residents living nearby said Submar performs heavier work.
The most frequent complaint given by residents was about cement dust.
Annette Dusenberry, who lives across from Submar, said there is “cement dust flying in the air.”
She said trucks delivering to Submar sometimes block her driveway and that trucks have torn down stop signs off street corners.
She added that the Submar facility has used bright lights powered by generators.
Ted Ponville, who lives on Point Street, which intersects Dunn, also said trucks have taken down numerous stop signs and have damaged streets.
Dunn Street resident Eugene Dusenberry said he has asthma and gets cement dust on his cars and house.
“I would like to sit on my swing,” he said. “I’ve been putting up with cement dust, traffic jams. I would like to have clean air to breathe.”
Thomas Tabor, who lives on Liberty Street adjacent to Dunn, said activity at the facility has shaken his house.
“It doesn’t look like light industry to me,” he said. “It’s messy, dust is flying. … I’m against expansion at the plant.”
Another Liberty Street resident, Norman Simone, said the Submar facility is improperly zoned for downtown Houma.
“I sympathize with the business, but they should look for new territory,” he said.
McAllester told the Terrebonne Parish Council that he was unaware of the extent of the cement dust and that the company has looked for another site unsuccessfully.
At the meeting last week, McAllester agreed the heavy trucks were a concern. Submar has been using a flagger to direct trucks leaving the facility, he explained.
He said the new batching equipment at the facility will reduce the number of trucks by 500.
To contain the cement dust, McAllester said Submar will construct an 8-foot fence around the property and will improve aprons to reduce the amount of dust.
Parish President Michel Claudet and councilmen Johnny Pizzolatto and Alvin Tillman listen as Submar President Ken McAllester addresses concerns about Submar’s activities in the community. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
