William Hetzer, Sr.
June 1, 2007
Gerald Hite, Sr.
June 8, 2007
The Coteau area of Houma will soon have a second fire station.
The intersection of La. 182 and Coteau Road has several industries and office sites around the two highways, like Halliburton Energy Services and the Shell Oil bulk plant storage facility, but the number of fire stations located in the Coteau Fire Protection District has not kept pace with the need for quick emergency response.
Accordingly, the district will be constructing a new fire station “any day now” near Halliburton Energy Services, less than a quarter mile from the intersection of Coteau Road and La. 182, said District Fire Chief Russell DiSalvo, Jr.
The station should be completed by October or November, he said.
“It’s been a long-term goal to put in a fire station” near the intersection, he said. “Hwy. 182 has been a hotspot for accidents. We’re looking to shorten the response time in that general area.”
The Louisiana State Bond Commission, at its monthly May 17 meeting, approved a $400,000 loan the district secured from the public-finance firm Government Capital Corporation of Texas to construct the new station.
The commission must approve all debts incurred by public bodies in Louisiana.
The district received an additional $100,000 from a “capital fund” to build the facility, DiSalvo said.
“We’re guaranteeing funding” the debt “through our millage,” which is 18 mills, he said.
The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana recommended that the district construct a new fire station at the Coteau Road site, he said.
The fire station will have a tele-boom (a small crane with a telescoping arm), and a 2,000-a-gallon minute pump, DiSalvo said.
“That industrial section has a need for a high water volume,” he said.
The boundaries of the Coteau Fire Protection District are roughly Coteau Road, the Entergy substation, the Caro Canal, and the Houma city limits on La. 182.
