Parade viewing stands under review

Houma resident Clifton Stouffle asked the Terrebonne Parish Council at last Wednesday’s meeting to rescind the $100 fee being charged, for the first time this year, by the parish to erect viewing stands along parade routes.

Stouffle told the council he had not been charged a fee by the parish in the years he has used his stand since 2002.

He said the parish has mailed him a permit every year, but for this carnival season he was not informed by mail about the new fee.

“Make Mardi Gras what it is proclaimed to be-the greatest free show on earth,” he said.

Parish Planning Director Pat Gordon told the council his department has received numerous complaints about the new fee.

By last Wednesday, 69 permits had been issued.

The Planning Department is placing blue warning notes on viewing stands not having permits.

Gordon said the previous parish administration wanted to assess a fee to reflect the cost of inspecting the viewing stands.

He said the inspection service includes ensuring that viewing stands do not obstruct driveways and that stands are not on a parish or state highway right of way.

The stands can be a visual obstruction on the shoulders of roadways.

In addition, Gordon said people had been putting stands on property they do not own. Some stands have remained roadside for months after Carnival’s ended.

“We won’t issue permits unless the property owner gives permission,” he said. “We need to know the address.”

Viewing stands can be erected 30 days before the first parade of carnival season and must be removed no more than 10 days following Mardi Gras.

If they are not removed, the sheriff’s office or Houma police will be notified.

Councilman Billy Hebert said he has been receiving complaints about the new fee and wants the matter placed in the proper committee.

Councilwoman Teri Cavalier said she voted in favor of the inspection fee but did not read all the wording involved with the assessment.

Also at last Wednesday’s meeting, Bourg resident Joe Pinero, who repairs properties to sell them, told the council he was charged $100 by the parish to turn on the electricity at a former barbershop he owns at 114 Howard Avenue in Houma.

“It seems like Terrebonne Parish does not want small business and is establishing roadblocks,” he said. “The barbershop, we were going to clean it up… We have the most stringent building codes in Louisiana.”

Claudet said the former charge had been $25, but, after a review, the parish felt a new fee should reflect the level of work performed and the amount charged by other parishes.