Randolph: Road fixes to cost taxpayers’ $3.3M

Repairing Lafourche Parish’s roads could cost taxpayers $3.3 million, based on work orders submitted by each councilman.

Projects requested in Road Sales Tax District A, which includes the northern half of the parish, totaled approximately $1.6 million. Work in Road Sales Tax District 2 – the southern half of Lafourche – would cost about $1.7 million, according to Parish President Charlotte Randolph.

Randolph said the scope of the work includes removing or installing culverts, drain pipes, ditches and canals.

The $3.3 million would also fund several parish government projects: replacing several dated driveways, paving road and removing debris in some areas.

Without an itemized list of how money is to be spent, however, some councilmen oppose the work.

“We need to know where the money is going,” said Councilman Joe Fertitta. “We just can’t vote on a figure. We need concrete information on paper.”

Fertitta suggested that the council defer making any decision on the matter until Tuesday night’s council meeting, giving Randolph’s administration time to supply each councilman with an itemized list of the projects slated for completion.

Councilman Daniel Lorraine agreed, saying, “Too many times have we submitted work orders and nothing gets down about them, and I think the project should be named in the resolution.”

However, Parish Administrator Crystal Chiasson said identifying specific projects in the resolution would bar contractors from picking up emergency projects without first seeking the council’s OK.

“We made the resolution open so as to cover issues that may arise,” she explained. “If we start putting an itemized list with it, then every time something comes up that is not on the list the contractors will have to come back to the council for approval. That just prolongs the time it’s going to take to complete the projects in each district.”

Randolph said administrators met with each councilman and field office supervisor prior to last week’s parish council meeting to formulate a priority list.

“That’s why we meet with the council and the field office supervisors to get your input,” she said. “The main complaint from councilmen has been that work orders are not being done,” she added. “But the contracted work is based on what you said needs to be done. This just shows how much trust you have in your administration.”

District 8 Councilman Rodney Doucet, who carries a booklet of work orders for his district, said, “It’s not distrust in the administration. We just want things to get done in a timely manner.”

After much debate, the council amended the work contracts to attach a project list.

The council also hired two separate contractors to perform the work in each taxing district. Pierre Part, La.-based LA Contracting Enterprise will oversee the work in Road Sales Tax District A and Picciola Construction Company of Cut Off is responsible for projects in Road Sales Tax District 2, the southern stretch of the parish.