Senator Circle residents oppose duplex donation

Thomas James Sr.
July 28, 2010
Helping drivers safely share the road with bicyclists and runners
July 30, 2010
Thomas James Sr.
July 28, 2010
Helping drivers safely share the road with bicyclists and runners
July 30, 2010

A request seeking the Housing and Urban Development’s blessing on a deal that would give Houma Police two Senator Circle units is temporarily on hold.

The units – 101A and 101B – are currently uninhabited and are undergoing renovations. The units sit next to the complex’s guard shack.


In June, Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority commissioners authorized executive director Wayne Thibodeaux to sign a joint agreement with Houma Police to allow authorities to utilize the guard shack.


The agreement, signed earlier this month, states the guard shack is to become a police substation.

“When the board gave Mr. Thibodeaux authority to negotiate this contract, it was to get the guard shack back up and running, so we could have more security back here,” said commissioner Joseph Thompson. “A lot of the residents were asking for more security,”


But while many residents feel an added police presence would be a good thing, others fear a substation in Senator Circle would create so much police presence that it would invade residents’ privacy.


“I wouldn’t have a problem if it was just here to protect us, but this [substation] is going to cover the whole east side (of Houma),” said Senator Circle resident Linda Smith. “It’s in our living rooms. It’s in our community, and I feel it’s violating us.”

After hearing fears of Senator Circle children being exposed to criminals in handcuffs, Houma Police Capt. Greg Hood said alleged criminals will be taken straight to jail and only witnesses to crimes will be taken into Senator Circle’s guard shack.


But because the guard shack is too small to house all of the services required for a substation, Houma Police and the HTHA are considering a deal that would utilize the duplex next door.


“When you’ve got a bunch of people, it’s not feasible. It’s one room and a bathroom,” Hood said of each of the agreed upon units. “We did an agreement for the guard shack, and then it was offered for us to get 101A and 101B, so we could have a bigger substation, so we could work out of it just like the regular police department.”

But before HUD can provide authorization for the transaction of the two units, the HTHA board of commissioners had to approve the measure.


After many residents spoke against the transaction at last week’s meeting, the vote was tabled by a 3-0 vote.

Senator Circle resident Telisa Clark submitted a 33-signature petition to the council in opposition to the measure prior to the vote.

“Utilize the guard shack, and if they need the expanded space, what we’re saying is expand the guard shack,” said Clark. “Too many people need housing.”

She added that replacing the families that previously lived in the duplex with a police facility would go against HUD’s one-for-one replacement system.

“Don’t take an apartment off the rental role, because it’s one-for-one replacement,” said Clark. “If you move a family, you’ve got to move a family back in. You move an elderly couple out; you move an elderly couple in. You don’t move a police station, you don’t put a police station there.”

HTHA vice-chairman Chester Dillard said it was his understanding that if the duplex were given to Houma Police, the department would provide an additional public housing building for Senator Circle.

Terrebonne Parish Public Safety Director Ralph Mitchell said because of the current renovation process, the duplex is not suitable for Houma Police to move into right now.

He added a permanent substation in Senator Circle – with or without the duplex – is probably not a long-term solution for a police substation on Houma’s east side.

“It could be interim for a couple years, but [the duplex] hasn’t been offered formally yet, and it hasn’t been agreed upon yet,” Mitchell said. “So as of right now, we have the guard shack agreement, and that’s what we’re moving into. … [The guard shack] is a good place to start, but it’s certainly not big enough for the long term plans that we want to do.”

With the future of units 101A and 101B still in jeopardy and a fully capable east-side substation on hold for now, the police department is set to move into the Senator Circle guard shack and, at the very least, provide the community with more security and peace of mind, the safety director said.

“This is a good thing. Personally, I’m excited about it,” commissioner Thompson said. “The more officers I see patrolling the community make it a safer community.”

The Senator Circle guard shack and soon to be Houma Police substation has created quite a stir in the public housing community. Some residents fear that encompassing the entire east side of Houma would violate residents’ privacy. RICHARD FISCHER