St. Mary cleanup program keeps its affiliation

Six months after one St. Mary councilman labeled the appointment of a parishwide litter officer “retarded,” the Keep St. Mary Parish Beautiful effort has met the national requirements, thus allowing the program to keep its affiliation.

The parish’s 21-member beautification advisory committee continues to meet monthly, according to Randy Louis, the parish’s beautification officer. The group plans anti-litter promotions and waste reduction programs in addition to arranging for partnerships, education opportunities and weekend cleanup projects.

Louis said Keep St. Mary Parish Beautiful has targeted “eyesore areas” parishwide. A $2,000 grant has funded the purchase of T-shirts and banners bearing the group’s logo and mission statement, he told councilmen at last week’s meeting.

“And, by the end of this month, we will have completed all of the necessary requirements to become an affiliate of the Keep America Beautiful Program,” he told council members at last week’s meeting.

Despite the objection of St. Mary Parish Councilman Chuck Walters, who used the derogatory label for Louis’s job, the council voted to create the post because of concerns the parish’s filthy exit and entry points were turning homeowners and businesses away from the region. “Sixty-thousand dollars for somebody to tell us to pick up garbage,” Walters said at the time, “it’s retarded.”

The beautification program is part of an inter-governmental agreement between the parish, Baldwin, Berwick, Franklin, Patterson and Morgan City.

In other business, St. Mary Parish President Paul Naquin recapped the three project proposals he pitched to the state’s Costal Wetlands Planning and Protection Task Force.

The Point Marone shorline near the East Cote Blanche Bay, Bateman Island terracing and the area around Bayou Shaffer are of particular concern, Naquin said.

However, the parish president said St. Mary projects are not likely among the task force’s top priorities. The group has $60 million for coastal work in Louisiana.

Only 17 Louisiana projects have received funding, according to the task force’s Web site, lacoast.gov. One notable St. Mary project is on the list: a project to capture sediment to elevate wetland areas within Atchafalaya Bay.

After delaying a vote at its previous meeting, the council granted permission to Petroleum Helicopters Inc. to build a mobile home park on Lake Palourde Road in Amelia.

According to Parish Director of Planning Carol Vinning, the approval is contingent upon the company putting a gated fence along the front of the property.

The mobile home park will house employees who work at the company’s site in Amelia.

The council also agreed to send a late application to the state Capital Outlay Grant program seeking $250,000 to complete the Amelia Volunteer Fire Station.

The facility is currently an external shell only that houses a fire truck and equipment.

“The money is needed to complete the interior of the structure,” he explained. “The money would go into offices, living quarters and bathrooms for the firefighters. There is no interior to the building.”

LaGrange said the parish originally placed the request last year, but the process was delayed because of the 2008 hurricanes.