Attorneys for St. Martin Parish Government wrote that the spoil banks were removed without a parish permit and asked a local judge for an order requiring LCG "to restore, replace and reconstruct (at [LCG]'s sole expense), the spoil bank Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government illegally removed in St. Martin Parish.". In other reports, the council heard from Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Executive Director Lt. Col. Billy Guidry about the projected water flow along the Bayou Teche this coming spring. Tel: 337.441.0393, District IV Nevertheless, I cannot sit idly by and not articulate about a critical situation.. The Louisiana attorney general has opined that any additional public work outside of the scope of the existing contract should be negotiated or let out for public bid rather than by change order to the existing contract.. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 The latest lawsuit, filed by SMPG Wednesday in St. Martin Parish, comes a day after a federal judge removed a March lawsuit by LCG against St. Martin Parish from federal court, freeing the two to resume their fight in front of a local judge instead. [citation needed] From 2000 to 2004, Angelle was the first parish president of St. Martin Parish and the vice president from 1998 to 2000 of the Huval Companies in Lafayette, Louisiana. ST. MARTINVILLE, L.a. Aging water systems are causing issues for small municipalities across the country, state, and even here in Acadiana. This would have saved many hundreds of millions of dollars of property damage, reduction in property values and tax base, not to mention the risk to public safety. Cedars did say he had productive conversations with members of one family about their concerns and proposed a possible compromise. As for rural communities dealing with water issues in the rest of the parish, there is no word from the parish government yet as to when improvement efforts will be underway. Fax N/A. Now, they might win it back. ST. MARTINVILLE Parish President Chester Cedars said that he expects the parish should be getting an appellate ruling soon on its lawsuit against a business owner on Lake Martin. On Aug. 30, according to Cedars reports, the Corps advised that LCG had requested the proposed project be divided into two parts. St. Martin Parish Archives - Geaux Vote The suit aimed to stop LCGs clampdown on panhandling which district and appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have repeatedly found to be protected speech under the First Amendment. Chester Cedars, the St. Martin Parish President, speaks at a Parish Council meeting, at which the council voted to pursue litigation against Lafayette Parish for the removal of a spoil bank. LUS Fiber expanding to Iberia, St. Martin parishes 2023 St. Martin Parish Government. Rigids quote for the St. Martin work also tacked on $1.2 million for Barges/Temporary Barges, Cranes, and Rigging, $30,000 for patrol boats and $117,000 to have a mechanic on standby for the 24-hour job. The investigation could force changes to the project to blunt its impact on the Black and low-income neighborhoods that will house it. Chester Cedars - Parish.. - St Martin Parish Government | ZoomInfo The council also discussed the potential sale of property within the city of St. Martinville that had been adjudicated as being co-owned by the city and the parish. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. LCG has been in a tiff with the St. Martin Parish Government for months over removing the spoil banks, which LCG believes will lower water levels on the Vermilion River during storms. Login & subscribe to unlock. St. Martin sues Lafayette to rebuild spoil banks along Vermilion River Logan confirmed that it was his idea for LCG to do more as-needed contracts, which arent that unusual in public works departments. P.O. School Board - St. Martin Parish - saintmartinschools.org With multiple boil advisories in the recent past, Cedars says it's no secret the. All Rights Reserved, Opening/Purchasing a Bar/Nigh Club/Lounge, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan, RESTORE Act Multiyear Implementation Plan-Amendment #1. After rain storms in May 2021, Guillory advocated using an emergency ordinance to appropriate $20 million for city drainage projects, cutting red tape in part by bypassing bid requirements for a raft a projects. This might be a risk-free endeavor for Lafayette Parish, but it is not a risk-free endeavor for St. Martin Parish, Cedars said. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said Thursday his government is aiming to have LCG restore the spoil banks as an immediate remedy and said it may seek other remedies as the case progresses. St. Martin Parish accusing LCG of removing spoil banks along the St. Martin Parish Council approves new trash pickup contract Parish president saves California woman Page 5 In an intense special council meeting attended by more than 100 angry St. Martin Parish residents, Cedars vehemently expressed his dismay toward LCG Mayor-President Josh Guillory. Lafayette-based Rigid Constructors has been paid handsomely for its role in the blitz of detention projects. St Martin parish, is the unreasonable neighbor here, not MP Guillory. Russel C. Foti Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. St. Martin Parish. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. St. Martin council passes ordinance restricting dumping, burning St. Martin P. O. Dozens of projects have been OKd by the councils with scant scrutiny, even as the administration lost expropriation cases in court. (KLFY) A feud over spoil banks, levees of dirt and debris formed on either side of a river is reaching new heights and creating a major controversy between two Acadiana parishes. Levee removal sparks border war between Lafayette and St. Martin parishes Rigids $390,000 bid last year for the 2021 LCG as-needed excavation and disposal contract for work throughout the Lafayette City-Parish (the contract does not allow for work outside of the parish) was the lowest among five bids; four other contractors sent bids that ranged from $568,000 to $1.1 million. Copyright Lafayette City-Parish Attorney Greg Logan responded to the new lawsuit Thursday by saying he believes there are inconsistencies in St. Martin Parish's arguments and that LCG will make its response in due time. Jeremiah, I see that you failed to read the story. "I want to give a full report to the council to the public at one time," he said. The $3.7 million project, now the subject of a barbed lawsuit with St. Martin Parish in federal court, was top secret and never competitively bid. 314 Elmer St At issue is the removal of half of a 12-feet levee structure left behind from the last time the Vermilion was dredged that has for decades protected St. Martinville from flooding. . In conclusion, I welcome all, and I look forward to sharing the very special and unique resources which St. Martin Parish has to offer. We have one of the best procurement lawyers in the state that works for us out of New Orleans, attorney Logan says. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 'Did you remove them?' Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Acadiana Advocate, The Daily Advertiser, Baton Rouge Business Report, Louisiana Illuminator and Gambit. "The perception is this is just talk [], it's not just talk," he tells KATC. I also trust in the science and all of the engineers who have spent years analyzing the benefits of restoring the natural hydraulic flow in this area. As the spoil banks are already gone, Cedars says theyre trying to fix this. All rights reserved. He says removing the spoil banks makes flooding much more likely for their residents. Parish President Chester Cedars speaks during a meeting of the St. Martin Parish Council on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Guy Cormier is the president of St. Martin Parish, and was a Police Juror back in 1999 when the change was adopted for good. 500 Henry C. 'Bo' LaGrange Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. 'Bo' LaGrange, is currently the Chief Administrative Officer of St. Mary Parish Government, a position he has held since 1996. "With so much of our daily life revolving around internet connectivity, we are making fiber infrastructure modernization a priority for our parish. "This is the most incredible, unprofessional thing that I think one governmental jurisdiction can do to the other. "Our interest is to ensure that the citizens of St. Martin Parish are protected from enhanced flooding risks that we believe the removal of the spoil banks creates," he told the Daily Advertiser. It is also is my understanding that the USCOE 50+ years ago, by putting spoils on the St Martin banks of the Vermilion, inadvertently obstructed that natural flow to Cypress island swamp. Nothing was given to us to review. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has promised to hold responsible Lafayette officials and anyone connected to the secretive spoil levee removal, which he fears may send more flood water . St. Landry Parish School Board May Ban Hoodies Its not all that appears on its face.. But the contract terms require Rigid to document and justify those overages. It was a very short call, Cedars said. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Workday sued on suspicion of discriminatory hiring, 86-year-old woman honored for years of community, Attic Trash and Treasure organization hosts three-day, Scary video: North Carolina kids nearly hit at bus, Southern University experiences power outage across, No. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said Tuesday evening that the administration is looking to fund several ambitious initiatives using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act: Water system consolidation $1 million Broadband expansion $3 million Water infrastructure in Water Works District 5 and along Highway 94 $3.8 million St. Martin Parish School Board. Open Books 10-digit check numbers, which seem to indicate wire transfers, show Rigid as the sole contractor paid by wire transfer this fiscal year, with LCG paying via wire transfer only 11 times out of 35,000 payments made so far this year. 600 Corporate Blvd Louisiana, 70517 Breaux Bridge - USA. St. Martin Parish Library Board of Control Tommy Romero, President,Appointment 1992, Expiration July 2027 Freda Harrison, Vice-President,Appointment 1980, Expiration July 2025 Charlene LeBlanc,Appointment 1989, Expiration July 2023 Georgie Blanchard,Appointment 1998, Expiration January 2027 Residents and parish leaders say theyre now also concerned over the legality of removing them. My office and the St. Martin Parish Council recognize that business is the bulwark of our local economy, and we stand ready and willing to assist you in your ventures. And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? How a civil rights investigation could alter the I-49 Connector, LCG settles federal panhandling suit for $42,000, Here are the 2023 Current In Design winners, Rigid has been paid a total of $37 million from LCG for various projects, $1.6 million in all of the previous fiscal year, 2021 LCG as-needed excavation and disposal contract. Recognizing the best in local architecture, planning and design, we are pleased to announce 12 winning projects for The Current In Design Awards 2023. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Our parish extends a very cordial invitation to visit us. 15th JDC Judge (Div. The landings are privately owned. St. Martin Parish wants Lafayette's spoil banks lawsuit thrown out for The St. Martin Parish Council unanimously voted to give parish president Chester Cedars the authority to seek any and all legal remedies against Lafayette Consolidated Government and other parties found to be responsible for the removal of spoil banks along the Vermilion River. Though LCG initially sued St. Martin Parish in Lafayette over the dispute, Wednesday's filing will put the case before 16th Judicial District Court Judge Tony Saleme, of Franklin, unless LCG tries to move the case. Make a Donation . U.S. President; U.S. I do not need Lafayette Parish Government telling St. Martin Parish whats best for us. The update, which was posted at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, says that "as stated in. Chester Cedars, the St. Martin Parish President, speaks at a Parish Council meeting, at which the council voted to pursue litigation against Lafayette Parish for the removal of a spoil bank along the Vermilion River in St. Martin Parish. We won't share it with anyone else. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said Thursday his government is aiming to have LCG restore the spoil banks as an immediate remedy and said it may seek other remedies as the case. Breaux Bridge City Court Marshal; Parks Chief of Police; St. Mary Parish. In the days and weeks before the contract was signed, Rigid CEO Cody Fortier, Rigid itself and Fortiers CF LLC each made $2,500 donations to the mayor-presidents campaign, as did another company associated with Fortier, Sunshine Homes LLC, for a total of $10,000, according to campaign finance records. St. Martin Parish Government. Photo by Travis Gauthier In all likelihood, St. Martin Parish would have gone to court to stop the work, and indeed Cedars has since threatened to sue everyone involved. Vice President Lorem ipsum dolor consecteture adiciping. Why? Our restaurants offer authentic, renowned, and award winning Cajun cuisine. Billy Broussard sues Daily Iberian for "nothing short of journalistic Now, they might win it back, Despite judges ruling, LCG uses identical quick take to seize land for detention pond, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. BREAKING: Lafayette quietly removes spoil levee from St Martin Parish St. Martin Parish Tourist Commission | Louisiana Travel St. Martin Parish Parish President. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said, however, it will not help their region and called it an act of misconduct.. Let us know what's going on! Home - St. Mary Parish Government firefighter Brent Haynes recovering, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, First look at new 13,000 sq. Its unclear how much information the bidders were given about potential projects to come and whether they knew of LCGs plans for St. Martin Parish. Share this page on your favorite Social network. Tel: 337.441.0229, District III D) Over in Arnaudville, Paul Boudreaux shares his issues with United Water System, a service he's been a customer of since 2019 when he moved back home. "When I learned about this late Tuesday afternoon, we did certain things and had certain meetings, and we're developing what our course of action will be from this point forward," he said. Box 993 ARPA plans for St. Martin Parish leave people smiling Cameron P. O. Why would you do that to your neighbors? Sign up for our free newsletter. Lafayette, St. Martin Parish top leaders feud over spoil banks - KLFY.com St. Martin Parish Police Jury - KPLC Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. And its connected to all three stormwater projects mired in lawsuits. But I did get an email response Sunday night thanking me for the proposal and saying they hope to speak again soon.. Invalid password or account does not exist. According to St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars October 19, 2021, President's report, Josh Guillory was no longer pursuing the spoil bank removal project. On Friday, St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars levied the allegations against LCG. Although there are concerns from high water that has moved south from Cairo, Illinois, and through Jackson, Mississippi, Guidry said it is expected most of those floodwaters will remain north instead of cycling through the Teche. Contact information.