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. St. Martin Hospital (SMH), located at 210 Champagne Blvd. Box 9 St. Martinville, LA 70582 (337) 394-2200 EMAIL . Bid law exists to protect against cost overruns and to keep negotiations honest. 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. Tel: 318.906.0582, District V ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. Wanda B. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said it seems to him that "There is a large number of our citizens who are not participating in the mandatory waste program." Lafayette organization. Stay up to date with the latest news by downloading the BRProud App from the App Store or Google Play. http://dss.louisiana.gov/page/109. The removal will allow the river to flow into the swamp during storms. Lafayette, St. Martin parishes are arguing about a strip of dirt by the river, Five years later, Lafayette is still defined by the catastrophic 2016 flood, LCG took their land and razed it in a week. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. 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. British Chemical Manufacturer to Build First U.S. Facility in Acadiana The study found removing the spoil banks would have little impact on the overall water level in the swamp during storms, but Cedars has said his engineers determined the removal wasn't without risk for the people who live near Cypress Island. 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. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. St. Martin Parish's objection the spoil bank removal could cause legal trouble for LCG, as Lafayette's local government did not get a necessary permit to remove the spoil banks from St. Martin Parish, according to Cedars. The St. Martin Parish facility will employ 976 direct employees with an annual salary of $38,000, plus benefits, and will result in 793 new indirect jobs. 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 . Army Corps inspection finds no permit was needed for Lafayette spoil banks removal, removed a March lawsuit by LCG against St. Martin Parish, St. Martin Parish wants Lafayettes lawsuit thrown out for being in Lafayette, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Site Map; Accessibility; Facebook (opens in new window/tab) 120 East Refinery Street LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. It's not about whether the removal of the spoil banks will benefit Lafayette, as there is little to no argument there. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 Our parish extends a very cordial invitation to visit us. Welcome to St. Martin Parish Government 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 "Aquaspersions is delighted to be investing in Broussard and with the welcome we have received," Bewsher said. 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. Cedars cites the latest COVID hospitalization data in the Acadiana Region 4 and positivity rates within the parish. How a St. Martin Parish agency connects seniors to vital services 2023 www.theadvertiser.com. Some members of the St. Landry Parish School Board say they are in favor of changes to the student dress code. Local Workforce Development Board #40 is certified by Louisiana's Governor as a local workforce development board, as required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Public Law 113-128. Vital . If you are a St. Martin Parish resident, take a moment to enjoy our many recreational sites and renew your valued acquaintances. The losses could substantially burden both city and parish finances. At this point in time, there is absolutely no articulable, cogent reason most of our community should continue to refuse to wear masks in indoor setting or refuse to even consider receiving a vaccine. Copyright 1997- Recognizing the best in local architecture, planning and design, we are pleased to announce 12 winning projects for The Current In Design Awards 2023. Box 9. Now, they might win it back. Why didnt you tell me? St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said he asked Guillory when the two spoke after the operation was completed. Individuals interested in applying for positions may stop by the agency during those times. Copy and paste this code into your website. Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population.This encompasses all city, county, and special district elections appearing on the ballot within those cities. Ochsner Health Announces PPE Production Facilities in Lafayette, St Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Cedars would not say exactly what St. Martin Parish's plan is to address LCG's removal of the spoil banks but did say that he plans to give a full report on the situation at the St. Martin Parish Council's next meeting on Tuesday, March 15. document.write(year) 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. Cedars gives update on expected St. Martin impacts - KATC No records of such documentation have been produced in our records requests, besides the half-page bid table pricing the rush-ordered work. In February it was chosen over The Lemoine Company to negotiate pricing with LCG on the $60 million Homewood Detention Ponds project, the largest drainage undertaking in the parishs history. St. Martin Parish Government officials and community members are now angry, as they say LCG removed the spoil banks without any warning and without permits. St. Martin Parish School Board hiring Head Start/ Early Head Start While it may get around the bid law, it shouldnt get around the court of public opinion, he says. It is my understanding that the overflow of the Vermilion R to Cypress Island swamp is the natural flow of flooding relief. 301 West Port Street. LAFAYETTE, La. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. Tel: 337.441.0393, District IV St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars told News 10, "It just disrupts the ability of the public to feel comfortable utilizing our facilities." Close Thanks for signing up! C) Multi-Parish Races. Instead, the caper was appended to a $390,000 contract awarded in December to Rigid Constructors LLC, the lowest bidder for as-needed excavation work. In our last feature, we exposed the fact that St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars barely let the ink get dry from him going on a 19-minute masterful performance to convince the St. Martin Parish Council (SMPC) to approve an ordinance to ban the importing of vegetative debris from other parishes into St. Martin Parish before he sued . A public records request for electronic communication between Fortier and LCG officials is pending. District II Wanda B. List of Principals; State: LA; County: St Martin Parish And surreptitiously LCG went out and removed those spoil banks and, in our opinion, has put our citizens at peril, contrary to what they may postulate.". And certainly going from $300,000 or $400,000 to $3 [million] or $4 million would be a material change in the contract. You have to go out and re-bid it, says former Louisiana Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars says St. Martin Parish is no longer going to be one of them. Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. I look forward to continuing our work with all of our neighbors, including St. Martin Parish, to combat flooding on a regional scale. This Tuesday (March 7th) is ACT Testing Day on our high school campuses. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. One contractor interviewed by The Current defended the pricing in the contract, noting its what he would charge for the work. Cedars said it is the parishs stance that it has rights to the road because it has maintained it for decades. Removal of St. Martin Parish levee may become third Lafayette drainage If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. It's whether the law was broken (and, I THINK we can all agree, millions more spent than necessary) in doing so. 337.332.3388, St. Martin Parish Operations,Maintenance &Transportation St. Martin Parish Federal Programs & Technology Annex 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337.332.3388. Nothing was given to us to review. At 3 oclock as of today, a week ago, we discovered that Lafayette Consolidated Government decided to remove the spoil banks, Cedars said, describing a phone call with Guillory that he said took place two hours after the discovery. If you materially change the original scope of the contract, then you cant just amend it like that and be in compliance with the bid law. "With so much of our daily life revolving around internet connectivity, we are making fiber infrastructure modernization a priority for our parish. (BRPROUD) St. Martin Parish President Chester R. Cedars wrote a message addressing the community on the stark reality of this fourth surge of COVID-19. 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.". The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is investigating LCG's decision to do the St. Martin Parish work without a federal permit, and the Corps has also asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate "flagrant, willful violations" associated with the project.Shortly after being made aware of the levee removal, the Corps told LCG to stop all activity on the project (with the . Investigation begins into firings in St. Landry Parish government According to Cedars, LCG had initiated a study for a potential project that entailed the removal of the spoil banks in April 2021. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community.