Vital . 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. And if LCG intended the arrangement to avoid bid law, thats a problem, experts say. LAFAYETTE, La. 600 Corporate Blvd Louisiana, 70517 Breaux Bridge - USA. St. Martin Parish ( French: Paroisse de Saint-Martin) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, founded in 1811. Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory said a spoil bank removal project on the Vermilion River that prompted harsh criticism by St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars and will likely lead to Corps of Engineers, leaving a third owner out of the transaction, On Feb. 23 Rigid invoiced LCGs Public Works Department $3.7 million for the work. St. Martin Parish Operations, Maintenance & Transportation 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337-909-2990. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The Corps added it would determine whether a permit for this work was required or not. The district attorney can pursue that violation. Corps of Engineers to remove the spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St. Martinville, but that request was ultimately withdrawn, according to Cedars. dwayne.fatherree@daily-iberian.com. Why would you do that to your neighbors? 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. District I St. Martinville, LA 70582 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. 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. Very little of what Rigid charged on the spoil banks project is related to excavation. He has also served as the Director of Planning and Zoning of St. Mary Parish. Third, an investigation by the congressional delegation on what happened, in order, Cedars said, that we are not going to let it happen again.. It has also been corrected to reflect additional reporting confirming that LCG purchased land for the project from two property owners, intentionally leaving a third landowner out of the transaction. Website D. Kaplovitz Louisiana Parish Attorneys Association ("LPAA"): Group Parish Attorneys Association ("LPAA") j. touzet; Cedars said studies have differed on the impact and risks of removing the makeshift levees and that he found out about LCG's quiet removal of the spoil banks Tuesday afternoon, weeks after the work had been done. 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. Still, this only covers three of several water systems throughout the parish and they are not the only ones with a cry for help. 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. "We will review the allegations and respond accordingly," Logan wrote in a message to the Daily Advertiser. 1005 Big Apple Lane Fax N/A. A public records request for electronic communication between Fortier and LCG officials is pending. It leaves a lot of questions, especially with the $1.8 million mobilization charge., A founding editor of both The Independent and ABiz and senior editor at The Times of Acadiana in the 1990s, Leslie Turk is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked in the newspaper business in Lafayette for more than three decades. All rights reserved. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This story has been edited to include Fortier's $10,000 in donations to Mayor-President Josh Guillory's campaign and to note that the original as-needed contract was limited to work "throughout the Lafayette City-Parish." 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 Lawsuit:Despite judges ruling, LCG uses identical quick take to seize land for detention pond. ------------------------------------------------------------Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere. Logan and Guillory have defended the approach and use of quick take expropriation, characterizing the suits as negotiating tactics on the part of landowners looking for a better price in the case of Homewood and Lake Farm. Andre Redditt, 27, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said in a press release. About Us. I did see something that it was done in two days, but the equipment that was brought in from as far as Idaho, and a lot of that Rigid had to pre-pay I remember was going on. Vice President Lorem ipsum dolor consecteture adiciping. The auditors office places the facts out there. Whether LCG devised the as-needed contract to slip the spoil banks project through unnoticed is unclear. One former public official is willing to give LCG the benefit of the doubt on the contract amendment. Research salary, company info, career paths, and top skills for Project Coordinator 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. 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. One contractor interviewed by The Current defended the pricing in the contract, noting its what he would charge for the work. var today = new Date() Lafayette Parish residents deserve to know and understand this issue. in Breaux Bridge, will host a groundbreaking ceremony today, Tuesday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m. to celebrate the start of an $11.2 million expansion and renovation project. B) 15th JDC Judge (Div. Box 1280 Cameron, LA 70631 (337) 775-5718 EMAIL www.cameronpj.org. Wanda B. Dozens of projects have been OKd by the councils with scant scrutiny, even as the administration lost expropriation cases in court. His response was, 'Yes I did,' Cedars said. "We had requested, and were told, that we would get a chance to review all of LCG's models upon which this proposed project was going to be based. (AP) An off-duty St. Gabriel, Louisiana, police officer was arrested Thursday for the alleged murder of a 26-year-old man, authorities say. (KLFY) St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has signed new guidelines for COVID-19 for parish-owned and operated facilities, effective immediately. Joyce Haynes is the president of the school . Over the summer, LCG requested a permit from the U.S. 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. In all, the as-needed contracts value alone has ballooned to approximately $5.2 million in a few short months. "Aquaspersions is delighted to be investing in Broussard and with the welcome we have received," Bewsher said. That's your idea of heroes? Copyright 1997- var year = today.getFullYear() View the job description, responsibilities and qualifications for this position. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact the Council on Aging at 337-332-3063. 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. St. Martin Parish School Board. Initially, he said, the landings were built using parish materials and using trusty work crews from the parish jail. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. ONLY10th&11th graders will report to their respective high schools on Tuesdayto take their required ACT exam. In the midst of French culture, exploration, and settlement during the late eighteenth century, St. Mary bears the distinction of being a primarily Anglo-Protestant settlement in the midst of French-Catholic Acadiana. It's uncalled for and unwarranted," Cedars said Thursday. St. Martin Parish Government (SMPG) District 6 Councilman Brook Champagne, speaking at the August 3, 2021, SMPG Council meeting, makes the emphatic statement that farmer and constituent Billy Broussard is "violating the zoning ordinance, and there's no doubt about it!" St. Martin Parish Federal Programs & Technology Annex 625 Corporate Boulevard, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337.332.3388. The idea was proposed, however, long before. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said, however, it will not help their region and called it an act of misconduct.. document.write(year) Since November, Rigid has been paid a total of $37 million from LCG for various projects, $3.7 million of that coming for the spoil banks project that took less than two days to complete. You have permission to edit this article. The parish seat is Saint Martinville. What are spoil banks? Rigid CEO Cody Fortier, Rigid itself and Fortiers CF LLC each made $2,500 donations to the mayor-presidents campaign, The contract was awarded for one year, with options to renew for two additional one-year terms, soon after the as-needed contract was awarded in December, one for $9.3 million for the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project paid via wire transfer to Rigid on May 9, with LCG paying via wire transfer only 11 times out of 35,000 payments, Rigid-half-page-quote-for-spoil-banks-removal.pdf, On Feb. 18 LCG filed with the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Amendment #1, before obtaining permits from either St. Martin Parish or the U.S. 15th JDC Judge (Div. Flood fight:Lafayette, St. Martin parishes are arguing about a strip of dirt by the river. Not only could the millions spent digging ponds and removing spoil banks be money down the drain, but the city and/or parish could be on the hook for property owners legal fees and millions in penalties to restore lands to their original conditions. of our parish leaders are excited about the decision of Ochsner and Trax Development to locate this PPE facility in our parish," said St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars. Box 9. Census facilitator Tomika Scott gave council members a briefing on plans for the 2020 Census in St. Martin Parish and went into depth on the importance of getting an accurate count of the parishs population. Should the Louisiana legislative auditor look into a municipalitys contracting practices, its role would only be to flag potential problems with contracts in an audit report, says Jenifer Schaye, general counsel for the legislative auditors office; violations can lead to restitution or, more rarely, criminal prosecution. 2023 www.theadvertiser.com. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars has vowed to sue everyone involved in the clandestine removal of spoil banks in his parish. Waiting for a judge to be assigned to the suit, according to public records at last check on Friday. Let us know what's going on! LCG did not turn over any evidence that the costs were negotiated within the percentages allowed by the contract, that a 5 percent retainage was withheld or that a new performance bond was posted by Rigid. With multiple boil advisories in the recent past, Cedars says it's no secret the. He was eventually taken into custody by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff . Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 120 East Refinery Street Cedars said it is the parishs stance that it has rights to the road because it has maintained it for decades. Martin Parish line. LCGs drainage projects are already costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in city-parish legal fees, plus millions in re-mobilization costs. But the contract terms require Rigid to document and justify those overages, Cedars said he asked Guillory when the two spoke after the operation was completed, Cedars has since threatened to sue everyone involved. Guillory's administration already faces two lawsuits over a novel type of quick-take land grab used to secure properties to build major detention ponds, one of which was overturned by a local judge and is now on appeal. Parish Council Meetings held @ 5:00 on the 1st Tuesday of each month. 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. The update, which was posted at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, says that "as stated in. 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. (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. 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. While it may get around the bid law, it shouldnt get around the court of public opinion, he says. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars says St. Martin Parish is no longer going to be one of them. ST. MARTINVILLE, La. Just $4,800 was spent on tree clearing and $260,000 on excavation and fill. Rigid billed $1.9 million for expedited mobilization, a sum that, according to the original contracts terms, should have been included in the contract pricing. That would mean the public would have a right to access the lake even with the typical shoreline under private ownership. St Martin Parish Government Location 301 W Port St, Saint Martinville, Louisiana, 70582, United States Description Industry Government Theres a process to this, and the process was definitely not followed, resident Chad Boyer said. 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. Our restaurants offer authentic, renowned, and award winning Cajun cuisine. four other contractors sent bids that ranged from $568,000 to $1.1 million. As of Tuesday afternoon, Jamie Angelle, Guillorys spokesperson, did not respond to questions regarding the removal of the spoil banks and didnt provide any comment about the alleged phone call. If you are a St. Martin Parish resident, take a moment to enjoy our many recreational sites and renew your valued acquaintances. 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. 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. The high water mark is at Rookery Road, where the levee used to be, Cedars said. Moreover, I believe that under the current circumstances, there is no reason why adults should not take the vaccine except for those with medical issues which prevent them from doing so, said Cedars. Morgan City Mayor; Vermilion Parish. 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.. Second, a public investigation on the regulations allegedly violated during the removal, including those ruled by FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency. LCG did not turn over any construction plans for the project, saying it had no known documents responsive to our request for them. I asked. 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. Lafayette Mayor President Josh Guillory says LCG removed the spoil banks to help flash flooding and drainage. Lafayette Consolidated Government quietly removed the spoil banks from the southern shore of the Vermilion River in St. Martin Parish in February despite previous objections from the St. Martin Parish Government, which was not informed when the work was done. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said he is excited about the project, which will bring broadband connectivity to the St. Martin Economic Development Authority's SMEDA Industrial Park, which is located on the Lafayette/St. 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. MARTINVILLE, L.a. Aging water systems are causing issues for small municipalities across the country, state, and even here in Acadiana. The investigation could force changes to the project to blunt its impact on the Black and low-income neighborhoods that will house it. He says removing the spoil banks makes flooding much more likely for their residents. Get it first. "That doesn't preclude any other type of actions which may occur.". St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said, however, it will not help their region and called it "an act of misconduct." "I do not need Lafayette Parish Government telling St. Martin . This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. "I can give you 14.3 million additional reasons it's not just talk, and that's the $14.3 million we've committed to making this consolidation work. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. St. Martin Parish Government. D) Tel: 318.906.0582, District V The removal will allow the river to flow into the swamp during storms. St. Martin Parish Operations, Maintenance & Transportation 775 West Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337-909-2990. The wire transfer to Rigid came five days after LCG lost the Homewood ruling and is for work on that project. 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. 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. A combination of state dollars and ARPA funds, Cedars says even with the funding, it will take two to three months to get these consolidation efforts off the ground for three water systems in the parish so far: One in Catahoula, one in St. Martinville, and the St. Martin Parish water system. St Martin Parish Government is part of the Government industry, and located in Louisiana, United States. Mike Clay Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. I trust that my fellow elected officials in St. Martin Parish want for their constituents the same thing that I want for mine, which is to do all we can to protect life and property. 600 Corporate Boulevard / PO Box 1000,Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 P.O. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. 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. 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. "They didn't listen and unfortunately unless you take someone's money out of their pocket, they won't listen," Boudreaux says. It was paid only $1.6 million in all of the previous fiscal year, according to online records. 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. The contract also requires LCG to give written instructions to the contractor increasing the quantity of work and/or change orders. Cedars says he believes, however, more research on how it would impact their region should have been done before LCG moved forward with the project. He makes it clear that hes always promoted the use of masks while indoors and touches on the subject of the lack of vaccinations among adults. But the contract terms require Rigid to document and justify those overages. There was a problem saving your notification. LWDB #40 is one of 15 local workforce development boards in the State of Louisiana and services . 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 . Marshals,, Hooded man wearing sagging pants steals $9K in purses, Acadiana foster dad fighting to get children back, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. When you did not have a permit, Romero added. The current modeling of the spoil bank removal project shows that there is no threat of harm to St. Martin Parish.. In conclusion, I welcome all, and I look forward to sharing the very special and unique resources which St. Martin Parish has to offer. Cedars accused the parish government of removing spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St.. "With so much of our daily life revolving around internet connectivity, we are making fiber infrastructure modernization a priority for our parish. 301 West Port Street. Cedars eventually asked council members to adopt three measures. :And why are Lafayette and St. Martin Parish fighting over them? "We believe that we need to proceed as quickly as possible to protect the citizens from being harmed. First, to authorize Cedars to "pursue litigation against every single person, farm and entity that may be complicit in the removal of the banks," including LCG officials.