Thank you and good morning.

This morning as we dedicate one of the most expensive capital projects in our parish’s history, I want to take a moment to thank everyone involved in seeing this endeavor through to completion. And like all projects undertaken by parish government, there are many.

This was a project designed and engineered in Mr. Albert Laque’s administration prior to 2008. It was then passed to myself and a parish council made up of mostly new faces. I know I speak for that group when I say that we were proud to step up to the plate, continuing the commitment to this project, and approving an additional $8 million from the general fund to get construction started. Today, four years later, some faces have changed once again, but that same commitment remains. We know, as public officials, that projects like these, which provide critical services to the people of St. Charles Parish, are the most important undertakings we’ll ever oversee. And none is more critical than providing clean water for drinking, industrial processes and household and business use.

But even more important are the people who ensure this equipment is maintained and functional; the folks who produce the water we need both every day and during emergencies. I am consistently impressed with the dedication of our parish employees, and I want to especially thank them today. Just a couple weeks ago, an oil spill on the Mississippi River in Reserve put our drinking water at risk. Without hesitation – but with haste – on-call employees did what was needed to ensure our water supply would remain safe. Thank you for doing an exceptional job for our entire community. I also want to recognize the engineer and contractor on this project, Shread-Kuyrkendall and Associates and the M.R. Pittman Group.

Not only does this facility provide the ability for us to produce more drinking water to serve the needs of our population for decades to come, it also allows us to better maintain existing facilities and respond to emergencies. Between the bunks in this building and those in the new Emergency Operations Center building in Hahnville, we’ll have ample hands on deck to get us through virtually anything!

So again, to everyone, from the regulatory agencies represented here today, to employees, to contractors, THANK YOU for helping St. Charles Parish continue to improve the quality of life for its residents. 

V.J. St. Pierre Jr., St. Charles Parish President

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