In this report

• St. Charles Parish government will provide citizens with a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of parish infrastructure and services, including pumping stations and the new Emergency Operations Center, during its fall 2014 Info Tour. Tours will be held Oct. 15 on the West Bank and Oct. 17 on the East Bank between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. both days. Meetup for both tours will be at the new St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center, 15026 River Road in Hahnville. Transportation and lunch will be provided.

• New additions to the tour include a walk-through of the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter and the new Edward A. Dufresne Community Center, available both days. To reserve a spot on the Info Tour, call (985) 783-5182 or fill out the online form located at www.scpinfotour.org. The deadline to sign up is Oct. 10. Space is limited. Patrons should be ready to climb stairs. (PROMO)

• St. Charles Parish is encouraging volunteer groups, schools, families and individuals to help clean and beautify the parish this October through its ongoing Trash Bash initiative. The fall Trash Bash is a month-long effort to not only clean roadside litter, but to also spruce up private yards, homes and businesses throughout the parish. Volunteers will decide which areas they wish to clean, and some work supplies will be available upon signup. This version of the cleanup will not feature an after-celebration, but volunteers will be eligible to win one of two Apple iPad minis – generously donated through a grant from Entergy – in an online photo contest. How it works is that Groups or individuals wishing to participate must sign up at www.scptrashbash.org using the form provided to be entered into the contest. Participants then have until midnight Oct. 31 to e-mail photos of their cleanup or beautification project to publicinfo@stcharlesgov.net. Before and after photos and action photos are encouraged. During the first week in November, all entries will be posted to the Trash Bash Facebook page at www.facebook.com/scptrashbash with a full description of each project. After a period of five days after the posting date, the project with the most ‘likes’ associated with its photo will win the 2014 Fall Trash Bash Photo Contest. Trash Bash is also a great way for students to gain service hours required by their schools, churches or community organizations. Group leaders can receive service hour certificates by e-mailing publicinfo@stcharlesgov.net or calling (985) 783-5182. In March, a total of 420 volunteers registered for the sixth annual spring 2014 Trash Bash, with 206 attending the after-party at the new Edward A. Dufresne Community Center. A total of 218 bags of litter were collected filled with approximately 1,560 pounds of trash. For more information about Trash Bash and household and hazardous waste recycling opportunities, visit www.scptrashbash.org.

• The River Region Chamber of Commerce will host its first small business expo from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center. The event will be co-hosted by the St. Charles Parish Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The expo will feature more than 25 small businesses showcasing their products and services. In addition, short business seminars hosted by the Louisiana Small Business Development Center will be given during the event. Exhibitors are encouraged to pre-register on the Chamber’s website. There will be a $5 cash entry fee upon arrival for attendees. Conversations and Cocktails, a chamber networking opportunity, will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature hors d'oeuvres served by Messina's Catering and Events, as well as a cash bar.

• The Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory has confirmed chicken blood samples positive for WEST NILE VIRUS in Paradis (reported Aug. 29), Destrehan, St. Rose (reported Sept. 5) New Sarpy and Des Allemands (reported Oct. 3). Mosquito Control Services Inc. personnel have increased spraying and other abatement measures in the area. All residents are urged to avoid mosquito bites by avoiding being outside at dawn and dusk, wearing pants and long sleeves and using insect repellent containing DEET. To eradicate mosquito breeding sites, be sure to dump out any standing water in yards.

• The St. Charles Parish Zoning Code is getting a much needed makeover. Adopted in 1981 soon after the parish switch from a police jury to a councilmatic form of government, the zoning ordinance represented the first set of rules with regard to land use and planning, including zoning districts, special use permitting, flood plain management and more. The ordinance’s stated purpose is to promote the health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and welfare of the people of St. Charles Parish. But just as fashion changes over the years, so have land use needs in St. Charles Parish. The Parish Council in August approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with the University of New Orleans’ Planning and Urban Studies Department to revise and update the code to reflect modern-day needs at a cost of $75,000. This will mark phase one of the project. Here are some of the changes and improvements that phase one of the project will look at: Updates to zoning code definitions. Modernization of standards for transitional buffers in some residential, commercial and industrial zoning districts. Updated standards for landscaping, required parking and stormwater runoff compliance for commercial developments. New standards for industrial developments, including landscaping, screening of open storage and parking and offloading requirements. Revisions to residential zoning districts to accommodate multiple housing types –accessory dwellings, multi-family buildings, townhomes and modular homes. Increased transparency, predictability and consistency with regard to the development review process, including an update to nonconforming use provisions, the strengthening of special permit uses and variance evaluation criteria and the improvement of rezoning criteria. There will be a total of eight community meetings planned to solicit input from members of the public and stakeholders, with final adoption of zoning code changes slated for May 2015. Residents can get more information on meetings by monitoring the parish’s website calendar at www.stcharlesparish-la.gov/calendar.

• October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and St. Charles Parish is joining the fight and raising awareness of this disease. On October 15, we will “Paint the Parish Pink”. We encourage employees and all residents to wear pink on October 15. We will also be hosting a Bake Sale on October 15 from 10:30am-1:00pm in the lobby of the Courthouse which will include pastalaya, sweets and other pink goodies. All proceeds from the bake sale will be donated to Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society. For more information or if you would like to donate to the bake sale, please contact Anedra Coleman at (985) 783-5000.

• We have received a federal grant award for $558,825 for the Mimosa Park drainage project. The parish matches 25% or $186,275 for a total project cost of $745,100. The project involves the construction of a new Kellogg B Pump Station adjacent to the existing Kellogg Pump Station (DW8BPS). The new pump station will be designed with two 30-inch pumps with 75 horsepower engines, a 12’ x 15’ wet well, and two 30-inch discharge pipes capable of handling 16,915 gallons each per minute (gpm). The new pump station will increase the pumping capacity in the watershed area by 33,830 gpm or 75.37 cubic feet per second (cfs). The project also involves conveyance system improvements including: ditch grading and installation of 1,152 linear feet of 48” PP storm drain, 12 catch basins, and 8 junction boxes along River Oaks Drive between the new pump station and Fern Drive and along Fern Drive between Oak Lane and Monsanto Ave. This project should greatly improve the area that has experienced flooding in the past. Thanks to the Grants Office and the Department of Public Works on their great work.

• Several months ago you guys had asked me to write the Army Corps of Engineers and ask to get a response since there is now a levee to the east of us and Lafourche levee to the west of us. Here is their response, "Dear Mr. St. Pierre, this letter is to respond to your letter dated July 18,2014 regarding the potential increase in storm surge elevation in the areas between Bayou Lafourche and West Davis Diversion on the west bank. Extensive hydrolic modeling has been completed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers West Bank and Vicinity and Storm Drainage Reduction project, Larose to Golden Meadow project and the Morganza to the Gulf project. The modeling results for the area in question indicated that the project would not significantly increase water elevation on or between Bayou Lafourche and West Davis Diversion. Additionally in accordance with the Davis Diversion Fresh Water Control Plan, the gates will be closed when there is tropical activity in the Gulf of Mexico. By Sept. 4, 2014 my staff will provide the following: The Davis Diversion Freshwater Stormwater Design Memorandum, Donaldsonville to the Gulf Impacts and the Morganza to the Gulf advanced Circular report. The Western Tie-in Project Design Documents Report will be available January 2015- a report on all indication that the project will have minimal impact on the storm surge elevation and flood damage on the West Bank of St. Charles Parish. In closing, I want to assure you that the Corps remains committed to working with the state and St. Charles Parish as authorized to provide flood risk management to St. Charles Parish. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has expressed a capability in the fiscal year of 2016 to initiate a new start flood risk management for the west bank of St. Charles Parish. I appreciate our meeting last week and look forward to discussing future opportunity. A copy of this letter will be forwarded to the honorable David Vitter, United States Senator, Metairie Louisiana. If you have any questions please contact me, Colonel Richard H. Hansen.