ST. PIERRE REPORTS ON D.C. LOBBYING EVENT, 'FREEZE POP' FRIDAYS
Post Date:October 28, 2009
Local parish presidents will hold a monthly meeting with the Port of South Louisiana to discuss projects the Port is planning in St. Charles and other parishes.
I attended the River Parishes Business social at the Jerusalem Temple in Destrehan. The event is a good tool for networking in the river parishes.
Councilman Authement, Councilman Tastet and myself attended a Corps of Engineers breakfast in New Orleans last week for a briefing on the local ecosystem and coastal restoration efforts. While levee protection is a priority, they are also looking at five diversion projects from Old River to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
All St. Charles Parish veterans are invited to the second annual Veterans Day luncheon on from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Jerusalem Temple in Destrehan. To RSVP please contact Dwan Switzer at (985) 783-5000.
Congratulations to Brett Terrebonne, St. Charles Parish Civil Service Board member, who received the Lemann award. This award is presented annually by the Louisiana Civil Service League to individuals outside the classified civil service system who have made major contributions to the advancement of the merit system of public employment in Louisiana.
I visited my staff at the St. Rose Community Center for “freeze pop” Friday. Center Coordinator Kendrick Wilkins and his assistant Ms. Jurdy Lee regularly coordinate fun activities like arts, crafts, and reading to enrich the lives of the youth in the area. I also played “wiggle your nose” and enjoyed passing out “freeze pops” to all the children who shared in the fun.
I also visited with the Youth KREWE during their orientation. I offered words of encouragement and motivated them to take advantage of the opportunity offered to them through the KREWE Program.
I would also like to thank everyone who helped and contributed in making the Ferry Disaster Memorial event so memorable, especially Councilmen Larry Cochran and Paul Hogan.
Thanks also to the five percent of voters who approved the recent millage renewals for the health unit, fire departments and road maintenance program.
The Taft water tower has been repainted by Utility Services Inc. and is currently in service. The parish’s new logo has been added facing both north and south along Hwy. 3142. Utility Services is also completing the repainting of our St. Rose water tower. It will be put back in service in the next few weeks after it has been re-chlorinated.
Both of these towers and a ground storage tank on the East Bank are being refurbished by Utility Services Inc. under a maintenance contract which spreads the cost of the repairs out over several years, softening the impact to the Waterworks Department’s budget.
After numerous delays the second Mississippi River crossing has been installed. It has passed pressure and leakage tests and the line was chlorinated this past weekend. It is expected to be fully operational soon.
The parish is planning an trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with our congressional delegation, FEMA, the Corps of Engineers and the top-ranking civilian on President Obama's staff in charge of the Corps. The social gathering will feature informal presentations centering around the theme of, "St. Charles Parish - A Gem That Should be Protected." We'll highlight St. Charles Parish's impact on the state of Louisiana and the country should industries shut down due to devastation from a hurricane. This is a big reason we need protection.
