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Repairs to condemned rec equipment have not been done, but the caution tape is gone.
Dana Ortego, Terrebonne Parish Human Resources and Risk Management Director, was directed by the Parish Attorney, Jules P. Hebert, on March 9, to shut down dangerous portions of park equipment.
According to Ortego, on March 10, between 8am and 3pm, he condemned portions of park equipment at Mahler St. Park, City Park, and Moss St. Park. Between the hours of 9am and 11am, March 11, the Times conducted a survey of parks within Terrebonne Parish Recreation District 11. Repairs had not been done, and the tape had been removed from 2 locations.
After notification from the Times, Ortego returned and re-taped the equipment.
“There’s no other way. I can’t get a piece of equipment, a tool and take care of that,” said Ortego. “That’s Rec 11 that’s supposed to be doing it.”
During the Terrebonne Parish Council’s Legal, Policies, and Procedures Committee, Councilwoman Jessica Domangue presented images of damaged park equipment taken during her campaign period.
Ortego spoke before the Council about steps he had taken to notify Rec District 11 of recommended steps to rectify the problems. Because issues had been aired in a public meeting, said Hebert, he directed Ortego to immediately condemn portions of the equipment the director deemed dangerous.
An hour before planned, Ortego said he went to each park, removed swings, had a welder repair a fuse box, and roped off portions of playground equipment with caution tape and duct-tape – the duct-tape was to reinforce against wind.
“We have been advised that that is an appropriate method to tape it off,” explained Ortego. “The Rec Districts are under our insurance, so technically all I do is, I go by and I make sure that they try to be as compliant as possible to any policies we have.”
Upon visible inspection the following day, the Times saw that at Mahler St. Park the caution tape was removed. Caution tape was visible in a garbage can about a yard away.
At City Park, the tape was torn and left dangling from the equipment.
Ortego was notified of these problems at 12:30pm, and by 12:48pm he was on scene re-condemning portions of the equipment.
Rec 11 has been informed, according to Ortego.
“They know, the powers that be, Rec 11 because last night – yesterday afternoon (March 10) – I talked to the manager of Rec 11,” said Ortego. He then gave a copy to Noble “Pat” Patterson, the manager of Rec 11, “Then I personally hand-carried to him, and told him to give to the Board, who met last night, a copy of it.”
