Huey Stockstill denies responsibility for ruptured gas line

Huey Stockstill, Inc. Area Manager Leo LeBourgeois responded in a letter to the Lafourche Parish Administration to the public scrutiny it has been placed under after leaving Chackbay resident Marie Legenvre without gas in her home for nearly five months.

A subcontractor working for HSI ruptured Legenvre’s line twice while paving a new road along the parish’s right-of-way.

HSI claims to have repaired the line the first time, even though Councilman Mike Delatte said he and a couple of his buddies repaired the line themselves.

Delatte said he spent $200 on material to fix the line, the first time.

The parish told Atmos Energy to move the meter and not the line out of the right-of-way, and it did.

Delatte then connected the existing gas line to the meter at his own expense.

“I just think we’re wrong,” said Delatte. “I felt bad enough about it to where I went and tried to do something myself.”

But, the gas line ran under the newly paved road. So, while digging, the subcontractor ruptured it a second time, 14 days later.

“While performing work tasks on this street, our crew was digging in the vicinity of the location of the original meter, the gas line was very shallow and was again damaged,” wrote LeBourgeois.

LeBourgeois also pointed out that the crew responsible for rupturing the line the second time was a different crew from the first incident.

Delatte, once again, bought material to have the line repaired. The subcontractor assisted in the repairs this time, but more severe damage had been caused to the line.

Legenvre has been without gas in her home for the last four months.

“I’m so tired when I get back home [from work], I don’t feel like taking a shower. So, I just bathe like the old times,” she said.

Legenvre, who cleans house and offices for a living, has resorted to warming up water in her microwave to bathe and wash her hair.

“It is our understanding that the parish sent letters to all residents, informing them that it was the resident’s responsibility to relocate any lines that were in the way of any construction activity,” LeBourgeois wrote. “The parish gave the residents six to eight weeks to perform this work.”

The contractor goes on to say that the six-to eight-week period delayed construction at added expense to it.

LeBourgeois also emphasized the fact numerous private utility lines remain in the path of the project, despite the warning to have them moved.

And he asserted the street where the line is located was not part of the original project, but was added to the project by change order.

The letter states, “There seems to be a considerate amount of misinformation being spread about this situation.”

And it goes on to read, “We received several calls from the media with numerous inaccuracies on the matter, as well as accusations leveled at our firm.”

It should be noted, however, HSI was contacted via telephone by the Tri-Parish Times.

The representative who answered had no comment and said he was “nobody.”

The letter goes on to clarify, “All utility lines were to be moved out of the way of construction; therefore, we accept no responsibility for any damage caused by the inaction of others. We have not, nor will in the future, accept any responsibility in this matter.”

LeBourgeois also states in the letter HSI was prepared to pay to relocate the gas line on two separate occasions at its own expense. And on both times, it was told the matter had been resolved.

The letter ends with LeBourgeois writing that HSI is willing to pay ATMOS to install a new line at a cost of $436.80, provided all parties involved will assure HIS that it has no liability in the matter.

HSI is now awaiting a response from the parish administration to the letter.

As of press time, attempts to contact the Lafourche Parish Administration have not met with success.