Terrebonne names Homeland Security director

The Terrebonne Parish Council recently approved the appointment of Jerrold Richard as the parish’s new director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

In addition, the council approved the merger of what had been two separate parish departments: Human Resources and Risk Management. The council also appointed David Battard as director of Risk Management and Human Resources.

Richard has worked as a safety technician in private industry and was an administrative officer in the Louisiana Air National Guard.

Battard was the senior director of a flood data company in Austin, Texas and was a bank officer with Capital One in Dallas.

A Houma resident who has worked as a risk manager in private industry told the council that combining the risk management and human resources departments would free up money for the parish.

The council also passed an ordinance spending $142,800 in Louisiana Local Government Assistance Money on several projects, including spending $45,480 toward purchasing a group of Native American burial mounds in Dulac.

The land containing the mounds is privately owned. Houma realtor S.P. LaRussa told the council in September that the land was appraised at $219,000 in 1997.

Houma lawyer Michael Billiot told the council that a nonprofit group plans to purchase the mounds.

He said the group will disallow any development.

The mounds will be kept as an archaeological site.