Ward 7 funding debate continues

Two officials faced possible verbal lashing from the parish council, in order to clear up misperceptions about the current status of the Ward 7 Levee project.

During a regular council meeting two weeks ago, parish administrator Barry Blackwell waited until the last minute to address council about possible delays for Ward 7 Levee construction. Administrators have deemed the levee work a top-priority; without it Montegut residents remain vulnerable to any future hurricane destruction.

According to Blackwell, the Terrebonne Levee Conservation District had opted not to continue the joint project, and said the district declared “not looking forward to completing” the levee “behind closed doors.”

The announcement started a wildfire throughout the parish government and Terrebonne Parish.

Levee district director Jerome Zeringue and district chairman Tony Alford publicly addressed the parish council at its Dec. 20 meeting to affirm their commitment to completion of the levee project.

Zeringue said he believed the issue was a result of misinterpretation of the voice record, which documented the levee district meeting.

“We had an issue with mitigation,” he said. “Unfortunately mitigation is estimated to be close to $3 million, and we didn’t have an official commitment from the parish [to cover the cost]. We didn’t want to become liable for that cost if the parish didn’t have the money.”

The Ward 7 construction is one of five cooperative projects between the parish and levee district. A $5.7 million match for project funding was promised during a Levee Priority Advisory Committee meeting last December, but at the time of this month’s levee district meeting, Zeringue said the parish had not officially designated funds.

“We have a budget of $2 million, you [the parish government] have a budget of $200 million. If the parish was to run out of money or the funding wasn’t there, we would be liable form mitigation costs. That leaves us dead in the water and we wouldn’t be able to move forward with other projects,” said Alford.

The amount of mitigation n a standard required with any levee construction n was estimated at $33,000 per acre of Ward 7 construction. Zeringue based the estimation on a current levee project between the levee district and the Department of Natural Resources: TEO7 along the banks of North Lake Boudreaux.

Of Ward 7’s 31,000 feet n stretching from the bank of Bayou Petit Caillou at the Boudreaux Canal north to the Lashbrook Pump Station n a 3,100-foot segment needs sheet pile upgrading at the minimum, he said. Total construction is estimated at close to $12 million.

“We wanted to start this project last May, but our engineers wouldn’t certify building during hurricane season.” Alford said the levee district has been fully committed to the project and understands the urgency of its completion.

The levee won’t be completed by the start of the 2007 hurricane season.

Zeringue backed up Alford’s comments, informing the council that within the last two weeks the levee district awarded the construction bid to Shaw Group, Inc.

“We just wanted to make sure you were as committed as we are,” Alford said to the parish council.

The levee district restated its position on the project after the parish officially designated $1.2 million for the second phase of the project from the 2006 Budget at last Wednesday’s meeting.

Councilman Harold Lapeyre of District 6 was relieved to hear the levee district’s plan straight from members. He said it was a good day for Terrebonne with the passage of the Outercontinental Shelf Revenues bill, which will generate additional funds for levees in dismal condition, as is the case in Ward 7.

Alford warned that the parish may not see a substantial amount of money for some time.

The OCS revenues will give the parish $20 million for 10 years, he said. The parish could bond out that money and in the 11th year, generating somewhere close to $600 million, but Alford said the parish won’t see a large payout from the bill until then.

“We are going to have to work together on this one,” said Alford. “I just don’t see any other answer.”