The Evangeline Parish Police Jury appointed a new board member to the Te Mamou Water District Board during its meeting on Monday before moving on to a discussion about drainage in the City of Ville Platte.
By a vote of five to three, Michael Anderson, who was nominated by police juror Daniel Arvie, was selected as the newest board member for the Te Mamou Water District.
The other individual nominated to serve on the board was Marty Soileau, who received three votes from Bryan Vidrine, Sidney Fontenot and Kevin Vellion.
Police jurors who voted for Anderson to be appointed to the position were Rocky Rider, Daniel Arvie, Lamar Johnson, Eric Soileau and Daniel Arvie.
During the meeting, the Jury also received an update from Public Works Director Chester Granger concerning drainage.
At the request of Police Juror Bryan Vidrine, Granger checked the drainage canals inside the city limits of Ville Platte to determine if the canals have played a part in the flooding that has occurred in certain portions of the city.
Granger reported that “most of the drainages are in fairly good shape,” and that “there were no big obstructions.”
The public works director then continued, “The cement canals need to have cleaning done to them, which we will take our large machines and then someone renting another machine to allow us to get down to the bottom of the canal to push the mud and debris to a central location where we can load it into trucks and take it out. Other than that, a little bit of spraying would go a long ways in maintaining what we have. We will have to be careful in some areas because there is already erosion taking place.”
The question was then posed as to whether the Police Jury can legally clean canals and ditches that are inside the City of Ville Platte.
To answer that question, the Jury’s legal council, Marcus Fontenot, said, “If it is a benefit of the parish, in other words if it is a parish wide canal then I think we can go into there.”
Fontenot then provided the Jury with an example that involved cleaning out a drainage in the Village of Chataignier. “If it is a situation like we had in Chataignier where it drains through the Village of Chataignier, then I think we can go in there,” said Fontenot. “If it does not and it is just a city drain then it is the city’s responsibility, which would require some type of cooperative endeavor agreement and reimbursement of costs from the city to the Jury.”
Basically, Fontenot said that his understanding is that if the canal or drainage starts outside of city limits, enters the city limits and then exits the city limits then the Police Jury would not have to charge to clean the canal. The EPPJ legal council also verified that the EPPJ would have to charge the city if the Police Jury were to clean road ditches within the city limits.
According to Fontenot, this issue is being researched more by he and Police Jury Secretary/Treasurer Donald Bergeron and they have considered requesting an opinion on this matter from the Louisiana Attorney General.
To close out this discussion, police jurors expressed their desire to work with the City of Ville Platte and any other municipalities needing assistance with drainage issues.
Police Jury President Ryan Williams said, “I want to continue working with the city. If we can do the work, then I am 100 percent on board with helping the people of the parish that live in whatever city.”
In other business:
The Jury approved the installment of cross section signs at Addison Cemetery road, located in Lamar Johnson’s District.
Engineer, Ronnie Landreneau, announced the completion of the Chataignier Library Branch, and the Jury approved a motion to accept it as complete.
The Jury approved a liquor license for Ronald Christ dba Mel’s Quick Stop.
The Jury approved the reappointment of Sarah Maricle to Ward Four Water District for another five-year term.
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ELIZABETH WEST Managing Editor