The Evangeline Parish Police Jury, for the second time, heard from a representative with the CGG concerning potential seismic testing that may occur in the parish starting next Spring.
Seismic testing is the process whereby an image of the earth’s subsurface is created, which oil and gas companies use to locate the most optimum place to drill for gas.
The effects the testing may have on parish roads and land owners; however, has caused hesitation on the police jury’s part when it comes to giving CGG the green light to begin this project.
At the EPPJ’s August meeting, it was requested that CGG have it written in their contract that the company will pay to repair any damages the testing may cause to parish roads. During the meeting on Monday, CGG’s representative shared that they “got the road bond for $12,000 to cover anything that might happen along the way.”
However, the jury still had questions concerning the process that will be used to do the testing, which will mostly occur in the northeastern, central and western portions of Evangeline Parish.
Individuals that allow CGG to perform the testing on their property will receive payment for doing so.
For Police Juror Kevin Veillon, his biggest concern centered around whether the testing will affect the homes of residents in his district and, more specifically, residents who have homes close to the road. The CGG rep. assured him it would not.
Following this discussion, police jurors were still unsure whether they wanted to give CGG the right to perform seismic testing within the parish. Therefore it was decided that a public hearing would be held before the next police jury meeting to allow the public to ask representatives from CGG the questions they have concerning this project.
The public hearing has been set for October 1, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.
During the committee meetings, Evangeline Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Renee Brown pitched an idea she had to the jury that involved forming a sub-committee for Crooked Creek Recreational Park.
The committee would serve the purpose of assisting the park manager to determine what Brown called a “wish list” of things they want to see happen at the park. She also said the sub-committee would also assist in finding ways to make these things happen.
The police jury agreed to allow Brown to create the sub-committee and asked the chamber executive director to be the individual who oversees the committee.
During its regular meeting, the police jury discussed what project it would apply for the LGAP grant to fund. Money from the LGAP grant is distributed to all municipalities and the parish government in Evangeline Parish who applies for it. The amount of money that will be received is unknown and is determined by the project the local government is dedicating the funds to.
At the meeting, the EPPJ decided to apply for $40,000 from this grant and chose to put the money towards electrical upgrades at Crooked Creek.
Other items approved:
•Appointment of Al B. Ardoin to the Evangeline Parish Water District No. 1 to replace Lura Smith.
•Appointment of Timothy Mezzacapo to the Ward 4 Water District Board to replace Jimmy Patton.
•Approval of a resolution requesting the Louisiana Congressional Delegation introduce and support legislation to impose a .10 cent a pound fee on all seafood imported into the United States to be utilized to improve imported seafood safety.
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ELIZABETH WEST Managing Editor