LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / Febuary 17, 1999

LAPLACE – Joseph Accardo, director of Governmental Affairs at the Port of South Louisiana, is being paid too much money. But nobody seems tomind.

An attorney general’s opinion was sought by Port Director Gary LaGrange on a 1984 state statute, R.S. 34:2473, which limits Accardo’s salary at 75percent of LaGrange’s.

LaGrange earns $106,000 per year; Accardo earns $87,000, or 82 percent of LaGrange’s salary.

Accardo’s pay was set, though, based on the salary of the previous executive director, Richard Clements, who earned $160,000 per year.

“It’s still less than the average of $100,000,” LaGrange said, and added he will be campaigning in the legislative session to have that state law, which applies only to the Port of South Louisiana, stricken.

“I think it’s a dinosaur piece of legislation,” LaGrange observed. “No otherport I know of has that cap.”The South Louisiana Port Commission heard at its meeting Wednesday that the LSU National Ports and Waterways Institute recognized the port for achieving a 78 percent increase in revenue from 1997 to 1998. Dr. JayJayawardana commented the achievement makes the port “among the fastest growing ports in terms of operating revenues.”In another matter, the port commission approved the final lease agreement for the former Baker-Heritage building on West 10th Street, Reserve.

Terms include a five-year lease with an optional five-year extension, LaGrange said.

In other business, bids were accepted for a number of purchases for its Globalplex facility.

For sub-base work for new gantry cranes, the low bid came in from Harbor Construction Co. of Harvey at $1,020,276, considerably more than the$54,500 budget. The bid was approved.On the other hand, the bid from Kostmeyer for dock improvement work came in considerably less than the budget for the contract. The budget was$5.4 million, and the low bid was $3.5 million. This also was approved.A bid of $45,000 was approved for repairs to the John James Charles fireboat from Superior Shipyards, which fell into the $40-50,000 range budgeted.

A bid of $12,315 was approved from Industrial Equipment and Vehicle Maintenance for repair work on Globalplex’s cherrypicker.

Finally, the port commission approved spending $12,000 for a scale model of the Globalplex facility which could be transported to conventions and trade shows and also displayed in the port office. The model will be builton a scale of 1 inch to 80 feet, with delivery by March 12.

And, the port commission presented plaques recognizing the football teams of West St. John and Riverside Academy for winning state championand state runner-up titles, respectively.

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