By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / June 5, 1999

CONVENT – If you know how to plan for a hurricane, St. James ParishPresident Dale Hymel Jr. said you know how to plan for the Millennium.”It’s just common sense,” he said. “Get some food, bottled water, somecash, gas up the car.”Hymel made a brief report to the St. James Parish Council Wednesdaynight on parish readiness for the so-called Y2K Bug, when computer systems dependant on the correct date to operate properly, flip from Dec.

31, 1999 to Jan. 1, 2000.Dire predictions for the possible shutdown of vital systems prompted governments and businesses to field-test their systems, upgrading or replacing where necessary.

Hymel told the Parish Council that in response to the council’s 1998 resolution to have everything Y2K-compatible by July 1999, the parish is “97 percent ready.”A final test of all critical support computer systems will be run in October, Hymel said. That includes everything from utility systems to the9-1-1 network to the computer-operated jail cell doors.

“Basically, we’re Y2K-compliant,” Hymel advised.

“My personal opinion, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the least problem, that it’ll probably be a 2 or 3,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a bigdeal.”Nevertheless, the parish has spent thousands of dollars on new computers or upgrades of present computer programs to insure that, at least in St.

James Parish, the computers run on time.

“The country did survive without computers,” he said.

In other activity at Wednesday’s council meeting, Hymel was authorized to go out for bids to finish the second phase of the parishwide road improvement program, expected to cost $678,000.

The first phase, now nearly complete, cost the parish $487,000, Hymel said.

The council also recognized the Rev. Nolan Albert for his many years ofservice to the Planning Commission.

Also, Safe Night USA is proclaimed for tonight throughout St. JamesParish.

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