By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / June 19, 1999

LAPLACE – A local basketball team not affiliated with St. John the BaptistParish’s recreation program, pried nearly $2,000 out of the Parish Council after nearly an hour of shouting and argument.

The River Parishes Hoyas 11- and 14-year-old boys basketball teams, coached by Kevin Branch, approached the council for $1,500 to help bankroll the team’s participation in national competition in Florida, July 1-10.

The 11-year-old team recently won first-place honors in Hammond, Coach Joe Hamilton said which, he added, is remarkable for a team in its first year of activity in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The 14-year-oldteam placed third in Final Four state competition.

Councilman Steve Thornton, however, immediately questioned the legality of the move as discussion opened. He later was the sole opposing vote.Thornton said, as he warned at the May 25 meeting, that when the Parish Council approved $1,200 to a local girls basketball tournament, likewise unaffiated with the parish recreation program.

In that case, it was justified to do so under the auspices of “economic development,” as the tournament would be played at local gymnasiums and draw fans to the area, where they would spend money in local businesses.

However, parish attorney Charles Lorio vetoed the disbursement of those earlier funds, and cited his own legal research which indicated to him that the parish could not use public funds to support a private organization.

Likewise, at Tuesday’s meeting, Lorio again cited his research and consulting to advise against this action.

Rick Shread of Burk-Klienpeter Engineers offered to make the donation to move the meeting along, as did Mike Curtis of Curtis Environmental, but the council ignored that offer.

“It don’t make sense to support a group outside recreation,” Councilman Dale Wolfe commented on the May 25 donation.

Councilman Joel McTopy said that action was taken based on the earlier approval of the Economic Development Commission.

“I don’t care if it came out of Popeye’s Fried Chicken,” Wolfe snapped.

Both McTopy and Thornton repeatedly attempted to form a committee to review the matter and develop qualifying guidelines to determine the propriety of future requests.

“There’s no need for a committee,” Wolfe said. “It’s got to be a part ofparish recreation.” Audience member Errol Victor claimed that as Hamilton was making the request to the council, Lorio was “ridiculing, mimicking, correcting his speech and criticizing” in a racist manner and should not be part of any committee to consider such funding requests.

Lorio, upon hearing the accusation, attempted to speak to Victor on it but was rebuffed. He later told the council that his research was done with noracial considerations at all. “I didn’t research into black or white,” hesaid. “I researched black-and-white law, and that’s what you’ll get.”The vote taken on forming the committee was not successful, supported only by Ranney Wilson, Nickie Monica, McTopy and Thornton.

Councilman Kevin Duhon moved to take the funds from the Economic Development budget and approve the request, adding to the $1,500 request, an additional $421.48 to cover the housing and transportation for the 14-year-old team. The matter was approved, opposed by Wilson and Thornton.The St. John Animal Shelter then came under review, as Jeff Dornin of theLeague In Support of Animals (LISA) brought the council up to date on the group’s recent inspection.

“The shelter is deteriorating at a pretty rapid pace,” Dornin said. “Thebuilding is falling apart.

Public Works director Greg Bush said a cost package has been put together for the construction of the new shelter, planned for property near the St.

John Airport in Reserve. Parish President Arnold Labat has reviewed thepackage and it is “not quite ready” to go out for construction bids.

More shouting came up later in the meeting during an update provided by Bush to Councilman Perry Bailey.

Bailey declared to Labat that the Castle Drive park site, purchased with grant money, “can’t get the grass cut!” As Bailey angrily shouted at Labat, he declared he could “get you voted out of office!” A brief recess was called as tempers cooled.

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