LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / March 1, 2000

HAHNVILLE – St. Charles Parish’s public works and wastewater directorSteven Fall admitted Monday he needs help in managing the millions of dollars in projects inherited from the prior administration.

The St. Charles Parish Council voted him some help in the form of twoengineering firms.

Hartman Engineering Inc., represented at the council’s special councilmeeting by Rob Martin, was hired for a 40-day period at a $20,000 maximum fee. They will supervise $41 million in sewer construction projects.Likewise, Shread-Kuyrkendall and Associates Inc., represented by RickShread, was hired as well for a 40-day period at a $20,000 maximum fee.

They will supervise $16 million in drainage improvement projects.

Both engineering firms reviewed the programs during the past month as part of the transition team for Parish President Albert Laque.

Martin gave the Parish Council a report on problem sewer construction projects, more detailed than that given by Fall at the Feb. 21 meeting.During his report, Martin said the worst news of the program is the Ama-to- Luling force main project.

Mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regionalize sewagetreatment on each side of the Mississippi River, this link is stalled until the Luling oxidation pond can be brought up to specifications to enable them to handle the additional 260,000 gallons per day load from Ama.

Cost estimate for that project alone is $1.5 million, Martin said, adding, “It’snothing money can’t solve.”Money, however, is the biggest problem, with so many projects stalled for lack of servitudes, lack of clear land titles or lack of wetlands permits. Theprojects are using up money uselessly.

The $41 million sewer system rehabilitation program has easement or permit agreements which had not been acquired as of the eight contract start dates. Sixty-eight of these problem servitude areas had not been acquired asof contract date, and of these 28 were still unresolved when the Albert Laque administration took office Jan. 10.In addition, new EPA deadlines are anticipated to handle the late Destrehan wastewater treatment plant, which was due to have been completed by Nov.

30, 1999. As of Jan. 1, the plant was only 88 percent completed.The parish could be hit with fines totaling $27,500 per day, or $825,000 per month, until the plants are in operation.

“It’s kind of like trying to put your hands on a gorilla but the gorilla keeps moving,” Martin commented.

Shread also reported on a host of public works projects, from the road overlay program to various drainage projects.

“We’ve tried to appraise all the projects as best we could and as objectively as we could,” he said. “It may not be what you want to hear.”As an example, the Paul Maillard Road sidewalk project funding is seriously threatened as the federal grant paying for it will likely be lost because the parish failed to provide plans to the state highway department supervising the grant.

“This is a mess,” Shread commented, saying the parish was supposed to allow the state to bid that project instead of doing it themselves. “Theparish missed the boat completely on this one. It’s a totally different set ofrules.”

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