LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / June 10, 2000

HAHNVILLE – The geographic informational system (GIS) under construction in St. Charles Parish remains on “pause,” according to actingPlanning and Zoning Director Bob Lambert.

Rodney Greenup of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who has been workingwith St. Charles Parish on the GIS project for two and a half years,reported to the Parish Council Monday he was awaiting word on taking the next step in development.

The GIS program is a computer system under development which will coordinate information on land throughout the parish. With a point-and-click, users could get a massive amount of data on each and every piece of property in the parish.

This information includes, but is not limited to, current assessment, utility lines, current liens, municipal address, zoning status and ownership.

Full implementation could ease response by police, fire or ambulance crews, assist in economic development long-range planning and expansion of utilities.

Greenup said satellite photos of the entire parish has allowed for creation of the base map for the parish, including the location and size of individual buildings, roads, bridges, canals and ditches.

“We’re just sitting in a holding pattern and would like to move forward,” Greenup said.

Lambert commented he asked them to pause on the project, as the parish’s steering committee has several questions, not the least of which is the mounting cost.

He pointed out that the base map is already outdated and he was concerned that the parish would be responsible to supply all the necessary data.

Public Works Director Steven Fall added he had serious reservations about the GIS contract, observing it appeared to be taking far too long to complete at roughly three times the going rate. “It shouldn’t take morethan a year to complete,” Fall said.

Councilwoman Dee Abadie said some costs were spread out to avoid having to come up with a large sum in a short time. Councilman G. “Ram”Ramchandran added that the parish may be getting a federal grant, courtesy of Sen. John Breaux, toward the project’s funding.In other activity, the parish council heard an annual report from Parks and Recreation Director Larry Matson, who termed his job “challenging.”The department has expanded its staff, adding new supervisors and reorganized. Each park and playground has been reviewed with an eyetoward continual improvement, Matson added, and some parks have already been improved with new or replacement equipment.

Summer camp is open as well, greeting more than 500 campers, along with 19 paid senior counselors, 59 junior counselors and 30 volunteer counselors-in-training.

Problem areas include the current infestation by the mole cricket, replacing lights at parks, providing adequate restroom facilities and keeping overtime down.

Meanwhile, the parking lot extension at the West Bridge Park is well under way and should be completed by late July.

Meetings have been called by Abadie and the council’s Special Projects Committee.

The committee is to meet Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers todiscuss the town boundaries project. Abadie is hosting a town hallmeeting June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the East Regional Library, Destrehan, todiscuss the Ormond Oaks Canal.

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