By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – A heated and lengthy debate erupted at the Tuesday night St. John Parish Council Meeting over a resolution calling for the parish to hire an independent contractor to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the community center, before parish representatives overwhelmingly shot down the motion in a swift voting session.

Council members Dale Wolfe and Cleveland Farlough authored the motion, which would have contracted an impartial party to analyze the $7 million community center’s financial past and future, research how the center could be more accessible to the public and answer why the administration removed former marketing director Wayne Read.

Several council members claimed the motion was an insulting suggestion that the administration failed to properly record the community center’s history, leading the way to the council’s decision to deny the resolution 5-2 with Wolfe and Farlough in favor and Ronnie Smith and Lester Rainey Jr. abstaining.

However, the council voted in favor of forming a five person committee made up of council members and the administration to conduct an internal examination of the community center.

Throughout the debate Farlough failed to answer several questions from other council members, including how much he would want the parish to spend on an impartial contractor and what specific questions he had regarding the community center.

&#8220Until you show me that the administration has not satisfactorily answered any questions you or your constituents have then I will not consider voting for this resolution,” Councilman Steve Lee said.

&#8220I’m very pleased, Mr. Lee, that you know everything that’s going on at the civic center,” Farlough said in response.

Wolfe was more concerned with average St. John Parish residents being unable to use the facility.

&#8220Show me how we’re going to utilize the civic center to take care of John Doe Citizen. The average person cannot afford to use the civic center and as a council we are obligated to take care of everyone in St. John Parish,” he said. &#8220Show me how we can take care of the needy and not the greedy!”

St. John Chief Administrative Officer Natalie Robottom suggested that any council member or resident seeking information should call the administration rather than believe the claims of sources not directly involved with the community center.