By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The St. John Parish Council on Tuesday voted to accept a $1.3 million federal loan to help repair manhole covers and leaky sewer pipes in the Reserve area.

The additional loan, part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is part of more than $7.3 million in grants and bond revenue being devoted to sewer line repairs throughout the parish, said St. John Acting Chief Administrative Officer Buddy Boe.

The parish has $1 million in grants from the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Community Development Block Grant along with about $5 million from the 2009 sewer bond, which was approved earlier this year.

With the money in place, Boe said the parish will begin soliciting requests for professional services contracts to conduct sewer pipe smoke testing, manhole inspection and closed circuit television work on the parish’s sewer lines. Boe said the parish would use the data collected to determine where pipes need work.