By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

CONVENT – The St. James Parish Council approved acceptance of more than $10 million in disaster recovery money for drainage projects, a new water line and a possible multi-purpose shelter.

St. James Parish President Dale Hymel said the parish was approved to receive $10.3 million through the Community Development Block Grant program for recovery work following hurricanes Gustav and Ike. He said the parish has already set aside $1 million each for the towns of Gramercy and Lutcher, with the stipulation that the parish approves how the money would be spent.

“Gramercy plans to use the money for various drainage problems,” Hymel said. “Lutcher is looking to focus on sewerage, drainage and a remodeling of the town hall so that it can be used as an emergency evacuation shelter.”

Hymel said the remaining $8.3 million would go toward various parish projects that have been discussed among council members and the administration.

The parish plans to spend about $2.5 million to install a water line under the Mississippi River to connect water purification plants on both sides of the river. Hymel said the project would allow for a continuous flow of treated water on both sides of the river should one plant fail in an emergency event.

There is also a plan in the works to construct a multi-purpose safe room/emergency shelter in Convent to house the parish’s industrial plant personnel. Hymel said many vital employees at various plants live outside the parish and this would allow them to stay nearby in an emergency so that they could return to work as quickly as possible.

Although the funding is in place for all the projects, Hymel said any construction work could be as much as three years out but added he is hoping to at least have designs for the water line ready by the end of the year.

“We still have to secure engineers for design, advertise the projects and take bids on all of these projects,” Hymel said. “I’d say it would be three years at the least before any construction could begin.”

In other recent council action, auditors reported that the parish government ended 2009 with a $5 million surplus. Hymel said the surplus is a result of the parish spending about $28.5 million of the parish’s estimated $33.5 million budget.

Hymel said the $5 million cushion would likely go toward emergency projects should that need arise.