By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

CONVENT – The St. James Parish Council handled a lengthy agenda for its first meeting of the new year. The following is a recap of some of the highlights of last Wednesday’s meeting in Convent.

The council unanimously approved an ordinance to allow the parish to purchase about 316 acres of swamp land on the west bank of the parish from the Bayou Cevreuil Land Co. for future state and parish projects.

Parish President Dale Hymel said the parish and the state signed a cooperative endeavor agreement that allows for the land to be used as wetland mitigation credits. The plot of land is located on the south side of Louisiana Highway 3127 near Lac des Allemands.

Hymel said the parish will use about $1.5 million from the state’s capital outlay program to purchase the property. He said the land will be used in wetland assimilation and restoration programs in the coming year. This is the fourth such land purchase made by the parish in recent years.

“This just makes it easier for us and the state when projects come up that use that land,” Hymel said. “Now there is no need to find a land owner before work can be done.”

The Council also approved authorization for the parish to submit a request to the Delta Regional Authority for improvements at the Convent water treatment plant.

Hymel said the parish is asking for $500,000 from the Delta Regional Authority to go along with an additional $1.6 million requested and granted last year. The money will help the parish pay for a series of filter, clarifier and water well improvements at the Convent treatment plant. Hymel said the total cost of the improvements is about $2.46 million.

Lastly, the Council named a new registrar of voters to replace Annie S. Gravois, who is retiring from office Friday after 36 years at the helm.

The Council voted 7-0 to appoint Chief Deputy of the Registrar’s Office Lisa Granier-Medine to succeed Gravois.

Granier-Medine, who will take over as registrar on Jan. 15, is a 21-year veteran of the office and a close friend of Gravois.

“I promise to continue to run the office in a fair and honest way,” Granier-Medine told the meeting’s audience upon her appointment. “I look forward to the challenge ahead.”