By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

CONVENT — The St. James Parish Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance to amend the flood chapter of the parish code of ordinances.

The change was in response to a 2009 flood insurance study conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which changed flood insurance rate maps throughout the parish. Those new maps will go into effect on July 4.

Parish President Dale Hymel said Thursday that the new insurance rate maps dictate the entire parish has at least a 1 percent chance of flooding if a break occurs along the Mississippi River Levee. In the past, only certain parts of the parish were deemed as having that minimum chance of flood, according to Hymel.

The ordinance was up for a vote at the council’s previous meeting in Vacherie late last month, but the council chose to allow for another public hearing on the matter for residents of the east bank. No one from the public spoke at either meeting. The council voted unanimously to approve the measure.

In other action from Wednesday’s meeting, the council voted to authorize the parish to seek and secure bids for concrete drainage culverts and drainage pipe to be used for drainage improvements near Lutcher High School.

Melissa Wilkins, St. James Parish spokesperson, said the parish signed a cooperative endeavor agreement Monday with the St. James School Board and the Pontchartrain Levee District to get the project moving. She said the parish will use no more than $148,000 to purchase the culverts and drainage pipe. The parish will begin that project following construction of the high school’s football stadium.

The parish also announced the winners of a parishwide contest among St. James schools to design the graphics to go on trash bags for the parish’s Trash Bash on April 2.

The third-place winner was Chelsea Pollet from Lutcher High School; second place went to Caroline Scorsone from St. Peter Chanel School; and the first-place winner was Jailyn Benoit from Vacherie Primary. Benoit’s design will adorn bags given out to residents during the trash bash.

Wilkins said the Trash Bash is one of several initiatives conducted by the St. James Parish Litter Awareness and Beautification Board. She said the board was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful to go toward the purchase of supplies for events and other needs.