LAPLACE – The 2013 Legislative Session is scheduled to end on June 6, and funding for the Reserve/Edgard Ferry remains cut from the 2013-2014 budget.

St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom and her staff have met with representatives from the Department of Transportation and Development, the Regional Planning Commission and representatives and senators for St. John Parish to no avail. According to her office, a number of recommendations and alternatives have been provided for consideration, but ferry services remain on the chopping block for July 1.

With only nine days remaining in this legislative session, Robottom is urging residents, business and industry leaders and other elected officials to contact the delegation immediately for help.

A release from her office reads in part: “With the devastation of Hurricane Isaac and the flooding of over 7,000 homes in the parish, many of our residents are housed on the west bank, and the Reserve/Edgard ferry is needed now more than ever. As St. John Parish focuses on disaster recovery, it is not in a position to provide or maintain ferry services as proposed by the DOTD. In addition to the extra financial burden placed on our residents, 15 ferry employees will lose their jobs if services are cut from state’s budget. The impact of this closure goes far beyond the loss of jobs and affects the entire community.

“Many of the residents impacted by the ferry closure are elderly and low income who need access to vital services located on the east bank of the Mississippi River. Also, with almost all medical facilities and services in St. John the Baptist Parish located on the east bank, the ferry provides critical transportation for west bank residents to access necessary health-care services. Additionally, the court system is housed on the west bank, and court functions will be reduced without ferry service.”

Parish officials are in support of increasing the fare to ride the ferry to offset some of the $2 million operational costs. With approximately 193,000 vehicles using the Edgard/Reserve ferry in 2012, the current roundtrip fare of $1 does not come close to covering costs.

In 2012, St. John the Baptist Parish participated in a road swap program to maintain ferry services and has made the same proposal this year. The parish has also offered to assist with funding a clerk to collect fares on the ferry; however, DOTD representatives have declined these options.

Contact information for the local delegation is listed below:

Senator Troy Brown

Legislative Assistant Kim Patterson

985/369-3333 District Office

225/342-2040 Capitol Office

225/933-9610 Mobile

brownte@legis.la.gov

Senator Gary Smith

Legislative Assistant, Greta Nassar

985/764-9122 District Office

225/342-2040 Capitol Office

504/908-2037 Mobile

smithgl@legis.la.gov

Representative Randal Gaines

985/652-1228 Office

504/487-9904 Mobile

gainesr@legis.la.gov

Representative Clay Schexnayder

225/473-6016 Office

225/313-8724 Mobile

schexnayderc@legis.la.gov

Representative Greg Miller

985/764-9991 Office

504/400-0722 Mobile

millerg@legis.la.gov