The St. Martin Parish Authorities might quickly file a lawsuit towards Lafayette Consolidated Authorities and different entities concerned in eradicating spoil banks from Vermilion River close to Cypress Island.
The St. Martin Parish Council unanimously voted to provide parish president Chester Cedars the authority to hunt any and all authorized treatments towards Lafayette Consolidated Authorities and different events discovered to be answerable for the elimination of spoil banks alongside the Vermilion River. Based on St. Martin Parish public works officers, crews eliminated between 800 and 1000 toes of spoil banks from property alongside the river that LCG not too long ago bought.
The council’s vote additionally gave Cedars the authority to request public investigations by the Division of Environmental High quality, the Environmental Safety Company, and different governmental our bodies whose laws might have been violated by the elimination of the spoil banks. As well as, Cedars has the council’s approval to ask Louisiana’s congressional delegation for an inquiry into the matter to seek out out what occurred and methods to forestall one thing like this from occurring once more.
Ian Auzenne/KPEL
How Did We Get Right here?
The spoil financial institution elimination problem is each environmental and political.
The environmental aspect of the argument focuses on flood issues. Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory says the spoil financial institution elimination is important to stop flooding in Lafayette Parish and all through the Vermilion River watershed. Cedars says the spoil financial institution elimination places his constituents in danger.
“I am bored with all of the speaking factors we have heard concerning the elimination the spoil banks,” Cedars informed the parish council and the greater than 100 folks gathered within the council chambers. “I am bored with listening to about (how) the one space that is going to be affected is the Cypress Island Swamp. These are speaking factors that I consider are designed to mislead folks. We’re speaking concerning the Cypress Island group. We’re speaking concerning the residents of St. Martin Parish. We’re speaking about householders (and) enterprise house owners. We’re speaking about people who personal property and whose lives and stay financial savings are invested in these properties.”
The political aspect of the argument stems from questions of the legality and appropriateness of LCG’s actions.
Cedars contends that LCG eliminated the spoil banks with out receiving a allow from the Military Corps of Engineers. What’s extra: Cedars says LCG violated St. Martin Parish regulation by not receiving the parish authorities’s approval earlier than eradicating the spoil banks.
“I despatched the (Military Corps of Engineers) a replica of an ordinance which we adopted in July of 2021,” Cedars informed the council, referring to a letter he despatched to the Military Corps opposing any allow for the elimination of the spoil financial institution. “That ordinance states that anybody who needs to take away any sort of structure–manmade or not, i. e. a levee or a spoil bank–needed to come back earlier than this council with a . . . research to demonstrating no hurt could be executed to St. Martin Parish and this council would decide whether or not to grant the allow.”
Cedars stated he later obtained phrase from the Military Corps of Engineers that LCG had withdrawn its request to take away the spoil banks. Cedars additionally stated that LCG officers informed him that they had obtained extra modeling proving the elimination of the spoil banks have been essential. Cedars stated he requested for these fashions, however he by no means obtained them.
The truth is, Cedars says the subsequent factor he discovered was that the spoil banks had been eliminated. That discover, he says, got here round 3 p.m. final Friday.
“The primary name we made was to the chief administrative officer of Lafayette Consolidated Authorities. We left a message; (she) by no means returned our name. The subsequent name we made was to Jeffery Varisco with america Military Corps of Engineers. I used to be assured for the umpteenth time {that a} allow was essential and that no allow was issued. I bought a return name from the mayor-president of Lafayette Parish about 5 p.m. that day. It was a really quick dialog. ‘Did you take away the spoil banks?’ There was a hesitation after which a response. ‘Sure, I did, nevertheless it’s good to your folks, too,” Cedars quoted Guillory as saying.
“I do not want anyone in Lafayette telling me what’s good for Lafayette Parish,” Cedars continued. “My second response was: ‘Why the hell did not you inform me? Why did not you pay me the courtesy?’
Cedars stated Guillory’s response to that query was, “Nicely I assume I ought to have. I am sorry about that.”
Cedars added that this episode will put a pressure on cooperative efforts between Lafayette and different parishes to resolve regional flooding points.
“What about this concept of regionalized strategy to the flooding problem?” Cedars requested. “It takes two to bop. It takes two to cooperate. It takes one to destroy that cooperation. Am I involved? Yeah.”
The Land in Query
The land the place the spoil banks have been situated is correct throughout the river from town of Lafayette and Lafayette Regional Airport. Because the crow flies, the parcel is about six miles west-northwest of the Cypress Island Group.
Based on maps on the St. Martin Parish Assessor’s web site, the land is bounded by the river, Oakbourne Subdivision, and the airport to its north and west.
St. Martin Parish Assessor’s Workplace
Based on paperwork filed with the St. Martin Parish Clerk of Courtroom’s Workplace, LCG bought two-thirds of the property on which the spoil banks have been situated.
These paperwork, signed on February 21 and recorded within the clerk’s workplace on the morning of March 9, state that siblings Roy Guilliot, Jr., Paul Guilliot, John Albert Guilliot, and Anita Joyce Guilliot bought their one-third curiosity within the property to Lafayette Consolidated Authorities. Blanchet Land Firm, LLC, bought the opposite one-third curiosity to LCG. Based on the paperwork, the corporate’s brokers are P. John Blanchet, III, and David A. Blanchet.
Mayor-President Josh Guillory signed each buy paperwork. LCG chief administrative officer Cydra Wingerter and director of worldwide commerce Dave Domingue signed as witnesses.
Ian Auzenne/KPEL
Cypress Island Residents Involved
The residents in attendance at Tuesday night time’s assembly have been all involved that LCG’s elimination of the spoil banks will trigger their houses to flood throughout a serious rain occasion.
Yvonne and Darcy Romero stated they stay a few mile from Lake Martin. They are saying their property did not flood throughout the August 2016 deluge due to the spoil banks.
“We had an inch of water possibly 40 toes east of our home, however that is as excessive because it bought,” Darcy stated. “The opposite aspect of the highway flooded fairly a bit.”
“This modifications all the pieces,” Yvonne stated. “With a 12-foot levee (or) spoil financial institution, St. Martin Parish flooded. If the banks are solely six toes now, a 10-inch rain will carry flooding. You are speaking concerning the Cypress Island Swamp. That is alongside the Vermilion River. That is going to have an effect on everybody from the Vermilion River to the Bayou Teche. Because the crow flies, that is about 20 miles. That is all of St. Martin Parish. That is all going to be flooded.”
Yvonne Romero stated she’s anxious insurance coverage charges for residents in Cypress Island will enhance now that the spoil banks are gone. She says she’s grateful the parish will pursue authorized motion towards LCG.
“Thank goodness for Mr. Chester Cedars. Together with his management, his help, (and) his experience, we might have a preventing likelihood.”
What Is LCG Saying?
“I’m excited that we have been in a position to assist each parishes within the area with this spoil financial institution elimination venture,” Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory stated in an announcement. “Sadly, it has come to my consideration that the St. Martin Parish Council has given authorization to take authorized motion associated to this matter. To be able to efficiently sue for damages in a plaintiff’s case, you have to present that there was hurt created. I belief the numerous engineering that has gone into this venture. The present modeling of the spoil financial institution elimination venture exhibits that there is no such thing as a menace of hurt to St. Martin Parish.
“I belief that my fellow elected officers in St. Martin Parish need for his or her constituents the identical factor that I would like for mine, which is to do all we will to guard life and property. I additionally belief within the science and the entire engineers who’ve spent years analyzing the advantages of restoring the pure hydraulic stream on this space. I look ahead to persevering with our work with all of our neighbors, together with St. Martin Parish, to fight flooding on a regional scale. It is a nice day for our area.”
In the identical assertion, Guillory reiterated the declare that this venture won’t hurt St. Martin Parish residents.
“In abstract, modeling of LCG’s spoil financial institution elimination venture exhibits no hurt to St. Martin Parish when modeled for a 10- and 100- yr flood occasion,” Guillory stated within the assertion. “Future modeling of our complete stormwater administration plan exhibits the LCG spoil financial institution elimination venture coupled with the numerous detention and conveyance initiatives performed by LCG over the past two years and deliberate for the long run, will present even higher profit to not solely Lafayette Parish, however to St. Martin Parish as nicely, in a 10- and 100- yr flood occasion.”
Table of Contents
Seven Forgotten Information About Lafayette
The realm now generally known as downtown Lafayette was first settled 200 years in the past. Whereas the road grid of that authentic settlement is identical because it was then, the remainder of town has grown and altered exponentially. Let’s check out a few of these modifications by having a look at a few of the forgotten information in Lafayette historical past.
Lafayette: 1981 vs. 2021
The Seven Trendy Wonders of Acadiana
These landmarks in and round Lafayette go away us in awe and, in some circumstances, make us assume what their designers have been considering.