Parish Council member Carolyn Schexnaydre sponsored an East Bank town hall meeting at Destrehan High School on March 2.
The meeting was the first of two town hall meetings this month to discuss the council’s accomplishments over the past two years and their outlook for the next two years.
Only around 30 residents showed up at the meeting.
Parish president V.J. St. Pierre said that it would take longer than one evening to discuss everything that the council has done since being in office.
“To sit here in two hours and tell you everything we did would be impossible,” St. Pierre said.
During the meeting, Council members Schexnaydre and Terry Authement discussed the council’s progress, including completed or ongoing projects and the number of times they have convened.
Authement pointed out that compared to the 38 committee meetings held by the previous council, the current council’s 52 meetings is impressive. He said that the meetings have given the members a chance to really talk issues out.
“We’re going to set a pace for other councils that come after us,” Authement said.
Upcoming projects that were highlighted in a short video during the meeting include the construction of a community center on Sugarland Parkway in Luling, emergency operations center building, parish signs, boat launches, driver’s license bureau, public works West Bank yard, new animal shelter and records storage building. Also mentioned were changes to the old East Bank Library with the new East Regional Library being built and the demolition and renovation of the third floor of the courthouse.
Schexnaydre and Authement each focused on three problems on each side of the river.
Schexnaydre discussed East Bank issues including the Harding Street flooding in New Sarpy, the U.S. 61 culvert on Walker Canal and the construction going on at Ormond Crossing.
“I’m sure all of those who use Ormond Crossing have seen all the little flags,” Schexnaydre said, referring to small flags put up to mark the underground utilities that are being relocated. “It will be a mess for a little while, but if you want progress…it has to be that way.”
Authement gave details on West Bank issues, including bar screen cleaners, West Bank draining improvements and the West Bank hurricane protection levee.
Steve Wilson, president of the Pontchartrain Levee Board, spoke to the crowd about the upcoming Cross Bayou pump station project that was awarded to the board as of Feb. 22.
The station will pump 1,300 cubic feet of water per second, according to Wilson, and will be done at zero cost to tax payers.
“It’ll have all the bells and whistles…it’s going to keep Destrehan dry,” Wilson said. “No trades, no tricks, no nothing, folks…Not a penny from (St. Charles Parish taxpayers).”
During the question and answer session that concluded the meeting, past council member and Destrehan resident Ram Ramchandran questioned what he saw as a lack of concern over drainage for the East Bank from the Parish Council.
“It is time we take care of the whole parish,” Ramchandran said.
While Authement and Wilson explained that the council is working to fix problems throughout the parish, Schexnaydre threw in a word of confidence in the council’s ability to tackle problems throughout the parish.
“I feel like every section of the parish is getting a little of what they need,” Schexnaydre said, adding that she thinks St. Pierre and the council have done a good job spreading projects evenly on both the East and West Banks.
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