FIND OUT WHY SOME PEOPLE AREN’T HAPPY ABOUT IT
Some residents want brightly lit streets, others want to stay in the dark. And after weighing pros and cons on both sides of the issue, St. Charles Parish officials decided street lights should be installed for 200 residents living in Bar None Estates subdivision in St. Rose.That made some residents very, very happy – while leaving others fit to be tied.
Part of the controversy stems from the kind of poles the parish plans to use for the project along Palomino Drive.
A dozen wooden light posts will cost $11,000, and that’s what officials recommend.
But some people living in the subdivision don’t want the wooden poles.
They want pricier but arguably more attractive aluminum or concrete posts instead.
It’s a decade-old problem that Parish President Albert Laque and Councilwoman April Black first addressed in 2000.
“We got approval to install wooden light posts for the residents 10 years ago, but we were getting mixed reviews on what the neighborhood wanted – some wanted aluminum poles and others didn’t want any lighting at all,” Black said.
“And when Mr. Laque and I learned that a petition was going around the neighborhood protesting the installation of the wooden posts, we simply stopped the plans to put them in place.”
Laque said he won’t support the use aluminum or concrete posts.
“These alternatives are too expensive and it would be unfair to other neighborhoods that still use the wooden light posts,” he explained.
Black said the Bar None Estates developer received a waiver in the 1960’s from the Police Jury, which gave him permission to build the subdivision without the street lights.
The discussion resurfaced when Sen. David Vitter hosted a town hall meeting in Hahnville two weeks ago.
Henry Morales, a member of the Bar None Civic Association and a resident of St. Rose, who attended the meeting, asked the senator: “Are there any grant funds available so that can get streetlights in our subdivision?”
Vitter replied: “There’s a lot of grant funding available for community improvement projects, so I am sure there’s one for street lights, too. Check with your parish council.”
After council approved the lighting, Morales said wooden posts are a poor choice.
“They aren’t modern enough,” he told the Herald-Guide.
“We are still going to pursue grants to get the streetlights we want for our subdivision.”
In other business, council members: – Approved the installation of two water tanks at the east bank water treatment facility.
The costs of the project will be $3,000,000. The state is paying for the construction.
– Approved a fire station addition at 16960 U.S. 90 in Des Allemands.
To pay for the work, the department will borrow $920,000 from its share of future revenues from a 1/8-cent sales tax.
– Presented a “Recognition of Service” award to Janice Hymel, registrar of voters, retired.
Council also gave Barry Gulliot, the Rotary Club’s Citizen of the Year, additional recognition – and named it “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Cover Winners.” They are parish students Megan Rook – 1st Place; Arielle Delery – 2nd Place; Kelsey Scott – 3rd Place; Katie Jensen – 4th Place.In another pat on the back for a job well done, a special “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” was awarded to the St. Charles Parish Department of Finance and Parish President Albert Laque.
Got a hot tip or story idea? Questions? Comments? Reach Shonna Riggs at editor@heraldguide.com
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