Carlson Park repairs approved

Published 8:00 am Tuesday, February 19, 2019

ST. MARTINVILLE — The St. Martinville City Council approved spending $140,000 of its $900,000 in bonded recreation money to make repairs to the pavilion at Adam Carlson Park during its regular meeting Monday night.

District 4 Councilman Juma Johnson had asked to discuss upgrades to lighting at the pavilion, but after discussion between Johnson and District 2 Councilman Craig Prosper, it was decided to add the work needed for restrooms, the basketball court and gutters for the facility to the list.

The lighting item was budgeted at $20,000. Altogether, Prosper estimated the approved work would run between $130,000 and $140,000.

“The current limit for public works contracts under the state bid law is $157,000, so we do not have to go out for bid. We can go straight to work on this,” Prosper said.

The project approval came minutes after Johnson had raised questions about a request from District 1 Councilman Mike Fuselier for new netting for baseball backstops at Magnolia Park.

“I’m not opposed to this, but I want to get money for Adam Carlson Park to even things out,” Johnson said.

The city also opened bids for the addition of a concession stand and restrooms at the Festival Grounds. The low bid, received from L. Michaud, was $317,100, with the second bid coming in at $317,500 from Acadian Renovations Limited. The council voted to take the bids under advisement until engineer David Bernard and Associates could review them.

Mayor Melinda Mitchell also announced at the meeting that she learned this week that a $2.3 million grant for work on a Highway 31 Bypass around the city was going to be made available for road maintenance after discussions with St. Martin Parish led to the bypass being shelved.

“In talking with (St. Martin Parish President) Mr. (Chester) Cedars, it was determined that the cost of the roundabouts would be too high, so we are not moving forward on the project,” Mitchell said.

She also said the state Department of Transportation and Development will work with the city to develop a road priority list so the funds can be allocated. If the work is done on state roads, there will be no matching funds required for the work, Mitchell said.

The council also heard from Mark Brignac, the owner of the Evangeline Mobile Home Park, continuing an ongoing discussion over a lack of right-of-way access to improve electrical service at his park.

Building and codes inspector Rodney “Cooney” Richard said that his inspection showed multiple issues at the park, including the blocked right-of-way, inadequate setbacks from power lines for several of the mobile homes, and inadequate electrical infrastructure to properly and safely power the homes.

Brignac said that because the city had issued permits for power to be connected, the city should be responsible for any repairs or upgrades to bring the facility up to code, although he said he would be willing to help out.

City Legal Counsel Allan Durand disagreed. Richard also said that the city inspectors are only responsible for making sure the connections from the pole to the panel of the mobile home are secure, not that the mobile homes themselves are up to code.

“I’ll make a motion that we give 60 days to get this in order,” said Fuselier. “We have no record of this mobile home park ever being permitted. We’re going to shut down all activity, no mobile homes in or out, until this is resolved.”

Brignac accused Prosper of withholding his work permit and making an issue of the deficiencies at the park. 

“I asked for a work order on Oct. 4, and it has been held,” Brignac said. “You just want me to throw these people out over a few minor, minor issues.”

Prosper asked Richard if the issues he noted during his inspection were minor.

“No, sir,” Richard said, then listing the problems cited in his inspection.

The council voted to approve the moratorium on mobile homes pending a discussion of a mobile home ordinance at its next meeting.

In other business, the council:

• Approved entering into a master service agreement with LEDPro for evaluation of installing LED lighting in the city.

• Approved a resolution supporting a Corps of Engineers test of the Keystone Lock to evaluate its effect on water levels in the Cypress Island Swamp area.

• Approved putting out bids for the demolition of a dilapidated home at 115 S. Vivier St.

• Approved use of the Festival Grounds for  St. Peter Claver Crawfish Boil on March 31.

• Approved a $5,750 change order for exterior paint and repair to the Maison Duchamp.

• Approved installation of a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Martin Luther King and Madison streets.

• Approved hiring one full-time police officer.

• Approved $7,000 for an upgrade to the city’s utility billing software.

• Approved asking for a state Attorney General opinion on occupational license requirements.

• Approved using state guidelines for bidding and purchasing agreements.

• Approved spending $2,000 for three new batting cage nets and Magnolia Park.

• Approved using $113,000 in proceeds from the O’Reilly’s closing payment to start a capital improvement fund.

• Approved a 30-day extension on demolition of a dilapidated structure at 410 Teche Drive.

• Cancelled the March 4 meeting due to the Mardi Gras holiday. The next meeting will be held on March 18.