Event-goers listen to the State of the Parish address at the Sliman Theater. 

Iberia Parish residents received an overview of the current projects and activities of Iberia Parish Government Thursday night as Parish President Larry Richard gave his annual State of the Parish talk at the Sliman Theater.

Sitting in a chair on the stage of the Sliman, Richard and moderator of the event Mike Tarantino dovetailed into all of the major departments and projects currently going on in parish government as well as outlined what residents can expect in the near future.

“Iberia Parish is run just like a business, we have a lot of different departments and a lot going on,” Richard said.

Tarantino asked Richard to give a quick rundown of each of the departments that IPG operates and the current activities being conducted within those departments.

The parish president mentioned departments like Public Works, who has been focused for several years on road repairs, bridge maintenance, litter abatement and drainage cleanup.

Richard said there was more than 60 miles of channels that have been cleaned of vegetation, trees and debris for the parish’s drainage system, which has led to the mitigation of flooding during storm events.

“I’m very proud of that,” Richard said.

Parish government is also looking into hiring an engineering company to look at additional channels too big for the Public Works Department, with Richard adding that a resolution being recently voted on by the Iberia Parish Council to move ahead with that inquiry.

Richard also talked about the parish’s sewer district, which is composed of more than 80 miles of sewer lines that run through Iberia.

Along with treating wastewater in accordance with EDQ and EPA guidelines, Richard said the sewer district is currently in the process of installing lift stations of the south side of U.S. 90, which could attract more developers in that area of the parish.

A recent water sector grant of $5.7 million has also been recently obtained by the parish, which Richard said will go to several sewer district projects including multiple lift stations and other infrastructure improvements.

The Acadiana Regional Airport was also mentioned as another busy area, with Richard calling the local airport one of the busiest in the state.

Recent commitments from private companies like Fremin Jet Center and Avex to continue investing and building at the Acadiana Regional Airport have incentivized the parish government to continue to expand the area. Richard said hangar and taxiway improvements have been investigated for upgrades at the airport, and a bond for additional hangars has also been floated.