Visible change: Iberia bridge to be replaced

Published 6:00 am Friday, January 12, 2018

Iberia Parish President M. Larry Richard is working to make 2018 the year for visible change in the parish. 

“I say that because we have a lot going on, much of which has been preparing and working toward meeting goals that will get projects to a point that our citizens have something tangible, something they can see and touch,” Richard said. 

One recent example is the Pellerin Road Bridge replacement project.

 Located near Jeanerette, the bridge is expected to be replaced in the coming months. The bridge has been closed for many years and is on the state Department of Transportation and Development’s off system bridge rehabilitation and replacement program list. 

The Iberia Parish Council passed a resolution in February 2014 that identified the Pellerin Road Bridge as a structure that needed to be addressed. Work on the project has been ongoing and was brought to a point during the last quarter of 2017 by the current administration that has resulted in the program being certified by DOTD. 

The project has been bid. Construction will begin at some point in the near future to remove and replace the current structure. 

“I want to thank DOTD, the past council and the landowners adjacent to the bridge who worked to make this project a reality,” Richard said. “It takes effort on all of our parts to make projects like this happen.”

Upon completion of the project Pellerin Road will be opened to traffic again. It will help with ingress and egress from the area, assist with public access such as school bus routes and so on. 

“This is what government is about, agencies at multiple levels and citizens working together to improve the quality of life for everyone,” Richard said. 

• Renovations to the Iberia Parish Courthouse continue to be worked on. The exterior of the building has been cleaned and painting, while still underway, has “the building looking great,” Richard said.

The grounds are being addressed, with tree trimming and some foliage being removed. The trimming was needed and what has been removed will be replaced. Many windows in the aging facility also were in a deteriorated state and are being addressed. Some will be replaced. 

In the interior of the building, the second floor of the courthouse is currently being renovated, specifically the common areas. 

“We appreciate everyone’s patience during this phase of the project, which is scheduled to completed by the end of January,” Richard said. “This facility is important to Iberia Parish and we are working to preserve both the structural integrity and the beauty of the architectural design.”

• Richard’s administration is continuing to address drainage problems in the parish. 

“As it was in the past and will be in the future, drainage continues to be a dominating issue for the administration and Public Works continues to address items in a continuous manner,” Richard said. “We are working hard to make sure our system is functioning as efficiently as possible.”  

Current work being addressed includes roadside drainage in Hopeland Subdivision on Andrea and Scott streets, Pembroke; Pagent; Hamilton; Warwick; Somerset; Kilkenny; Kildare; Dublin; Turnberry and Devonshire streets in Country Club estates and Jefferson Island Road. 

Field drainage is being worked on at Segura Branch Canal, field ditch along John Lewis, Freyou Road, Premium canal, Kyle Landry Road and Freetown Road. Slash busting is taking place on Lewis Street, John Lewis and Segura Branch Canal. 

• The 2017 fiscal budget for Iberia Parish was adopted with an anticipated 10 percent reduction in sales tax collection, and Richard said shows that the parish is using taxpayer money wisely. 

The actual numbers showed that sales tax collection for 2017 experienced less of a drop than 2016, but not as much as 2015. The TIFF tax, for example, had an 11 percent decline in 2017, a 15 percent decline in 2016 and a 16 percent decline in 2015. 

“We’re budgeting appropriately and not spending more than what we’re collecting,” Richard said. 

The garbage tax showed a 10 percent decline in 2017, 25 percent in 2016 and a 1 percent increase in 2015. The mosquito control and drainage tax had a 5 percent decline in 2017, 14 percent decline in 2016 and 1 percent decline in 2015. 

• Coteau will be getting some water improvements in the near future after the state recently approved a block grant for $800,000 for the unincorporated area of Iberia Parish. 

Richard received a letter from Gov. John Bel Edwards approving the block application for up to $800,000 that will go toward expanding the parish’s water distribution system to residents of the Coteau area by installing approximately 16,000 linear feet of water mains, as well as providing household connections to qualifying residents.