Tremendous return on MPO effort

Published 6:00 am Friday, March 16, 2018

The annual  $30,000 that Iberia Parish Government has invested in the Acadiana Metropolitan Planning Organizations is seeing an enormous return, according to Parish President Larry Richard. 

At Wednesday night’s Iberia Parish Council meeting, a presentation was given showing some of the projects that the MPO is conducting in Iberia. Those include  $2.6 million roundabout projejct for Louisiana 675 on Airport Road, which is in the design phase. 

There is also the widening project for south Lewis Street, a $2.3 million project that will make Lewis a three lane road on both sides of its intersection with Admiral Doyle Drive. Other projects include a $128,000 local road safety project for eight roads, a $350,000 safe routes to public places project for sidewalks at Westgate and Sugarland Elementary and $5 million for the Bayou Parc Perdu Regional Detention and Improvements Lake Peigneur Project. “For the money that we put in to the MPO, we’re really seeing a tremendous return,” Richard said. 

Projects that also include Iberia are a $3.8 million regional gauge network to monitor water levels and $600,000 for a regional GIS repository. 

• Richard also said that Iberia Parish is in the process of updating it’s geographic information system. 

GIS analyzes spatial location and organizes layers of information into visualizations using maps and in some cases 3D scenes. Richard said GIS reveals deeper insights into data, such as patterns, relationships and situations that help Parish Government make smarter decisions.

“We are in the process of working with multiple agencies throughout the Parish to include 911, Fire District 1, Sewer District, and Public Works to gather additional data which will be utilized to help us upgrade current layers of data,” Richard said.

Employees in each department are gathering data to use, which is then forwarded to the GIS department.  

“In the near future we are hopeful that a portal will be in place allowing the general public access to information quickly that otherwise can be timely to currently be able to view,” Richard said.

“From mapping flooded areas after disasters, addressing for 911, mapping to assisting in search and rescue efforts this system is vital to the current and future operation of our parish,” he added. “We are proud of the cooperation that is taking place across the parish by all of the agencies involved to enhance this product.”

• The parish president also had several bridge updates to provide to parish residents. 

“I am pleased to announce that on March 15 we are opening two bridges that have been replaced,” he said. “The first is Railroad Road Bridge which is located between Lee Station Road and Poufette Road. The second is Bull Island Road Bridge located between Gaspard Road and Emerald Lane.

“We apologize for the inconveniences that this work causes while underway, but please know we are continuing to work toward improving and maintaining the infrastructure throughout the Parish.”

• As the spring and summer months are beginning to start, Richard said the Isle of Iberia is beginning to hold various events for the seasons. 

“With a year under the management of Iberia Parish Recreation, the Isle of Iberia is shaping up to be a unique little RV community with a family friendly atmosphere that is currently taking reservations with all amenities open to our campground guests at this time,” he said.

Upcoming events include the Bayou Concert Series Presented by Nash FM 99.1 on March 31, which is a live entertainment event series that includes a diverse range of music, from country to zydeco. The public pool season will begin June 3, and many additional public swim days will be available, including monthly Saturday Family Swim Nights. This summer, the Isle will sell an IslePass, which is a discount card that offers half-price discounts on pool and entertainment passes.

“The Isle of Iberia is a convenient distance from each of Iberia Parish’s many local attractions, allowing guests to explore the rich culture of our area,” Richard said.