Answering more on flap gates

Published 6:00 am Friday, December 21, 2018

A move to use federal funds to install flap gates along the Commercial Canal near the Port of Iberia received close scrutiny Thursday evening from approximately 50 residents who attended a town hall meeting at Iberia Middle School.

Iberia Parish District 5 Councilman Warren Gachassin played host to the forum, scheduled after the Iberia Parish Council was told the administration was planning to use the flap gate project as a test case for use of the federal GOMESA funds for infrastructure projects. Several parish council members attended, as well as engineers from Sellers and Associates and Iberia Parish President Larry Richard.

One question Richard tackled was how the Commercial Canal project, which will benefit approximately eight to 10 businesses along Lewis Street near the Port of Iberia, came to be chosen.

“Well, when we look at what is going on in Iberia Parish, we’ve got this area, with the port,” Richard said. “We’ve got coastal areas like Lake Peigneur. I’ve been working with the Corps of Engineers for more than a year there. I have to make sure what I am saying to engineers is correct. I have to make sure it makes sense. I started on that end because I felt it was important.”

District 10 Councilman Eugene Olivier said he brought the resolution for the project to the council.

“I brought it up,” Olivier said. “I wrote the resolution. Brooks Duncan brought it forward to me. He’s one of my constituents. We were talking about the economic impact these businesses have.”

The flap gate project is intended to close when typical tidal flooding raises the level in the Commercial Canal and allows water to fill a culvert that runs under Lewis Street. That water then floods several businesses, like the Port Quick Stop convenience store that Duncan owns.

“With these gates properly installed won’t have to worry about these high tides,” Duncan said. “With a Category 1, Category 2 storm, my business is still going to flood.”

Gachassin, who grilled Richard over the way the resolution for the project was worded, said he believed the council was not given a clear picture of the intent of the work.

“We have already funding approved in budget to do this,” Gachassin said. “My understanding was that information was coming to the council, that this was going to come from GOMESA funds. Someone should have had more info.”

Another concern was how the project would affect other landowners downstream of the flap gates. Richard said if the engineering shows the project would affect other property owners adversely, the parish will not go forward with it.

‘If we are helping a minimal number of people, but not affecting others, we are helping Iberia Parish,” Richard said. 

One audience member voiced their support.

“This is a good project,” the person said. “At $180,000, even to save one person from flooding it is worth it.”

Business owner Russell Sandridge, who operates R.K. Pipe and Supply on Lewis Street, asked how long it would be before Richard had an approval on the intended use of the funds.

“We should have an answer in the next month,” Richard said. “It could be three months. I can read right here that these types of projects can be done, so I think we can do it. But I don’t want to be reading in the newspaper that I didn’t spend parish dollars right.”