Parish to send capital outlay wish list to state

The St. Mary Parish Council spent most of their meeting Wednesday passing measures that, if approved, stand a good chance of enhancing the quality of living for residents of the parish. It’s just a matter of how many and which ones will be approved and it’s up to the State of Louisiana to decide.
The council passed no less than 15 resolutions requesting funding from the state at their meeting Wednesday in an effort to beat a deadline under provisions of the 2017-2018 Capital Outlay Act.
St. Mary Parish Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said the effort to access state funding is an annual move by the council. He said the parish will now just have to wait and see which requests get the greenlight from Louisiana.
“Capital outlay applications are due by Nov. 1,” LaGrange said. “We submit them to the state to be considered for next year.”
The resolutions for request of state funding include ones for reconstruction of the Chitimacha Trail Road; reconstruction of Flattown Road from the Chitimacha Trail Road to Ralph Darden Memorial Parkway; reconstruction of Charenton Beach Road from La. 87 to the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee; and one that requests funds to re-roof, waterproof and make repairs to the former St. Mary Parish tourism building near Patterson.
Other funding requests for infrastructure projects include one for the Yokely Levee Flood Protection system; improvements to the Charenton Canal Industrial Park; the installation of culverts at Middle Road in Bayou Vista; and one to hard-surface the Atchafalaya Basin Levee Road from Charenton Beach to the St. Mary/Iberia Parish line.
The council also passed a resolution which seeks to generate state funds to improve recreational facilities in the parish. If approved by the state, the parish could receive funds to replace the lighting and make other improvements to Kemper Williams Park.
Another resolution would provide funds for construction of a new, multi-agency government complex for the St. Mary Parish Fire Protection District No. 11 as well as Water and Sewer Commission No. 5 in the Four Corners community.
The council also approved a request for funds to convert and rehabilitate the Morgan City sheriff’s building into a training center and regional operations center for the sheriff’s office.
The St. Mary Center of Hope in Centerville could also see some improvements if the state comes through with funds. The council made a request for funding to establish a warehouse, an enhanced driveway and a parking area for the facility.
Other entities looking for help from the state included the St. Mary Parish Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1 for pump station improvements. Funds could also be coming for the reconstruction of Martin Luther King Street in Baldwin from La. 326 to Creek Drive.
The last resolution requesting funds from the state of Louisiana on behalf of St. Mary Parish was for asphalt overlay of St. Peter Road from La. 182 to Admiral Doyle Drive.