OFFICIAL PROCEEDING OF SOUTH LAFOURCHE LEVEE DISTRICT FEBRUARY 10, 2014

Transcription

1 OFFICIAL PROCEEDING OF SOUTH LAFOURCHE LEVEE DISTRICT FEBRUARY 10, 2014 The Board of Commissioners of the South Lafourche Levee District met in a regular session at its regular meeting place, Highway 3235, Galliano, Louisiana, on Monday, February 10, 2014, at three (3:00) o clock p.m., pursuant to the provisions of a notice of regular session duly promulgated and posted in accordance with the law. The regular meeting for the month of February was called to order by President Ronald Callais. He directed the secretary to call roll. Board members present: Board members absent: Ronald Callais Bob Faulk Clarence CJ Marts, Jr. Ray Mayet Brent Duet Robert Bobby Eymard, Sr. (arrived 3:06p) Lula Auenson Mitch Danos Monty Vegas Also present were: Executive Secretary and General Manager Windell Curole; Administrative Assistant 5 Mary Punch; Clerical Assistant Amy Gisclair; Levee Board Operations Superintendent Jimmy Badeaux; Mobile Equipment Operator 1-Heavy Kevin Terrebonne; Attorneys Bryce Autin and Don Harang; Engineering Personnel John Plaisance, Joe Picciola, Brad Adams, Neil Angelette and Steve Smith; Lafourche Parish Government Archie Chiasson; Matthew Jewel of US House of Representatives Steve Scalise s office; David Industries David and Darlene Leblanc; and news media. READING OF THE MINUTES The minutes of the January 13, 2013 Regular Meeting were approved unanimously upon a motion by Bob Faulk and seconded by Ray Mayet. PRESIDENT S REPORT RICHARD DICK GUIDRY INDUCTION TO LOUISIANA POLITICAL MUSEUM IN WINNFIELD, LA President Ronald Callais recognized former State Representative and former SLLD board member, Richard Dick Guidry for his recent induction into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in Winnfield, LA. The board honored Mr. Guidry with the following resolution: WHEREAS, Richard Dick Guidry has provided leadership and direction for the people of south Lafourche and Louisiana as an elected official, businessman and citizen; WHEREAS, he has positively affected a wide range of activities from assisting private school kids in New Orleans in public busing, to assisting in producing drinking water for the parishes near Bayou Lafourche; WHEREAS, he played a leadership role in helping to form the Greater Lafourche Port Commission and was the official who directed the formation of the South Lafourche Levee District; WHEREAS, this work, along with his other infrastructure work, has led to present day success of south Lafourche; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Lafourche Levee District acknowledges his success which has led to Mr. Guidry s induction into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame. South Lafourche Levee District would also like to congratulate and thank Mr. Guidry for his service as a State Representative, a former member of the South Lafourche Levee District Board of Commissioners and

2 Page 2 of 6 an active citizen of south Lafourche, Louisiana and the United States. UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED on this 10th day of February Mr. Guidry offered words of gratitude. He commended the board for their determination which had led to the construction and continued improvements of our levee system. Mr. Archie Chiasson stood in for Parish President Charlotte Randolph and also read and presented Mr. Guidry with a resolution on behalf of the Lafourche Parish Government. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS FOR 2014 With no changes or objections from the board, President Callais announced that the committee appointments would remain the same for the calendar year 2014 and requested a motion be made. Moved by Bob Faulk, seconded by Ray Mayet and unanimously accepted, the board approved the Committee Appointments for 2014 as presented. ALBL WORKSHOP: MAY 1-2, 2014 AT THE CROWN PLAZA IN BATON ROUGE President Callais reminded the board of the upcoming workshop to be held in May and requested the board contact Administrative Assistant Mary Punch of their intentions in attending so that reservations could be made. AUDIENCE COMMENTS MATTHEW JEWELL RESPRESATIVE FROM CONGRESSMEN STEVE SCALISE S OFFICE Matthew Jewell introduced himself. He stated that he was working with Congressman Scalise s office out of Houma as the field representative for the south Lafourche and south Terrebonne areas, and would be attending some of the board meetings. GENERAL MANAGER S REPORT SLIDE PRESENTATION General Manager Windell Curole presented a slide presentation which included updates on Reaches K & L of the Morganza project. Other slides included marsh creation, levee improvements and discharge pipe elevations at pump stations. UPDATE ON RIGHT-OF-WAY LITIGATION WITH PROPERTY OWNERS Mr. Curole informed the board that although the trial portion of the right-of-way litigation was complete, they were still not at liberty to discuss any matters with the landowners. OFFICIAL CLOSURE DUE TO EXTREME WINTER WEATHER EMERGENCY Mr. Curole stated that they had monitored the possibility of icy conditions closely and after speaking with President Callais, they decided to declare a two-day emergency closure of the South Lafourche Levee District for the safety of the employees. Lock personnel continued to work their normal shift work with arranged special assistance in traveling. FLOOD INSURANCE UPDATE Mr. Curole informed the board that the Senate passed the four year delay of Biggert-Waters. He explained that the flood insurance law must be renewed every five years so it would make the law null and void until they passed a new bill. He added that because the rules are different on the House side, it would be more difficult to pass. He explained that Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, who was Chairman of the Financial Committee, was not in favor of delaying Biggert-Waters. In addition, he informed the board that there was a rule that if you changed the law and it resulted in loss of income, you would have to find other areas to recoup that cost. He added that the House believed that in delaying Biggert-Waters, it would delay billions of dollars that would otherwise come in through the cost of insurance. Mr. Curole added that President Obama was not in favor of delaying Biggert- Waters, but after discussions with Senator Landrieu, he said he would not veto it if it passed the House. Mr. Curole added that it was bad enough to lose your house from a flood, but it would be a travesty to lose your house because of a flood law. Mr. Curole encouraged the board to contact republican leaders across the country, in particular Mr. Hensarling, and push for them to help in passing the delay of Biggert-Waters. He added that Louisiana Congressmen Steve Scalise and Bill Cassidy had been working on House Republicans and Congressman Hensarling.

3 Page 3 of 6 GAO REPORT ON THE CORPS, INCLUING LAROSE TO GOLDEN MEADOW HURRICANE PROTECTION SYSTEM Mr. Curole announced that as a result of increased costs of flood protection systems, the Governmental Accounting Agency had produced a report that was requested by Senator David Vitter. Mr. Curole explained that there were eight projects in the nation that were involved in the study, one of which was the South Lafourche Levee District. The report stated that the SLLD had increases due to inconsistent funding from the feds and also increased criteria for the building of levees. Mr. Curole presented each commissioner with an excerpt of the report that contained information on our system. FUNDING FOR LAROSE FLOODWALL PROJECT Mr. Curole presented a Project Summary report on the Larose Intracoastal Floodwall Improvements. He stated that he would be putting together a synopsis to give to our local elected officials in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, and also to hand deliver to legislators in Washington, DC. He explained that the levee was up to 13 ft. and would connect to the wall which was as low as 7 ft. in some areas. He added that it was obviously critical that the wall improvements take place soon. Mr. Curole added that we were expecting $12M from the state when the session was finished. The Corps had stated that we may need a 408 permit which could add to the delay of the project. Mr. Curole explained that the Levee District would try to avoid that process so that the project could begin as soon as funding was made available. He added that if the project would start immediately, we could have that protection in place by the 2015 hurricane season. WATER CONTROL OF BAYOU LAFOURCHE Mr. Curole stated that he spoke with Keith Lovell of DNR and was told that upon receipt of additional requested information provided by Engineer John Plaisance, we should have the permit as early as next month. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE LAFOURCHE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD TO ENACT CERTAIN SALES AND USE TAX ORDINANCE AMMENDMENTS ON BEHALD OF THE SOUTH LAFOURCHE LEVEE DISTRICT Mr. Curole informed the board that he had requested Attorney Bryce Autin review the sales tax amendments, and at Mr. Autin s recommendation, discussions on that item would be delayed. ENGINEERING REPORT OFFICE OF COASTAL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION Mr. Trung-Quan Nguyen was not in attendance. CORPS OF ENGINEERS (JOEY WAGNER) There was no one in attendance from the Corps. PROJECT ENGINEERS PICCIOLA & ASSOCIATES Engineer Joe Picciola gave the following report: A -West Interim Levee Improvements Volute, Inc. was awarded this job at the January board meeting. Contract documents are currently being processed. A pre-construction meeting will be scheduled with the contractor within the next few days. Elevation of South Floodgate: Phase 2 Cajun Construction, Inc. was awarded the job. A pre-construction meeting was held at the end of January. A conditional Notice to Proceed was issued for February 3, 2014 giving the contractor a 60 day assembly period to start ordering and receiving material. The Notice to Proceed will be issued on April 4, We met with the Corps on Monday January 27, 2014 to discuss the status of the permit. At this meeting project documents were resubmitted to the permit analyst. Documents will have to be processed by the Regulatory Division and approved by the Engineering Division and Operations Division for a permit to be issued. Once approval is given we are hoping to receive a permit shortly after.

4 Page 4 of 6 D-North Levee Improvements Apeck Construction was awarded the job. The Notice to Proceed was issued for January 20, The contractor is onsite and began dewatering and processing material in Borrow Pit No. 2. We are continuing to work with the contractor and LOOP to provide the information needed at the pipeline crossings. P.S. No. 2, Relocation of Discharge Pipe Sealevel Construction, Inc. was awarded the job. The contractor is fabricating and painting the discharge pipes off site. We are coordinating with the contractor and the Levee District to schedule removal of the existing pipes. Pay Application No. 2 is on the agenda for approval. o Pay Request No. 2 - $45, Moved by Bob Faulk, seconded by Clarence Marts, and unanimously accepted, the board approved Pay Request No. 2 in the amount of $45, J. WAYNE PLAISANCE, INC. Engineer John Plaisance reported the following: BAYOU LAFOURCHE WATER LEVEL CONTROL There are two potential parts to this project. The first is the isolation of the East Golden Meadow Retention Area. This is the part we have been working on for several years. We are requesting a permit from DNR to do this work. We are also working on weirs at the beginning of the Clovelly and/or Breton Canals. I d like to meet with the committee to review the options. PS NO. 7 DISCHARGE PIPE We are ready to advertise for this project and recommend the board give their approval. Moved by Ray Mayet, seconded by Brent Duet, and unanimously accepted, the board approved the advertising for bids for the Pump Station No. 7 Discharge Pipe project. GLPC MARINA PROJECT The Port Commission is almost ready to start this project so the dirt will be ready for removal and use by the Levee District. Southern Constructors of New Iberia is the contractor of that project. The marina will be constructed immediately north of the Leon Theriot Lock. LEVEE IMPROVEMENTS ANGELETTE-PICCIOLA, LLC Engineer Neil Angelette reported the following: Section E-North Raising to +13 (Old elevation was 10 ) We are continuing to work with the Levee District as needed on the shaping. C-South and B-North (and a portion of B-South) Levee Improvements The contractor, Terra Logistics, LLC, is continuing with the project construction. We are recommending approval of Pay Request 34 for $316, Moved by Bob Faulk, seconded by Bobby Eymard, and unanimously accepted, the board approved Pay Request No. 34 in the amount of $316, Section F Levee Improvements The contractor, southern Delta Construction, Inc., has completed construction to excavate the remaining material in the borrow canal. Substantial completion has been approved and we are waiting on their clean lien certificate to pay the project retainage of $121, Section F Levee Shaping and Compaction This project is currently out for bid on the shaping and compaction of this reach. Bids will be received on Monday, March 10, 2014 at 10 a.m. The estimated construction cost is $520,

5 Page 5 of 6 Larose Floodwall (Delta Farms Area) We are continuing with the design for the floodwall improvements in this area. The COE/DNR permit issues are being finalized. Plans and specifications are being developed with a target construction completion date of August Levee Board Operations Superintendent Jimmy Badeaux gave an update on the rebuilding of pumps. He stated that all five 48-inch pumps at Pump Station No. 2 had been completed. The fourth pump at Pump Station No. 1 would be complete next Tuesday, and the last pump would be rebuilt and saved as a spare. Mr. Badeaux explained that all large gear heads had been rebuilt four years ago. He stated that they d had some problems with the gear heads at Pump Station No. 4 and explained that the shafts kept breaking so he d gotten an attorney involved. He explained that four out of five gear heads had broken shafts and they were trying to determine why. He explained that they came up with an all-inone shaft with a pinion gear built onto it so it would not break, but costs an additional $6,000 each. He added that the same gear heads were being used a another pump station with no issues. Mr. Badeaux stated that all six power take-offs had been rebuilt at Pump Station No. 6, and all at Pump Station No. 4. He explained that they were now in the process of rebuilding them one at a time at Pump Stations No. 1 & 2. Mr. Badeaux further explained that they had a spare in case one went down so they were not down more than one pump at any time. Mr. Badeaux stated that by the end of summer the rebuilding of all engines, gear heads and power take-offs should be complete. Mr. Badeaux updated the board on the repairs of damage to the Leon Theriot Lock and explained that the contractor, who was now driving pilings, would bolt the fender system down as he went. Commissioner Brent Duet requested looking into using steel piles instead of wood. Mr. Curole replied that they would look into various options and bring those that were most cost efficient to the committee for discussion. LEGAL, PERMITS, AND RIGHT-OF-WAYS COMMITTEE REPORT In the absence of Chairman Mitch Danos, Mr. Curole announced that three permit requests were received for review and that none interfered with the levee. On a motion of Ray Mayet, seconded by Bobby Eymard, the following permits were approved: 1. LOUISIANA DELTA OIL COMPANY CUP NO: P LOCATION: Lafourche Parish, LA; Lat N / Long W; Lat N / Long W; Section 3, 4, 5 T17S-R22E: Approximately 8.2 miles southwest from Laffite, LA. DESCRIPTION: Proposed installation of one 3.5 inch flowline, approximately 13,841 feet in length, from the existing DFW Well No. 2 to an existing production facility. Approximately 93 cubic yards of native material will be displaced during line installation. Approximately 2 cubic yards of sandbag material will be used at one pipeline crossing and approximately 2 cubic yards of rock material will be used for bankline stabilization. Approximately 1.26 acres of fresh marsh, 0.02 acres of nonvegetated waterbottom and 1.77 acres of scrub shrub habitat may be impacted as of results of this proposed activity. 2. ENERGY XXI ONSHORE LLC CUP NO: P LOCATION: Lafourche Parish, LA; Project Lat N, Long W; DESCRIPTION: Proposed lowering of 6 and 10 pipeline from the W&T Offshore ST 21 H Platform to East Timbalier Island Facility. Approx. 6,172 cy, of native material will be displaced during jetting operations and approx. 292 cy of sand/cement bags will be required for additional coverage. An Emergency Use Authorization was issued for this work on September 30, 2013 (EUA ). Approx acres of non-vegetated waterbottoms may be impacted by proposed activity.

6 Page 6 of 6 3. TANA EXPLORATION COMPANY LLC CUP NO: P LOCATION: Lafourche Parish, LA; In Timbalier Bay Onshore Field, Section 23S T23S R21E, and Section 33 T23S R21E. Approximately mispoint of project at Lat N / Long W. DESCRIPTION: Proposed site clearance operations for the SL 1772 No. Well, No. 254 Well, No. 95 Well & No. 95 D Well. Also, the SL PP 192 No. 166 Well, No. 166 D Well & No. 159 Well. Approximately 1,428 cubic yards of native material may be displaced. Approximately 69 acres of nonvegetated waterbottom may be impacted as a result of this proposed project. BOARD ATTORNEY Attorney Bryce Autin recommended the board enter into Executive Session later. FINANCE COMMITTEE INVOICES President Callais announced that the Finance Committee had reviewed the invoices and recommended they be paid. On a motion of Clarence Marts, seconded by Bob Faulk, and unanimously carried, the board approved the payment of the invoices as presented. EXECUTIVE SESSION President Callais announced that the board would go into Executive Session to discuss legal matters concerning Under the direction of President Ronald Callais, a motion was made by Bob Faulk to enter into Executive Session with a second by Bobby Eymard. The Secretary was asked to call the roll. With six Yea s, three Absent, no Nay s and none Abstained, the board entered into Executive Session. Moved by Bob Faulk, seconded by Brent Duet and unanimously approved, the board exited Executive Session and re-entered Regular Session. With no further business to discuss, the board unanimously adjourned the meeting on a motion of Bobby Eymard and seconded by Ray Mayet. /s/ronald Callais, President /s/windell A. Curole, Executive Secretary