By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / June 12, 1999

LAPLACE – Patrick McTopy, administrative officer for St. John the BaptistParish, said the land swap deal proposed last month by St. John ParishPresident Arnold Labat would not benefit his adjourning property, located immediately behind it.

McTopy bought the two lots fronting Bert Street in LaPlace Industrial Park in November 1992 for $76,500 from Resolution Trust Co.

“I can’t imagine anything going there which would enhance my property,” McTopy said. “I bought it only as an investment.”Several businesses, classed as heavy industrial, are neighbors, including a transmission shop and an auto body shop.

McTopy, who has announced his plans to run for parish president in the fall, stressed he’s also been staying out of the landswap discussions with the Parish Council. “I’m not promoting it at all,” McTopy said.Labat, likewise, asserted the landswap deal has nothing whatsoever to so with McTopy’s property. “It’s not even an issue,” he declared. “The door ofopportunity came open, that’s all.”Labat said the landswap deal is aimed to centralize several government offices, provide new warehousing and storage space and help the Belle Terre traffic problems at Airline Highway.

He added the Parish Council is possibly leaning toward approving the move, with the significant opposition coming from Councilman Duaine Duffy.

Duffy, who has also said he plans to run for parish president, has been quoted saying he feels the deal is ill-timed, coming at the end of Labat’s administration, and he doubts the financing is there to refit the buildings to meet the parish’s needs.

Labat, on the other hand, insists the financing is there through the civic center funding and revenue from land sales near the airport. As for thetiming, he added, “Government goes on, never mind the election.”Labat’s plan is to trade the 1.5-acre corner property near the Percy HebertBuilding near the Finish Line to the owners of the 7.5-acre site formerlyoccupied by Southland Dodge. A new drug store would be built at the 1.5-acre site, Labat said.

The proposal was initially tabled by the Parish Council to be discussed at a workshop, which was held June 1. The Parish Council would have toapprove the transaction.

Labat explained the idea is to turn over that corner site, presently the site of the St. John Andouille Festival, to Newton Old Acre McDonald, LLC,represented locally by APC Realty, and give the company $200,000 cash.

In return, Belle Terre Boulevard would extend directly across, as a new four-lane roadway headed south toward the Kansas City Southern tracks, where it would narrow to two lanes.

The old Southland Dodge site, split by Bert Street, would be converted to government offices and possibly include a gymnasium, public park and pavilion for the Andouille Festival or the St. John Trade Show. The parishfinance, public works, utilities and recreation departments would all centralize in the 35,000 square feet of buildings there.

Labat told the Parish Council there is $430,000 in the convention center bank account and $456,000 in the bank from the sale of parish-owned land near the St. John Airport to cover the $200,000 fee and pay for necessaryrenovations.

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