ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / July 8, 2000

LAPLACE – Despite a warning from St. John Councilman Dale Wolfe that “wehave to resolve this or it will haunt us at every council meeting,” the issue of the lettering on the Belle Terre water tower doesn’t seem to be going away quietly.

Councilwoman Melissa Faucheux, who brought up the issue several months ago, is still adamant about getting the St. John Parish logo and not the BelleTerre Land logo painted on the water tower. Recently, the parish re-furbished the water tower and as a result has to re-paint it. Faucheux wasapproached by several residents wanting to know why the St. John Parishlogo couldn’t be put on the tower. This prompted some investigation byFaucheux into the contract between the parish and Belle Terre Land L.L.C.At next week’s council meeting she plans to introduce a resolution that authorizes Louisiana State Attorney General Richard Ieyoub to investigate all the contracts involved with the water tower.

Faucheux said this resolution is just a protective measure for the council.

“I’m not looking for anything in particular. I’m just looking for ways to protectthe parish, ” said Faucheux. “It’s like preparing for a hurricane. I just wantto make sure that all the doors and windows are secure.”At the same meeting next week Parish President Nickie Monica will ask the council to back his veto of a council resolution passed two weeks ago authorizing the parish to paint only the parish logo on the water tower.

“I have to veto this,” said Monica. “The contract is binding and we have tofollow it.”The contract at the center of the controversy is actually two contracts. Ata workshop on the matter Thursday night Faucheux brought the council and the public up to speed on what is going on.

Back in November 1987 the now-defunct company, Landmark Land, donated some land to the parish for the express purpose of erecting a parish water tower. The land is worth $61,000, and the only stipulation given by Landmarkwas that its logo be put on the tower at the expense of Landmark.

Several years later Landmark Land was dissolved by the Resolution Trust Corp., but still retained control of the contract and its logo. Belle Terre LandL.L.C. then bought up the land around the water tower, which included thecovenants to the spot where the water tower stood.

In 1997 Primeco Telecommunications approached the parish government and requested that a cellular phone antenna be placed on the water tower on Belle Terre Boulevard and on the tower behind the Percy Hebert Building on Airline Highway.

A new contract was drawn up in which Primeco would pay the parish $15,144 a year per antenna. In order for the parish and Primeco to have right-of-wayto the water tower on Belle Terre, Belle Terre Land’s only requirement was that the Belle Terre logo be painted on the water tower at the parish’s expense. The council approved the contract with a vote of 8-0.The expense of painting the logo is at the heart of Faucheux’s objection to the contract.

“I have no problem with the Belle Terre logo on the tower, and I really don’t want to drag this out,” said Faucheux, “but I am against taxpayer money being used to pay for advertisement.”However, V. M. Wheeler, attorney for Belle Terre Land L.L.C., said, “One ofthe covenants of the contract was that the Belle Terre logo would be put on the tower at the parish’s expense. This came up when the parish re-paintedthe tower.”Wolfe told Wheeler, “You knew that the tower needed to be re-painted. Theparish made a bad contract and we are caught in a Catch-22 situation that will keep on going. It seems that we are at the mercy of Belle Terre Land.”Wheeler countered, “If the parish doesn’t put up the logo, then Belle Terre Land will force Primeco to put up the logo.”Council President Duaine Duffy said the issue was really about cellular phone towers, not painting logos.

“It makes good sense to put the cellular towers on the water tower,” Duffy said. “The warning lights are already there, and they don’t become aneyesore for the community. Plus, I understood that the money we got fromPrimeco, would pay for the painting.”Monica told those at the workshop it would cost $2,400 to put up the logo.

Later, St. John Chief Administrative Officer Chris Guidry said the $2,400would be the cost for the St. John Parish logo. The Belle Terre logo wouldcost $1,400.

Wheeler told the council, “I think that Belle Terre Land would rather get the Primeco money and pay the $2,400 for painting the logo.”Wheeler said Belle Terre Land actually backed away from negotiating with Primeco, and let the parish get the money.

“Belle Terre Land is a good corporate citizen and we want to remain so,” Wheeler told the council. “We want you to know that everything here is anopen book.”Two private citizens approached the council during the workshop and expressed their resistance to putting up the Belle Terre logo.

“The $2,400 could be spent in betters ways elsewhere,” said New Era resident Vicky Tauzin. “We might as well put Wal-Mart’s logo up there.”Al Arabie said he had been all over the world, and he had never seen anything like this before.

“The water tower should be an advertisement for a parish and not a subdivision,” Arabie said.

Steve Lee said, “The deal is questionable, but our attorney’s believe, and I believe, that is a valid contract. I have to yield to that.”Wolfe responded, “I’m not bashing Belle Terre Land, but the advertising for Belle Terre on that water tower is worth a lot more than $2,400.”Lee asked if the idea of re-negotiating the contract had been raised.

Tim Kelly, chief financial officer with Standard Mortgage, the company that manages Belle Terre Land didn’t seem too happy with the idea of re- negotiation.

“We had the opportunity to receive all the revenue from Primeco, but we backed off and let the parish get the money,” said Kelly. “Our eyes, Primeco’seyes and the parish’s eyes were wide open when the contract was signed.”Lee insisted that Kelly answer the question about re-negotiating the contract. “Are you willing to re-negotiate?”Kelly answered, “We have no problem with going to Primeco and changing the payments. I just think that the parish will get the short end of the deal.”Lee answered wryly, “It won’t be the first time.”Even though no answers were arrived at in the workshop, several conclusions were reached by council members.

Job Boucvalt said, “I see this as a binding contract. We have a good companyhere, bringing good business into the parish. From what I’ve seen and heard,it is a good contract and Belle Terre is not at fault.”Wolfe ended the meeting by asking the council to think about a resolution that would force the council to have public hearings any time the council wants to enter into a contract.

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