LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / July 26, 2000

LULING – Only after being told price negotiations were next to useless did the St. Charles Parish School Board approve a waste management servicecontract with River Parish Disposal.

The $105,500 contract, or $477.38 per day, is a 25 percent increase overlast year’s fee, due mostly to spiraling landfill costs, according to Bernard Oubre, supervisor of physical plant services.

“I’m not buying into it,” commented board member Steve Crovetto. “I thinkyou can negotiate and bring that price down.”Board member John L. Smith agreed and advised awarding a short-termcontract while exploring the possibility of a lower price. River ParishDisposal was the only firm, out of 10 firms who received bid packages, to submit a bid.

However, the board ended up approving the contract Wednesday after considering the need of having a contractor on board by the time school opens.

Proposals for contracted custodial services were also awarded to handle all but three schools, where school employees will provide the function.

Cost of the proposal is nearly $360,000, with The Arc of St. Charles,Jean’s Janitorial, Quality Janitorial Service and Bywater Building Services Inc.

At Allemands Elementary, R.J. Vial Elementary and Mimosa ParkElementary, temporary school employees will be used until permanent employees can be hired.

The board also approved the 2001 budget, in which the general fund shows a decrease in revenues of $320,000 from the previous year due to sales tax receipts coming in lower than anticipated. General fund expendituresare also projected to decrease by $1.1 million, bringing the expensescloser to the reduced revenue projections.

The effect, Superintendent Rodney Lafon said, will be to cut into the fund balance from $3.52 million to $2 million.In other business, the board approved the purchase of student identification card equipment at a cost of $40,800 from Southern Visuals.

All middle and high school students will be required to wear their student ID cards.

Also, the board approved the construction of a screening fence along River Road in front of Hurst Middle School as part of the parish’s beautification program.

And, business and industry breakfast meetings with the superintendent and board have been scheduled for the coming year, all at Destrehan High School’s Wildcat Room, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The dates are Sept. 21, Nov. 9,Feb. 8 and April 12.

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