LEONARD GRAY

HAHNVILLE – A section of George Cousins Canal road, from the developed section adjoining Lakewood Subdivision, to the wastewater pond facility was bought by St. Charles Parish. The sale settles a long-standing legal dispute over the property, which includes a sewer line installed more than two decades ago, according to parish attorney Bobby Raymond. The St. Charles Parish Council approved the sale at their April 16 meeting. What the parish bought was a 50-foot wide strip of 1,670 feet in length, which includes the shell road and the right-of-way including the sewer line. “My understanding is that the sewer line was put down in the wrong place,” Raymond told the council, who said the $20,000 price is less than the appraised value. “Are we going to go after the engineers who put it there?” Councilman G. “Ram” Ramchandran asked. Raymond responded he would look into the possibility. “I think we should go after those guys and make them pay for it,” Ramchandran commented. The purchase was approved in an 8-1 vote, with Councilman Barry Minnich voting against it. In another matter, St. Charles Parish Hospital Administrator Fred Martinez revealed that the hospital has a signed purchase agreement to buy the Knights of Columbus Hall for $290,000. The hall, built in 1965, is included in the sale of the 1.5-acre site. Martinez said this is part of the hospital’s long-range expansion plans, to gain added access from Angus Drive. The comments came during Martinez’s request for council approval of the issuance and sale of $1.3 million in limited tax certificates of indebtedness for capital improvement purposes. Martinez added the hospital has $1.6 million in profits so far this fiscal year, and with the new correctional center near, the hospital will be providing medical services there, in a profit-making contract and a $1 million annual budget. The certificate issuance was approved in a 7-2 vote, with Ramchandran and Councilwoman Dee Abadie voting against. The council also approved the final change order for the Bar None West Ditch Phase II improvements project, decreasing the amount by $100 and the contract time by 52 days. The original contract amount was $299,608. Ramchandran questioned the engineer’s fee on the total project, but Public Works Director Stephen Fall did not have that figure immediately available. The change order was approved 8-1, with Ramchandran voting against. Finally, the council voted to request the Regional Planning Commission accept St. Charles Parish as a full member of the Transportation Policy Committee and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, in order to gain access to federal highway funds and have a voice in regional planning which may affect the parish. The request was approved 7-2, with Ramchandran and Abadie voting against.