LEONARD GRAY

BATON ROUGE – St. Charles Parish’s parish council approved a resolution Monday to oppose a bill filed in the current session of the Louisiana legislature which threatens to undermine efforts to keep the proposed north-south runway out of St. Rose. “This has the New Orleans Aviation Board written all over it,” commented St. Rose councilwoman April Black while proposing the opposition resolution. “It takes too much power away from local governments without their say-so.” New Orleans International Airport has long proposed to construct a new runway, entirely located in St. Charles Parish, which would have a devastating impact on the towns of St. Rose and Ama. In question is House Bill 2008, introduced by Rep. John Alario of Baton Rouge, which would establish the “Louisiana Airport Development Authority.” Parish President Albert Laque commented, “You always get concerned when Alario’s name is on the bill.” According to the language in the bill, a newly-appointed 15-member board, under the umbrella of the state Department of Transportation and Development, would have final approval over any airport expansion or construction statewide. The 15-member board would not necessarily include any River Parishes representatives, but does mandate five members from New Orleans. Councilman G. “Ram” Ramchandran of Destrehan said the bill likewise is opposed by the city councils of New Orleans and Kenner, and added, “We should express our strong opposition.” Under DOTD authority, the bill states, the proposed LADA would have the power to take whatever land it desired for airport construction or expansion, anywhere in the state. Laque sent a memo sent to the parish’s three state legislators, Sen. Joel Chaisson II, Rep. Gary Smith and Rep. Glenn Ansardi, in which he stated: “This obvious subversive attempt to detrimentally harm our constituency is truly insulting. I hope that you agree with me and diligently lobby your colleagues on the House Transportation Committee to deny this issue.” Glenn Smith, chairman of the Louisiana Airport Authority which seeks to build a regional airport in southeast Louisiana, has said that group is concerned as well. “Some legislators are extremely upset by this,” Smith added, and explained by example that should Baton Rouge want to expand their airport, conceivably, the five New Orleans members, meeting as a majority of the quorum, could shut down that proposal as being competitive with the New Orleans airport. If approved by the full legislature and after Gov. Foster signed the act, the LADA would be appointed by Oct. 15.