By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

EDGARD – At their first official meeting of the new year, the St. John the Baptist Parish Council on Monday voted to authorize the parish to apply for three state grants that would provide funding for improvements to the parish’s water treatment and distribution systems.

Chief Administrative Officer Theresa Rodgers said the grants, through the Governor’s Office of Community Development Local Government Assistance Program, would total more than $142,000 and would help the parish make improvements at the Lions water treatment plant and the Edgard water treatment plant as well as improve water distribution systems in LaPlace.

Rodgers said the first grant application would take care of the removal and replacement of an existing vertical turbine on a water well at the Lions plant. She said the pump is more than 30 years old and no longer able to produce the required capacity of 2,100 gallons per minute.

The second grant would be applied toward the removal of an existing 6-inch water pipe from the Edgard plant to the main water line servicing the west bank. The smaller line would be replaced with a 12-inch pipe and would produce four times the pressure and flow. Rodgers said the 6-inch line is no longer suitable for the amount of residents and commercial business on the west bank.

The final grant would be put toward improvements to the water distribution systems in LaPlace and Reserve. Rodgers said the parish wants to remove a leaking booster pump and replace associated valves to help control water flow.

All three resolutions were approved unanimously.

In other action, the council agreed to table the parish’s issuance of a certificate of substantial completion for a drainage improvement project in the St. Peter’s Church area.

Councilman Ranney Wilson said he has spoken to constituents in the area and said there are still some issues that have been left unaddressed.