By Stephen Hemelt
L’Observateur

CONVENT — A judge may decide the next step in the now contentious relationship between St. James Parish Government and Petroplex International.

St. James Parish sent the company a stop-work order this week for an ongoing $800 million tank farm project, which is under construction in Vacherie.

“We think there in non-compliance on about seven or eight categories,” Parish President Timmy Roussel said. “We are trying to hold their feet to the fire with the stop-work order. We are still in the process of debating it. We don’t know if we gained any ground towards any kind of agreement.”

Parish government officials and Petroplex officials, along with lawyers for each side, met for three hours Thursday afternoon in an effort to find some common ground, but made little progress.

“Petroplex is going back to their Board of Directors,” Roussel said.

“We do have some options open, but we don’t know if we all agree with those options. Let’s let a judge decide. I’m not sure if they are too happy with letting a judge decide.

“It’s an uncomfortable situation. We don’t want to see anyone spend a huge amount of money and not gain from it, but at the same time, we need to do what is best for the taxpayers of St. James Parish, too.”

The disagreement this week follows a Council meeting Nov. 5, where numerous Council members cited their apparent displeasure with what some called a lack of construction progress at the liquid storage tank farm site in Vacherie.

Council members asked several questions of the Petroplex representatives while discussing whether they thought the company has complied with the parish-issued resolution outlining the construction timeline and building requirements.

At that meeting parish attorney Victor Franckiewicz said because Petroplex had not constructed a permanent facility by the July 31 deadline and were not in compliance with the Council-passed resolution.

The St. James Parish Council granted Petroplex permission to build an $800 million tank farm in Vacherie earlier this year after its 6-1 approval vote.