LAPLACE — Eradication of blighted properties and providing improved housing for those in need are the goals of the St. John Housing Authority, which has had its own share of difficulties in the past few years.

Garyville will be the first area to be redeveloped and other areas of the parish will eventually follow, executive director Trina Henderson said during the St. John Parish Council meeting Tuesday. Although many of the housing authority’s apartments were severely damaged during Hurricane Isaac, Henderson said the Garyville area is in dire need of redevelopment.

She said the housing authority is seeking CBDG, FEMA and HUD funding and was before the Council seeking what amounts to a formal letter to HUD from the Council, which was approved.

“It’s important we have the parish support,” she said.

Henderson, who was hired in 2011 to replace Dale Wolfe, who was fired earlier that year following several contract and policy violations, said redevelopment plans for the remainder of the parish would be introduced as funding becomes available. Various components are in play, including much needed tax credits, she added.

She also said the housing authority is partnering with Columbia Residential, which was instrumental in partnering with the Bayou District in the highly-acclaimed redevelopment of the St. Bernard Housing Development in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Henderson agreed with Councilman Marvin Perrilloux’s assessment that the parish needs to develop additional housing and told Council members the severity of the damage at some housing units is contributing to an occupancy rate of less than 50 percent of the 296 units under the Authority’s control.

She admitted some of the units are in such “dire straits” that “many cannot be rehabbed. That is why you will see some boarded up.”

The goal of the Authority, she said, is to provide sanitary and clean housing and if that is unable to be done, “we will not do it.”

In other action, Council members awarded a contract to Active Solutions of New Orleans to provide security cameras at the West bank Courthouse that is under renovation. It is not unusual for such bids to sail through the finance committee, where it was initially introduced, but an error on the bid sheet appeared to leave Council members perplexed.

At the center of contention was Active Solution’s low bid of $36,928.23 did not add up across the line items because of an apparent error on the charge per hour for installation.

When questioned by Councilman Larry Snyder, chief administrative officer Michael Coburn said his office only looks at the final totals.

The bid was tabled. When an attempt was made to reintroduce it, legal counsel informed the Council once an item is tabled it could not be brought up again during the same meeting. However, during the regular Council meeting, Councilwoman Jaclyn Hotard reintroduced the proposal, and it passed 7-2 — Ranney Wilson and Cheryl Millet voted against it.

— By Richard Meek