LAPLACE — Heading into 2020, it is unclear whether the River Parishes Tourist Commission will retain the responsibility of managing and promoting the St. John Community Center on U.S. 51 in LaPlace. An agenda item requesting authorization to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with RPTC has hung on the St. John Parish Council agenda for more than two months, and the Dec. 23 Council meeting brought the two parties no closer to a resolution.

At the end of the Dec. 23 meeting, RPTC Executive Director Buddy Boe stated the Commission would cease operations at the St. John Community Center until further notice. During a phone call with L’OBSERVATEUR, Boe clarified that the cease in operations would have no impact on the production of the Netflix film “One Night in Miami,” which is being produced locally. The production is under contract, and film crews will have a presence at the St. John Community Center through March.

However, Boe said the question of management must be answered sooner rather than later to maximize revenue from event bookings.

“The building does get calls,” Boe said. “There is interest, and someone needs to be answering the phone.”

The decision for RPTC to cease operations came down to two factors, according to Boe. One was the need to formalize an agreement with St. John Parish, which has not yet been achieved. The other was to address comments from Assistant District Attorney Keith Green that RPTC was involved in an “illegal donation” of time from public employees. According to Green, RPTC employees worked over the summer without compensation, while Boe maintains there was a fair exchange of services and time.

“They’ve been working with Netflix since June, but Netflix didn’t actually sign anything until August or September,” Green said. “Between June and Netflix signing, there was no compensation for the work that the Tourist Commission employees were providing with respect to that building.”

Green advised Council members to not approve the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement until he had a chance to sit down with RPTC leadership, since an approval could make the Parish Council complicit in an illegal donation. Green added that the issues are definitely workable and could be hammered out.

Boe said he plans to meet with the District Attorney’s Office to work out any issues.

“The situation as it exists today existed both nine months ago and nine years ago,” Boe said. “We believe there was a fair exchange of services and time. We’re talking about two public entities with both public entities having a mission related to that building. Both of those missions were achieved.”

Boe emphasized the need for a formal agreement with the incoming Parish Council. He said the previous agreement, crafted in 2008, did its job until it expired in 2017. The new proposed CEA included a 20 percent commission for RPTC from the combined revenue of all annual bookings in the Parish-owned building. That 20 percent figure stirred conflicting opinions among Council members.

“We’re simply looking to make sure that in the time spent on managing the center, the Tourist Commission and the Parish both have clearly defined roles and responsibilities,” Boe said, adding the 20 percent commission would provide an added incentive for RPTC employees in day-to-day operations.

“We did ask for a commission on the revenue booked so that the burden is on us to book the building, and the Parish knows they have someone managing the building thinking about optimizing revenue and economic impact every day.”

The proposed CEA includes a clause allowing the Parish Council to exit the agreement at any time, for any reason.

“Our argument is that we can do it, have done it and will continue to do it better if we can get into a contractual state,” Boe said. “When we look at an event, it’s not just filling a date on a calendar. We look at it from a perspective of hotels, lodging and tourism.”

Outgoing Parish President Natalie Robottom pointed out that bookings have increased over the past several years because of the Tourist Commission’s targeted approach. She said there is value in having an agreement that doesn’t rely heavily on Parish staff.

According to Robottom, the cost of the 20 percent commission in the proposed CEA would be a bargain compared to the cost of hiring a Parish employee to manage the Community Center.

“We may be paying someone for a position, and we only made $9,000 in bookings, so it wouldn’t even cover the cost of an employee,” Robottom said.

Councilwoman Julia Remondet, who will be leaving the Parish Council in 2020, applauded RPTC’s management of the building.

“To run the building, you have to be in that world, know the market and know the trends,” Remondet said. “You’ve got to be immersed in the language and know what’s out there to compete on an equal basis or better. This is very costly and time consuming. You need to leave your world of government and focus on it because this is a market in itself, and I think they are doing a fabulous job.”

Not everyone was as complimentary. There were major concerns that the Community Center’s role as a sound stage is not fulfilling the public’s original intent to have a location for recreation.

Councilman Marvin Perrilloux, who recently lost a bid for re-election, called the St. John Community Center a “white elephant” and an “eyesore.”

“Had we used that building as recreation as it was planned to, it would’ve been paid for by now,” Perrilloux said. “As a traveling parent with sports, I watch AAU. I watch how much parents are spending in communities on hotels and restaurants. I was one of them.”

He added that the 20 percent commission to RPTC is too high, and that the job could be handled from within the administration.

Councilmen Larry Sorapuru and Kurt Becnel were also vocal in their disagreement with the current use of the Community Center. Sorapuru lost a bid for re-election in the At-Large Division A race and will not be returning to the Parish Council in 2020, but he is well aware of community concerns over the Center that have permeated for years.

“The public voted for their tax dollars to be used for recreation, and I have to sleep with that every day,” Sorapuru said. “Before I leave this Council, I will not support this. As a Council, we have failed. We have not delivered the goods to the public.”

Becnel added that RPTC also promotes attractions in St. James and St. Charles parishes, and he does not feel comfortable with revenue from the St. John-owned Community Center being extended to neighboring parishes.

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