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LAPLACE — Signs continue to point to St. John the Baptist Parish’s steady recovery from Hurricane Ida, providing much-needed hope for a parish still coping with the storm’s devastating aftermath.

Those glimpses of recovery were evident this past Tuesday night when council members awarded two bids for repairs on parish buildings and authorized bids be solicited for repairs on additional buildings.

Veterans Construction LLC of LaPlace was awarded bids to complete repairs to the sheriff’s office and St. John Theatre.

The firm’s bid of $250,000 for the sheriff’s office was within engineers’ estimate for the project. Meanwhile, Veterans’ $278,000 bid for the St. John Theatre project was $16,000 under the projected estimate.

Councilwoman Tammy Houston said the repairs represent another step forward in the recovery process to restoring a sense of normalcy in the parish.

The administration was also authorized to solicit bids for asphalt shingle roofing repairs for 15 buildings that suffered extensive damage during Ida, with a combined estimated cost of $450,352.

Additionally, the administration was authorized to solicit bids for roofing Modified Bituman roofing repairs for an additional six buildings, with an estimated cost of $600,000.

All of the repairs are being funded through the Hurricane Ida fund with FEMA reimbursement.

In other business, the council authorized the parish to enter into a Professional Services Agreement with Meyer Engineers LTD of Metairie for design services of the Ezekiel Jackson Airnasium project. The estimated cost of the agreement is not to exceed $34,360.19.

The parish is also soliciting bids for construction of the entire project, which includes a new basketball court, lighting and airnasium. The estimated cost of $510,101 is being partially funded through a $50,000 donation from Marathon Oil.

“People are excited for this project,” Councilwoman Tammy Houston said.

“It’s been a long time coming and it is well-deserved,” added Councilman Lennix Madere.

In other Parish Council news, residents in the areas of Cardinal Street in LaPlace and Carol Street in Pleasure Bend might soon notice improvements in their water service after the council authorized the administration to complete and submit documents for a  Community Water Enrichment Fund grant. The $150,000 grant provides a source of funding that will replace a segment of two-inch waterline with a new six-inch waterline on Cardinal Street and install a new four-inch waterline on Carol Street to transfer water service to the parish water system.