By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

(Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correctly say who was seeking to build a new RV park and what role the meeting’s public comment section had before Parish Council members.)
CONVENT – The St. James Parish Council resolved to create a six-month moratorium barring the creation of new RV parks and campgrounds in the Grand Point area at their meeting Feb. 6. The council also rejected Piccadilly Cafeteria’s bid to create emergency shelter meals last Wednesday.
Rodney Daigle is proposing to build a 5-acre RV park near Grand Point.
According to the meeting’s minutes on file with St. James Parish, Mark Anderson, with Poche Plantation and an RV park owner, and who is not associated with Daigle’s plans, addressed the Council regarding an RV park ordinance. Anderson shared his comments on RV parks and the new business as well as sales tax revenue this has brought to St. James Parish.
He encouraged the Council to visit his RV parks to see where these RVs are coming from. Anderson supports an RV Park ordinance and feels it is important for the Council to gain input from RV park owners when creating this ordinance.
The current ordinance only regulates grounds for mobile homes and does not stipulate where RV parks or campgrounds can be built. The parish council issued the moratorium so it can take more time to re-evaluate the situation.
Council members said that shaky wording in the prospective contract is to blame for Picadilly Cafeteria’s rejection, though it was the only bid received.
“They removed a sentence regarding liquidated damages — that kind of scared us. We don’t want to be in the middle of a disastrous event depending on that food for sheltered people, and they don’t show up. Then they’re not going be responsible for liquidated damages, meaning that we have to hurry up and find someone else to cook for those sheltered people,” said Parish President Timmy Roussel. “So we’re going to ask you all to reject this, and we’ll try again and make contact with other companies.”
Council members said local catering companies were initially asked to participate but did not show interest. The council mentioned looking into nationwide companies instead. If no company can be found to take up the job, the council would be willing to renegotiate the contract with Picadilly Cafeteria, said councilman James Brazan.
The council also reviewed hurricane protection plans from Burk-Kleinpeter Inc. Company representatives Mike Chopin and Henry Picard said the company is currently in phase one of the plan, the first part of which consists of a study to show existing drainage issues. In phase two, the company will take the data it gathers from the study to predict future run-off problems. From there, it will create a solution that will fix current issues and simultaneously prevent future ones. The company anticipates phase one completion by the end of March.
“The most important reason why we wanted to do the future-condition model is we don’t want to solve one district’s problem by putting it in another district. We need to solve it as a complete east bank problem and try and solve it for everybody,” said Picard.
Picard said that the project as a whole is a 10- to 15-year plan. Councilman Jason Amato said the parish needs a more immediate solution because the danger of a storm is too imminent. In addition, Amato said the risk of flooding made young families far less likely to migrate to the area, stunting the growth of the parish.
“First of all, I think we need to look at Ascension Parish — they’re not waiting on the federal government, and I don’t think we’re in a position to wait for them either,” said Amato. “I hate to say simply, but I think we need to make sure we know what we got and move forward. Eight years. I don’t know if our parish could withstand the threat of eight more years.”
The next St. James Parish Council meeting will be held Monday, Feb. 18, in Vacherie.