By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A resolution asking the parish administration to come up with a short-term solution to a long standing drainage problem in Reserve was the highlight of Tuesday’s St. John Parish Council meeting.

District 3 Councilman Charles Julien spearheaded the resolution in response to heavy amounts of flooding that affected several parts of the parish earlier this month.

Julien’s main focus was the Homewood area of Reserve, which has been prone to flooding for decades. He said the rain event earlier this month, which dropped more than 20 inches in a span of a few days, was the motivation behind the proposed resolution.

“We had people that needed boats to get out of their homes,” Julien said. “This should not still be happening in this area. We need to get something done now and not put it off any longer.”

St. John Acting Chief Administrative Officer Buddy Boe said administration officials, various directors and the council’s legal team will convene in the coming days and lay out a plan that he expects to have ready by the next council meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 12.

In other action, the council approved a pair of contracts with Principal Engineering for replacement of two heavily traveled bridges in LaPlace.

The contracts, each totaling $350,000, are for work to repair bridges on Country Club Drive and Greenwood Drive in the Riverlands subdivision of LaPlace.

Boe said the contract for the Greenwood Bridge also includes resurfacing work on Greenwood Drive in front of LaPlace Elementary School. He said the work would not begin until summer, when school is out of session.

For more coverage of Tuesday’s council meeting, check out the weekend edition of L’Observateur.