By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – After months of back and forth debate between parish officials and Wal-Mart representatives over road repairs, the St. John Parish Council decided Tuesday to move forward with a repaving project for Carrollwood Drive in LaPlace, but will continue to negotiate with the retailer regarding the cost of the work.

During a meeting of the Finance Committee, the council approved authorization to execute a contract with Davezac Consulting Engineers to begin the design work for improvements to the street, which is a major outlet to various subdivisions in the LaPlace area.

“Holding this off would be irresponsible to the constituents,” said Division B Councilman-at-Large Steve Lee before a vote on the measure. “This does not mean we shirk our responsibility to continue to hold Wal-Mart responsible for part of the cost of repairs, but we need to move forward.”

Lee, who represents the area where Wal-Mart is situated, said that he is more than confident that Wal-Mart will get involved in the project, and pay for their share of the improvements. He said he is happy the parish has decided to take control of the project and get it done as soon as possible.

“Their (Wal-Mart) position has softened, and I think they will participate, but we want to use our own engineers this time,” said Lee after the meeting. “Wal-Mart used their own workers last time, and we were not happy with the results.”

The parish and the retail giant have been in a tussle over responsibility for repairs of a stretch of Carrollwood Drive between Airline Highway and Madewood-Dominican Drives since the middle of last year when the street began showing major signs of deterioration.

Wal-Mart management had originally made agreements with the previous parish administration to put up 80 percent of the cost of repairs, but changed their minds after corporate representatives came out to look at the damage.

Parish Engineer C.J. Savoie had submitted a report to the council in December that said damage to the street was caused by Wal-Mart delivery trucks that travel up and down the street daily. The parish also drafted a letter to the company’s corporate office regarding the damage to get the retailer’s official stance on responsibility, as well as remind them of their initial commitment to help.

St. John Public Information Officer Buddy Boe said that Wal-Mart has also done its own traffic study, to see if the damage pertains to heavy truck traffic. Results of that study are still pending.

Boe said talks would continue with Wal-Mart, but the parish still does not have assurances that the company will participate. He said the parish could consider imposing a weight limit or axle restrictions on the road if Wal-Mart declines to help pay for the improvements.

“We certainly do not want to go that route,” said Boe. “We want Wal-Mart in the parish. They contribute a great deal to St. John.”

The contract that was approved Tuesday allows for the design phase of the project to begin, which Boe said would take about 90 days. He said the parish would then seek bids for construction, which is expected to cost between $350,000 and $500,000.   

Since the contract with Davezac is a professional service contract, the parish charter says that the parish president can select a company of his choice.