By LEONARD GRAY

HAHNVILLE – An agreement to construct a pumping station for the East Bank hurricane protection levee was narrowly approved by the St. Charles Parish Council at the Monday meeting.

After a heated debate and two unsuccessful tries to table the matter, the council approved the construction agreement with Motiva and Shell Chemical, both in Norco. One council member abstained from voting.

The approved project includes building an $8.3 million pumping station in Norco that would protect the community and the plants from a possible storm surge of Lake Pontchartrain caused by a hurricane.

The pumps would pull storm water out of the town and back to the wetlands, while the levee would keep it from returning.

Under the agreement, Shell Chemical and Motiva would front the parish $4.3 million, while the parish would fund the balance through a bond sale.

This would be the first of five needed pump stations in the hurricane protection levee, all with the purpose of protecting East Bank lives and property.

Destrehan resident Thelma Schexnaydre railed at the council, declaring, “We’re not being told the whole truth.” From time to time during discussion, her voice could be heard complaining from the audience and urging Councilman Clayton Faucheux to recuse himself from voting.

Hahnville resident Milton Allemand likewise expressed his own misgivings, and said much money could be saved if the industries themselves engineered the pump station project in-house.

Councilman G. “Ram” Ramchandran said Shell and Motiva sustained a $20 million loss in the floods of 1985, 1989 and 1995 and should build the pump station themselves.

“This administration does not work well with the council,” he complained, adding he was left out of behind-the-scenes discussions.

He moved to table until all the council were briefed in depth on the matter, but the motion failed with only Councilman Terry Authement and Councilwoman Dee Abadie joining him.

“I want to know just where our portion is coming from,” Authement urged.

Finance director Lorrie Toups responded the parish’s share would be generated from a re-funding of existing bond issues. Authement retorted it was his understanding that income would be vital to finance general government operations when he sought to use it to bring about a reduction in the sewer rate.

Councilwoman April Black expressed her approval, saying this would be “one pump closer to St. Rose” and offered her full support.

Abadie said she had done her own research and claimed an adequate pump station could be wholly built for $4 million, and for $8.3 million, two pump stations could be built.

“You’re taking a necessary project and applying old-style Louisiana politics,” Abadie commented, and she called for tabling the matter. This failed by a 5-4 vote, with Abadie joined by Authement, Ramchandran and Barry Minnich.

Faucheux pointed out the agreement under discussion did not mandate any particular funding idea for the parish’s share. “That’s what you have focused on to try and kill this project,” he added.

“This is a gift horse,” Councilman Lance Marino observed, and continued, “We can challenge other local industry for future pumping stations.

The final vote came down to Marino, Black, Faucheux, Desmond Hilaire and Brian Fabre in favor, Minnich, Authement and Abadie opposed and Ramchandran recusing himself, as he is a contract employee for Motiva.

Faucheux, in response to loud complaints from the audience, declared he would vote despite being an employee of the union at Motiva, but not of Motiva itself.