LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / December 9, 2000

LAPLACE – The South Louisiana Port Commission removed two officers, both residents of St. Charles Parish, in swift action Wednesday at its briefmonthly meeting.

Executive Vice President Joey Murray and Treasurer Jay Roberts were absent from the vote, though enroute and having called ahead to tell the commission of the delay.

Murray and Roberts said afterwards they knew the removals were on the agenda and tried to find someone to return their calls for several days prior to the meeting.

They were replaced by Gregory Gravois of St. James Parish as Murray’ssuccessor and E.J. Martin of St. John the Baptist Parish as Roberts’successor in a five-minute meeting. Murray, appointed by St. Charles Parish,and Roberts, appointed by Gov. Foster, remain on the commission.Neither President Louis Joseph nor Executive Director Joseph Accardo Jr.

had any comment to make during or after the meeting regarding the reason for the change.

Murray and Roberts have their own ideas.

“I was shocked,” Murray said of finding the agenda item. “I was ratherdisappointed.”He continued, “I’m going to continue to weigh each decision prudently and competently and make my decisions accordingly.”Roberts commented, “I question the untimely and rash decision to replace the treasurer with no explanation before the audit is made public.”Roberts added, “We’re there for good government and fiscal responsibility, and they can’t handle that.”Roberts referred to a recent audit by Kushner LaGraize of Metairie which turned up several alleged irregularities, including an improper payment of $34,947 for 839 hours of accumulated sick leave and annual leave to departing director Gary LaGrange, to which he was not entitled by state law, and a total of 25 improper expenses in violation of state law.

The audit report is now in the hands of the Legislative Auditor’s office.

Only Commissioner Bill Hubbard of St. John Parish voted in opposition to thereplacements of Murray and Roberts during the meeting, and afterwards he complained of allegedly being instructed by Accardo not to talk to the media without clearing his comments through him.

In other business during the brief meeting, the port commission approved the terminal operator’s agreement for the Globalplex General Cargo Terminal in Reserve.

Sharing in the dock operation are Stevedoring Service of America, which will handle most of the containers; Associated Terminals of Reserve, which will handle most of the bulk cargo; and International Ship Service, which will handle onsite management.

Accardo said the companies will split dockage and wharfage fees, with 40 percent going to the port itself. With incentives for dock occupancy andrevenues the contract, initially at two years, could max out at eight years and become renewable upon meeting the occupancy and revenue goals.

Also, the port commission approved an engineering proposal for the Globalplex transit shed project.

In this proposal, GSE Associates of Houma and Metairie will develop the project scope, provide preliminary design and final design, prepare the construction bid documents and provide construction administration, all for a lump sum fee or an amount not to exceed 6 percent of the final construction cost.

Additionally, GSE will supervise construction, provide project representation and permit applications, drawings and other necessary items at an hourly fee with a maximum lump sum or an amount not to exceed 4 percent of the final project construction cost.

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