Ville Platte council discusses drainage concerns at meeting

Promising that her administration “is going to do our part,” Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine addressed drainage concerns from home owners in the Shady Acres neighborhood. During the regular City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Vidrine promised to assess the problem on a city-wide basis.
Represented by Faye Lemoine, more than a dozen residents of the subdivision on Scenic Drive requested that the mayor authorize City engineer Ronnie Landreneau do an elevation study to figure out how to fix the drainage issue.
Several houses, including Lemoine’s, were flooded during last month’s historic rains. Some of the houses had three or more feet of water in them, Lemoine said.
“Our flooding problems stem from way before the recent flooding,” Lemoine told the Council. “I have had water in my house three times in the last five years. Each time we have requested drainage help from the city, there has been an effort made to fix it. But, the effort simply isn’t enough.”
Lemoine brought a slide presentation to show the Council evidence of the drainage problem. The recent photos showed ditches full of water in front of her house, but dry ditches where the water should drain to.
Coach Bobby Soileau reported the same thing.
“I’ve lived there for fifty years,” Soileau said, “with no problems. But, in the last five to six years everybody is getting water in their homes. Why now?”
Noting that the houses near hers, at the center of the neighborhood sit in a depression, she told the Council, “I’m not an engineer, but water won’t flow uphill.”
Landreneau, who lives in the neighborhood, said that he already did a hydraulic study in 2007, and that he can supplement that survey with new information from recent construction in the area.
Landreneau said that he knows that part of the problem is that the culverts and catch basins are not properly lined up, with the culverts at the drainage end of the ditches being at a higher elevation than others.
Vidrine told the Shady Acres residents that the City will immediately begin clearing out any debris and vegetation that is obstructing the drainage.
While promising to do all that the City government can do, Vidrine also noted that drainage is an inter-govermental concern. She said that Ville Platte has just entered into a cooperative endeavor with the Police Jury to clean out the bayou that passes to the north of the neighborhood.
“I saw the look of skepticism when the Police Jury was brought up,” Vidrine told the group. “We’ll do our part, but you need to go tell the Police Jury that you expect them to do their part, too. They need to hear from you. We need to work together on our common problems.”
Vidrine also promised that once the Shady Acre problem is figured out, the City will not stop there.
“We’re going to look at the drainage for the whole city,” she said. “And, from now on, we’re going to be doing quarterly checks of our drainage system” to address problems before they get too big.
During the discussion, it was mentioned that one of the home owners in Shady Acres has an erosion barricade on her property that causes some drainage issues. City Attorney Eric Lafleur reminded the public that property owners cannot erect anything, even on their own private property, that impedes drainage.
“You cannot restrict the natural flow of drainage,” Lafleur said.
After the meeting, Vidrine told the Gazette that, in order to avoid drainage problems, it prefers that people do not privately install their culverts.
“If people buy a culvert, they can call us,” Vidrine explained, “and we will put it in the ground. We will make sure that it is put at a depth and slope that maintains proper drainage through the whole neighborhood and city.”
In other business, Landreneau informed the Council about a potential problem affecting the Ville Platte gas system. He said that, unless an extension is granted, the company that supplies the City’s natural gas will conduct mandated system maintenance repairs starting on Sept. 21. The two-day maintenance procedure will cause a termination in service from that company.
However, Landreneau said that residents should not see a disruption in supply because he and the mayor are ironing out an agreement with a second company to provide natural gas during that time.
“Another source is willing to come in and give us temporary service,” Landreneau explained. “We do not have to pay for the hook-up; only for the gas we use. And the cost of the gas could be lower than we’re paying now.”
The Council approved the purchase of five new police body cameras and a new secure server on which to store the footage. The cameras and server will cost more than $8,000.
“We’re ahead of the game” on the police body cameras, Vidrine said. “We’ve been having the cameras for three years. They have had a very positive impact.
“Before we got the cameras, we had lawsuits every month,” she explained. “Since, we’ve only had one per year. These cameras keep everybody honest. It’s not a ‘he say, she say’ situation.”
Vidrine said that the new cameras are needed for two reasons. First, the current cameras are getting old and need to be replaced; and because the new cameras are more rugged and are able to video more.”
“These are the same cameras that are being used in Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and the big cities,” she said.
Acknowledging that the police department needs 25 cameras, Vidrine said that after the initial purchase, she would apply for grants through the Justice Department to fund the others. If the City can’t get the grants, then it would purchase a new body camera every month.
The City accepted the donation of the old Heritage Manor nursing home facility. It will use the campus to house its Public Works department. It also voted to increase the minimum wage that it pays city employees from $7.25/hour to $8/hour.
Vidrine urged property owners to be on the lookout for their property tax bills, which will be mailed out soon.
“Please, please, please be sure that the tax assessor’s office has your right address,” Vidrine said, “and that you have a mailbox at your curb. The tax payment is due at the end of the year, but we’re giving a month’s grace period.
“So, taxes will become delinquent on Feb. 1, 2017. But, if they become delinquent, then we will assess a high delinquency fee, which is more than $50.”
Fire Chief Chris Harrison and the whole fire department was lauded by Vidrine and the Council for their quick response during the recent flooding. Vidrine presented them with plaques of appreciation.
“They did a masterful job,” Vidrine said. “All of our city workers did, but the fire department was the first to call, asking what they could do to help rescue people.”
The fire department, aided by many volunteers, made more than 25 flood rescues. Many of the people were brought to the Boys and Girls Club.
Vidrine even singled out new fireman Kyle Dupre, who volunteered to spend the night at the Club with three elderly residents.
“His presence there made them feel so safe,” Vidrine said.
Becky Buller, of Keeping Evangeline Beautiful, asked the mayor to remind residents that they can be proactive in helping to cut the grass and pick up litter. Sharon Fontenot, also working with KEB, told the Council that the “electronic device recycling” program that has been so successful the last couple of years will become a parish-wide program this year.
Workers at the Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster children informed the Council that they have been working in Ville Platte since February. They are looking for volunteers to represent foster children in the court system. These volunteers would be trained to help safeguard the welfare of vulnerable children. They can be reached at 615 West Magnolia Street. There are currently 67 children in foster care in Evangeline Parish.
Vidrine honored the members of the Louisiana Rockets AAU basketball team, which won its fourth national championship in Las Vegas over the summer.