RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY HAS LEVEE REPAIRS TO COMPLETE IN 2012

"The most important issue facing the Rapides Parish Police Jury in 2012 was also the most important issue facing the jury in 2011 -- resolving the situation with the Red River levees." (See: "Rapides Parish Police Jury must resolve Red River levee problems").

"The jury took the lead in the effort to have the levees recertified, allocating more than $16 million in drainage funds towards the project in 2009, with the cooperation of several parish municipalities that were due some of those funds." id.

That, however, isn't exactly correct.

The $16 million in drainage funds were awarded to the Parish as part of the Hurricane Gustav and Ike repair funds. The funds were divided by the Police Jury among the various districts for their various drainage projects.

Then in March, 2010, not 2009 as reported in the Town Talk, Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy, Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields, and a bevy of backers convinced the Police Jury to turn over that drainage money, which apparently couldn't be used for that purpose, to Jacques' Levee Alliance to repair sand boils in the Red River levees.

The Alexandria side of the Red River levee was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers problem to fix, while the Corps claimed that the Pineville side was the responsibility of the Red River, Atchafalaya & Bayou Boeuf Levee District (RRABB).

There were no sand boils located within the City limits of Alexandria. Alexandria's levee problems were the parking lots cut into the levees and the utilities placed upon the levees on Bayou Rapides. Pineville's problems consisted mainly of utilities in and on its levee on the Red River.

Mayor Jacques, who had complete control over his Levee Alliance, hired Alexandria attorney Jimmy Faircloth, Jr., former attorney for Gov. Bobby Jindal, unsuccessful candidate for the Louisiana Supreme Court, and was found to have obtained two illegal contracts with the State, filed suit in federal court against FEMA and the Corps. Earlier this year, that lawsuit was dismissed by the court.

The actions by FEMA and the Corps "would have forced a large majority of homeowners and businesses in the Alexandria-Pineville area to purchase costly federal flood insurance". id. "The immediate threat diminished when the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced in June it was backing away from plans to redraw flood maps of the area showing no levee protection along the river." id.

See Also:

SAND BOIL REPAIRS TO COST $5,365,755 and the posts therein

DRAINAGE IN MONROE

&

ISSUES REMAINING FOR THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN 2012 and the posts linked under the section on levees