St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars said that a suitable location to dispose of material from the planned deepening of the silted Catahoula Lake has probably been secured.
At the July 10 parish council meeting, members gave Cedars approval to sign a contract for the needed servitude agreements. He said the location, which belongs to Jackie Theriot, should make the permitting process move ahead more smoothly.
In recent years, silt has collected in the lake, rendering it much less usable for recreation as well as making it a choke point for storm water drainage. The current plan is to dredge the lake to a minimum of eight feet. That will create 65,000 cubic yards of spoil.
Cedars added that the location meets all the requirements, including being close enough to the dredge site that no boost pumps will be needed to transport the material. The projected cost of $95,000 plus $17,400 for site preparation is well within the budget, Cedars said.
Dist. 5 councilman Chris Tauzin told the council that Catahoula residents are more than ready to have the lake returned to usable condition. Several camps have been rendered inaccessible and once-popular fishing and recreational-use areas have been high and dry for years, he said.
In other business, the council approved the hiring of architect Lynn Guidry to design the conversion of the recently-purchased Cecilia Baptist Church building to a community center. Guidry has designed other community centers, including those in Carencro and Sunset. Cedars inspected those facilities and found them to be well-designed and adaptable. That is what brought Guidry to his attention.
Guidry attended the meeting and, thanking the council for the opportunity, said he would gladly accept the offer. Plans and specifications should be complete in six to seven weeks. Cedars said he expects the job to proceed without delay.
It was also reported at the meeting that the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries’ planned drawdown of Henderson Lake for aquatic weed control will begin on schedule in early August. The action is one part of a five-year weed control program that was interrupted last year by high lake water levels. More on the drawdown in another article in this issue.
