The parish’s bulk waste collection program is being overwhelmed and most of the problem is due to contractors not following the law, according to the driver of one of the parish grapple trucks.
Anthony Manuel told members of the Acadia Parish Police Jury that trucks are picking up entire trees and houses only to return to the area the next day to find the side of the road again stacked up.
“Contractors are taking the signs off their trucks and putting trees to the road,” Manuel said. “They’ll be lined down the whole side of the road – trees, not limbs or branches, whole trees. We make load after load while people just down the street are getting angry because we’re not picking up their little pile of trash.
“We finally get it cleared, and the next day it’s another tree.”
Jurors noted that contractors can offer lower prices on jobs if they don’t have to haul the waste themselves, “even though it’s free to bring it to the landfill as long as it comes from Acadia Parish.”
Concerning demolished structures, Manuel said crews are simply pushing the debris up to the side of the road with a bulldozer and leaving it there. “There’s wood and shingles and furniture. We even had a bathtub,” he said.
“This program wasn’t designed to haul off whole trees and houses,” Manuel said. “We have five trucks, but at this rate, we can’t keep up.”
Jury President Chance Henry instructed parish attorney Glen Howie to look at the current parish ordinance to determine “if we can put more teeth in it. Meanwhile, we’re going to look into enforcing what we have on the books.”
In a related matter, jurors decided to put off the purchase of a new grapple truck for the landfill’s fleet.
The Solid Waste Committee had recommended that the jury purchase a truck from Covington Sales and Service as a price of $206,500, pending a review of the maintenance costs on the existing fleet.
“After getting the numbers on maintenance, it’s just not feasible to but a truck at this time given the state of the economy,” said Steve Comeaux, committee chairman.
The jury did go ahead with the lease of various items of heavy equipment to be used at the landfill, contracting with Doggett of Baton Rouge for two articulated dump trucks, a bulldozer and an excavator.
John Dickinson, representing Doggett, said the equipment would be delivered to the landfill before the current leases expire on July 10.
Routine business at Police Jury
Acadia Parish Police Jurors handled some routine business and housekeeping tasks during their recent June meeting.
With no discussion, jurors approved:
— The reappointment of Richard Hebert, Jeffery Murrell, Gerald Regan, Brandon Leger and Calvin Sensat to the Egan Drainage Board; and
— The reappointment of Barry Lacasse to the Iota-Long Point Gravity Drainage Board.
A resolution to close a loophole in the recently adopted lease agreement for hangar space at LeGros Memorial Airport in Estherwood also was adopted.
The jury added a clause mandating an “early termination fee” of three months rent to the contract.
Another resolution authorizes President Chance Henry to sign any and all documents pertaining to the grant agreement and application for FAA CAREs Act for LeGros Airport in the amount of $30,000 for reimbursement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In other business:
Adopted an ordinance setting a 25 mph speed limit on Sally Road; and
Authorized Henry to sign a resolution adopting a Community Water Enrichment Fund grant in the amount of $20,429 for “potable water improvements.”
Authorized Henry to sign a resolution adopting DRC Emergency Services for pre-event debris removal.
