[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6506915,"mediaKeyId","5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0","parentId",5529126,"title","Council approves series of infrastructure and grant measures, endorses scope changes for flood projects","audioSeconds",148,"startMs",4230000,"endMs",4378000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0&start=4230&end=4378","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0/thumbnail_4230000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6506915/St-Charles-Parish/Louisiana/Council-approves-series-of-infrastructure-and-grant-measures-endorses-scope-changes-for-flood-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506915-fde048469b7d85f196b0ecc35761e977/orig.mp4?Expires=1771187974&Signature=oneKwY3jABb1yz4BgmdBiMECCNQ3b299sHBuB7PCnVdkrzKFXOFn5Dx-Qrk8giH~XDjBMXbKVi1Uuenn-~Kn53jSlOFzHVL2k77FZFgOpocVjA5r3PcMnzBngyZVS1tIFKlHjDXhd7VzfO7n2VBFr-irqTZBkUC9uHbgecRtUA1PVOx~Gqcx8-i50We2bE56QChPVsp2FGk~SOTGUKGmq8xJj74aLWCpC-2FaqQLr2GEVebTvrdN6alPLwqeUyjHuGLq1TsRSfQImjADKEomrKQU8Sgj8d7dhvW6OgSl~PKYcHRPeOeRw2Ou7nqbwUuv~EK1GlOFS8XPW4FRF0s1~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","St. Charles Parish","date","2025-08-05T00:58:38.843Z","article","The St. Charles Parish Council on Aug. 4 voted on multiple ordinances and resolutions involving capital projects, engineering agreements and grant-related certifications and passed the measures as presented, with several unanimous votes recorded.

Key actions and outcomes at the meeting (votes were recorded as passing unanimously unless noted):

- File 2025-0197: Approved a professional services agreement with Fairway Consulting and Engineering LLC for a Circle K sewer force main extension feasibility study (project S250601) in the lump sum amount of $100,000. Council discussion said the extension would route sewer to the new Turtle Pond lift station to reduce backups during heavy rain events.

- File 2025-0199: Approved Amendment No. 1 to add resident inspection funds ($109,750) to the professional services agreement with H. Davis Cole & Associates LLC for Murray Hill Industrial drainage improvements (increasing contract to $434,418). Staff said resident inspection funds were needed for construction oversight.

- File 2025-0200: Approved Amendment No. 1 to add engineering and resident inspection services for the Evangeline Road and CN Railroad box culvert project with Volker Inc., not to exceed $202,712.50 (increasing overall contract to $389,718.34). Staff said utility conflicts required additional railroad coordination.

- File 2025-0201: Approved change order No. 1 (final) for the Bethune Park renovations project (see separate article) to decrease the amount by $500 and increase contract time by 84 days.

- File 2025-0202: Approved a professional services agreement with Crescent Engineering and Mapping LLC for the Riverbend Subsurface Drainage Project (P250702) in the lump sum amount of $86,544.40. The council amended the ordinance language to correct a wording error (changing “elevate” to “alleviate” in a whereas clause) and approved the ordinance as amended.

- File 2025-0203: An amendment to exempt single-family residences in the R1AM zoning district from a permanent dust-free paving requirement (allowing crushed stone) was postponed indefinitely after council discussion expressing concerns about potential permanent-residence development without poured driveways.

- File 2025-0204: Approved a professional services agreement with Crescent Engineering and Mapping LLC for JCJR outfall ditches (P250701) in the lump sum amount of $70,248. The work follows donated servitudes and will survey ditch alignments to improve drainage away from railroad tracks.

- File 2025-0205: Approved amendments to reorganize the Coastal Zone Advisory Committee, including staggered initial terms so the council would not appoint the entire committee at once.

- File 2025-0206: Approved Amendment No. 1 to the Lakewood Drive reconstruction engineering contract to add $80,000 for construction closeout work required by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), increasing the closeout amount to $280,000 and overall contract to $799,380.24.

Resolutions passed included: support for Muntz Pump Station grant compliance (file 2025-0214) to certify public-bid compliance for a $10 million Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority grant; approval of amended scope and local funding commitment ($3.9 million) for the Fairfield and Oakland watershed flood-improvement work under the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (file 2025-0215); and council support for an Economic Development Administration disaster-recovery application for the same Fairfield and Oakland project (file 2025-0218).

Appointments, confirmations and administrative housekeeping items were also approved, including planning and zoning waivers, appointment confirmations for regional task forces and communications districts, and acceptance of several committee resignations. One zoning text amendment (file 2025-0203) was postponed indefinitely after council debate.

The council’s meeting minutes and agenda list the file numbers and short descriptions; staff said additional contract documents, change orders and project-specific engineering approvals will be returned to the council for formal execution and recordation as needed.

Votes, by file, are summarized below in the actions array. Where the meeting record did not include a roll-call tally, the article reflects the meeting’s recorded outcome and notes absentee members.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","St. Charles Parish Council Meeting for August 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its Aug. 4 meeting the St. Charles Parish Council approved multiple ordinances and resolutions covering sewer feasibility studies, drainage and culvert work, park change orders, and grant-related actions for pump-station projects; one zoning amendment was postponed indefinitely.","taxTitle","St. Charles Parish, Louisiana","taxId",62169,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506920,"Waterworks report: automated meters, new call center and LA 18 water-main replacement",143,2242000,2385000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0&start=2242&end=2385","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0/thumbnail_2242000.jpg","/articles/6506920/St-Charles-Parish/Louisiana/Waterworks-report-automated-meters-new-call-center-and-LA-18-water-main-replacement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506920-92dad914fa6bf5d1c3d9956e92e3bab1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771187974&Signature=AAWD-IKdNJHVSY-8syTlRshWQl9jy7oHai~zFEMmbc2ImLLgonbX2IOdYEK2RrkOS0DM~DfwvzFC0Mkp4qvJYBYA89XYiIXhOwjxmaz40Qt8nlns2~k6ImPFozt7ik9o4Ki5fdnWVWDsX5mxwcDMiQtomOJadsJcMgSJucwTZrOcmOCNec6PRvpis1Y1nH6~OBQP2zJqYkSWo~xy7iy0MHot82Vlq~4CQg4Vlf3JC0BYcSseDX6gP0jA66CXZWF9I4LlfYrStslYn2Ick51E6VPkVQKHVnI51AgtcgydVGj5Z4TH-QBDrTcTLyPicSYuvmnzO01FUpdQQm9YwehCOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department of Water Works Director Greg Gordon presented the department’s annual report at the Aug. 4 St. Charles Parish Council meeting, summarizing operational statistics, customer-service upgrades and ongoing capital projects.

Gordon said the department now has 23,328 meters, of which 23,117 are on automatic read systems and about 211 remain manually read — roughly 99% automated. He said the automatic-reading meters transmit through repeaters to base stations, and the system is backed up to the billing vendor’s cloud. “Our mission is, we provide a sufficient supply of safe drinking water and water for fire protection to citizens of Saint Charles Parish,” Gordon told the council.

Gordon described a newly implemented billing call center and MuniLink billing software integration that allows staff to track inbound and outbound calls, provide callbacks and send direct messages to customers during service events. He said the call center handled 2,452 calls in July and missed 14, yielding a roughly 99% answer rate for that month.

Gordon also outlined capital work: the East Bank Mississippi River intake project is at closeout and will be the subject of a change order coming to the council; an Eastbank warehouse and treatment-plant repairs have been completed; and the LA 18 River Road project is replacing about 4,800 feet of original cast-iron pipe with PVC from Ashton Boulevard to Annie Lane, with work expected to finish in December. He said a spillway waterline replacement is scheduled to start Aug. 25.

Council members asked about meter communications and emergency backups; Gordon said meters send frequent signals and that the most the parish would lose in an outage is about one day of meter data because of redundant systems and cloud backups.

The presentation was informational; there were no council votes tied directly to the Water Works report during the meeting.","Department of Water Works reported near-complete meter automation (about 99% automated), a new call-center dashboard with high call-answer rates for July and multiple capital projects including an LA 18 cast-iron replacement and intake project closeout.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506925,"Council confirms Patrick Beard as director of economic development, he pledges small-business outreach",407,1043000,1450000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0&start=1043&end=1450","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0/thumbnail_1043000.jpg","/articles/6506925/St-Charles-Parish/Louisiana/Council-confirms-Patrick-Beard-as-director-of-economic-development-he-pledges-small-business-outreach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506925-86c67be9fa6c548e7deb15f7b7f59e46/orig.mp4?Expires=1771187974&Signature=XRuUAc34dts3BwDGnNK1~kUxWUlWO198RGj0BV9HUrCa4uYhEtktHdTglhlNoxm~XtDnIcgGWA1TlTPgfVhDpSetB2Ct7VNBtgR00bUbaS0~jAnlCOH828~VrFfIkICiC8MNN1AA57mzY3zaXEYnFIiwuapjdB2tT~x3nwdBpDKfXpG54ifoD8GsDp0XTjxBtQ5NVq~xFmoTdmYsmecAS0URb4BZE1-u32hdu-liQtv7QspxC20Rh7olzFmXi~QvxJVK4wJjHv-xmpqwqOmMdM-b-Mk9cYcMjiNMMDiHN2eprE-KpXdA~vnpNrKL3bUHLXJ-OGFqQsF3Iof4TfeHUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The St. Charles Parish Council on Aug. 4 unanimously confirmed Patrick Beard as the parish’s new director of Economic Development and Tourism.

Beard, a resident of Destrehan with previous experience at Colliers International and the Port of New Orleans, told the council he plans to rebalance department work to serve both large industrial projects and smaller local businesses.

“So that the information’s getting out there better,” Beard said, describing a plan to “build up some efficiencies” including clearer communications to help entrepreneurs navigate permitting, procurement and occupancy processes.

Councilwoman O’Daniels, who represents a district with many small businesses, pressed Beard on outreach to smaller operators and told the meeting she wanted the department to create a small-business portion that proactively reaches entrepreneurs.

Parish President Jewell said he had tasked Beard, once confirmed, to “rebuild and reimagine” the economic development department and to expand outreach to entrepreneurs who may be deterred by perceived permitting hurdles.

The council recorded a unanimous vote in favor of Beard’s confirmation. No public speakers addressed the confirmation during the public hearing; Beard spoke briefly to thank the council and express his interest in working with parish businesses.

The council did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting minutes; two council members were noted absent earlier in the agenda.","The St. Charles Parish Council unanimously confirmed Patrick Beard as director of Economic Development and Tourism. Beard said he will focus on rebuilding the department’s communications and better supporting small businesses in the parish.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506930,"St. Charles Parish breaks ground on Bethune Park; Shell Norco donates $500,000",110,170000,280000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0&start=170&end=280","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529126-ef4d3dee3527a43489318bbbc45575a0/thumbnail_170000.jpg","/articles/6506930/St-Charles-Parish/Louisiana/St-Charles-Parish-breaks-ground-on-Bethune-Park-Shell-Norco-donates-500000","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506930-9c32522f814d43b410e09a9bfeacd858/orig.mp4?Expires=1771187974&Signature=nckRu~v7UMij~yBx~W79N5fIQ00hp0e7eBbgtZNt5yicmQALv5NzKYmt9pZ2VWnBVlpySHUQM9vWHhDz778JgxxXiGgYkyY7RQDo~SJpWEeznuDLc66keUIefKrTamo0ljThOlJOp57AhFBOBS8Gq4BsismpfEfNAMtjC1w1uQ2Seiya1PHPnjXHUWROPpFtJ4BMBt4CT0De-7X6LmihF-2I9kl39oqZYg6N85gF9pp7SInevljIwW0tDER9m~3Yln0cO2IYLz2wixpidtA4oXP6Y3wGUReEnfn7bjO8CfWtoOHHDzwPxIm0pftv~qOhHB0s-Y0zQfsM8aLPuQbpIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","St. Charles Parish officials and community members on Aug. 4 celebrated the groundbreaking for phase 1 improvements at Bethune Park in Norco, a $1,100,000 site renovation that parish leaders said will add new athletic and community amenities.

Parish President Jewell said the project will reduce the size of the existing large field, install a new small (about 200-foot) softball field, add new fencing and two backstops for youth baseball and T-ball, renovate a multiuse field near the track, replace lights damaged in storms, install a basketball court and build a pavilion and a historical marker noting the park’s history as the site of the former Bethune High School.

“This is a $1,100,000 improvement to the site,” Parish President Jewell said. He credited Shell Norco for a $500,000 grant that will allow the parish to add amenities outside the original scope.

A Shell Norco representative attending the event described corporate participation as a priority. “It’s one of the coolest parts of my job and my leadership team’s job is being able to contribute to the communities that we operate in,” the representative said.

Public works staff said the project will include new turf in some areas, repaired and repainted courts, drainage work and final parking improvements. Officials also announced an increase of 84 days to the contractor’s timeline related to production delays and back-ordered backstop poles; a related change order that reduces the contract amount by $500 and extends the completion time by 84 days passed unanimously at the council meeting.

Council members praised the project as a community benefit for Norco residents and for preserving local history through the planned marker honoring the site as the first African American high school in the parish.

The parish said a ribbon-cutting will be scheduled once work is complete.

Votes and formal actions connected to the Bethune Park work were handled during the council meeting. Change order number 1 (final) for the Bethune Park renovations — a decrease of $500 and an 84-day time extension — was approved by the council without recorded opposition.","Parish leaders marked the start of phase 1 of Bethune Park improvements in Norco, a $1.1 million project that includes playing fields, lighting, a pavilion and a historical marker; Shell Norco contributed $500,000 toward added amenities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves series of infrastructure and grant measures, endorses scope changes for flood projects

Waterworks report: automated meters, new call center and LA 18 water-main replacement

Council confirms Patrick Beard as director of economic development, he pledges small-business outreach

St. Charles Parish breaks ground on Bethune Park; Shell Norco donates $500,000