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Council approves engineer to design emergency generators for Gravity Drainage District 2 under FEMA grant
Summary
The Livingston Parish Council voted to authorize parish administration to contract with an engineering firm to design generators for Gravity Drainage District 2 as part of a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant; the contract will be negotiated after the procurement selection and the council abstained once from the final vote.
The Livingston Parish Council on March 27 authorized parish administration to enter a contract with Marrero Pavilion & Associates LLC to provide engineering services to design emergency generators for Livingston Parish Gravity Drainage District 2, a project funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The vote followed a staff presentation that said FEMA grant rules required an engineering design for the generators. Mickie McMorris, chief financial officer for Livingston Parish, told the council, “So this this grant requires that we obtain a an engineer to design this, these generators.” McMorris said one generator would be sited at the district’s main office and one at the shop to provide power during emergencies and to support drainage operations damaged during Hurricane Ida.
Councilman Ryan Shavers moved the measure and Councilman Mangus seconded. Council discussion focused on procurement and contract oversight: several council members asked whether a completed contract would come back to the council for review. McMorris and parish counsel said the procurement selected the firm and that a contract would be negotiated after award; under current parish rules and state law the parish president has authority to execute contracts, and council review of the final document is not required by rule.
Council members also asked about program funding and whether the FEMA award carried a dollar cap. McMorris said the parish had already received the grant award but that a specific cap for design and equipment was not provided at the meeting and would be determined after engineering work and budgeting. Council questions prompted staff to say the engineer would specify generator sizes (for example, “60 kW” or “100 kW”) and prepare a budget estimate to match the grant award.
The motion passed with eight yes votes and one abstention; Councilwoman Sandifer abstained. The council recorded no votes against the measure. The contract with the selected firm will be negotiated by administration and returned to the clerk’s office as part of the procurement and contract file.
Why it matters: The generators are intended to keep drainage pumps and district facilities operational during power outages, a critical function for flood mitigation and maintaining parish drainage infrastructure.
What happens next: Administration will negotiate the engineering contract and the firm will prepare designs and cost estimates required by FEMA for the Hazard Mitigation Grant award. Funding, project schedule and precise generator specifications were not specified at the meeting and will be set by the engineer and grant parameters.
