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Council debates Highway 11 resurfacing approach; members seek grant strategy and defer final action
Summary
Council members discussed plans to repair Highway 11 from Empire to Triumph, with several urging pursuit of grant funding and a grant-writer to secure larger, longer-lasting projects; an ordinance allocating funds was deferred to give the new grant firm time to pursue funding.
Council members debated how to fund and scope repairs to Highway 11 (Empire to Triumph) at the Feb. 6 Plaquemines Parish Council meeting, with several members urging the administration to prioritize grants and to aim for a comprehensive reconstruction rather than a limited overlay.
Council member Kotanovich introduced an ordinance to amend the five-year capital improvement plan for resurfacing Highway 11, but council members said the amount under discussion would only cover a portion of the road and would not address deeper structural problems. “I looked at this ordinance and reached out to the parish engineering department to find out, is this enough money to do Highway 11? And we still know it would take double that,” Council member Champagne said.
Several council members argued for an aggressive grant-seeking effort. The administration reported it recently hired a grant-writing firm and that staff had met with the contractor and compiled project priorities. The grant writer had not yet submitted a Highway 11 application as of the meeting, administration staff said, but would provide a prioritized grant list to council next week.
Council members asked for a timetable: if a viable grant cannot be obtained in a short window, they indicated they were prepared to move with parish funds. Council member Conovich said he would defer the ordinance for a brief period to let the new grant-writing effort proceed, but he warned the council would not wait indefinitely: “If I don't see anything getting done, I'm going ahead with it,” he said.
Members also stressed that Highway 11's condition affects commerce and residents along the corridor, including charter-boat businesses and local stores. Several council members urged the administration to coordinate with state legislators and the parish’s engineering team to chase larger grant packages for a project that would include drainage and structural repairs in addition to resurfacing.
The council did not adopt the ordinance on Feb. 6; members deferred action and instructed the administration and grant-writing contractor to prioritize Highway 11 and report back with grant opportunities and a recommended timeline.
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