The Saint Martin Parish Council announced a contract award of $1,227,872 to Down South Construction Services LLC for the Cypress Island Jodeigh drainage system maintenance project, Phase 2, and heard a resident urge the parish to address tree removal before work is completed.

During public comment, Billy Broussard identified himself as a contractor with property in Councilmember Jean Baptiste’s district and warned that leaving trees in place during drainage projects often kills them and later creates blockages that can cause flooding. "Sometimes they keep some of the trees, and I highly suggest a lot of those trees are gonna die," he said, urging the parish to plan for removing the majority of trees up front and to consider change orders to cover that work.

A parish representative thanked Broussard for his expertise, acknowledged the concerns about permitting and long-term maintenance, and said they would discuss the matter further with project documentation. The administration representative said they preferred doing the work correctly even if it costs more upfront to avoid problems later.

The contract award for the drainage project was announced during the resolutions portion of the meeting (Summary 003RS). The council also discussed related change orders elsewhere — including a $54,360.24 change order for the Spanish Trail Industrial Park Access Road BNSF crossing that was amended to require Louisiana Office of Facility Planning and Control review before execution — which framed the broader context for oversight and contract scope in parish public-works work.

Next steps noted in the meeting record included finalizing contract documents and, for items conditioned on state review, awaiting the Office of Facility Planning and Control’s approval before execution.

The council’s transcript does not record the detailed final vote certification for the Cypress Island award in the provided segments; the award and the public comment are recorded in the meeting minutes as presented to the council.