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Cameron Parish resident alleges Green Lake Road contract was reassigned and costs ballooned; jury says matter under investigation
Summary
A local resident told the Cameron Parish Police Jury that road work originally bid at $73,000 was taken from the low bidder and later completed at a far higher cost; jurors confirmed an internal investigation and said details will be addressed in executive session.
Christopher Duane, a parish resident who identified himself as 'Bug,' told the Cameron Parish Police Jury during public comment that work on Green Lake Road was removed from a contractor he named and later completed by a different firm at a much higher price.
Duane said the original bid for the overall contract was $73,000 and that roughly $19,500 of that was attributable to the road work. "Somebody takes it from him and hires another contractor for a $168,000," Duane said, later adding that the awarded contractor's scope included removing and reusing existing limestone that he said was not reused. He urged jurors to explain why the parish paid more than the original estimate and said he had documentation and tickets related to dirt hauling.
Jurors and staff said they could not answer all questions in the public meeting because an investigation is ongoing. A juror (Tom/staff) told Duane the matter is "under investigation" and that the jury may address his specific questions in executive session; jurors asked Duane to submit detailed questions so staff could follow up.
The jury confirmed it is taking the complaint seriously and said there may be litigation stemming from the matter. Jurors did not provide a timetable for conclusions or name any specific corrective actions; they instructed staff to collect the commenter's questions and said they would report back, possibly after executive session.
Next steps: jurors said they will gather specific questions from the commenter, continue the internal review and, if appropriate, pursue legal remedies. The jury requested documentation from the commenter to support follow-up.
