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Votes at a glance: Water Sector Commission approves multiple extensions and funding increases, defers one large request
Summary
The commission approved minutes, several deadline extensions and increases for local water and sewer projects (Delkham; Faradays; Meyer Branch; Pointe Coupee Waterworks No.1; St. Tammany scope change; Tallulah filters; Kaplan; Ponchatoula; Saint Martin Parish; West Allen) and deferred the Tensaw supplemental request for further review.
The Water Sector Commission took a series of procedural and funding actions on Monday, approving minutes and multiple project modifications while deferring one large supplemental request for additional review.
Approvals (voice, no roll‑call recorded): Delkham (six‑month plans/specs extension); Faradays (consolidation agreement and plans/specs extensions); Meyer Branch (six‑month extension tied to plans/specs and local match documentation); Waterworks District No. 1, Pointe Coupee Parish (three‑month extension to document local match and finalize consolidation); St. Tammany Parish (change in scope to reallocate local match to account for an unmarked fiber optic line discovered in construction); Tallulah (isolate purchase of four media filters and related electrical work from the original project); Kaplan (increase of $240,000 to its sewer award); Ponchatoula (requested $217,408 additional funding to cover change orders including an emergency levy repair, unmarked fiber mitigation and other items; committee approved both funds and scope change); Saint Martin Parish (requested $1,591,386 for final phase to complete a multi‑project consolidation); West Allen Water Works (requested $745,478 to re‑drill and plug a collapsed test well; partners provided in‑kind cost reductions to preserve match). Many of these approvals require subsequent JLCB review where statutory approval is noted in the staff presentation.
Deferred: Tensaw/Tensile/Tinsall Water Association’s request for about $6.59 million of additional funding (raising that project to roughly $18.59 million) was deferred so staff, LDH and the applicant can provide detailed value‑engineering documentation, explore phasing and confirm procurement timelines. Senator Reese moved the deferral and it carried by voice.
Procedural note: Most approvals were recorded as motions with no recorded roll‑call tallies in the transcript; where additional statutory review (JLCB) was required staff noted that step to applicants.
Selected actions and provenance: - Approve minutes from Dec. 10 — SEG 056–061 (motion carried by voice) - Delkham extension (phase 2) — SEG 072–084 (approved) - Faradays extensions (phase 2) — SEG 085–098 (approved) - Meyer Branch extension (phase 2) — SEG 100–199 (approved) - Pointe Coupee Waterworks No.1 extension — SEG 201–252 (approved) - St. Tammany scope change (no additional funds) — SEG 257–269 (approved) - Tallulah isolation of filters — SEG 270–683 (approved) - Kaplan increase ($240,000) — SEG 684–722 (approved) - Ponchatoula increase and scope change — SEG 723–970 (approved) - Saint Martin Parish increase ($1,591,386) — SEG 971–1151 (approved) - Tensaw/Tinsall supplemental ($6,590,000) — SEG 1157–1999 (deferred) - West Allen additional funds ($745,478) — SEG 2003–2127 (approved)
Next procedural steps: Staff will prepare documentation for JLCB where required, quantify in‑kind match for West Allen, and work with Tensaw and LDH to provide the cost and procurement details requested by the commission.
